Travel system or separates?

[pinkdonkey]

Hi, I'm pregnant with DC1, decided to go for a mooch around Mothercare for the first time today and feeling totally bamboozled!

For a start what are the pros and cons of a travel system versus separate car seat and pram?

Thanks

You don't have to get a pram that you can clip a car seat on to, that's just personal choice, but the safest car seat for new babies is an infant carrier. If you don't use it on the pram it can either just live permanently in the car or you can install it each time. Most infant car seats are fairly standard in terms of safety so you can't really go wrong. Maxi Cosi is the most popular brand but other good ones are Joie, Britax, Cybex, Be Safe, etc. They'll last until at least 12mo when you can decide what kind of car seat suits you for the next stage (rear facing until at least 4 is by far the safest option).

You're not supposed to leave tiny babies in car seats for too long so they're not supposed to be clipped onto the pram and used for hours. You need a carrycot or lie flat seat for that (or pop them in a sling!). However, being able to clip the car seat onto the pram to nip into the supermarket for milk or do the school run etc is really helpful, especially if baby is asleep, but it's definitely a nice to have rather than an essential.

We went with a travel system, so a pram part, the pushchair bit and the car seat. All which can be clipped on and off the base.

We never bothered leaving ds in the car seat and clipping him in the frame, partly because it was the strangest design and you sort of had to tip the car seat forward to get him out :/. We also didn't like to leave him in the car seat for long. With the car seats you can buy a fixed base called 'isofix' base. This basically clips into the base of your back seat and has an arm that touches the footwell. Your seat can then clip into the base. I always found this much safer gab just a belt round the car seat.

We have the pushchair bit, which he was in from about 5 months, and it's great. It can lie flat and he can sit up, so theoretically he could have used it from birth, but he was tiny and I felt he was better in the pram part.

Think our travel system cost about £800 maybe and ds is nearly 2 and we still use it daily. I can't recommend buying a good quality pushchair/pram enough. We walk for miles and ds is always quite happy in his.

If you go into mothercare etc. Have a little push with the prams.Practice taking them up and down, and ask to check they fit in your car (staff will happily do this for you). T

If you don't want to get a travel system you can pick up car seats from birth to about 4 years and those will cost about £200+ and then buy a separate pushchair.

If you use the bus/train a lot, it might be worth looking at ones that are lightweight and can be folded with one hand.

Both mothercare and mammas and papas will do parents events, normally on an evening and they will sometimes have stalls with various venders and you can often get vouchers for pushchairs and other expensive bits.

I'd say you don't need any of that stuff except a child seat. You especially don't need to spend lots of money on a system.
Our DS has never been in a buggy and he's 7 months old. He has been carried in Wrap/Sling since birth, it's far more convenient and much easier to get about.

Thanks everyone, that's really helpful. We are going to be on a tight budget, so thinking of buying a new car seat and a second hand pram and/or a sling, but on the other hand if it's going to last a few years then the prices don't seem so bad.

Joie Juva is a great budget friendly infant car seat. Then save your money for a good extended rear facing seat like the Britax Two Way Elite from 12-18 months!

I went to the library and looked at the which magazine reviews on car seats Then waited until one of the best buys came on special offer in Mother care, I also used one of those vouchers they send you when you sign up to the parenting club. I paid less than £115 for a cybex car seat.
I’ve only got a small car so have a silver cross pop umbrella fold which you can use from birth, the more colourful colour ways are cheaper. I also bought a second hand silver Cross sleepover which is a travel system (it didn’t come with a car seat) for £25 in a charity shop. They had another silver cross pram/pushchair in for the same price in even better condition at the same time and I’ve seen loads more in other charity shops for less than £30 since.

That's great, thanks, MIL has also pointed me towards a particular charity shop which she has seen a lot in

Just seen the Juva on for £34 which is an absolute bargain! Thought I'd share.

http://www.pramworld.co.uk/joie-juva-classic-0-infant-carrier-black-ink?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIj4XEhKbQ3AIVlcqyCh2jxAbAEAQYASABEgLynvDBwE#fooc=743&fok=272839e157a16a79a691e00fdf7bc42f&foos=gplauk

Thank you