Are prams/strollers better than baby carriers?

[tecnabelle]

Which should I buy?

I tried a baby carrier but couldn't get on with it at all. You might end up having to get a pram anyway.

Depends on you, your lifestyle and your baby. Also on the pram and carrier. DD screamed her head off every time she was in the pram and I travelled round a lot, so baby carrier for the win. DC2 was happy in the buggy and I had 2 kids worth of crap to cart round, so it was buggy for the win. Now DC2 is a toddler I have way less crap, it's back to a carrier shoved in the bag if we're out for a long time.

They're different, and useful at different times. I love carrying my children in slings, but if we go out for the day I take the buggy as it's a pita carrying all the stuff.

It depends on what you want it for.....I always used both for my kids. Just buy a cheaper pushchair and second hand carrier and you can probably afford both. (With carriers there are so many to choose from with very different price points...so maybe try a few in shops or at a sling library before spending ££ on one).

They're 2 different things. Pram can be handy if you want baby to be able to lie down for a sleep while you're out.

Carriers are great to hold baby when you're busy in the house/with other DC and also to go places prams can't. (Up stairs, walking in hills or whatever)

I liked both - they do serve different functions and I found I needed both. Carrier was great for quick trips to the post office, walks round the park etc but I used the buggy for longer trips out/shopping. Buggy was great for goinb out for lunch/coffee as I had some where to put DS before he was old and stable enough for a high chair. Carrier was great on a holiday to a destination with small hilly cobbled street, buggy would have been useless.

Needed both

Depends on your life!
I would say few people have a carrier and no pushchair. Lots of people have a pram/pushchair and no carrier.

For me, DS1 hated not being in contact with someone (ideally me) so he spent a lot of time in the carrier at home. But walking back from the supermarket carrying a baby, plus a load of shopping requires quite a lot of fitness, so having s pushchair was great (even if the shopping was in it, and DS was attached to me!)

I had a couple of different carriers but my back really couldn't manage them.

We will have both fo baby due this spring. I think sling for around the house, off road and in and out car. But pram better for long days out, and baby snoozing when we eat out

See if there is a sling library near you, then you can borrow a sling and see how you get on.

Yep, I wouldn’t be without either. Bought both second hand so didn’t spend a fortune but I used them at different times for different purposes.

I'm pretty sure you'll need both. Buy secondhand and then sell on and you'll probably break even.
It's very handy to be able to transfer the car seat onto buggy wheels when they are super tiny.
See if you can find a sling library near you so you can try out different slings.

I couldn’t manage with just a sling/carrier. I don’t know why people rave about them so much, I couldn’t get on with the one I had and wouldn’t want to always be carrying a baby. Pram was an essential for me, I rarely see people use carriers tbh.

I think if you live in a city centre and drive a carrier might be enough.. theoretically parking/getting off buses that run every 2 minutes at practically the door of a shop would be easy enough if you can carry the weight of your dc safely. Considering icy conditions in the winter etc.

But if you walk any actual distance a prams more of an essential, baby can sleep in it, it can carry shopping, it comes with a waterproof so being in the rains easy. Most will fit into a car boot too so they’re not impossible to transport unless you get a silly vintage style silver cross.

We live 1.5miles from the nearest shop, that’s not a garage, and don’t drive, buses run every hour on weekends, all uphill on the way home. ds was a small baby so couldn’t use a sling at birth and now he’s around the 10kg mark n still not walking. A sling only approach would’ve been the death of me.

Obviously some babies will hate one or the other, ds initially found his pram to be too open n empty feeling, well I think that was his gripe, we used a baby pod thing (Aldi job not a snuzpod/sleepyhead for costs sake incase he hated it) until he was a little bigger and he seemed to like that a lot better.

Both, I use sling 90% of the time, very useful for walking around supermarkets or in and out of small shops, dog walking in rough terrain. Pram is better for longer pavement walks and going to restaurants (as you don't want to eat hot food over your baby's head in a sling).

We had both with DC1 but only used the sling for most of the first 6 months as DC1 hated the pram and screamed in it endlessly. It’s perfectly doable (and we walk loads, don’t have a car, DC1 was a big chunky baby) even if it wasn’t my Plan A. Went to about 75/25 sling/pram once DC1 was older because we were on and off buses a lot and sling worked lots better.

With next baby who was more relaxed I still found the sling very useful, especially when chasing DC1 round the house, but used the pram about half the time when we were out because DC2 would actually nap in it (bliss!)

I couldn't manage without both. I love the baby carrier but now that he's 15 months I find I can't carry him for long any more. The pram has been essential for naps and longer walks. I got both second hand very cheaply and for us it waa a no brainer!

My baby was over 10lbs at birth so he didn't last more than three months in a carrier. Plus if you are going out and about a pushchair is invaluable in carrying nappy bag and other stuff plus shopping.

I only had carriers. Bought a pram for DC1 but she only went in it twice and I got rid of it when she was a couple of months, so didn’t bother with DC2.

Took me a while to find my ideal sling (ring sling) and I used a stretchy wrap when they were new. Stretchy wraps are pretty cheap and ideal for newborns, so you could give it a go alongside a pram.

I liked both. Preferred carriers for first 6 months, then a mixture, then pushchair from 18 months onwards.

I’m only 5ft2 and struggled with a baby carrier. DD was 9lb1 when she was born. She also hates the carrier we got and I could never make it to the local sling library.

She also hated the pram and wanted to look around 🤦‍♀️

She was much happier in a forward facing pushchair

Like pps have said both.

Pushchair for days out with lots of luggage. Carriers for housework, walks etc. I recently carried my 15kg toddler on my back up a mountain. Couldn't have done that with a pushchair. But I absolutely need a pushchair for heading to town as could not manage him and all the bags!

Definitely get a pram. You can carry shopping/bags on it and push your child instead of carrying. It's the equivalent of having a rolley suitcase compared to wearing a backpack.

They’re totally different imo and ideally you’d get both. If that’s not possible personally I’d get a pram/buggy/travel system though it is very possible to pick up a second hand reasonably priced sling (and the same goes for a buggy come to think of it!)