First baby, 2nd floor flat, what travel system?

[sizethree]

Oh my word. I had no idea just how much choice there would be and I'm very overwhelmed by the variety.
I need something lightweight and easily collapsible to lift up stairs. And I'm a sucker for the Silvercross designs as I have very fond memories of them (but know I'm being a bit silly so will not let this nostaligia overshadow a sensible decision).
Also, if the baby is sleeping when I need to get upstairs, I then need something that just lifts off so I can transport.
So the car seat thing, that can also be adapted to fit the chassis?
Sorry for all the questions. I've had a very rocky road to this pregnancy (3 miscarriages and now eventually 21+3 so beginning to believe this may happen) so I'm finding going into shops to deal with store staff a bit scary. I'd like to be armed with real info from real mums as I'm wirries I'll get sucked into one that looks nice!
Any recommendations greatly appreciated.

I would avoid huge heavy travel systems and get a lightweight stroller type that can also hold a car seat. Something like the Bugaboo Bee or Babyzen Yoyo 0+ might suit you. Or a Baby Jogger City Mini. What is your budget?

Car seats that attach to the wheels/pram chassis are great for nipping into tesco, but baby shouldn't be in the car seat for long periods.

Do you need to store the pram in the flat? Lots of people store their prams in the boot of their cat as they tend to be bulky, ugly and dirty!

Will you be mostly walking out and about or going to and from the car?

My inlaws are buying it (as a gift for much anticipated first grandchild) so very fortunate that there's not really a budget. Thsnks earthbound I'll have a good look at those suggestions.
Thanks anything, I didn't know that about the car seat. Ah, SO much to learn.
We have space in our hall to store it, but the car boot is a great suggestion. Again, something I'd not though of.
I'll mostly be walking as live very centrally to town. (Plus not learnt to drive yet although in my 30s. Looking into intensive course of lessons today).

I know you're asking about travel systems but just wanted to recommend thinking about a sling too.

DS is 10 weeks old and has spent most of our out and about time in the sling rather than pram - it's amazing and I can't praise it highly enough. He loves it, its so cosy and like giving him cuddles all day except you still have your hands free to eat, shop, Mumsnet etc! Would also be great for climbing up stairs and you could leave the pram in the car or downstairs if possible .Or at least you would have your hands free to fold the pram up and carry it upstairs .

The one we have is a Victoria sling lady stretchy wrap but there are loads of other types around. If you have a local sling library they can help you choose one if you are interested .

With regards to the pram, try not to think about just the early days but when they are older too, as the pram will need to suit for a long time. A baby can be left upstairs for a few moments while you go back down to faff about with the pram, a walking no-sense toddler can't, so something you can fold quickly and carry up with the child may be better (as opposed to a two piece travel system, which are also often very heavy). Again, a sling could come in really handy, they can be used for carrying toddlers too as long as you are physically able.

There are so many considerations so I guess it comes down to your priorities .

I'm in a similar situation and really recommend the quinny buzz. It's easy to collapse, folds small, easily the lightest I tried. And has massive, air-filled back tyres, which meant I could slowly bump it upstairs and wheel it inside without waking sleeping ds. Invaluable. Only downside is shopping basket is quite small, but I got a big clip and it worked out fine.

Yes MyName the Quinny Zapp Xtra would be a good choice too. Can be parent or forward facing, is really light and can fit a car seat on the chassis too.

pickwick the sling is a great idea. I'm due in early November and that would be great for warm cuddles too walking around.
myname I'll have a look at the quinny buzz. That sounds great. The shopping basket sizes do seem to vary massively. Good tip about the tyres.
earthbound I like the versatility of the facing options too.
You lot are amazing!

I would agree with those saying that small and light will be key.

Regarding transferring the sleeping baby, if you get one of those massive ones with a bassinet then you might be able to click that off and carry it upstairs. But that will only help for the first few months. I'd try and get the baby used to being transferred - two of my three you could gently carry upstairs.

Do you have a secure hallway where you could leave the buggy for a few minutes on your way in and out? That will make a big difference.

A lot of designs have car seat adaptors, but that itsn't going to help massively. As has been said, babies shouldn't be in the car seat for hours on end so that's designed more for nip to the shops-pop seat on base to buy bread and milk-back in car type scenarios.

Buying a pram is like buying a car - there's not just prove to consider, but how you'll use it, how long you want to use it for (before poss switching to a stroller? Or using for subsequent children?) carrying toddler plus pushchair/pram up steps at the same time is an important consideration. They really do grow quickly and can be out of the bassinet by 3-4 months.

Bugaboo Bee or Armadillo flip.

I would second the baby jogger city mini! Ask staff to show you how it folds up, so easy!! If you are going to be off road a lot then there is the gt version with different tyres.

