Prams, Travel Systems and Buggies HELP!

[Glasvegas]

Oh dear,
We started looking at prams this weekend (and travel systems and buggies once we got going!) so we can plan budget etc for everything. Now we are in a tangle as first timers and getting further away from decisions.

So any advice please??

So far we are thinking Maxi Cosi carseat for 55 plate Astra with no Isofix (well I can't find the brackety things!) which we can get with a Mura 3 travel system which we have seen for what I think is a bargain £445 (although I might be losing my mind by now so all relativity is out of the window!)

BUT friend with two kids told me to forget it and just buy a McLaren because "that's what you will end up with anyway".

Now seem to have a pram and buggie obession and looking at everyone on the High street to see what they have!

Have checked the reviews etc on here just looking for some honest personal ideas!

We're just going to get a McLaren this time as that's what we had last time and it's the easiest to put up and down whilst holding a baby and it's lightweight and cheap. I think that the travel systems are good when the babies are small and if you are walking lots rather than getting them on and off buses or in and out of cars.

IMO buying an expensive travel system is pointless. We just had a buggy suitable from birth (think it was a Toys R Us own brand one) that lay flat and bought a baby carrier style car seat as well.

The old buggy gave up the ghost, so this time we've bought a slightly more expensive one (baby brain means I can't remember what it is, but similar to McLaren) and the old car seat is still in perfect working order. All in all we've spent around £250.

Your car should have isofix points as it's the law that all cars made after 2003(or 4, something like that!) have to have them. Halfords or your local Vauxhall dealer should be able to find them for you.

I got a pramette that I still use and don't really want to swap for a lighter buggy. If you do go for a Maclaren-type buggy, just make sure that the seat lies flat at 180 degrees as some buggies say 'lie flat' but actually have a slight angle, which isn't as good for the baby's back.

If you want a pram but don't want to spend mega-bucks, try the Oyster or the Zezu. If you get something other than the Oyster, be aware that although they all say that they fold up very small, that just means the chassis - you still have to take off the seat unit before folding and that takes up an awful lot of space!

AKMD Im afraid I disagree with you. There is no legal requirement to have an isofix if that is what you are saying?. There are plenty of carseats for whch they are not compulsory eg the maxicosi cabrio that can be used with or without. As they are another £100 on top of the car seat cost, unless you use the same car all the time and cant be bothered with the seat belt system they are really a luxury item.

Now I'm sure I am going to be shouted down....!

jasmine51, I think AKMD was saying that it's a legal requirement for all cars made after 2003 (I thought it was 2006, but I'm by no means an expert) must be fitted with isofix points on the rear seats, not that it's a legal requirement for all carseats to be fitted to an isofix.

More on topic, I'm going with a travel system. Works for our sort of lifestyle -- lots of walking, including a bit of light off-roading. We'll use the carrycot as a moses basket alternative. I see one of the big advantages being able to have your baby quite close to you when it's small, and the option of which way to face the seat which you don't get with many umbrella strollers.

And it may be a luxury, but we'll be going with the isofix as well, on a combination of safety and convenience grounds. Given our living situation and using a travel system we'll be taking the seat in and out of the car regularly, so an isofix makes sense.

I'm completely resigned to buying a Maclaren later on, but it's not for me at the very beginning.

For the reasons urbandaisy mentions, we've gone for the iCandy peach. If you're planning on having DC2 relatively soon, you can also get a conversion kit to turn it into a twin buggy.
The carrycot is one of the few we found that are OK for overnight sleeping (without needing a different mattress), so we'll be using it as moses basket when needed.
Isofix seems much safer, and so handy to just pop carseat into pram base when you nip to shops or anywhere for an hour or so.

Ooh sorry, obviously wasn't as clear as I thought I had been. It's definitely the car that needs the isofix points; the seat doesn't have to be isofix. In fact, neither of the two seats we bought for DS have been isofix, the first because I didn't know about it, the second after doing some research.

Will you do lots of walking from home, or is the buggy going to be in and out of the car all the time? Buy something more robust if the former, and something light and easy to fold if the latter.

If you plan to shop with it, choose one with plenty of room underneath.

We have an icandy apple (now with buggy board) which I got on ebay at about half the list price. We do lots of walking and light off-roading, but we have a (freecycled) umbrella buggy because it does take up most of the boot of our small car!

cookingfat, that is exactly the one that's top of our list. I've got a friend with twins who's got the Peach Blossom and adores it, so I've had a decent opportunity to test drive it. Can't wait for 20 week scan so I can actually go out and buy it!

I love it - just waiting for baby to make an appearance so I can actually use it! (am 38+3 and v impatient!). Hope scan goes well.

Your car should have the Isofix points - just dig a little and you should feel them!

I agree that you will probably "end up with a Maclaren" as that's what I have mainly used for DS since he was about 18 months old. I would not use mine for a newborn though even though it does lie flat-ish.

Can you get a pram/travel system on eBay and then choose your Maclaren later on? Then you have the best of both worlds!

Do you like this?

I personally don't like the look of it but it might be a good compromise? But for that price you could get the Mura and then get a small Maclaren later on. The whole point of a Maclaren is that it's lightweight and small so this may defeat the object!

Also FGS don't buy anything from Mothercare as their customer service is awful

I think it depends on where you are going to use a buggy. Yes you will end up with a maclaren at some point, but if you are intending to do any off-road walking then maclarens are useless, the wheels just get stuck as they are too small.

I think there is a website which will tell you whether your car has isofix points (sorry don't know it off-hand but I'm sure google will find it for you). They do tend to be buried as other people have said.

Any garage should be able to tell you if your car has isofix but it was 06 it became a legal requirement so it may not have. As others ahve said, the ideal buggy entirely depends on how you are going to use it, whether you use buses, walk a lot, have a big boot etc. We have a Icandy cherry and a small umbrella fold for when we go up north for a week and need the space for other things. If you can afford it, the bugaboo bee gets good reviews and folds very small whilst being suitable from birth. It will also take the maxi cosi