How long can baby use a pram?

[crabette]

I am currently expecting, and am in love with traditional style prams, example being this Churchill one.

I'm a FTM (so please be gentle!) and I know that you can get integrated travel systems which give you the frame, carry cot for first 6 months, and then change into stroller which can be used for a couple of years. (With optional car seat attachments, etc etc.)

Obviously if we got a more traditional pram like this one, we'd need a separate car seat, which is fine, and probably a separate buggy / stroller when we get to that stage.

My question is, is it unsafe to use a traditional pram beyond 6 months? I'd happily have baby still in pram as long as he/she still fits and it's still safe, beyond 6 months. Just not sure if this is a complete no no or people just switch to stroller at that age for ease? Everything I've read seems to talk about the travel systems where you can just switch the attachment from 6 months, nothing about why you shouldn't or couldn't still use pram / carrycot if desired?

Any advice welcome!

The massive old fashioned coach built ones are safe to use beyond 6 months as the DC can simply sit inside them like a big box! You can even have multiple DC inside one. The one in your OP isn't quite what I'm thinking of, though, I'm thinking more the vintage style like Silver Cross Balmoral etc. Totally impractical for cars, cost the Earth, but very beautiful. You can sometimes get vintage ones from the 60s or 70s in this style second hand for less money (I'm talking less than £3k, though, not £30 on Marketplace - vintage prams in good condition are sought after.)

It's also common in Germany where I live to use a larger carrycot until around 9 months, the front usually zips open to allow a mesh "window" and the baby lies on their front looking out of the window. Brands for these would be Bergsteiger, Hartan, Emmaljunga, ABC Design. For any modern type pushchairs, or any at all I suppose, you need to check the weight limit on the carrycot part as it usually goes on with adapters and these aren't that strong. If the carrycot is permanently attached to the main chassis, then the weight limit might be higher.

I've got pictures of me and my siblings in a pram like that, sitting up, clipped in with a kind of harness thing.

Sorry it wasn't that exact model but that design if you see what I mean, the soft carrycot lifts out then the seat foot can be dropped, you can see where it's held up on the picture and the backrest can be sat up. I'll try to find a picture to explain

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Baby-Pram-Pushchair-Accessories/353461786133?hash=item524bf6d615:g:YzgAAOSwhzhb6GIz

This eBay item shows what I mean quite well just hope the link works

BertieBotts I’m so intrigued by that pram design. Do the babies seem to like it? Mine would tolerate a bit of tummy time but I think would have screamed if they’d needed to do it in the buggy.

I had a coach built Silver Cross and used it for both of mine till they were a year! Not the most compatible with modern life and cars etc, but an absolute dream to push

I think there are 2 factors - baby's size (not just weight, my dd was LONG and quickly outgrew Moses and pram) and when they start sitting independently - as that's a safety issue.

My dd started sitting fairly early so we had to stop using the pram part of our travel system at that point and she didn't much like the buggy layout. Frankly it was an expensive mistake on our part as I ended up getting a cheap Umbrella fold buggy which she much preferred (bought it for a beach holiday as much lighter and easier to transport both in getting to the holiday and for getting to and from beach)

With hindsight I'd maybe have been better off buying separate car seat and pram and then cheap buggy.

BUT this was almost 20 years ago and maybe designs have changed significantly?

Also, the ones with the fixed wheels as in the picture are a bugger to navigate round the streets.

Definitely true. Fully rotational wheels are best especially for navigating small spaces like shops. Check width for fitting through doorways too.

Large carriage built like silver cross are beautiful and good if doing a lot of walking but generally quite tricky for navigating with cars, shops, bus or train travel (I didn't drive when I had dd and being able to wheel a pram/buggy onto a bus or train rather than have to juggle baby, bags and collapsing the pram/buggy is much easier). Larger shops like supermarkets are obviously ok but corner shops and similar can be a nightmare, also what's the layout at your gp surgery? Because you need something that will suit for there as you can be there a lot with a baby.

Thanks @Wtfdoipick - totally got you! I think what was throwing me is I was trying to google it and getting nowhere... the pram make is Churchill. I think though it's only called this in the UK, and retails in Europe as Hesba! Can find much more information looking at that site. It seems that they do have a chair attachment which can be front or back facing, so that is really helpful!!

