Pushchair dilemma/obsession!!

[Bexy99]

Hi everyone,

Me and my other half are really struggling to agree on a pushchair for our first baby due at the end of April. My priority is for something lightweight that has longevity. I don't like the idea of spending a fortune on a bulky travel system that will only last me a few months so have been looking at some of the pushchairs that are suitable from birth.

We're considering the following pushchairs: -
Maclaren Techno XT or XLR (I like the fact you can accessorise with foot muffs and liners!
Baby Jogger City Mini 4 wheeler - seems excellent and good value although not so sure about the flappy bit that hangs down at the back when you have the seat fully reclined. What accessories would you recommend to make it suitable for a newborn?
Bugaboo Bee Plus - very nice but is it worth the extra £200-300 when you take into account the accessories?
My boyfriend really likes the Uppababy Cruse which requires a carrycot and is quite expensive but also the Babystyle Oyster. These are both a bit heavy for my liking.

Please can any of you experienced ladies give me any advice? I've been dwelling on this for weeks now, can't make a decision and am becoming a bit obsessed! Any feedback on any of the above would be much appreciated.

Many thanks in advance for your help,

Bex.

There's a pushchair forum on mn where people know these things! Maybe they will be able to suggest a good choice? We've got a maclaren xlr, 4.5 yrs old and still going strong. If I could choose again I'd get the xt as its a bit smaller. We got the xlr because it came with the car seat which sat on top, but it made it so heavy I only used it a couple of times. That's all I know!

Tbh, it doesn't really matter that much. Whatever you get will do the job fine.

I used a Baby Jogger City Mini from birth with my DD. By "the flappy bit at the back" do you mean the cover that you can put over the mesh to darken it in lie-flat mode?

If you do, on mine you can roll it up and clip it away. There are toggles to do this.

DD was a winter baby and I used the City Mini with a Phil and Ted's Cocoon (spt carry cot). It fitted perfectly.

Ah Philbee I didn't realise there was a specific pushchair forum - will check that out thanks! Thanks for feedback re Techno also.

BikeRunSki - BJCM does seem a very good buy. Yes the flappy bit that hangs down at the back I think that must be what you refer to - good to know it can be clipped away and thanks for advice re cocoon.

We had the same dilemma (huuuuge post about this on the pushchair forum!) and are going for the BJCM GT - the one handed fold is amazing, it takes a newborn, and is less heavy than the uppababy vista or oyster but also much less flimsy than the bugaboo bee... Only downside is that there's no rear facing, but we'll be buying a second hand BJ bassinet for the first few months and then most babies seem to like front facing most anyway.

If we were mostly walking or had a bigger car we'd consider a big travel system like a vista, but with city travel and stairs we thought we'd just end up buying a Maclaren if we bought a big one.

We chose a babystyle oyster. It is on the heavier side but we have a small boot (Polo) so the key for me was how small it folded. I specifically wanted a travel system though so we got the oyster with the carrycot, stroller (forward and rear facing) and a car seat that fits on too.

It's worth going to a superstore like Kiddicare if you can to get really good advice and try them - they'll let you put them up and down, try them in the boot if you need to.

I personally would avoid a heavy system. I got one as a 1st time mum & have ordered a much lighter one this time (icandy cherry). Last time I struggled to push/lift/fold a heavy pram after emcs & abandoned the system at 6 months for a MacLaren - as did most mums.

I excluded the Oyster due to it's weight & the Cruse/Vista due to expense.

I love my oyster- really manoeuvrable and I don't find it particularly heavy- but I haven't got anything to compare to. We didn't get the carry cot, just used the car seat when dd was tiny (well, she was 9lb 11oz born, so was never THAT tiny!)

Didn't get the carry cot because dd was born in October so we were never out for that long cos weather was too crap. I think I would have bought it had she have been a spring baby.

Problem is with pushchairs that your needs change massively over the first year of your babies life. with a newborn, their comfort is your priority, and keeping them warm/asleep, you also want to keep a close eye on their every move/breath so rf is Important. things like it taking up your entire boot/having to remove wheels to get it in there/10 piece fold/weighs as much as a small pony will seem less important. Give it 6 months to a year and suddenly the above problems will be winding you up in a big way and you will ditch the tank in favour of a lightweight small folding pushchair with a big shopping basket.
If you choose wisely, you can get pushchairs which are small folding, lightweight, comfy for a newborn, rear face and have a big shopping basket. Then you won't need to buy a second pushchair unless of course it's a double.
Bugaboo bee is a good example of a near perfect pushchair, hence it's huge popularity.

I think rear facing is really important, as a newborn you really won't like them facing outwards where you can't see them and they are much more exposed. Also my DD was really difficult in the buggy as mine converted from rear facing newborn bassinet to forward facing buggy from around 3 months and she hated it. Screamed her head off everytime she was in the buggy until about 6 months when she liked to look at the world sometimes depending on her mood This time I've gone for one which you can change directions in case DC2 is as picky as its sister

Yes, I think the one thing I didn't like about our maclaren was that it's forward facing. You can get a carry cot to fit on it now though, although it seems pretty small. For this baby I hope to sling them for the first few months until they're happier forward facing anyway. If you want a ff pushchair you could do that. Or just resign yourself to getting something smaller and cheaper after 6 months. I think I might get a maclaren volo about that time.