Help with buggies for a first time mum!

[restingwitchface86]

Hi guys! I live in the Surrey hills and do lots of walking. I'm not a serious hiker or anything and I NEVER jog, but I usually walk 3-4 miles and do end up going to some fairly muddy spots, uneven paths and ground, kind of forest locations I guess. I go to lots of National Trust places and want to keep doing that when the baby arrives.

I'm looking at the Bugaboo Fox 2 which is all-terrain, will this be sufficient for that kind of thing? I've seen there are proper hardcore models like the Baby Jogger Summit which seem more robust but I'm not sure if it's OTT to get something like this considering I don't jog? Or should I look into a jogging model because of the uneven and muddy ground?

There are so many options and it's making my head swim a bit, I just want something that will be feasible to take on short hikes but also don't want to compromise on a proper specialist jogger model if it's not necessary! Thanks so much for any help :)

I can recommend the out n about nipper. Single one. It doesn’t go parent facing or have a bassinet. But it’s good for slightly older kids. It’s a dream to push.

Alternatively, get a good sling.

outnabout.com/nipper-single Apparently it does have a carry cot option. But I didn’t know that. I use it for off road walks

My Phil and Teds managed this terrain ok but this is going back maybe 6/7 years so not sure about current pushchairs .. sorry this isn’t an answer but just to browse before deciding really (realise that’s hard at the mo as you can’t see in ‘real life’ just yet) second the out n about too.
Also a Tula carrier or Ergo.

Your baby might have their own ideas! Mine would never lie flat in a pram and she was carried around in a sling for the first few months.

If you fancy trying a sling, check out your nearest sling library for advice and lending.

My bugaboo cameleon (not dissimilar to fox) is ok on footpaths but the out n about nipper is much easier. I see loads of people with nippers walking rather than running so it wouldn't be strange.

And as PP said, I found slings/buckle carriers way easier for walking - especially if there are any stiles or steps.

I got out a lot walking, live semi rural so a lot of the paths are gravel / muddy / through fields. I’ve got the Uppababy Cruz which is all terrain. I did look at the bugaboo but wanted something that folds in a single piece.

The Out and About is great and cheaper than the Bugaboo. You won’t regret it. If you don’t like the idea of using it from birth I’d get a sling for early walks. Small babies prefer that anyway.

I like my fox 2 - similar to you do a lot of outdoor walking across different terrains. But as others have said you really really can’t beat a sling for walking in the early days. My boy only really started tolerating the buggy at about 5 months, he lived in the sling until that point x

Thanks everyone for your replies! Sounds like a sling is definitely the way to go for the early days.

@AliceW89 does the Fox 2 do well on all terrains, have you ever found one it wouldn't work for or can it handle mud and bumpy ground pretty well?

@Angelica789 @SwanShaped do you find it restricting at all that you can't have your child facing you in the Nipper? Or do babies tend to not want to face you once they reach a certain age anyway?

Icandy All Terrain is brilliant. I love mine and still use it daily 18 months on. It copes on the farm and around the horses.
Easy fold, relatively light and compact. Brilliantly tough. Can switch to 3 wheel or 4.

We got the bugaboo donkey and I love it, we have a chameleon too but the donkey is excellent. The basket on the side was so, so useful. We kept stuff in there on days out in easy reach and it was great for doing a quick shop. It is reasonably heavy but goes on all terrains and has tackled many National Trust properties.

I live on a farm, love my babyjogger summit. It's a beast and it goes anywhere. Easy fold but quite heavy and not very compact.

You would want a little stroller for town though, or you will get some funny looks in Waitrose . . .

I don’t find it a problem that they face out. I really don’t think it’s an issue. They love to see what’s going on around them.

@Megan2018 Sounds like this is one I need to consider, I love that you can use the carrycot for overnight sleeping and that it will convert into a double. Did you find the seat roomy enough, I've read that iCandy can be on the small side?

@restingwitchface86
DD never outgrew the carrycot, she could sit up long before she was too long. We used it in the house for napping and I liked that it converted to the seat so nothing much to store.
The pushchair seat is very roomy for us yet, we’ve still got 2 holes unused on the harness height and as DD over 18 months we won’t outgrow it before we no longer need it-can imagine it’s fine unless you have an absolutely giant baby.

