Choosing a buggy (OMG - what a minefield)

[Ellsiedodah]

Hi all

Would be enormously grateful for any advice on buggies (I'll be a first time mum shortly). We went to good ol JL for some advice on how to navigate this entirely new baby language and work out what we need from a buggy (aiming to buy second hand). Our conclusions were:

• High pram component essential for not breaking your back
• Big, accessible basket - awesome
• Very easy to fold down (like in one or two buttons) - essential
• Adaptable for a second child later down the line - awesome
• All terrain wheels for park walks - essential
• Weight - they're all bloody heavy and we won't be taking it upstairs so can live without the lightest model
• Second hand - price instantly drops several hundred - awesome

Conclusion... Uppababy Vista ...

Does this all sound sensible or did anyone else realise certain things were way more important than these?

Did anyone have the same requirements and choose a different one?

Any and all thoughts hugely appreciated! Many thanks x

Silver Cross Wave!! It converts to a double and has been amazing to us!

It's a minefield isn't it!
You'll probably get loads of different suggestions from people on here - but I'd stick to your choice. No pram/buggy is perfect, so there will always be a compromise. Second hand is definitely a good bet.

What you have described as a 'buggy' is a pram. A 'buggy' is a light weight small thing - usually umbrella fold style. Just bare that in mind if you will be using buses a lot that market themselves as 'buggy friendly'. Buggies yes - but not prams. I don't mean this in a horrible way - I just get annoyed by pram companies who market their products as 'perfect for urban living' (ie in a city) when the 'pram' is so big it doesn't even fit through the door of the bus. If you are not a regular bus user then ignore me!!!

I love our Vista. Had it for one, then bought the adapters to make into a tandem when the second came along.

It really suits us - car users, never go on public transport with it, mixture of pavement and all kinds of other terrain, plenty of space to store it.

It's a heavy thing (all be big ones are) but it's so easy to push. We also have a Maclaren for when we need a light pushchair but the Vista is a lot easier to push, especially one handed.

Awesome - thank you ALL very much! Very helpful!

@bookmum08 I'm really interested in what you're saying there.. we live in the city so I'll have to get on a bus sometimes unfortunately. How do you take newborns on buses if without a pram? I thought they had to be flat on their back? Or do you have to sling until they're buggy sized for public transport? Thanks for further clarity! :)

@teaandbiscuits for me, again, this is all super new to me... interested to hear you never go on public transport... is that just how it is with travel systems? You have one for easy moving around your local area, but get a little McLaren type thing for public transport?

lastly... did anyone agonise about whether to get one you can run with? I'm not a sport fanatic but I know I'd love a jog or two each week if the option was open to me... or is this just making it more complex and best just leave the wee bean with your partner for 30 mins?

THANKS A MILLION LADIES!! X

I had an umbrella style buggy which lay flat or could clip a car seat in. When baby was tiny I usually used it with the car seat.

With DD I never went on public transport because of where we lived - rural town. So it was either a walk into town, to the river, park, etc, or it was a car ride. A bus went past my house into town but it took the same time as to walk it so not using the bus was a choice rather than because of the Vista!

We then got the Maclaren when DD was 16mo and I was 5 months pregnant because we moved somewhere where I thought I might be using public transport (think old fashioned trams with narrow doors rather than nice modern buses!). But I never use this either (location, not pram related!) DS is now 14mo so I keep the Maclaren in the car just to put him in for little errands but anything bigger and I'd always choose the Vista. The Maclaren is rubbish for anything other than smooth shops IMO when compared with the Vista.

I had a lovely Mamas and Pappas pram too (passed down from sister in law) but that was for long walks. As I rely on public transport for 99% of journeys I knew I had to have a smaller one.

I have the egg which is ideal for public transport. I don't drive so have to get it on the bus a lot. Its pricy but I needed a slim line travel system

I loved the look of the proper jogging buggys, but never went as far as buying one. Personally I think leaving your baby with someone for half an hour while you go for a jog (if that is possible) is a much better option!

