Prams stroller travel system

[Bexwant]

Hi. My fiance and I are having a disagreement regarding travel system etc

I would rather buy a 3 in 1 travel system as well as an isofix from birth car seat. He can get a carrycot and buggy from family for free however I would feel better having my newborn face me in a travel system and one where I can attach a car seat too as well when he is working so I can shop and go out etc but he is saying not to as it's money we can save for other things but I just think it is ideal buying a trave system as well as we have a backup pram then and it's more convenient for me and give me piece of mind when baby is sleeping as I'd be able to see baby better in a travel system and it would feel safer on public transport to me

What are your recommendations with this

Do you recommend a three in one travel system as well or is a buggy ok

I just don't think buggy and carrycot that is 7 years old will be safest

Could you compromise and get a second hand travel system? There are lots of prams etc on Facebook marketplace.

We were given a friend's travel system (uppababy vista) with carrycot and car seat adapters. Honestly, it is incredibly bulky and heavy. I curse it every time I have to drag it up the stairs to our flat, I used the carrycot for all of 2 months (maximum) and never got round to using the car seat adapters. Also, the chassis is too big to fit in our car (especially with the carrycot to fit somewhere too), gets stuck in supermarket aisles and coffee shops and is hard to fold if you need to get it onto a busy bus while holding your baby.

I switched to using a much lighter buggy (babyzen yo-yo which I bought secondhand) really quickly because the weight and bulkiness of the travel system really limited how much I wanted to use it. Had to switch back to the vista for a few months when he outgrew the newborn pack and still dislike it. So my recommendation would be to get the lightest, smallest buggy/pram you can.

But ... It's also really a matter of personal preference. A lot of people love the uppababy vista - it just doesn't work for me and my lifestyle. Think about how you expect to use the pram - where will you go, how will you get it into the car, lift it onto public transport etc. Fundamentally, it's you that will use it the most on your maternity leave, so think carefully about what works for you. I'd be wary of spending loads of money (a full travel system can be over £1k) for something before the baby is born though, because if it turns out not to be what you actually need it's a lot of money down the drain.

Newborn babies shouldn't be in the carseat for very long - I think it's around 20mins advised.

Baby will also be able to see you/you see baby if they are in a carrycot as it faces inward.

Everyone I know who bought a travel system switched to an easier to fold/lighter stroller type thing at the 6m mark.

Imo - i hated my small "compact" buggy and loved my big bugaboo, i live in london so should be fully team yoyo but i find the bigger ones much more sturdy. On cobbles it's a smooth ride, you can carry loads of stuff, easy to leverage onto trains.

But agree a second hand one is just as good if money is tight.

I didnt use the car seat clips much but found it handy when using taxis

Thank you for your reply.

Yeah I've had a lot of previous experience with children and babies as well as multiple prams and systems.

The ones I'm looking at I can get second hand or very cheap anyway yeah. Boot space is no issue as we have a large boot, but he will be away working while I'm left with baby most of the time hence wanting the a travel system so I can easily get a taxi or lift home with shopping and friends can come collect me when required etc as we can use a car seat for up to 2 hours so I can easily shop in that time it's just so much easier for me personally.

My fiance just wants to use the buggy however as it's free but I don't feel safe using it when I can't see my little one when they're so small and tiny- what if the bus suddenly breaks, is the carrycot going to support bubba or will they slide etc- there's not much room for luggage and shopping in a buggy whereas the travel system has more space for these things- and much more

Tbf I think it's best to agree a budget together, but then the person who is actually using the buggy most should get the say over what that money buys.

Being as babies should be in car seats as short a time as possible you definitely don’t need a travel system with an interchangeable car seat. Also those car seats aren’t the best in the world…they are very time limited and unless fitted with isotope base etc don’t feel particularly safe. The joie spin isize is a game changer lasts from birth to 4 years and spins to make it super easy to get baby in and out, I would definitely recommend splurging cash here.

I bought new for my eldest (in hindsight totally waste of money!) pram with inter gravel buggy seat/carrycot I saved this 14 years and used it until we were finished with babies.

In honesty if I was starting again I would get a more compact stroller with the capacity to lie flat which can be used from birth as this will see you through until baby is a toddler whereas the travel systems are bigger, bulkier and more of a faff and most people by the time baby is 12 months - max 18 months go out and then buy something more compact.

Personally I would take up the family offer, use until baby is out of a carrycot and then go out and get yourself a new or second hand more compact stroller.
If money is no object then it doesn’t really matter and if opt for the yo-yo system but get a separate standalone car seat that doesn’t clip on to pram

I had a travel system and got hardly any use out of having the car seat attachment, so I'd really not bother with that. My baby also hates lying flat so until he was big enough to go into the seat at about 10 weeks it was more or less totally useless!

Mine is also the Uppababy Vista, which a pp hated - I absolutely love it, but I live in the sticks. I think if I lived in town it would be too bulky as it's a pain on public transport etc., so worth bearing that in mind.

In your situation, I'd probably go with the one from your partner's family, so long as you like it as a pram (my SIL offered us her old pram but it was a dreadful thing, so I'm really glad we didn't use that one) - if you hate it, you can always get another one once baby arrives.

OP what about a doona?

Take the free pram from family, if you still don't feel comfortable using it then use a baby carrier for walks - they prefer being close to us anyway when they're so little!

And then use the doona for shopping.

If you still feel you need a travel system after baby is born then get one second hand.