Pram from 0 to say 3 years? Does it exist?

[HorseyGirl1]

Hi, I'm expecting in early June and am completely baffled by all the pram / travel system / buggy combos out there. What I would love is a pram (or whatever!) will take me through from birth to say 3 years? Really I would like parent facing as I've read that it is good for the baby's speech if it does. Does such a thing exist? I don't mind buying a separate car seat which is pref removable when DC is tiny and fast asleep. Any ideas? Thanks

I have a bugaboo chameleon that I used with ds1 and will be using again when ds2 arrives next month.

It faces both ways, you can put the car seat on chasis etc. I'll be using the bassinet for the first 6 months then swapping to the seat. It's really lightweight and easy to get in and out of car boot. Really nice to push and control. I used it until ds was 3 ish and at nursery so too old to be in a pushchair really. It is expensive compared to other travel systems but I found it excellent value for money. I used it pretty much every day. Much cheaper than buying a heavy travel system then buying an umbrella fold buggy when dc get bigger.

So many friends have spent £400 ish on a travel system which they only used for say 9 months then ended up buying a lightweight buggy.

My maclaren pop up buggy lays flat so can be used from birth and my 3 year old is still in it now.... I had a separate car seat

The new Baby Jogger? It's due out soon i think, and is the best bits of the City Mini but can be parent facing.

I think one of DD's nursery friends is parent facing in his bugaboo.

TBH mine never parent faced and can talk the hind legs off a donkey, 'strangers' and little old ladies were forever chatting to them when they were babies. I bought a 3 wheeler pushchair (mothercare urban detour, think they're only on e-bay these days) and it can still fit my tall 5yo in it if he's playing around.

We had the old Bugaboo (was it chameleon?) Anyway, it starts as a proper pram (like the old fashioned ones - a bath on wheels) then turns into a buggy. I do love transformers! We got the old Stokke cot-bed combo too and it is now two little armchairs!

I have the Bugaboo Cameleon and Maclaren XT which both do. Bugaboo is good as it goes from carrycot to buggy, can face either direction, and is compatible with the Maxi Cosi baby car seat. Also got the buggy board for DC1 when DC2 was born. So still using it 3 years on. Got the Maclaren XT for travelling, as easy to fold and take on planes, also works from birth and for toddlers.

You want the Stokke Xplory!

As long as the pram/pushchair/stroller you are looking at is suitable from birth, practically all of them would be suitable until your DC is walking.
As part of the standards they are tested to they will be suitable to a maximum weight of 15kg (33lbs) which should, on average cover 3 years plus (but obviously all children are different.)
I think the key thing for you here, is to find a pushchair that faces both ways, is car seat compatible and that weighs as little as possible. I would class 10kg plus as heavy!
You could go for any pushchair, no matter what the weight but bear in mind that heavy pushchair to start off with + small baby = ok.
Heavy pushchair to start off with + heavy toddler = a bugger, hence why so many people buy a bigger pram to start with, then end up buying a smaller, more lightweight stroller when baby gets bigger!

Off the top of my head, suggestions would be:
Quinny Zapp Xtra 8.8kg
Bugaboo Bee 8.5kg
Bugaboo Cameleon 9.28kg (this one includes a proper carrycot if that is something you would want)
I'm sure there are lots of others but that's all I can think of at the minute!

you could also get a Maclaren XLR and the compatible carrycot and car seat, but the only negative with that is that it will only be parent facing for the first few months whilst the baby is in the carrycot. Same for alot of the stroller style pushchairs.

HTH

we've got the i candy apple system, love it and loads of room in it. Will definitely take us till DD is 3 (unlike the i candy peach some friends have and was so much smaller than the apple). You do need a big boot for the apple and it is quite heavy sturdy. I would and wholeheartedly recommend it. It's expensive but divide it by three years to watch your heart rate go down

Sorry, meant to say it's forward or rear facing.