@BertieBotts I'm so intrigued by these, I'm away for a google!! xx

The babies I've seen seem to like it. Maybe because they are moving around? They can lie on their backs as well. It's because some midwives (who will come to visit you for months after the baby is born) recommend not sitting them up until they can confidently sit for themselves.

However I assume if you have a baby who doesn't like it you're probably not using the pram in that way - you'd use the seat instead or a sling!

I have the bugaboo fox which is similar in style to that but a bit more practical (the front wheels turn, folds down quite small, easy to use and goes on all terrains (believe me: sand, fields, mud, cobbles we've done it all

Would recommend

It is lovely, bit I think the main issue would be when the baby wants to start sitting and looking around at everything, rather than lying on its back.

With my first, she used the carrycot until about 6 months, and then she started going berserk as she wanted to be upright and looking around.

With my second, she wouldn't even go in the carrycot at all. We tried so many times as they say laying flat is best, but we ended up having to use the car seat attachment for the first 6 months as she would just scream on her back.

If you have a fair bit of cash, then go for it. Otherwise it might possibly be a bit of a waste x

In this review near the bottom you can see pictures of the baby lying like that, also in the seat unit part so maybe it's not only done with the carrycot! I have no idea TBH. I've just seen other people pushing babies around like that.

babyartikelcheck.de/testberichte/my-junior-vita-unique-kinderwagen-im-test

@Dustyhedge

BertieBotts I’m so intrigued by that pram design. Do the babies seem to like it? Mine would tolerate a bit of tummy time but I think would have screamed if they’d needed to do it in the buggy.

I'm also so intrigued by this - when do people start doing it? My first reaction is a horrified 'but they might go to sleep ON THEIR TUMMY' because I've had that so drilled into me as a no, but obviously that stops actually being a concern at a certain age (though I found that I still felt nervous about DS sleeping on his tummy until he was past 1 because I'd been so utterly petrified about it when he was smaller)

You may find that that same seat attachment also adjusts to work as a lie fat pram with a pop on apron to enclose the foot.

Well once they can roll themselves, it's not considered risky for them to sleep on their tummy anyway.

We're talking babies of like 9/10 months old here, not tiny 3/4 month olds :)

I've just been looking through some German forums and it seems because people are advised not to use the seat part until the baby can sit alone, what they do is either just use the carrycot and when the baby starts rolling over by themselves they don't stop them, or when the baby gets restless/whiny in the carrycot they flip them over to their tummy and open the flap so they can see out and this seems to placate them.

I dunno - TBH I think mine would have just tried to climb out! But I might try it with the next one and see how they go. Although actually our carrycot has a 9kg weight limit and DS2 was 9kg at 4 months, so maybe not :o

I

Baby may technically fit in the flat carry cot/bassinet for longer than 6 months but they're just not appropriate for a baby that age. Babies are curious and awake a lot more frequently at that age and want to engage with the world. As others have said they'll also by rolling over, sitting, walking etc so really not ideal!

However a lot of the travel systems, when in buggy/stroller mode still have different levels of incline, so if my baby is sleepy I can still have her inclined in the buggy which is great!

I'm assuming you're not going to need to use much in the way of public transport, OP?

@Jellybabiesforbreakfast No, won't have much need with baby at all. Shops / family are all walking distance, or we would take the car I think if going anywhere further. We may occasionally do a 10 minute train into the city, but also could drive that, so ease of use on public transport isn't an essential consideration for us - pram is really just for local use on walks round town, to shops, to park, to visit friends etc.

I’ve definitely seen an older baby/ toddler sitting up in one of those and sort of clipped to some sort of ring (presumably to stop her flying out). I personally thought it looked a bit strange but if it’s safe and you like it- why not!

As well as the baby being more nosy when older and the safety concerns when they're able to sit, remember that not all babies will tolerate lying flat. My first had reflux and screamed and screamed in the pram, and I moved her to the buggy seat at 3 months where she was much happier. If my second had been the same, I would've tried the seat at its gentlest incline basically from birth. So I would make sure you choose one that does have a seat like the second picture you've posted.