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Original poster

There's no perfect buggy, right??

46 replies

june2013 · 13/04/2013 17:31

I find shopping for a pram really stressful. First of all I'm not sure whether I'm supposed to say pram, pushchair, buggy or stroller. I'm sure some of these are American words, but they seem to be used interchangeably here! Anyway, that is the least of my worries.

We live in a town and we're most urban people, I want some light, compact and that gets around easily. PILs are buying as a gift so while I don't want to it to cost the earth, it's not the primary concern.

Initially, we were going to go for the Bugaboo Bee - but seeing it in the shop, it seems really low and a bit flimsy. Is that just me? Also, though a carrycot might only last a few months, I like the idea of being able to put baby to sleep after feeding in the house and then walk out if I need to, without waking her.

Then we liked the uppababy Cruz, but the reviews really aren't great. They're all about the Vista, which seems a bit big for getting around town and to be used on public transport.

Then we were directed towards the iCandy Cherry, but I don't like the 2 piece fold and the reviews all say that customer services are awful. Though currently, I think it's top of our list...

There's no perfect buggy, I know. But I find this process quite stressful! Ultimately, my husband is going to choose, but please reassure me that having thought this over a lot, I will eventually buy something that works for us?!?!

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FaceLikeAPickledYonion · 13/04/2013 17:39

Why will your husband make the final choice? Imo, It should be the person that will use it the most.
I vote for baby jogger pushchairs. I know they're not on your list.

plantsitter · 13/04/2013 17:41

I did loads of research and in the end wished I'd just bought the bugaboo, despite the fact that we managed to buy pushchair, car seat and cot for the same price.

Laquila · 13/04/2013 17:44

Have you read the which.com reviews on this? They're quite extensive and could be useful, although if you're already confused they might just make it worse!

For what it's worth, I'm 5 months gone and absolutely clueless about what to get - I'd pay good money for someone authoritative to just tell me what to buy!

Shirehobbit · 13/04/2013 17:52

We made our first recce visit to look at some in Mothercare today, as we too are completely clueless.
I left feeling no clearer as to what we should concentrate on !

worsestershiresauce · 13/04/2013 17:55

Yes there is - there is one that will be perfect for you!

Think about your specific needs, pick a short list that fit your requirements and try them in store.

I have a baby jogger summit xc, it's fantastic for my needs - tough, solid, light, better suspension than most cars! It is probably too big and off-roady for your needs, but try the baby jogger city mini.

babyradio · 13/04/2013 17:56

I found it stressful too, spent ages reading reviews, and after going and trying a few of them in the shops, I got a Mamas and Papas Sola 'travel system'. I wasn't overly bothered about the colour or anything but absolutely love the denim fabric and the stripes inside it, the choices seemed to be bright pink or black other than this one. The reviews are generally very good and it had a few features that I really wanted, adjustable height etc.

You're right, there's no perfect buggy, I didn't have a huge budget although it was a gift from my parents and tbh my decision was finally swayed by the fact we got it 1/3 off in the sale.

You honestly won't know 100% what it's like til you're using it on a daily basis anyway, and I am certain the baby won't be bothered!

duende · 13/04/2013 18:02

After some advise on the pushchairs topic I bought the baby jogger city versa with a carrycot. It pushes and folds with one hand, is pretty compact when folded, seat very roomy, can face the parent or forward face, big basket, tall handle. And it cost me nearly £300 less than I was going to spend on the icandy strawberry. It has great reviews.

The vista was a strong contender for me, on paper. Once I saw it in flesh I realised it was too big.

