Advice on prams for city/dog walking/travel!

[INeedABiggerBoat]

Reluctantly posting DH's request as he and DM feel it's time to look at buying a pram for our first - due end March. It's too soon for me, but they're probably right.

We've tried out a load but our problem is that we've never done this before and we have a bit of an odd lifestyle so don't really know what we're looking for.

We live in London and would like to be able to get out and about in the city easily, without annoying too many people with enormous articles. But we also have a dog so are imagining taking this pram through muddy parks (Wanstead Flats/ Epping are both near us) so probably want something quite sturdy that isn't going to sink into the mud. AND we will be needing to get the pram into a moderately sized car alongside dog and travel stuff on a monthly basis to see friends and family, so want something that folds up easily and into something quite small.

We quite liked a Mamas and Papas pram we tried yesterday which is in the sales, but it did feel quite bulky and didn't fold up that small. DM has also generously given us a hefty John Lewis voucher towards baby stuff so we could go there as well. Budget not too much of an issue.

Any recommendations/ advice on what to compromise on/ look for VERY gratefully received!

I am no pram expert but don't discount a sling/ carrier for muddy walks - tight gates and stiles are a pig with a pram but easy with a sling. Then get a lightweight/small city pram for that job!

You are looking for the holy grail of prams. Small but good off road.

There is a whole section decidated to prams on MN and you can make an appointment with JL for them to help you decide.

Remember slings are always an options and they won’t be in the pram part of a travel system for long as baby’s grow quickly. This is essentially true if you are tall.

Buying a pram can be a nightmare and there is no prefect pram. Despite spending a fortune and it not been out long term plan we moved to an umbrella folding buggy after a year.

I would agree with pp regarding the sling comment, this will be far more practical than any pram for a muddy dog walk, and it would be difficult to find a pram that met all those criteria.

Therefore I would compromise on the muddy walks with a sling, perhaps a close caboo for when the baby is teeny tiny, and then an ergo for when baby has better head control.

For a pram in the city I would suggest a stroller like a baby jogger city tour. Soooo practical, folds tiny, super light, not only would it fit in any boot but also a back pack. They are around £190 on Amazon.

We have a bugaboo donkey as well as a city tour and I haven't used the donkey in weeks as I love the tour so much.

I'd get 2 different ones tbh!!!

Bugaboo Bee for city, def try a sling for walks and then progress onto a proper 3 wheeler for the park if need be such as mountain buggy swift or the city select equivalent - 2nd hand a good bet!

We got baby jogger city mini / it was ideal. Lightweight, folds easily, but good on rough terrain and very good suspension. They can go in from more or less new born, but we got the carrycot second hand which attaches, but we just used this for the first month or so.

I have a silver cross pioneer and love it. Great for walking dog across uneven groud but also easy to fold and use for shopping etc. Has a huge basket underneath so perfect for shopping. It's not the smallest though so test it out to fit in your boot at Mothercare or somewhere and see if it fits.

I also have a sling and carrier and would say once they get heavy it's quite hard going using them for a long walk unless your super strong!

Honestly, I couldn’t manage without a sling. Admittedly we’re in the country so we have mud, stiles and plank bridges galore, but even so, I’d definitely consider it. There’s something very comforting about zipping your baby into your coat and knowing they are warm and snuggly even in horrible weather, too. I had an extra extra large fleece gilet that I wore over us both - just little DSs hat poked out and he was toasty warm. I have very fond memories of that time (and I was toasty as well, he was like a tiny hot water bottle!).

There are so many different types to try, is recommend getting a pram that works on the pavement and public transport and then going to a sling library and trying a few out before committing.

The ultimate London buggy, IMO, is the Babyzen Yoyo. Super light, manoeuvrable, narrow wheel base for buses, narrow hallways, shop aisles. But the other thing to have, for both London transport and muddy walks, is a sling. Far better than a buggy for either of those.

Fwiw I had the beloved-of-many-people Baby Jogger City Mini to start with and I found it a lot bigger, heavier and less manoeuvrable than my Yoyo. Once I'd pushed the Yoyo I basically never touched the City Mini again.

You are going to need 2 - a tank for dog walks and something more nimble for getting out and about. We have a Bugaboo Chameleon for local journeys and started off with a Maclaren but soon upgraded to a Cybex Mios which lives in the boot of the car unless I'm getting public transport somewhere.

Hi OP you must live near me (ish - we're at the edge of Wanstead flats at the forest gate end). I'm due start of April and have had exactly these queries.

I highly recommend the John Lewis appointment to try them all out.

We decided on bugaboo bee (v close run thing with babyzen Yoyo - it was the fact that it can be parent facing after 6 months and felt a little sturdier that swung it for me). Both the Bee and Yoyo are great for public transport, pavements and fold small for cafes and travel. I think the Bee might do ok on walks on the flats whereas I wasn't sure about the Yoyo, but in any event I plan on getting a sling and using that as much as possible. With the bugaboo you can also buy a separate running chassis and use the same seat on it, if you're interested in jogging with the buggy at some stage (think baby has to be at least 6 months).

PS we also looked at the babyjogger city mini which has an amazing one hand fold, but the wheels are much wider than the Yoyo or Bee so we would have had to fold it inside our hallway, whereas both Yoyo and Bee can be wheeled from front door right through the house (in a terrace with narrow hall).

I have two very active dogs and have decided not to even contemplate a pram for dog walks just sounds too dangerous for me and my dogs. I will use sling. Plus its more to fit in car for a walk + more mud to clean off .

I have a horse and have got a cheapish second hand pram for the yard that will get dirty but will be somewhere safe for baby to sleep.

And just bought a iCandy for town/ shopping.

I have baby jogger citymini- live rural Scotland and have dog, but it's also great for popping in boot when visit family/friends in Edinburgh.

Hi everyone, so sorry for not coming back to this thread in a timely fashion. All your advice was so appreciated!
We have ended up going for a Bugaboo Bee 5 - like @Harrietm87 said, it felt sturdy enough for a bit of off-roading but also folds up quite neatly. We've also gone for a Caboo sling for the muddier walks! The decision was made a lot easier once you all said 'get two things'. Don't know why we didn't really consider that before (well I do - prams are so bloody expensive, aren't they?!)
Now just got the wait the last few weeks until she arrives....