We have the Stokke xplory. It's pretty pricy but am banking on it being the only one we buy!

even if you buy a travel system like the bugaboo chameleon will end up buying a cheap fold up too for flights/days when you cant fit a full size buggy in the car or as in our case when DS went to nursery and buggies had to be folded up and put in a cupboard if you wanted to leave them
The bugaboo is lovely but v pricey and to be honest we use our £50 chicco fold up far more (DS is 2)
The parent facing thing is important in my view as they are still quite young when they graduate to the buggy seat.
I definately consider the car seat adaptor a must, never having to wake a sleeping baby is definately a bonus.

I'd look at;
1)Bugaboo Cameleon
2)Stokke Explora
3)Uppababy Vista

The Cameleon and the Vista are pretty similar and both are compatible with the maxi cosi car seat. I think the Vista has a slightly bigger pushchair so would be more comfortable for a large 3yr old but the Bugaboo is also very good and possibly edges the vista on style. Though the vista is cheaper.

There is also a Mothercare one that is very similar to both of those and also comp with the max cosi car seat so have a look at that too.

That should say Stokke Xplory

The Bugaboo Chameleon has taken us from newborn to 3 with all 3 dcs....I have to sing its praises - it has not only been totally reliable, but has been changed back and forward from newborn 'pram' to buggy, from car seat to base, schlepped all over the place and done everything, 3 times over! :)

We still love it. It was the most stupendously expensive thing we bought (ok, we were given by relatives) before dc1 arrived but its given us the best value :)

Good luck!

PS We do also own a really cheap McClaren Quest (bought on ebay for a tenner) that we have used for holidays abroad and to keep in the car for quick trips to the shops etc occasionally, if we haven't wanted to take the bugaboo for any reason.

The thing is, what you need for a newborn is so different from what you need for a 3 year old. If you truly truly only want one then go for a Maclaren Techno, as tbh you'll end up with one anyway. It doesn't rearface though. I'm still using ours for 3yo ds, it's light, smallish folded and he can hop in and out easily.
For our baby, we have an old Bugaboo Frog. Lies flat, rearfaces, and cost us less secondhand than a brand new maclaren. It also has a buggy board on the back for ds to ride on if he gets tired. We have a maxicosi car seat that can clip on the top too.

www.emmaljunga.com/english/Prams/Find_your_pram/Mondial_3_in_1-313.html
Expensive, but worth every penny.

Baby Jogger!

It's cheaper than an Bugaboo Bee and it's 7.7 kg! Don't buy it from John Lewis, you can find cheaper!

Baby jogger without a doubt because you can get the carrycot attachment but it's so light you won't end up ditching it for a stroller a year down the line (as I and so many of my friends have with expensive travel systems)

I have the britax b-dual. Lieflat from birth, either parent or forward facing and can convert to a tandem with 2nd seat

I've gone for baby jogger - you can have a carseat and carrycot that face you on it, then when the kid gets bigger, it's a pushchair! The folding system is so great - just literally pick up the handle in the seat and it's folded! Means you can do it one handed...the wheels also pop on and off really easy for cleaning etc.

It feels quite heavy for me to lift, (I have the summit XC, others may be lighter) but is absolutely effortless to push.

I am still using the stokke xplory with my 20 month old whilst most of my friends have moved on to a buggy. We walk a lot so suspension was important as was parent facing and I love that he is out of reach of doggy noses and mouths, my older child had a sandwich stolen off her by a dog in the MacLaren which I've never got over.

I would highly recommend the mother care My3/4 - see here.

It is the same as many of those mentioned above but not a brand and thus cheaper. You can combine it with various car seats IIRC, including the cheapest mother care newborn one which is fine! It can be parent facing or forward facing, is a proper lovely pram at first and then more of a pushchair. DS is still in it now at 2.4. I did think of changing to a maclaren type thing when he was about 2 but they are so much harder to push!

Oh, and it comes with everything - cosy toes, rain cover, head rests etc etc.

We had an issue with the handle (apparently only a problem on the older model) but mothercare dealt with it well - sent it off for repair and lent us a replacement. It's made by Quinny apparently.

I'll shut up now