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Pregnancy

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Original poster

Can I get away with not getting a pushchair???

37 replies

nervousyoungmum · 18/01/2011 11:57

I have been doing some research and pushchairs are so expensive!!! I wonder if I can get away with a sling and a car seat carrier?? At least while my baby is a baby, when it gets older and too big to carry I can get one of those basic cheap pushchairs. I don't have any room to put a big pushchair.

Has anyone tried this method? Or am I being completely stupid and a pushchair is an essential item?

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Janus · 18/01/2011 12:04

Mmm, pretty essential but does depend on other things too. With my first I lived in London and didn't drive that much and often used to go out with her in a sling, probably more than the pram but she was quite small and I would definitely feel it after about 45 mins in my back.
Carrying around in the carseat is only an option for popping into somewhere, eg pop in a friend's house, as combined weight of baby and carseat is too heavy for more than 100 yards!
I would strongly recommend looking on ebay for a cheap secondhand pram, I got a really good one for my third on there and currently looking for a double on there for my fourth!

PaisleyLeaf · 18/01/2011 12:06

I guess it depends how much walking/carrying of shopping etc is involved.
I drive most places and got away with DD going from sling to stroller.

RuthChan · 18/01/2011 12:09

Yes, pushchairs are expensive, but they are also very useful.
I used a sling for both my DCs until they were about a year and able to walk, but they get very heavy to carry for long periods well before that. It is also awkward to carry a baby and other luggage etc at times.
If you are planning to have more children in the future, you can see the purchase of a pushchair as being an investment. You will use it for many years if you have one or two more children.
In addition, you can go for a model that adapts to the age of the child. I have only ever bought one pushchair. I used it from birth to toddlerhood for both my children and my DD stands on the back while my DS rides in it.
It has been a great investment.

I think the answer to your question is that you can probably manage without one in the beginning if you are determined to do so, but you will find that you want one at some point. Babies are probably heavier than you are giving them credit for and they require more luggage than you probably think. It will be a lot to carry on your own!

Indith · 18/01/2011 12:10

A lot of people only use slings, others use a combination depending on situation and mood. Slings are great, if you want to go completely pushchair free though then head over to the slings/backpacks section for some advice and invest in a couple of good slings rather than a baby bjorn style carrier. I lve slings and am a big fan of woven wraps :) However, I did like having a pushchair too for those times you've been screamed at all day/baby has been feeding all day and you just want to get out for a walk and not be touched for half an hour!

RoundRobyn · 18/01/2011 12:11

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ChestnutSoup · 18/01/2011 12:14

Why don't you get a stroller that can be used from birth (Maclaren does at least one - the Techno XT springs to mind, and it's considerably cheaper than a full-on pushchair)? I'm quite pushchair averse and used my carrier alot with both my LOs, and managed to get DD1 to do mostly walking by the time she was two or so. But I did still need a pushchair for the odd long walk as she would have been too heavy to carry. And it was useful when she needed to nap.

PaisleyLeaf · 18/01/2011 12:14

You can get strollers suitable from 3 mths too.

Original poster

nervousyoungmum · 18/01/2011 12:15

well I live in the centre of Bristol and hardly drive as everything is within walking distance. I get a bad back just from carrying in the shopping so I guess I will have to get some sort of pushchair. But space is really an issue. I literally have nowhere to put it! Are there any special space saving ones that can b used from birth??

OP posts:

mummyshreddingnora · 18/01/2011 12:17

you can definitely manage without a pushchair - get a decent stretchy wrap for a little one - like a moby... really cozy and supportive - once baby is bigger you could get a lightweight pushchair or move onto a slightly more structured carrier

btw I have 2dc

dd - I had only ever seen baby bjorn type stuff... ended up using a travel system etc

ds - discovered moby online... ordered one - have barely used dd's old travel system, and even less the pushchair we bought ds when he got to 6 months!

I heart slings

mummyshreddingnora · 18/01/2011 12:19

actually with a decent wrap style sling (moby / woven/ mei tei) it DOESN'T affect your back, as they are designed to spread the weight very efficiently - I have suffered with a bad back for years, but can still happily carry DS (1) for hours in the sling... can't manage more than 5-10 mins without!

ChestnutSoup · 18/01/2011 12:20

Most strollers fold to long and thin (telescopic folding) so don't take up too much space - can prop in a corner of a room.

Baby Jogger City Mini folds in half so is shorter but squarer.

Indith · 18/01/2011 12:20

There are some that are pretty small, your best bet is going somewhere like mothercare or john lewis and playing with them all then finding the best deal online. Slings are completely different from carrying shopping though. With the right sling you hardly feel the weight. I still carry my 2 year old on my back no problem in a wrap and until recently her big brother sometimes went up when he was tired and he has just turned 4!

Original poster

nervousyoungmum · 18/01/2011 12:39

have looked at the moby but they look v thin, I am due end of Aug (still early days :-)) so will be mostly using it in winter, won't baby be cold??

