Do you use a travel system - all of it needed?

[UKrider]

Hello

We're buying first buggy/pram/travel system. Having looked after friends babies and taken them out a lot from newborn to toddlers, I know I want a good system as a pain in the bum one is so unhelpful when trying to be vaguely mobile with small child.

The ones we've seen tend to be a wheeled base with interchangeable clip on parts - a cot, a 'chair' and also we like those with a lie flat car seat so if the baby is asleep you can just lift from car and clip on the stroller base. Seems to make sense.

My question to experienced mumsnetters is this - do you actually use all the parts?

I can see the cot part is handy when they are tiny as a crib indoors and to be flat when out and about, but if you have a clip in car seat then do you ever use the other parts? When they are too big for the clip in car seat maybe? The extra seat part seems a waste. Am I missing something.

It all seems a puzzle to me!

I went for the Oyster as it allows you to miss out the bassinet attachment, as the stroller seat lays flat and LO can use it from birth, it looks very comfy! Had no issues with it, it's a good system. I really didn't want a bassinet I'd use for a month then would have to store (or more likely trip over in hallway) until baby number 2 comes along.

My DS absolutely hated being put down so the pram/ bassinet bit was useless to us. He also hated the car seat - would scream and scream and scream until he was red and sweaty and just so distressed so we never used the carseat clipped to base bit either! So it was a total waste of money for us. Luckily we bought it second hand (with new car seat). I do use the pram seat bit, and although I have a cheap stroller, for longer walks I like him being parent facing so we do use the travel system now, but for the first 5 months, we really didn't use it.

But the lie flat car seat (we have the kiddy evo luna fix which can be laid flat in the car as well as out) is fantastic- on the odd long journey we did when he was small, if he did eventually stop screaming and fall asleep it meant we didn't have to disturb him to get him out due to him having been in for more than an hour - which would have lead to more distress and screaming for him.

No. car seat gets very heavy soon. Have you tried lifting a car seat empty? Imagine that full with 13kg weight and lifting In and out car. A newborn shouldn't be in car seat more than 30mins at a time anyway
Look at extended rear facing seats. They last newborn-4years so save buying different sizes, safest and stay securely in car.

Moving child asleep from car seat to pram take a minute, and it's good they get used to being moved imo as helps they sleep through things rather than wake at every movement or sound

Carrycot part - can be nice when small. Depends on lifestyle. Most you have to take off to then fold pram sonif in and out car might be annoying. Bare in mind very few are suitable for overnight sleeping so can't use instead of a Moses basket for example

TBH I would say you want a pushchair, that folds in one piece ( no having to remove seat first), and no heavier than 9.5kg in total. Option to add carrycot if you prefer but most not needed as such as pushchair suitable from birth if lies fully flat

Decide is you need large wheels if live in countryside. Decide if you want option of baby facing you. Decide if you need extra lightweight for travel etc

Travel systems are such a faff and grappling car seats in and out back breaking. I wouldn't have one again. Evidence is showing babies shouldn't be in their car seats for longer than about 30 min. Get yourself something flexible like an out n about nipper which will last you all the way through. Yes, you can bolt on all the bits but TBH I think I'd just use a sling in the early days (mine were Velcro babies). You'll do what I did and ignore this advice though .

In my experience it's best to get a cheap second hand travel system for the first few months - a set of wheels that you can put either carry cot or car seat on - but once baby is OK sitting up a bit then a pushchair is better which will last till they are around 3ish.

I had the Uppababy vista, the carrycot can be used as an overnight sleeper so it got plenty of use in the first three months. The car seat bit was ok, a bit cumbersome and heavy, as all baby car seats are, but handy when she nodded off in the car and I wanted to get on with something. The seat bit has had the most use, she still likes to sit in her buggy sometimes at 2.5. The Vista is a brilliant pram, massive basket, pushes beautifully, turns on a 5 pence piece, good on rough ground. Not cheap but worth looking at second hand. A lot of people switch to little strollers when their DC get bigger, we have one but compared to the Vista it's a pain in the bum to push (needs both hands, doesn't corner well) and the basket is too small compared to what we're used to.

We have a silver cross pioneer. It has a carrycot which is suitable from birth until 6 months. The pushchair seat can be used from 6 months until they no longer need it anymore, or up til about 3 I think. You can also attach the silver cross simplicity car seat into the wheels using adaptors, or you an get adaptors for different car seats as well.
We used all the parts. A baby should lay flat as long as possible, we kept lo in the carrycot until 6 months as recommended. Then the pushchair seat is used after that.
The car seat is useful if you drive. As you can just fold the wheels down. Or if you think you may need a taxi (minicab type one). We don't drive personally but we've done this a few times. It saves having to have the carrycot or pushchair seat as well as the wheels. However a baby shouldn't be in an infant car seat for longer than 2 hours at a time, and they don't lie flat, and I found my lo sleeps better laid flat.

We never once used the bit that clips the car seat onto the base. It was just so damn heavy to lift and as a pp says they shouldn't be in them for that long anyway.

I couldn't use a sling - back and hips just wrecked after pregnancy alas.

what you need is a stroller that will see you through.
It should be: foldable in one piece
Compact fold
Easy to lift in and out of car
Easy to get on the bus
Fit your lifestyle (long country walks with a dog is going to need bigger wheels than an urban dweller.)
Reversible seat is nice
Decent basket is nice
Should be nippy but stable

I have an easywalker mosey and it is brilliant- it even has a carrycot bitcthat concertinas flat so it can be folded with it on!

Big bulky travel systems are a total waste. Go for a good reversible stroller that has a lie flat/carrycot/pod thing.

