What do you look for in a pram/travel system

[OnNaturesCourse]

I'm looking at the mamas and papas ocarro with carrycot and pram seat... But I'm clueless, what do you look for?

One thing that I really wish someone had told me to try when testing them in the shop...how easy is it to push around with one hand?

Check how easy it is to apply the breaks too - some were really difficult.

I love our uppababy vista but it's very wide/chunky so some doorways and cars are just a no. None of them have everything though you need to prioritise. We have to drive practically everywhere so folding with ease was important. The mamas and papas mattresses weren't very nice compared to others but can be replaced.

Yes one handed pushing! They all push beautifully on super slick shop floors but pavements are another matter!

Yes, and, when it's got the carrycot on, can you actually store shopping in the basket or is the gap so small you have to post it in item by item lol .

Joie chrome is fantastic and very good value (mothercare have a great deal). Carrycot is not overnight sleep approved but a Moses basket costs very little.

Easy to use, light weight and foldable!

My first was great light weight, foldable, easy to manouver and I could have dd facing me. However, it literally fell apart in the end (although was very well used).

My second I chose something more sensible and sturdier as i would be doing the school run. I hated it, we called it the tank, practically pulled a muscle trying to get it up a curb in a rush one morning. In the end it lived in the garage and I bought a baby carrier.

You need one of the large stores and an entire afternoon to push different brands and styles around, fold them, unfold them, attach and unattach the car seat, borrow a few of the baby bags from the other section of the store and see how many bags you can realistically hang from the handle bars (so important) and enjoy yourself

I have been having the exact same thought!
My DH and I went to look at the Ocarro yesterday and were impressed ... they let us take it out to the car and try it in the boot which was really handy as we also got to try going up/down pavements with it too.

A friend of mine has the Jane Epic ... its also really nice. The carry cot collapses too and it is really good off road. The only thing with it is you cant attach a Maxi cosi etc car seat ... it has to be a Jane one.

Good luck!

We looked at the Jane Matrix... DP choice! Was ultra bulky and the carry cot converted to a car seat (both a lie flat one and seated one) didn't fit in our car. The frame did fit the boot though.

I like the idea of collapsible carrycot. Who else does them?

Have a look at the maxi cosi Stella. Chunky big wheels, compatible with a foldable carry cot and folds pretty small with the seat unit still on. I have a maxi cosi elea and I love it although it has a hard backed seat unit so is a lot bulkier. The Stella seems to have replaced the elea as it wasn't around when I got my pram and the elea isn't on the website anymore.

Fold - does the seat need to be removed or does it fold in one piece. How many hands does it need to fold it. Is it freestanding when folded. Is it easy to carry when folded. How big (and heavy) is it when folded
Seat - does it lie flat? Have different recline positions. Do you need a separate carrycot for newborns. Does t have a big hood that goes a long way over the child with upf protection. Does it have an adjustable leg rest for bigger children. I like parent facing option as well as world facing
Basket - is it huge and is it easy to put things in when the seat is in any position or the carrycot is on (many only leave a small gap that you have to post your handbag/shopping through to get it in the basket)
Handling - can it be pushed with one hand. Easy to turn in a small space and nice to push. Good suspension. Tyre size relevant to use (you'll want big tyres and proper suspension for all terrain use but even in cities pavements are bumpier than you imagine). Easy to use brake
Future proofing - might you have another child soonish (within three years)? In which case do you want a pushchair that can have another seat added at a later date

To be honest we've never had much use out of or travel system - I'm not keen to leave babies in car seats because of the warnings about the position and oxygen levels, plus mine always woke when lifting the car seat out of the car anyway so I've mostly preferred a lie flat pushchair for a newborn rather than the ability to put the car seat on the frame

op,read your list and the buggy we have ticks all boxes

i love it = moot kindacraft

tbh i had never heard of it, and im a mn and have used many buggies over the years and many thought df and i insane to buy a buggy we had never seen or tested...... as brought online

but its fab

buggy]

Blondes, how small does that fold?

Blondes, how small does that fold?

Ours had to fit through our front door. Admittedly ours is narrow at 78cm but friends of ours had to get builders in to adjust their doorframe to get a double in! So I would check:
Front door
That you can actually get it down your hallway to wherever you will store/wheel it into
Car (& how easy it is to fold)

I wanted one that had a solid, massive under tray, and one that baby could be in the carrycot for until at least 6 months. I ended up with a massive Emmaljunga (like a silver cross) but, as I walked everywhere for the first 6 months, t was actually far more useful having a big pram than a small one.

