when is a pram only fit for a skip?

[notcitrus]

MrNC and I both come from families of hoarders and bargain-hunters, which is great given that our first-born is due soon. Thanks to Freecycle and their friends, we're piling up prams and pushchairs of varying degrees of decrepitness.

What should we look for before putting our baby in one of these? One pram was pretty mildewed all over the carrycot part, and I figured mildew spores near a newborn is a bad idea, so thinking of just chucking that one out. Others just have a bit of rust or wonky wheels.

So what safety features etc should we ensure are working before putting our baby in a pram/pushchair, or putting it back on Freecycle for someone else?

tbh, do you have anyone who is handy at fixing things or cleaning things up?

i have removed mould/mildew from buggies, i have repaired and repalced catches on them, and re-riveted things after learning how to use a rivet gun.

i have only chucked away one thats is beypnd help in many years. its just a hobby of mine

also contact manufacterings for spare parts. some send little pieces out free of charge, others charge a small amount for parts.

MrNC and I are both pretty handy at fixing things up - but we have a whole house needing fixing up! And MrNC is known in our social circle as 'the computer fairy' because he's constantly putting together bits of non-working computers to make working ones for people who need them. So prams/pushchairs aren't on the priority list.

From what you say nothing's beyond repair, so I suspect in a few months after we decide which is best to push Squirmy about in, we'll stick the lot on Freecycle with appropriate caveats.

Along with an enormous amount of other stuff - I know babies get through enormous amounts of laundry, but I suspect if you can count your babygros in the 100s, you might just have enough...

lol yup, 100's is more than enough lol.

i have managed to get most of what i need second hand from family members, charity shops and freecycle this time. i was sorting through baby clothes the other week, realised i had no newborn/0-3month vests so called the my sister, who said she had some, i came home with a black bag full of stuff.

i dont suppose there is a mac volo amongst all that lot of yours is there? the wheels are shot on mine, and its on its last legs. will say on the frame if its a volo.

As long as something is cleanable, all the fixed parts are still fixed and the brakes work, then anything else doesn't matter. Or you could cobble together a brand new pram system from all the different ones and be totally unique

Mac Volo, eh? Not yet, but if one turns up sounds like I should keep it!

Looks like I'll have some sort of enormous pram for the first 3 months, but use a sling as much as possible, and then have/buy a pushchair once Squirmy can sit up. I'll have a better idea of what I want or need by then.

SIL1 is currently looking at the cheapest way of sending a crate of 3-6 month clothes and toys etc down South for me and SIL2... I just hope the loft extension is finished soon as we're runnning out of space (entire contents of loft currently scattered about house, excess prams all on porch as we're certainly not worried about them being stolen!)