Also the fabric is v v easy to take off, wash and put back on, huge bonus.

I would say bugaboo bee - can get a cocoon for use from birth which lifts out if baby is sleeping. However it is still very light and a good shape to carry upstairs. I used to carry it up 1 flight of stairs with dd sleeping in it up to about 18months.

I also havent bought another stroller, it nice that if dd (now 3) is having a sensitive day she can still parent face.

We just bought the Armadillo Flip XT from Mamas&Papas (after the lovely manager spent hours explaining different travel systems that we tested around the shop!) Like you we wanted something lightweight and easily collapsible as we have a flight of stairs to our front door. The Flip XT is compact, super lightweight, very easy to manoeuvre, and when you want to fold it you can do so with one hand (without needing to reverse the seat). I'll be using buses and trains a lot while on mat leave so we needed something l can fold easily and fit into small spaces. It has a nice carry-handle too.

Initially I thought the frame looked a bit 'flimsy' but it's actually very well-made and smooth to push, and the easy-folding, easy-carry function was the biggest thing for me. The frame comes with a seat that can be used from birth but we also bought the bassinet to use for the first 6months as looks more snug for a newborn! There's a choice of car-seats that clip onto the frame, we went for one from a different range and got the manager to test the fit in our car before we came to a decision. You can add various extras if you want to, like a foot-muff and parasol! Also has choice of wheels for different terrains and choice of colours.
I highly recommend a visit to Mamas&Papas! The manager was very knowledgable and patient, understood our concerns (we'd been stressing for months over which travel system) and she asked lots of questions about what we'll be using it for, our lifestyles, our priorities etc then suggested appropriate models. They sort of match you up with models to suit your lifestyle but she didn't put any pressure on us to make a final decision, she even wrote all the details down so we could go away and think it over, though in the end I decided to order it all on the spot. Such a relief to get it sorted!

Our main reason for choosing a travel-system is to save space and reduce hassle. When we use car we want to be able to keep baby in carseat and just clip carseat onto frame, so we chose a carseat that reclines fully when on the frame (otherwise they can only stay in them 90mins). Also I want to use frame as a pram when he's little (with bassinet) then a pushchair later on, without buying more stuff. We have limited storage space so a compact travel-system seemed best option!

If you don't drive, I wouldn't buy a travel system at all, because as far as I can see, that's predicated upon the premise that you're frequently moving the baby between car and pushchair. You need something light you can use from newborn.

When we lived up steps in London and didn't have a car, we bought a Bugaboo Bee which reclines fully and can be used from birth, and had a separate car seat for the rare occasions we used a taxi or were given a lift by friends.

I had the graco mosaic travel system with dd with 2 flights of stairs and while she was tiny I was able to carry the whole thing up. It moves around nicely and didn't feel as heavy as it looked

Babyzen yoyo 0+. So lightweight you can just fold and put over shoulder and carry baby up in arm or sling. The car seat carry up will just get very heavy soon and shouldn't be used for actually walking around. The baby zen folds so much smaller than the bugaboo bee that you can use as hand luggage on plane, and can store in a cupboard or tiny space in home rather than taking up space in hall

We live on 4th floor. We always just took baby out pram and popped in basic sling to take up and down. Baby learns to stay asleep between transfer imo.

We used an extended rear facing car seat which lasts 0-4 years and stays in car so no hassle of carrying up and down and saves storing at home.

Halemary not all travel-systems are heavy. The Flip XT is so light it can be folded and carried in one hand while you carry baby with other. DH uses our car during day, so when I'm on mat-leave I want to be able to take baby in taxis and friends' cars without having to lug an extra carseat around (as well as having something that's easy to fold and carry on buses and trains).

Baby jogger - you can collapse with one hand and easy to carry up stairs and store. You can use carrycot or lie flat

libraries thankfully I do have a secure stairwell so I can safely nip up to pop the baby safely in the flat first.
ohemgee and lilac I'll check the armadillo Flip out too. And glitz great to hear about the graco mosaic.
nocutsnobuts thanks, mamas and papas sounds well worth a visit.
hale yes I'm a non driver (hopefully not for long) but DH is abc we have family that we will drive to visut frequently, so he thinks s travel system wild be best. Admittedly the majority of the time it will just be me, baby and pram.
artandco great to know the baby zen folds so tiny, as with all the other bits and bobs it's good to save as much soacd as possible.
Thanks twodogs, i've got a great shortlist now for braving mothercare / mamas and papas to try some out.
Oh and rather news that I just bumped into my first floor downstairs neighbour that I haven't seen in a while and she's also expecting. A few weeks ahead of me, but we can compare notes too,
Thanks hugely for all your help ladies.