Xalla · 13/04/2013 18:08

I've had 2 Bugaboo Bees - the old version for my son 5 years ago and the newer version for my daughter who was born 2 years ago. No complaints really. They're great for travelling. We did have an issue with the handlebars on the latest model but I just called Bugaboo and they replaced the part for free with no awkwardness at all.
They travel well (we fly a lot) and I find the UV cover really useful when we're on holiday or sitting in the garden.

mummysmellsofsick · 13/04/2013 18:14

I don't know if there is a perfect buggy. I keep lurking on the pushchair boards in case I find one, DS is 17 months and we've had 2 so far. Niggles with both. The problem is, you never know what your dc's preferences will be and where you'll end up walking with/ carrying it. I use more buses & trains than I'd imagined I would, and DS doesn't like front facing, which rules out the maclaren xlr we originally bought.

mummysmellsofsick · 13/04/2013 18:15

Why am I in the pregnancy section? Am I pregnant?

Littlemissexpecting · 13/04/2013 18:31

Have you looked to see if all iCandy prams have 2 part fold? I didn't think the strawberry did.
We went for the peach 2 after a few friends and recommendations said the 2 part fold isn't too big a deal for a good pram.i also found some (including bee) really flimsy. DH liked how sturdy the peach was and the adjustable handle bar and basket size sold it to us. SiL loves her silver cross surf so that might be worth looking at too.

Twinklestarstwinklestars · 13/04/2013 18:38

I've got the baby jogger city select but because I wanted to be able to add a second seat, some people say its too heavy but I liked it.

Shaiandbump · 13/04/2013 18:40

I went for UPPABABY vista .... Purely because I googled 'best travel system 2012' or something along those lines... Reviews seemed good so I got it ... It's still sitting in the box tho I cannot wait to have a play with it

craftycottontail · 13/04/2013 18:44

I found it really stressful too! I plumped for the Bugaboo cameleon then step mum found a bugaboo frog going cheap as it was ex-display.

The main crunch point for us was whether it would fit in our tiny car, and we also tried pushing a few round shops to make sure they felt sturdy / comfortable height etc, and I definitely wanted one that could switch between parent / forward facing.

Maybe try writing down your wish list of requirements? Then sign up to Which with their one month for £1 subscription to compare your list against all the specs, I found that invaluable as saved trawling round a load of different websites / shops!

chocolatecheesecake · 13/04/2013 18:50

I candy cherry has been great for us - light but sturdy, big basket, both DC sleep well in it. It's taken loads of chucking around and bashing and survived. Only niggles are two part fold which is a pain when putting it in the car if you need to stack the two parts as they stack in the wrong order iyswim.
But since I bought it the icandy strawberry has come out which is single fold so that would be with looking at.

And also the cherry hood doesn't come far enough forward for sunny days when they're sleeping flat in the pushchair. However palm sunshade could resolve this - have ordered one to see!

Bee has a better hood than the cherry and seems v good. I don't think the lack of carry cot is an issue as the cocoons are really cosy.

happyfrogger · 13/04/2013 18:53

My DD is one and we have the uppababy vista - it's totally brilliant and I would highly recommend. We've used it every day. We live in London zone 2 and its never been a problem due to size on buses (I also worried that it might be too wide) or on the tube.

We often put her to sleep in the carrycot and left the house for a walk with her still asleep. We got about 4/5 months use out of the carrycot and never bothered with a Moses basket.

Well worth it and a good price compared to bugaboo (which I also thought was flimsy and not enough shopping space). And it's still pretty light and easy to fold up.

Good luck - and you're right, lots of choice- too much choice!!

Rico08 · 13/04/2013 18:59

I too have gone for the mama's & papa's sola. We opted for this as it feels light and easy to steer.

With ds we had the Silver Cross 3d which was a really good strong travel system with well padded footmuff etc, but I found it was heavy especially using it on buses and trains. This is the only thing that let it down. Had it had not been so heavy we would have been using it for dc on the way.

Feelslikea1sttimer · 13/04/2013 19:09

I have ordered a emmaljunga edge, it's a big pram but I had an emmaljunga with my elder boy who is now 13... It was amazing and looked brand new when I got rid of it when he was 3.5! It does depend on what you are looking for, I wanted a sturdy cosy pram... Good luck with your search xx

MrsWildermac · 13/04/2013 19:10

Having read just about everything I possibly could...test driving loads, making lists of what we needed etc etc we've gone for the baby jogger versa...light but sturdy, not huge but big enough to fit an older child (some of the seats on the icandy looked tiny in comparison), can buy carrycot to go with it, huge basket and amazing steering. Getting it delivered on Friday and can't wait!