Silver Cross Wayfarer is super light and so easy to out up and down. x

I have the silver cross pioneer and it's amazing

I have the joie chrome which is a pretty cheap travel system but it does everything a more expensive one does - I was looking at a bugaboo chameleon to begin with. Might be worth looking at them as you could get a new one for £250 all in from mothercare.

I bought the Phil and Ted's verve and it was such a mistake. So much so that I'm looking for another pram. I hate it!

We've just bought the Silver across Wayfarer and I LOVE it. Won't be using it until July but I can't stop staring and playing with it

As I read your criteria I thought Uppababy Vista!

We have the Cruz but only due to size constraints (narrow front door, no car so slightly easier to manoeuvre on public transport), and we bloody love it. The basket is amazing, and the adjustable height is perfect for me (172cm) and my husband (errrr, a lot more cm!).

I had a Loola Up which was just as bulky as some of the big names and I used it on buses loads. The space you put a pram in is normally designed for a wheelchair which is much bigger than even a bulky pram, so it doesn't matter. This might be different if you're in a very busy place where lots of buggies get on at once, but anyway. I had a smaller one later but I used both.

I would describe the small thing as a stroller, buggy is a catch-all for me, but that's by the by.

I do not like carrycot attachments personally. They are a pain because you can't fold the pram with it on, they are bulky and if you take it apart they take up loads of room in the car. Probably fine if you have a big car - we don't. You also only use it for about three months so it seems like a massive con because they're always £1-200! I have always looked for a pushchair which lies flat parent facing from birth instead. Be careful because a lot, especially the flashy ones, have a very moulded seat so you can't lie it flat without buying the carrycot part. I like them when they have a hinged seat, I just think it looks more comfortable for older children too.

This time we are going for the Cybex Balios S. That fits all your criteria apart from being convertible to a double. But it's new so you can't get it second hand, but it's cheaper than the big names. If we can't get that or money is tight when we buy our second best budget option is the Joie Chrome. It's easier to swap the components one handed but a bit bigger when folded.

I recommend looking at the mid range too - Mamas and Papas (although all seem to have tiny wheels), Britax, Maxi Cosi, Cosatto.

Nothing really seems to be properly high up except for the Stokke one which looks really strange. If you can find something which is higher than an adult's knees you're doing well. This is my totally scientific measurement criteria from their promotional photos. (Remember in shops, they'll often be displayed up on a little step.)

We had a BabyJogger City Mini which would meet most of your criteria - you'd need the GT model for all terrain wheels I think. We got the deluxe carrycot and actually it was high up - higher than most others I seem to remember. It's also incredibly easy to fold (although bear in mind that with a carrycot on, none of them fold without removing the carrycot anyway). As a buggy it lies flat so would technically be suitable from birth without the carrycot.

As I read through your list of requirements I was thinking that the Vista would be perfect for you. I love mine, can’t recommend it highly enough. The basket is incredible and the fact that it can convert to a double for just the price of some adaptors is brilliant. There is a Facebook group for buying and selling Uppababy prams.

Yep vista. I picked ours up with a buggy board for £150 on local Facebook site

I started off with the same criteria as you, then dropped the “convertible “ criteria because I thought, fuck it, I don’t even have the one yet, not planning for the second now too. Ended up with a Cosatto Giggle. DD lived in the sling for the first six months anyway.

I love my uppababy vista! I use it every day so it was worth the cost. Shopping basket is awesome and it’s so sturdy, I have friends whose prams wheels buckle when going over cobbles and the vista tackles them with ease. The rear wheels are wide though, best to have a measure up places you expect to get (through front door) and also check it will fit in your boot. It only fits in mine if you pop the wheels off! I’ve taken it many times of public transport if you know that your buses are fairly modern it should fit ok. The carrycot is suitable for overnight sleeping too so no need for a travel cot for the first 6 months!

Do you need one? Mine didn't go in a buggy until he was 15 months and I was pregnant with my second. Number two is 14 months and hasn't been in a buggy either!