pushchair buying advice

[kittykat]

hi im about to buy a graco mirage pushchair travel system £120.00 from mothercare and was wondering what you guys think about it if any of yiu own it that is, i'm the first of all my friends to have a baby so am clueless about this stuff, I already have a mamas and papas pram/ pushchair system but am seduced by the carseat option as it seems really convienient. help!!!

One of my closest friends bought one of these for her DD. DD is now almost a year old and it has served her very well. I would say that medical professionals advise against the use of a travel system as it is said that they are unhealthy for the spinal development in newborns, a carrycot is infinitely preferable.

There is a chance that you could buy a mamas and papas car seat to go with your existing system, depending on the model and age. I'd double check that this is possible with your local nursery retailer (not mothercare as they don't stock m&p and will tell you anything to get you to buy the graco!). I think that the newer G-Matic style fittings fit both the new and older 'pull out pin' type chassis.

The lady who helped us buy ours said she had a graco pushchair, and now her dd is older, she traps her fingers in the mechanism, and that the Mamas and Papas umbrella style travel system is better. Don't know whether this was true or not, but we followed her advice and bought M&P Primo, and have been really happy with it.

Oh yes, and we were adament about getting the travel system so that we could put the carseat straight into it if necessary. But it never was necessary!

Just remember that the carseat option only lasts for as long as your baby fits into the carseat. For my DD, she was in the Graco carseat for about 10 months, when she outgrew it. My nephew could only fit for approximately 4 months before he outgrew it. There is a weight limit, but I can't recall exactly what it is. . . HTH

9 kilos

or is that 9 months

Maybe it was 19 pounds.

I know it had a 9 in it somewhere.

Do you think this little splurge of madness means I'm pg?

Or just a mum?

I think it's 20 pounds - is that 9 kilos? I'm rubbish at numbers. Fisil, your keen memory of these details may mean you're a bit broody

As an american I would stay clear of Graco, I feel like they are very cheaply made. Everyone at home dreams of buying a "european stroller". I was wondering if you have these in the U.K. It is the best thing, it only works with a infant car seat, you use it for a couple of months, it is very compact and small(and very cheap) and then you can trade up to a Maclaren or a Mamas and Papas?

Here is the run down of what we have owned in the pushchair department....

• Mamas and Papas 3in1 on a swivel wheeled chassis.
  Great for the first few months as it was a proper pram (carrycot etc) and was really cosy (ideal for an autumn/winter baby). Sold on

• Enormous bouncy chassis Cossatto 2in1.
  Again great for a newbirn and also surprisingly eeasy to push with a larger than usual (certainly bigger than the M&P) seat. Sold on

• mothercare samba stroller
  Excellent as it lay completely flat and came with all accs. Now at my Mums house for use when DD visits.

• M&P Pliko Completo
  Lovely, cosy with additional footmuff and fully compatible with car seat to make travel system. Nice high seat making visibility better for toddlers. Zip on raincover not so great for toddlers, but you can use a normal mothercare type one instead. Larger wheels make it a more comfy, smooth ride than a normal stroller. Downsides for us were the dodgy folding mechansim and crappy shopping basket. Sold on due to an offer I couldn't refuse

• M&P Aria
  Bought as a buggy to chuck in the car. Nice and sturdy considering it weighs just 5kg but the downsides for us were the small hood and the fact that there are only 2 seat positions (flat ot bolt upright). Pros are massive shopping basket, easy one hand folding and single 'bar' type handle. Sold on

• Maclaren Techno XT 2002 model
  Bought new. Cosy, roomy, easy to push and trendy, with handy little pockets in the hood. Major downside is the crappy braking system, almost impossible to put the brakes on with your foot, most of the time I find myself doing it with my hand ! Not ideal, but for us a great buy.

• Urban Detour Pinnacle
  I was amazed at how light this is to push. DD likes it becasue it is so high up that she can have a good nosy. Lays flat and comes with pump, footmuff and raincover. Easy to steer due to swivel wheel which can be locked when on rougher terrain. Althought the one downside is it's weight, at around 14kg it can be a struggle for me to lift it into the boot of the car. Also not ideal for public transport.

BLIMEY, I'M OBSESSED !!! My DD is only 15 months old ! Have had to promise DH that I'm finished with pushchair shopping now at least until we have our next baby.

I've had another few thoughts on the Mirage...
Ihave to admit to thinking that it looked a bit cheap and plasticky when my friend bought it but it seems to stood the test of time well. I will say that the seat does look a bit small for a toddler of 12 months+ and so probably woudn't be as comfy as the maclaren when nipper gets a bit older. The seat on her mirage only has 2 seat positions which just isn't enough for a baby who is not sleeping but is not yet old enough to sit bolt upright, my friend has to bunch the fabric up behind the seat to try and 'invent' an extra back rest position. Also her DH complains that the handles are too low (he's 6ft) and he covets my maclaren 'cos it has nice 'tall' adjustable handles

Sorry I ranted on a bit there.....

The first stage car seat normally lasts upto 13kg which is usually 12-15 months. Having said that my DD was into her next seat at 9 months.

When buying anything baby orientated I always road tested in mothercare, then look at buying from kiddicare.com - much cheaper than mothercare!

I had a M and P Venizia which is great for tiny babies, now have a maclaren techno - crappy shopping basket, but looks good, and the breaks are better on the newer version (2003)

I got the mirage for dd as we needed a new car seat anyway and the whole system was cheaper than some of the carseats we saw! We don't have a car but I use it all the time in taxi's - the base is neat and light when folded and the car seat is a dawdle to snap in and out quickly (essential when the meter is still running!) . I also love it for taking on the bus cause it is so small. For longer walks I use a kiwi double or ds's old mamas and papas buggy - they feel more substantial. Also check what is included - does the price include the raincover?

Unless you have a m&P system that is more than 3 years old you can just buy the carseat to go with what you have. I think that unless you only use the pushchair very lightly ( a couple of jours a week around a shopping center) Graco are crap. They seem to wear very quickly and friends who do a normal amount of walking have complained that they get knackered quickly.

Also hate seeing babies in travel systems for hours and babies that can't sit up on their own in buggies...

WSM, I could rival you on the buggy purchasing front