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Parenting

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Original poster

Phil & Teds E3 - What do you think?

18 replies

Palmwoods · 26/07/2006 15:01

I'm considering buying one of these as second bub is on the way. They seem to have loads of advantages and disadvantages and I'm torn!

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clairemow · 26/07/2006 15:13

Just bought one, and I love it. DS likes it too. Baby going to arrive in a month, so can't tell you about having two of them in it yet! But with a 2 year old, it manoevres really well, and feels really comfy to push, even with huge 8 month bump. My Maclaren has been relegated to the garage... The only thing I have wondered about is that the buggy seat (not the extra toddler one) only has 2 positions, upright and flat. Nothing in between. But so far, I think the advantages well outweigh this, mostly that it's no larger than an ordinary buggy, so great for the shops etc.

bluebear · 26/07/2006 15:26

Love mine - we now have a side-by-side maclaren as well, bought solely because we needed something that we could attach a buggy board to, to push 3 kids about... I hate hate hate the maclaren, and lurve my e3

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Palmwoods · 26/07/2006 15:26

Is it easy to fold? My B-in-Law has one and he has to take the wheels off to fit it in the car!

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Mazzarella · 26/07/2006 15:47

I have recently bought one for my 1 and 3 yr old.
It is great so a lot less heavy to push than my old side by side.
I got mine off gumtree.com and was only 180 brand new in the box!
just wish i got it sooner!
i find it pretty easy to fold and think its folds quite small really and the wheels are quick release so if you had to take the wheels off its not too much hassle.

clairemow · 26/07/2006 16:29

It folds up really flat, and I always take the wheels off anyway, as they are really quick release and make it even flatter to go in the car. It was one of the things that most surprised me about it, how small it folded up for a 3 wheeler.

scotslass · 26/07/2006 20:08

I've had mine for over a year and love it!!

Claremow - the buggy seat does have more positions. It can be reclined by having it in the upright position, but with the zip undone. It can also be slightly raised by having it in the flat position with the zip done up.

cane · 26/07/2006 20:25

love mine too, with a 2.1 year old and 4 weeks - not utterly keen on the hanging baby bit but in general is fab and much easier to maneuver than a side by side. Not great for underbuggy space with 2 though.

Ponka · 26/07/2006 22:23

I was vaguely wondering about getting one, too but I wonder, how well can the child who goes in the back seat see where they are going and when you have a really little baby, doesn't it sort of feel like you are putting them in your shopping basket!!! That's what the pictures looked like to me.

Angeliz · 26/07/2006 22:32

Ponka i always think that!
What does the one on the bottom look at?
It looks very strange to me!

bluebear · 26/07/2006 22:35

Cane - have you got the panniers - they attach to the sides so you can carry stuff there rather than in the basket.

My 2 used to fight to get the back seat - we used to dangle toys from the clip on the back of the front seat for them to play with, and they can see where they are going by looking slightly sideways (never had any complaints from the back seat passenger).

Mine are getting too big for buggies now

clairemow · 27/07/2006 09:39

Scotslass, thanks for the tip - I hadn't worked that out - seems obvious now...!

ZacharyQuack · 02/08/2006 10:04

I'v got an older P&T Kiwi Explorer model and love it. WIth the older model, the smaller child must always go in the back, otherwise the buggy can tip backwards. My youngest is 19mths now and still loves it, though she especially loves putting her feet on the back of DD1's front seat and pushing her!

WRT what the backseat passenger can see, they can see out the sides and probably have a similar view to the back seat of a car. TBH it's the only pram view she's ever known, so she's probably not fussed.

I have a 3.4 yo and a 19mth old with a combined weight of about 27 kilos. There are stairs up to our house, which I have to haul the buggy up and down with kids on board and this has caused damage to the frame, which I've had to have parts replaced several times. Luckily I live in Wellington, NZ, not far from the Phil and Ted factory, and they fix it for free. As I said, I have the old model so I don't know if the E3 has the same problem.

viticella · 26/08/2006 21:00

(a bit late, I am new to MN & reading old postings)

I cannot tell you how pleased I am with the E3. Mine are 12 & 28 mths and I can push them with one hand. I use the P&T "Bacpac" bag for extra storage.

You have to figure out the different combinations. I started with baby sleeping in the flat bed (which he loved) and toddler in the clip on seat on top. But once baby starts to sit up you must put him in the clip on seat in the lower position - the lighter child must sit behind for reasons of balance. This seat doesn't recline at all - we had a couple of months of fussing over whether baby should lie down or sit up, and worrying whether his head was flopping when he dozed, but he seems to have survived it. He loves looking out sideways from his little nook. Also it's harder to get cosytoes and sunshades - I just ended up improvising with snowsuits and sunhats instead.

Now if DS1 wants to walk for a bit, I lift up baby, seat and all, and pop him onto the top clips so the buggy looks a bit like a single, and it's easier to push then. This always gets passers by interested!

It's worth finding one of those pram warehouses and giving it a good tryout.

Oh, and I did bend an axle but the UK importers sent a spare part out for free.

misdee · 26/08/2006 21:16

i had the p+t and sold it after 8months. now i have a kiwi explorer, much better IMO. but havent used it in newborn/toddler mode as have no need.

AngelaChill · 26/08/2006 22:47

I used to love mine until my 12 month old nearly lost a finger in the rear wheel in 2 toddler mode. My opinion is is it is ok with a newborn and a toddler but once you have 2 children it's dangerous. I took mine back to the shop I bought it from and explained what happened. The manageress was visably shaken and I got a full refund, it was 12 months old btw. A few people have comment they are surprised it passed the UK safety standards.

misdee · 26/08/2006 22:49

thats why i prefer the kiwi explorer, the 2 seat is a lot higher up.

sweetkitty · 26/08/2006 23:02

I very nearly bought one when expecting DD2 after about 10 threads on here I decided against it, I loved the baby/toddler mode but was put off the 2 toddler mode as a few people had said the baby in the second seat can touch the wheels etc.

I ended up buying a Twin Aria which I hate with a passion, it's really flimsy, the cosy toes are too big (meant for a single), DD1 pulled the stickers off and ate them, it just annoys. Trying to convince DP that I need a Cosatto Duet Lite which looks really good (probably isn't) but have no chance of getting one.

nicand2 · 27/08/2006 20:40

I'm also thinking of getting one. 2nd baby due in 6 weeks and DS is 21 months so need a double buggy.

My only reservation is the hanging baby bit as I'm not sure the baby will want to lie flat until he is 6 months old. Has anyone else had problems with this?

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