Buying a buggy?

[MummyMiddleton]

Hello parents

I am pregnant with our first, who is due in early November. We went to Mothercare and Boots today to look for a travel system type of thing. With a buggy, a carseat etc. DH and I both like Cossato Giggle but have heard on TV that it can be dangerous so are skeptical about that one. When we were in the shops we saw some we liked but couldnt agree (some I liked, some DH liked).

We really want to find a comfy, safe, durable, sturdy, cute buggy that we both like. Any help on what features it should have or any good suggestions?

Thank you x

Don't buy a big massive travel system! You only need the pram bit until your DC is a few months old and quite honestly, will probably use the car seat clicked into the frame quite a lot of the time if it's just for short jaunts or shopping. Once baby is a bit bigger you will probably find you want something lighter and more portable. You also won't know exactly what you want until baby comes along.
I would strongly recommend getting a second hand travel system that is compatible with a car seat that you could buy brand new. After about 2 or 3 months you will know what kind of buggy you want as you will have experience with your second hand model.

We did this because DH is a total cheapskate and at 6 months I insisted on a new buggy and chose the baby jogger city mini which I loved and used until DS was 3.

Quite a few of my friends bought full travel systems and most were using a Maclaren or a city mini by 6 or 7 months.

Our baby is not here yet - but we have gone with the Mothercare Journey. It's a whole travel system, very reasonable price (compared to others!!!), and the pram/carrycot bit actually turns into a seat when they are past the lie flat age.... It comes with the car seat which also fits the frame, a raincover, footmuff etc too. It is very easy to manoeuvre, and a really good size when folded - also very easy to put up and down!

About the second hand thing. Isnt using a second hand car seat dangerous?

Also, I will check out the suggestions x They sound awesome x

Most car seats fit into most travel systems but you may need adapters.

If you have a John Lewis near you they are a grate place to look for prams.

I wouldn't rule out a travel system, it's horses for courses and what you think you'll need. We used ours with our first until she was 2.5 (about 5 months in carry cot, then the pushchair part until 2.5 and used the car seat until she was about 15 months. Baby number 2 is now using it. We bought a lightweight pushchair to keep in the car from about 6 months but used the travel system for walking places from home almost daily.

What we looked for was ease of pushing and turning, room for shopping, easy to put up and down and affordable. We got a Gracco in the sale and it has been great.

We had the Giggle and it was fab!! Ds was prem and used the car seat and carrycot for ages!!

On reflection I agree re buying a big chunky travel system, although I doubt you'll be persuaded, I wanted one for my pfb and no one could convince me otherwise
It was good and had advantages but was completely unnessarily big and heavy and barely folded. We bought a cheapish Joie umbrella fold to take on holiday and before long just started using it all the time as it was so much lighter and easier to throw in the car. As long as you get one that lies flat that's all you need.

Justhadmyhaircut

It looks fab and comes in very cute designs. But I watched an episode of Wathdog where the seat part fell from the base. Im pretty sure they recalled it though come to think of it. So its probably fine now

I found a travel system really helpful, I'm still using it now with DC who is 1. I'm not really a fan of puschairs/strollers but that is probably down to living in a rural location so like the big off road wheels on my pram

The giggle being dangerous was around the time we had our DD which is coming up to 3 yrs ago now :-)
I went for a baby jogger city mini with a carrycot and it had adaptors to put a car seat on. Now DD is nearly 3 she still fits comfortably in it, it's great. I've had friends with "proper" travel systems, some kept using them for ages and some ditched them after a few months. Personally I dislike pushchairs that have a separate seat part, but that does mean no parent facing option.

moggle

Thanks x We are probably going with the giggle now x cant decide what print though. So many to choose from

It was the Giggle version 1 that had safety issues. We have a Giggle 2, and DS is 2y 3m and still fitting comfortably in it.

I hope you find a print that you like!

I have the iCandy peach, great if u decide down the line u want a sibling as it converts into a double!

What date are u due? I'm due 11th November, 4th boy!

The Giggle had issues with collapsing in a heap that meant it had to be recalled not once but twice and made two separate appearances on Watchdog given that they'd managed to balls up the first 'fix' much. For us, that was enough to put us off the brand for life - there are plenty of brands out there that haven't been on Watchdog at all, let alone twice. Horses for courses, though, as a PP said, and it was a previous version of the pram. Whatever you do, just make sure you try it out well in person first - so much comes down to preference of feel, easiness of steering and folding, etc. Keep in mind models like the iCandy Peach or Uppababy Vista if you're hoping to have two close together (resale value also not bad).

I am due on the 10th