FumblesandFrolics · 13/04/2013 19:21

After literally days of deliberation we bought our travel system, a Concord Neo. I never wanted a Bugaboo of any sort as everyone in the area seemed to have one at the time and I wasn't that keen on the look of the Bee in particular.

6 months later most of my mummy friends downgraded from the very heavy, but sturdy initial prams/buggys they had bought, to lighter easier to fold ones. and after finding an ex-display one half price my mum persuaded me to look at a Bee one day. And i was so impressed. It is BRILLIANT.

DD was premature so was still the size of a 3 month old at the time, I liked that it could face either way, folds in one piece and I could lie her flat for naps. The huge hood was also great (better than any other I saw) at keeping light and sun and rain off her. It is also really light for public tarns port/ putting in boot of car and push able with one hand while I downed endless coffee to keep awake while pushing her round the streets to sleep

She is now 3 and it looks brand new, it's been overseas twice and of the 2 I own the Bee is the one I plan to keep.

But no, there probably is no perfect buggy, but I would definitely pick one you want if you are likely to be the one pushing it the most. DH ultimately picked our first one

OhHullitsOnlyMeYoni · 13/04/2013 19:27

Bugaboos are great but pricey. It really depends how often you will go out and be on your own/without a car. I don't drive so needed mine to be easy for buses and trains. Bugaboo was too big and hard to fold (for me alone) for me so I got a Baby Jogger. Easy to steer with one hand and folds up with one hand in a second - I can hold DD at the same time.
For me that is the best thing - it also fits in all boots :)

nannyl · 13/04/2013 19:30

I have never found a perfect buggy...

I always new as a nanny that once i had my own i would have 2...

I have gone for mountain buggy urban and Maclaren Techno XT as my singles...

Now number 2 is on the way and i will be having 2 doubles too... the baby jogger city mini to start with (with a carry cot for baby), then once baby is bigger i will sell that and get a nipper 360 double

NewChoos · 13/04/2013 19:37

We've got a I candy cherry and not had any problems with it, like you I found the bugaboo flimsy. We had the icandy on beaches/on hill walks etc, it's feels very safe.

Phineyj · 13/04/2013 19:43

We got a Graco Evo it's not perfect but it's pretty near, and pleasingly is a lot cheaper than the trendy alternatives. I got my DH to choose it I found discussion of this topic with my MIL (who was paying) very stressful as she had such strong views, so I figured engineer DH could pick and he chose well! There is far, far, too much choice in this market now IMO. Hope you find something that suits OP. In my experience the baby is more likely to fall asleep in whatever travel method you choose than to stay asleep while being moved from one place to another, so don't obsess about the carry cot aspect. However, I have found the potential to move the car seat about on wheels extremely useful as my wrists and stomach were sore post birth (c-section) and it means I don't have to carry the car seat inside buildings etc, also can split the buggy easily e.g. to get up and down stairs at stations.

Rhubarb78 · 13/04/2013 19:51

I agree with nannyl, instead of trying to find one perfect pram for birth - 3ish you may be better just accepting that you will need 2. A nice pushchair that is comfy and nice to push with carrycot option for birth - 6 months (fwiw when it has a carrycot on I would call it a pram and when it has the seat on I would call it a pushchair) plus a maclaren, umbrella fold type for round the shops/ quick trips when your baby is older and walking at times and you can no longer be bothered lugging around your pram/pushchair. Umbrella fold types i would call a buggy :)
Things that I think are essential in a pram are carrycot option, single fold when in chair mode, single handlebar so can push with one hand (you need to do this more than you think you will) and fits comfortably in your car boot with room to spare for shopping preferably.

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