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!

It really depends on where you live/your lifestyle. We had an Uppababy Vista and loved it. But I wasn't putting it in and out of car, I used to walk into town with it. I loved the large basked for shopping, the seat/cot position being higher than average (so not on a level with car exhausts), the versatility - we used the cot as other people have mentioned as a pram and a day bed downstairs for her to sleep in, the seat can face you or forward (and is easy to switch) and the car seat clips in. It's really easy to manoeuvre. We eventually got a Maclaren XLR to keep in the car, just for convenience!

Take a look at Jane. They do lie flat car seats that are suitable for over night sleeping, and clip onto the pushchair frame. The seat is heavy but so useful. Good weight limit on them too.

Have a look at the i - safe system . I got this with dd2 and I'm in love! Only available on the net (got mine through Amazon) but it's so simple and the cot bit converts into a pushchair. It's on you tube and the colours are amazing (if you care about that). We paid £249 for the whole system money well spent.