travel system advice - help?!?

[AbByG25]

This is our first baby and I was always set on getting a bugaboo but reality is we cannot afford one. There are so many out there and I quite like the oyster but I need advice of anyone who has bought a travel system and any recommendations please

Love my graco evo

I'm a first timer too & have bought the silver cross pioneer & simplicity car seat set. Can't give a review yet, but it seemed fab in the shop. It's so hard to choose tho as soo many!

My friend has a bebetto V style set which she raves about & I know someone who has a Mutsy Igo as its really compact - good Luck

I had a Graco the first time around - I can't remember what it was called but I think the Evo is the nearest equivelent now.

I bought it second hand and it was in pristine condition.

I liked it for several reasons:

• I could have the baby either facing me or facing away
• It was v easy to fold
• I could clip the carseat to the frame
• It had a bar handle (instead of two handles) which made pushing it with one hand easy
• It had a carry cot pram bit to use in the first few month which was also handy for putting DS in for naps at home

Downside

• The basket underneath was small

Once we'd finished with it we moved on to a Maclaren XT stroller which I really recommend, but not from birth.

I'm now expecting DC2 and will be getting it out of the loft to use again.

We have the Oyster and we bought it as it is quite narrow and light as some of the systems can be quite bulky and heavy.
We have had two children and had no problems with it at all. All the bits clip on and off easily and the buggy seat is a decent size.
It does fold quite square so you have to take that into consideration if you drive a lot and need it to go into a small boot, for example, we had to take the wheels off when putting in my Mum's Clio.
We have also used the buggy board and it's brilliant (just so you know if you have more children!) as it folds attached to the buggy.
It would also be worth looking at eBay as we got our Oyster second hand for £100 and that was the carry cot, car seat adaptors, buggy seat, foot muffs and rain covers for all, the buggy seat and the buggy board.
Have you looked for a Bugaboo on there as they come up a fair bit.
Hope some of that helps.

We're expecting our 1st baby too & me and my DP are getting the oyster 2 - we've heard great reviews about it & my SIL had the original oyster and she is so pleased with it.

We've got the Jane Rider. Love the pushchair, hated the infant car seat. Is super safe but not user friendly!

So I would say look at the carseat, we didn't even consider they were different, I thought all infant car seats were pretty much identical.

I'm not sure this is helpful but we did get a bugaboo bee for DS1 and used it until he was 2.5 daily, then a bit til recently ( now 3.5). So light and manouverable. Planning on use for next baby too! Highly recommend but obviously if cash not there it is problematic. Second hand one?

I would look at size, weight and ease of folding as these are so important!!

We got a bugaboo - on eBay - got a Frog - you'd get an old model Chameleon very reasonably. Got a Bee+ too on Gum Tree. Could be worth a look? And then you can buy a compatible car seat new.

Think about how you will be using it beforehand - we got a britax b smart with car seat for dc 1 (good quality, good price but wide base so tricky with narrow shop entrance, car boots etc) never really used the frame to clip car seat into though, car seat went in shopping trolley or if baby awake then straight in buggy. Think about practicalities of folding etc so you can easily get out and about on your own.

If you live in a town especially if you don't have a driveway you can park on right by the front door I would recommend a reliable own brand system (mothercare expedia or mamas n papas) plus with the several hundred pounds saved a from birth suitable stroller.
Keep the pram base in the car to use with the seat, have the stroller for numerous short journeys on foot (or a carrier like a connecta or ergo).

Or find a second hand base for your whole branded travel system to keep one in the house/one in tge car.

Nothing worse than struggling back and forth twice to the car with a muddy pram base and screaming baby for a 5 min trip to tesco! And if you leave it in there but haven't one in the house it's the same. If the cars a few doors down you have to somehow carry baby safely too! Usually in tge rain.

£50 stroller or sling/carrier in the house for quick/public transport outings.
Base and car seat in boot. Basinette under the stairs for longer car journeys.

I only wish I'd worked it out sooner!

I quite fancied a bugaboo bee but I've ended up getting the oyster 2 for a variety of reasons. It's cheaper, it has height adaptors which make the carry cot a much better height for taller parents and also double as car seat adaptors for Britax seats, it has bigger wheels and looks chunkier which my DP liked. The fold is quite square but that might work better for certain cars. I have a ford KA and couldn't fit in a pram like the silver cross wayfarer which folds flatter and longer. The oyster fits in by standing on its side.

Oyster has been great for us! Even upgraded to the oyster max now no.2 on the way.