DD is somewhere between 50-75th centile (not been measured in Covid). She’s not small but not massive.

I didn’t look at other iCandy’s so not sure how it compares seat wise but I think it’s based on the Peach. It certainly looks to take 25kg.

We had the bugaboo donkey with our first but I wouldn't call it an all terrain buggy. It's good for going around town and it can handle dry footpaths but if you take it anywhere really muddy the wheels get clogged up with mud (ok I was taking it round parkrun in a muddy field in January). The front wheels are too small for mud I would say.
For actual all terrain (like over small logs and small ditches in muddy wood) you need massive wheels, ideally three not four, so I would look at running buggies. I have a Thule chariot which is suitable from birth with the baby attachment but it's only forward facing which you or your baby might not like.
As others have said, depending on what you mean by 'all terrain' and if that includes winter, I would get a good sling to start off with. Even with the Thule (which is hideously expensive, barely available second hand and worth every penny) I find in mid winter I am put off going into the woods with it to avoid getting stuck in the narrow boggy bits you need wellies for.
In defence of the bugaboo, I have got both it and the Thule down the beach and they can handle soft sand. You need to sort of half fold the bugaboo and drag it but it does work.

@Hollywhiskey I’m surprised! Our donkey manages the family farm quite well

I have a mountain buggy urban jungle which I love for walks - we mainly bought it as we love the beach and it handles sand so well. But equally fine on grass/tracks etc. I think you can get a carrycot which we didn’t have but will consider for baby number 2 I think. I also like it for the fact I think max weight is 25kg or something huge! DS is nearly 3 and we don’t use it out now as he walks but he has a nap in there most days as finds it comfy. It’s a great buggy but not cheap, although there are probably deals.

We have a Fox (I don't think they made too many changes to the suspension in the upgrade to the 2) and we've never had any problems in all our rambles, very comfortable and easy to push even on dirt tracks. DH still takes 18mos old DD on a walk round our local park in it most days, it's mostly rough ground/gravel. No problems, she's still as happy as larry in there.

We're an outdoorsy family and have an iCandy and a bugaboo chameleon. The icandy is fantastic on grass, gravel, sand and everything in between. Even when I have to really push it through deep mud, etc. the babies haven't felt the impact. The bugaboo is fantastic for city living and on grass and I found the babies rattled in it a bit more than the icandy when going over bumpy ground. If I was to choose one of the other, I'd go with the icandy. It's solidly built and good overall.

We have an uppa baby vista. I'm not sure it is specifically designed for 'off-road' but it is really robust and manages really well on tracks, tree roots, etc. Plus huge basket so can shove loads of stuff (coats, bags etc) underneath. Carrycot is safe for overnight sleeping too (we used it for first 3 months for sleeping before we got round to getting a cot). Also found that you can get it almost half normal RRP, including car seat, if you're willing to buy a less popular colour which I found a real bonus too! Prams are pricey! Definitely second getting a sling/carrier though too.

I don’t mind forward facing from a bit older. Maybe 8 or 10 months. I actually had a different buggy that went parent facing when she was small and used the sling a lot. But around 8 months she didn’t want to go much in the sling and preferred the buggy. I tried an icandy but it seemed really small for a toddler. The out n about is much more roomy. It does take up a lot of room in the boot tho. That’s the only downside. Big wheels and all that. You can take the back ones off which helps. I have jogged with mine but decided I actually prefer going for runs on my own! So I just use it for pavements and non paved walks. It really is easy to push.

Definitely get a sling.

Also, they really aren't just for the early days. My children are 2 and 4 and we've stopped using buggies now, but I never go anywhere without a sling especially if the youngest is with me. They certainly can and do last well into toddlerhood - when they get bigger they just go on your back instead, and it's no more inconvenient than wearing a backpack (ok one that pulls your hair occasionally).

Definitely look at a sling.

We have the mountain buggy which goes most places fine. And have the carrycot plus/ parent facing seat part.

But I still use the sling a lot. It’s just easier in certain places. In very hilly areas the pram is heavy uphill I find, and out local woodland walks are very narrow climbs and footpaths which are just about doable on foot not with the width of a pram , also the sling is easier when I go shopping as hands free. Use the sling a lot gardening as well a son a slope so can’t put baby down safely if I’m halfway up