Best pram/pushchair/car seat set

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EssentialHummus · 18/01/2018 20:10

Congrats on your pregnancy!

There's no objective "best". A few things to consider:
-Budget
-Will it need to fit in a car/more than one car
-How often do you use public transport
-How flat is it near you
-How often will you go off-road (muddy field with dogs etc...)
-Design preferences
-How old is your car (ours predates ISOFIX!)

And so on.

I have a lurid green Cosatto that I love - bought at 50% off as they were discontinuing the fabric, came with every accessory under the sun, light(ish) which matters as I live at the bottom of a hill and use buses occasionally, I love the look of it, three-wheeler so very maneuverable, can switch from parent- to rear-facing...

Bellamuerte · 18/01/2018 20:13

Depends on your budget. Personally I'd choose an i-size car seat as it complies with the latest regulations. Shops are still selling the non i-size car seats but why would you put your precious baby in something that's not up to the highest possible safety standards? Also bear in mind that max. time spent in a car seat is supposed to be two hours, so it's not a good idea to clip the car seat onto the pushchair chassis and push your baby round for hours on end.

Original poster

greatorex2017 · 18/01/2018 20:22

Thank you, we live on flat ground and will be using one car! We will hardly use public transport and budget wise about £1,000... more or less. We are looking for something that will last as long as possible.

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Original poster

greatorex2017 · 18/01/2018 20:25

Forgot to mention our car is a 17 plate, more of a sports car with a small ish boot but we are stuck with it for another year and a half before we can upgrade

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mrssmith1415 · 18/01/2018 23:43

We have a bugaboo buffalo waiting to be used for dc#2 due in April. With our first we bought a mamas and papas zoom as it was £300 (my parents were buying and I felt bad asking for an expensive pram) it was ok but nothing to write home about and is now trashed and can’t be used again, hence getting the buffalo. The difference is incredible. The seats are also the deepest of the bug family and comfortably seat a child until about 3.5 years old. I also liked the icandy peach 3 but comparing them in store you can see how tiny the seat is in comparison and I know people who’s babies are outgrowing them at 18 months old.
They are about to discontinue the bugaboo buffalo in place for the new bugaboo fox which I believe is a cross between the buffalo and chameleon. Another good thing about bugaboo is they tend to keep a higher value when it comes to selling on. Stokke buggies and the uppababy vista I’ve also heard to be good. If you can I would go to a large mothercate or kiddicare and compare all the ones you like. Some shops also have weighted dolls so you can get a feel of what it’s likw to push with baby inside.

Doublechocolatetiffin · 18/01/2018 23:59

Personally I think this is the best combination out there at the moment groovystyle.co.uk/vista-2017-with-recaro-zero-1-elite-car-seat-system.html

The Uppababy Vista is a brilliant pushchair, easy to push, handles every terrain easily and has a huge basket. It’s also very versatile if you decide to have more. My only concern would be making sure it fitted in your boot.

The recaro zero one elite is top of my list of car seats to buy. It will do from 0 - 4.5 years and has a separate newborn insert which can be removed and clipped into a travel system. It’s isize compliant and you can do extended rear facing, plus it swivels for easy getting in and out. It’s just been voted mumsnets best car seat.

Groovy style is an excellent shop by the way, I got all my stuff from there (as I live relatively locally) and they are very helpful and excellent value for money.

Soon2bemum2017 · 19/01/2018 00:50

Alot of people love the Vista.

I have the cosatto Giggle 2 system and love it (although folds flat its still quite big) its so light and easy to move i often push it with one hand and we have an upstairs maisonette so im used to lugging it up and down the stairs. The seat unit and carrycot are also massive so helps with longevity (also comes with cosytoes etc)

My parents have the icandy apple 2 pear and again thats also great but very big and heavy... also they have a ford galaxy and it takes up half the boot!... however the seat unit is snazzy and the suspension on the wheels is great.

Personally i don’t like how the peach folds... i am much more of a pull a leaver each side and it collapses kinda person!

Lastly to the person above who mentioned Isize... the regulations state its the safest place for baby after 9 months prior to that the safest place is on the moulded hard rear facing car seats

wednesdayrobyn · 19/01/2018 06:04

It really depends on how you will be using it.

We went for the icandy peach and I love it as it's a great hight for me and easy to manoeuvre. I also found it easier to fold that a lot of other models . My husband however always finds something to moan about! It does take up a lot of room in the boot in cot mode and he doesn't like that the handle that goes across the cot can't just be undone at one side and twisted to make it easier getting baby in and out.

We also looked at the joolz which has some very well thought out features but as I'll be going in buses a lot I felt it was too long to be practical.

I also quite liked the upperbany vista as it has a huge shopping basket but the configuration we wanted was pretty much the same price as the peach but just didn't feel as robust.

Cossatto offer amazing value for money and are fairly lightweight. Unfortunately all the patterns were too girly (we have a boy) so we dismissed it but anybody I know that has one loves it.

In terms of car seats consider if you want something that clips in to your buggy and lasts them a short while or something that will last them from birth up to 3/4. As we don't use the car often we opted for a longer lasting one that's fixed in the car but spins so it's easier to get ds in and out of the car.

Afreshcuppateaplease · 19/01/2018 06:11

I would disagree about the cosatto giggle having large carrycot and seat

Ds3 outgrew carrycot before he could sit and the seat isnt supposed to be used before then

Also by about 13 months his head was near enough touching the hood of the seat unit

DailyMaileatmyshit · 19/01/2018 07:53

With regards to a carseat, remember young babies shouldn't be in the carseat for more than 45minutes and older babies (4+ months) more than 2 hours. It's unlikely that a car trip+ shopping trip plus car trip would be less than 45 unless just nipping to the local shop.

