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

Agree with redspottedfrog as I love my Britax B-smart 3. It isn't small but has done the job with my DD from birth to 22mo & counting. I've seen other mums go through 3, 4, 5 pram in that time. We didn't use the carrycot as the seat lays flat, but if she'd been born in winter, we might have needed it for warmth etc.

We considered buying a bugaboo or icandy but they are much smaller and have read reviews where they don't last past 1-2yrs because of it. As if happens, DD is quite small, but if she'd been a he and/or bigger then we couldn't justify spending as much on a pram as you can on a car and buying a new one barely a year later...

3 in 1, optional parent facing.

Lisa and Fiona, your posts (and history) make it look suspiciously like you're not only the same person, but also work for icandy. Just saying...

I love the Bugaboo Cameleon. We used it for DS from birth until he no longer needed a pushchair, and he's always been taller than average. It seemed incredibly comfortable for him, and it has stayed in brilliant condition. I am pg and plan on using it for the same time period again. We do lots fo walking with it, but also take it in the car whenever we're driving somehwre. It is more of a faff to put up than the umbrella fold andeasier fold type pushchairs, but that doesn't bother me. Its easy enough to put the frame and the carrycot/seat up.

And it is compatible with the maxi cosi baby car seat (if you buy the adaptors), so its all good.

Would 100% recommend.

There's probably not that much difference between the different travel systems (speaking as someone who never had one!), but what you need will change as your LO grows up.

To begin with you may want front facing (although I never missed this and DS talks for England), you may want a pram top and the big advantage of a travel system is that you can put the car seat on top. I tended to carry the car seat separately (which was heavy) or pop DS in a sling for short journeys (which risked waking him as I moved him).

The disadvantages of travel systems (which is why I went straight for a McLauren as others have mentioned) are that they are relatively expensive compared to a £200 McLauren (plus car seat). Some people I know felt they didn't actually need all the bits they bought - for example the pram bit wasn't used for very long, or they wanted a lighter car seat. One poor friend had a bit break and although Mamas and Papas replaced that bit with the new range equivalent it then didn't fit the rest of the travel system and they had to buy a new one! They are also relatively big and heavy, so you'll probably find that around aged 2 you'll buy a lightweight fold-up-tiny pushchair, because it's just easier practically.

Having said that, I was about the only person I know who didn't have a travel system, so maybe I'm missing something?!