I loved the carrycot bit for dd2. Didn't have this bit for the other two so you can do without but it's nice to have, especially if you do a lot of walking.

Use the seat bit daily now she's outgrown the carrycot

Use the car seat bit daily for school run (I have to drive to school and she falls asleep and would not transfer to pram asleep) and if I'm just quickly popping into a shop when out in the car-much easier to just pop seat onto wheels than to unstrap baby, put in buggy, strap into buggy where the whole process can take longer than the actual time I'm in the shop. Made even easier by having a car seat base in car so seat just clicks on and off.

Sorry to hijack, kel I'm looking at the pioneer. Is it worth the money?

I'll. Be out a lot but not on public transport.

I also have the silvercross pioneer. I love it, I'm really glad I choose it and definitely worth the money. All 3 parts have had lots of use. Car seat is used for quick trips into the shop or when I don't want to wake baby (we also have the isofix base to go with the car seat so can get baby in and out quickly) the car seat is quite heavy though- it's helping to build my mum guns! We used the carry cot for 4-5 months, he's quite a long baby so he outgrew it quicker than I expected but it did get lots of use as we also used it for downstairs daytime naps. We use the pushchair part now, baby is happy in there and it's great that I can easily switch from upright to lying down. I think we'll get a few years out of the pushchair part as it's quite roomy. It's also really easy to manoeuvre so would def recommend!

Just something to think about (because I didn't think of it when I was buying mine 2 years ago) but are you planning on having another with a smallish gap? Of so, you may want one that easily converts to a double (like the new uppababy, or the bugaboo donkey)
My son still used his buggy when my second arrived and I had to fork out for a new buggy (as opposed to one just needing a modification) so it's worth bearing in mind x

Thank you all so much for your replies and advice and suggestions of things to look out for and brands to try. DH has read too and we will refer back to this thread when we shop next week.

The car seats I've been looking at go totally flat so while I can't imagine you'd want to leave a baby in them too long they are deemed suitable for longer use. But they don't go with all makes/models.

A couple of you mentioned slings and I've found out there is a sling library group nearby so you can go and try various styles on so I'll be doing that too.

I feel much more informed now. We know the things to look for where as before we were looking at a £350 pram and a £640 one and we didn't know what actually matters to compare them.

Travel systems are lovely. The reality however is that they are large and heavy. The cot bit never got used as my eldest hate laying flat. The car seat attaching was useful for a few months until he got too heavy. My second wakes the second I turn off the engine so its pointless. The seat parts tend to be quite small so unlikely to last beyond 18m-2yrs if you have a tallish child. I would get a good from birth pram. Some have ataptors to allow for a carrycot/car seat too if you still want to go down that route. Most parents I know swap to a stroller/babyjogger type buggy at around a year old anyway.

Whilst the lie flat car seats are great in the car like the kiddy evolution pro as means you can do longer journeys with them safer. They are really almost twice the weight so lifting out the car regularly is going to kill you backs and arms.
If you drive a lot I would look at a car seat that can lie flat whilst driving ( some like cybex you can only lie flat outside of car which isn't that helpful). But leave it in car.

More good tips. Thanks for all these pointers.

We also have an uppababy vista and it's great. Used the carrycot for overnight sleeping (didn't buy a crib/basket) so even though dd hated it as a pram it was used lots, and then ds came along and it got used again.

Clip on car seat great for popping onto the shops when baby's asleep (especially as I would heartily disagrrr with pp who said it takes two seconds to transfer a sleeping h baby - it really doesn't!! And some babies will never "learn" to sleep through being moved.)

Dd still used the pushchair part at gone 3yo, and ds uses it now. I haven't moved on to an umbrella fold stroller as pushing anything but my uppababy is a chore!

My nephew fit in the Uppababy fairly comfortably when he was visiting and took ill on a day out to the middle of nowhere - he was an average sized 5 year old then!

We also have the uppababy vista!
Carrycot was used as the only bed for the first few months, so lots of use!
Car seat clipped on to pushchair if I was going to be in and out car but only for up to 45 minutes.
We never bought a stroller, so used the seat attachment up until earlier this year when DD decided she was not going to be pushed anywhere and would only walk!
DD2 is due in a few months, so all the equipment will be put back into use, with an added buggy board. Reckon there'll be 5-6 years use out of one travel system, not bad really!

Also, my very tall 3 year old niece still fits in her uppababy!

The lie flat car seats must be outgrown really quickly though?

Depends completely on your lifestyle. With first 2 DC (winter born) we just had a lie flat pushchair. If it was very cold / windy / wet we didn't go out. Just had DC3 and we need to do a 50 minute school / preschool drop off twice a day whatever the weather, so I use the carrycot and love it as it protects so well against the elements.

Attachable car seat is brilliant if you do a lot of nipping in/out of places / shops you've driven to.

I used the carrycot all the time for my first. Second is a whopper and didn't fit in it too long.

I think they're nice to have but not really practical once baby starts to grow. As I mentioned, my second is humongous and it's really hard to push him, and a clunky, heavy travel system up hills. We have a walk up a hill to school so I've just bought an Out and About Nipper in the hope that it'll make that journey a bit easier.

Someone suggested buying a second hand travel system for the start and then buying a good lightweight buggy later. That's what I'd do too.

We have an Uppababy Vista too 😊 It's brilliant! Bassinet was great, both our children slept in it overnight a few times and napped in it during the day around the house, seat still fits our tall three year old and our youngest used the seat as a newborn (you can get a wedge thingy to make it flat), basket is huge, handles well, fits in the boot, fine on the train etc. I clipped the car seat on when my youngest was little, and we have a skateboard and a second seat too. It's been used daily for three years, in and out cars, on flights, along beaches, country paths etc and still looks good.