EggsonHeads · 19/01/2018 07:55

Silvercross pioneer/wayfairer by far the best. We had a bugaboo before that and I hated it. Car seats we've always used maxi cosi. They're fine. Nothing outstanding but no complaints either.

Mybabystolemysanity · 19/01/2018 07:59

If you even remotely think you might have two babies relatively close together, consider something that can be converted to a tandem if you need it. This never even crossed our minds first time around but now we have to junk or sell our Venicci the get a tandem as DD will only be 17 months by the time no2 arrives.

Think the Vista is convertible. Looking at an Oyster Max. Love the look of the Peach but spendy.

Bryonie2017 · 19/01/2018 08:04

I have the 2012 vista and I'd recommend it but it is quite wide so you need a big boot.

espoleta · 19/01/2018 08:27

Another vote for the icandy peach.
Lots of my friends have the upperbaby vista but in London the wheels are too wide (they are wider than the peach) which is problematic when you are trying to walk side by side anywhere but Hyde park!
The comment about the carry cot bar are fair, I just didn't use it which I found easier.
The suspension is great and it's really easy to move around with a coffee in one hand.
I love it and so does DD.

NC1990 · 19/01/2018 09:07

ICandy Peach! Such a good-looking pushchair and so easy to manoeuvre. It can be converted to a double should you have another baby fairly soon after the first. We have a large car so space not so much a consideration but the Peach folds up really small compared to lots of other similar prams.

They are bringing out a new one in April this year which will address a lot of the niggles such as the fixed bumper bar (will now be gate-opening I believe) and the manual lock, and the seat unit will also be slightly larger.

For car seats I like the Cybex Cloud Q, great safety reviews and it folds flat so you can recline baby when car seat is on the pushchair chassis. I haven't used it myself though so can't comment further on how it is to use. I have the Maxi-Cosi Pebble, fine car seat but the sun shade is very basic.

GinIsIn · 19/01/2018 09:12

We have the cosatto giggle II set and it’s been great. Do ignore wednesdayrobyn saying the patterns are all too girlie - we’ve used it for a year now and my son’s penis has yet to fall off....

MNHQ

HannahGMumsnet · 19/01/2018 09:39

@greatorex2017

Could I please have your opinions on the best pram/pushchair and car seat sets? My parents have kindly offered to buy this for us but I'm looking for what is best practically... 1st time Mum so no experience.

Good morning Greatorex! Just to let you know we have recently released our new reviews pages on the Mumsnet site and have a page dedicated to the best travel systems out there - whether you're on a budget or looking to splash out.

We also have a Buyer's Guide with lots of tips on making sure you buy the best travel system for you and your baby!

We really hope this helps - good luck and congratulations!

MagicMoneyTree · 19/01/2018 10:14

If you even remotely think you might have two babies relatively close together, consider something that can be converted to a tandem if you need it.

My SIL did this but then when she came to actually use it as a double, they couldn’t actually fit all the parts of it in the boot, so had to buy something else anyway. They didn’t have a small car/boot either!

wednesdayrobyn · 19/01/2018 10:17

Don't get me wrong I love the bold patterns if the Cosatto but when we were looking they only had the pink bow and another purple print in stock, just seen the new prints online and there are some are really lovely. Loving the superfoods and fox prints.

Another of the reasons we choose the peach is the ability to convert to tandem if needed.

MagicFajita · 19/01/2018 10:19

As others have said , it depends on your needs.

We have silvercross pop because we don't have a car and live in a big city with great public transport. It's slim and easy to fold , it lays all the way back so I'd suitable from birth. We really like it.

We dovown a car seat but went for the cheapest brand new own we could find. We used it for the trip home from the hospital and for cab journeys too.

ForeverHopeful21 · 19/01/2018 10:22

I was recommended the iCandy Peach by a few of my clients (I work with pregnant ladies). I decided to go in to a large Mothercare to check them out. Spent ages in there going over the different styles and decided that the iCandy was definitely for us.

The iCandy World currently have a sale on their website which makes it cheaper than Mothercare.

Sipperskipper · 19/01/2018 10:23

Another vote for bugaboo buffalo, which we use with maxi Cosi pebble plus car seat. So easy to just clip car seat on for nipping round the shops etc. Also super easy to fold and put in boot - not fiddly at all! Buffalo is great for us as we do a lot of country / woods walks, and it is so sturdy, but not heavy. Fitted fine in my focus estate boot along with dog crate!

It has a big basket underneath too. I love it so much!

Ninjamilo · 19/01/2018 11:19

It's such a personal choice, you definitely need to go and try a few out 😊

We decided on the icandy peach and recaro zero 1 elite. There's a lot cheaper car seats out there but we wouldn't really compromise on that to be honest.

Original poster

greatorex2017 · 19/01/2018 15:28

Thanks for the replies, I really like the iCandy Peach, they come in lovely colours too. I will do further research into car seats, does anyone recommend the car seats that clip into a pram?

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SecretLimonadeDrinker · 19/01/2018 15:36

We had the icandy peach too, you can buy a conversion kit that turns it in to a double. We are the only one of our friends not to have bought subsequent prams/buggys and will use it for number two. We had the travel system. I think we had a maxi cosi car seat which clipped in to the pram frame - we may have had adopters for it. There was a long lead time for it, at least three months, something to bear in mind. We bought ours from John Lewis.