OP posts:

thisisyesterday · 18/01/2011 12:41

I used a moby constantly with ds2 through the winter and it was fine. if it's cold out just put an extra layer or 2 on baby... but they get your body warmth too remember. you can buy a mama-jacket which covers you both.
though by then you'll be coming up to the cost of a cheap pushchair anyway

I know plenty of people who have never owned a pushchair at all, so yes, it's doable

i liked to have one anyway, just for times when i didn't want to carry baby. like if we were shopping and i just wanted to lay baby down and have somewhere to shove the bags!

pop1973 · 18/01/2011 12:43

I have always purchased a pushchair and pram in the past, but since moving to the countryside found that I could n't easily use one in the area.

I moved to a sling and then a carrier and found it the best thing. It is also easy to put a baby in a sling/carrier when nipping out taking the older children to school. If you want to pop out for a minute in the car to do an errand and don't want the hassle of putting up a pushchair from the car, then a sling will take seconds to put on.

I also found that the baby will fall asleep in a sling so easily, even walking back from an uphill school walk.

Next time I wouldn't bother with a pushchair until a lot older when they are too heavy to carry!!!

PaisleyLeaf · 18/01/2011 12:43

I used a tricotti - nice and cosy, stretchy, easy peasy to use.

tattycoram · 18/01/2011 12:46

I think my DS is warmer in his sling than in a puschair as he has my body warmth. You will be able to manage for three months with a sling then you could get a Maclaren quest, or another umbrella fold buggy. I use my slings all the time, but sometimes you want a buggy - much easier to have a coffee somewhere with teh baby asleep in a buggy than on you.

Beamur · 18/01/2011 12:47

I barely used my big pushchair. I got given one and it was really heavy (had a c section and struggled to lift it) plus it kept getting punctures, so I mostly used a baby carrier.
I got a maclaren when DD was older, for when she would get tired from walking far, but even that has only been used about a dozen times.

OmniumAndGatherum · 18/01/2011 12:47

Of all the things I had when my DCs were little, the pushchair beat them all. I am tiny; my babies were all 10lb and I couldn't carry them at all in a sling post c-section as they pressed on my scar. Given the choice between a new cot and a pushchair, I'd go for the pushchair. That said, we did walk everywhere; I would only use the car for long journeys. That makes a difference. I had a Phil and Teds, and got much of the money back later by selling it on Ebay (despite being in a heavily used condition, and advertised as such!)

moregranny · 18/01/2011 12:49

Look at the Obaby Atlas stroller on Amazon, it is only £50 at the moment, free delivery and has good reviews, suitable from birth, lightweight and not at all bulky.

RobynLou · 18/01/2011 12:51

I'd definitely wait - MIL bought us a buggy before DD was born, which she went in only a couple of times.

the ones suitable from birth seem to generally be bigger and more expensive than those suitable from 6m, even if all you get is a baby bjorn (don't!) you could manage till 6m easily.

We managed to get a second hand maclaren very cheaply which we used occasionally for days out when DD was between 20m and when she stopped napping - it was just the long afternoon naps we found too much to carry her for by then. mostly she walked.

I find buggies hugely restrictive and impractical.

RobynLou · 18/01/2011 12:53

oh and when DD went to the childminder at about 16m and was put in a buggy she was very underdressed - I was used to dressing her for the snuggly sling, against your chest is alot warmer and cosier than in a buggy!

prettymaryk · 18/01/2011 12:57

i used slings a lot for both of mine but still found a pushchair invaluable for

a) getting them to sleep for a nap and stay asleep while i got on with stuff (if they fell asleep in the sling they'd often wake up when decanted)

b) carrying shopping (don't drive)

c) carrying picnic/blanket/footballs/scooters etc. for a day in the park

d) getting anywhere with a toddler quickly, rather than at their pace.

ecuse · 18/01/2011 12:57

I'm expecting my first so can't comment from personal experience, but I have a friend who's got a baby to 1 year who has managed perfectly well with just a sling. From what I understand, it's important that you don't get a baby bjorn but a proper stretchy/woven sling. She got a moby to start with and switched to woven/mei tai at about 6 months (because these actually support your back). She always thought she'd get a pushchair at some point, but never seen the need. For her, it's partly because she lives in a 3rd floor flat with no lift so the prospect of getting a buggy up is worse than carrying her in a sling! Also she swears by the sling for getting on crowded buses and navigating crowded pavements in London. Based on her experience I'd say it's definitely possible.

One thing she does say is the heavier her little girl gets the more it's all-or-nothing with the sling. She's fine carrying her now, has no trouble at all (at 1 year old) but she knows if she stopped doing it every day then her back would be less strong and she would find it hard. But, as you say, you can get a lightweight cheaper stroller well before that point if you want to, and she certainly had no trouble at all up until 6 months.

My friend also tells m

ecuse · 18/01/2011 12:59

Just to clarify ... didn't mean to imply Moby wrap doesn't support your back (it's supposed to be awesome) just that it's better for smaller lighter babies and then woven wraps better from 6 months (ish). But baby bjorn and similar carriers a) don't support your back nearly as well, and b) are less good for the baby because they're sitting on a relatively narrow 'gusset' when they should really be supported from knee to knee - which wraps do. So much better for their hips and general development, apparently.

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