Would also check :
Length of carrycot if you think baby will be big (mine was born on 99th percentile for height so very glad I had a big pram, he fitted in it for longer)
Weight if you have to carry it anywhere
Parent facing

Hmm, going by your list an Uppababy might suit. There's the Vista, which is the bigger one, but they now also do a more compact one which might suit your boot.

Best points of the Vista

• Sleep approved carrycot
• Enormous basket, people stopped us and commented
• Can face both ways
• Easy to set up, collapse
• Solid wheels

-Amazing customer service

• Brake is push on and push off (rather than hooking foot and pulling to release) - lifesaver if you have SPD in pregnancy.

It's quite small. FIts in my boot. Have focus

Light to carry in and our house tho usually leave in boot and carry cot comfy

Dd 5w today slept in it overnight sat as went to Devon and stayed in travel lodge

So easy to collapse push and put on car seat /basinette

I would not recommend M&P pranks for a start.

I would look at mountain buggy if you want an all terrain.

Bugaboo for a town pram and mclarren for a stroller.

Took us forever to pick a travel system! I have a chronic illness so it needed to be light, easy to collapse, easy to manoeuvre etc; husband is very tall and wanted one he could walk a lot with and that was well engineered.

We thought we had narrowed it down to the babystyle hybrid stroll, the nuna mixx 2 or the urbo 2 but then went completely off track and fell in love with a cosatto wow!
We got it in Berlin print and I adore it - can't wait for baby to be born so I can use it! It just feels really well designed, loads of little cute quirky bits and looks beautiful!

M&P pranks?

Our main points are to fit in a Mini Cooper boot (aka fold to nothing) and be ok for tall people (finding break bars a problem for kicking!)

M&P pranks?

Our main points are to fit in a Mini Cooper boot (aka fold to nothing) and be ok for tall people (finding break bars a problem for kicking!)

I had a silver cross wayfarer in Raspberry for dd. I loved it and it ticked every box.
Car seat was brilliant.
Loved the carrycot and used it for the 1st 12 weeks for overnight sleeping at the side of our bed. 6 months on the chassis until she got too long and started sitting unsupported.
Huge basket accessible even with the carrycot on.
Rear/forward facing pushchair seat. Dd rear faced until 21 months (just had to get a stroller)
Extendable handles.
And best bit for me was no kicking break release it's a bottom brake that you just tap.
OK to use one handed (dd liked to be carried to see around shops)
Fit onto buses OK.

Fit into our ford boot fine and my cousin's Seat Leon.

Downsides.... (I bought it 2nd hand and lady had it a year before me)
Slightly hard going up and down curbs.
Had to replace front wheels one year in
The handle bar just started slipping a month ago.
Brake started sticking at the same time.
Considering it's nearly 3 years old I think it's impressive just gutted it didn't last a few more months. (If I'd bought it new I would've asked them to repair it but nvm)

www.mothercare.com/prams-and-pushchairs/-silver-cross-wayfarer-chelsea-exclusive-to-mothercare/883607.html?cgid=prams_pushchairs#prefn1=brand&prefv1=Silver+Cross&start=4

I have an eye candy strawberry 2 and love it. It's so lightweight and I can pick it up with one hand, the carrycot is sleep approved and it's so easy to take down and fold in the car. It can also take the car seat easily. We are due to take the carry cot off soon so that will be the prams next test. We did lots of research before buying it. I'm really short and needed something comfortable. We also knew I would be having a CS so needed something that was really easy to manoeuvre

We've ordered an ocarro too after MUCH shopping around and debating. We liked the style, manoeuvrability, ease to put up and down, easy to push, fitted in boot of both cars, easy to adjust height of handlebars, easy to remove parts of cleaning and the carrycot suitable for sleeping (also love that will fit on the moses basket stand!)

We HATED the car seat that came in the bundle deal. I could not get it off the chassis easily without a baby but the adaptors work with maxi cosi seats too so it's worth spending the time to see what suits you.

If you can get to a mamas and papas store, book a personal shopping appointment. They give you a free gift and a ton of time to go through everything.