Uppababy

[SophieStripe]

Hi, I am almost 20 weeks and after the 20 week scan am going to buy pram as its the thing I am most excited about buying and will be first baby purchase! I really like the uppababy vista and have read countless amazing reviews...online. Saw it in the flesh the other day and it just seems bigger than what I was expecting?! So am now thinking about the cruz? We live in London in a fairly spacious house, have a car with a good sized boot so size isn't really an issue other than it just being a pain if it's too big. Will be mainly using it on pavements and in London parks. Limited public transport but will be some and we travel abroad a fair bit. Initially what attracted me to it apart from amazing reviews is ability to convert it to a double - all being well we would like to have second child be born when first is around 2. Plus the huge basket underneath! Any thoughts on the vista versus cruz? Or other suggestions similar to the vista? I have a weird dislike of 3 wheel buggies :-)

Hello.
I've just sold my Vista. It isnt even anyear old.

In a nutshell, it was too big, too heavy, too clumsy. I also live in The City and it just wasn't feasible. The pavements in my area are pretty awful - uneven, lumpy bumby, hilly, just all over the place, with the added annoyance of cars parked on the pavements meaning I regularly needed to bump up and down the kerbs.
It was used as a double. It was so cumbersome, I mistakenly believed that once my toddler was old enough, i could do away with the Rumble Seat, fit a buggy board instead and then it'll all become a breeze.
I was wrong, and the Uppababy PiggyBack board had me cursing the day it was made. I kept kicking it because it got in the way of my stride. I'm 5"4 and not particularly leggy. It would have been better for me if the handle bars extended furrher away from the the pushchair, and therefore closer to my body meaning the board/pushchair wouldn't get in the way of my legs. The problem was/is that the shopping basket is long. It's parallel to the handlebars, so add on the length of the board and that was why I booted it every time I walked.
It's so bloody heavy. So heavy. However its a dream to push with one child in it. Really lovely. Like the Bentley of pushchairs. However, Once another child, the seat unit and shopping is added..? forget about it.
And whilst I'm at it, there's no point for a huge shopping basket if, once filled to the brim because of taking advantage of its size, you can then barely move the Vista round the streets and up and down kerbs. The chassis and seat are over 12kg, the rumble seat, about 3kg, a toddler, a baby, shopping, changing bag..I'm not a particularly weak thing but I hated it.
Anyway, you're in the city, using public transport every now and then. Do yourself a favour and go with a compact pram. Its horrible to be so sorely disappointed with what you thought was the perfect choice, and also having to put your hand in your pocket all over again.
I'd recommend items like the icandy raspberry or Strawberry2, the Cruz, Oyster2, and there's a few others I forget the names of now. I'll try to remember.
The Vista is luxurious but it's a real workhorse. I don't think you should bother.

Wow... So you really liked it then huh?! What have you bought now instead? How old are your two kids? Do you know of any other prams that convert from single to double? I will check out some of your suggestions so far! Thanks for your reply!

Thing is, I appreciate your intention in having another in 2+ years, however, thats a long-time in having a chunky large buggy to use in the mean time, IYSWIM.

Pushchairs that convert to double are usually chunky, bulky, heavier - so as to be safe to use when in double mode.

You could buy a compact "proper" pushchair, rearward facing, fully reclined, large basket, great suspension ect for now, buy a good make, and then when the time comes, sell it, regroup some money back which you can then put into upgrading for a double. Do it that way?

My two are 18 months apart. My girls are petite as well, not long for their age or chunky ect and yet pushing the Vista with them in, EVEN foregoing the changing bag and any other unnecessary extras, it still felt like pushing a tank.

Thank you for your detailed review Dunk- I’ve just put down a refundable deposit on a vista after finding out I’m expecting again!

Your comments confirm my wobbles about size and weight- it’s so good hearing from someone who actually uses the thing day to day in a way that Which reviews never consider.

Cancelling my order and going to look at Baby joggers and Nippers!

I used an icandy Apple to Pear pushchair when my eldest two were babies. It was the first, original icandy Apple to Pear (theyve sincr brought out a new updated design versuon since then) and I promise that i never complained about that as i did with the vista. It was manouverable, light to steer, very long handle bar (which helps with the steering anyway), huge basket, parent facing ect. The downside was that it needed dismantling when placing in the car. It was great as a single and used with a buggy board as well. Icandy did really well with that one.

I've since gone back to icandy, but I'm using their new Raspberry2, with a buggy board. It feels like pushing air in comparison to the Vista. I actually hate it! Wouldn't use it if you'd pay me to!

I have the iCandy Peach - it's great. I have a 22 month gap and wanted something that would convert to a single as I couldn't justify the price of some of these side by side doubles when in a year or so I hopefully won't need a double anymore.

I live in London too and find it fits brilliantly on buses, and it's really easy to push. Otherwise I use my Maclaren techno and put the baby in a sling.

I can't believe all your thoughts on the vista... How does it get so many good online reviews and rewards etc?! Looks like I'm back to the drawing board. Awww I had my heart set on it its so nice looking! Dunkandegg, that's actually not a bad idea. Maybe I will just think about a really good single. Although in the future I don't want a traditional double buggy with two kids next to each other, I know that much. I do in the future at least want something along the same lines as the vista in the way the two kids fit in.
Any thoughts on the uppababy Cruz or icandy peach? Or one of the silvercross prams? Joolz? Egg? Or any other ideas?

Going against the grain here I have an Uppababy Vista and love it. Although I only have one baby and I can imagine it would be very heavy with 2 in.

I live in zone 2 London, Victorian terrace and it's fine going up and down the steps, over bumpy pavements etc. The steering/suspension is just so much better than other prams we tried. It's a really smooth ride and very easy to use. Also good for tall people with the extendable handle (I'm 5'9 and husband is 6'3). Also the basket holds everything! Don't know what I would have done without it.

We do also have a second pushchair - a Babyzen yoyo - and I would wholeheartedly recommend a yoyo if you're doing a lot of travelling. I use it when we go into central London as it's so zippy and small (although you can definitely tell it's not as sturdy as the Vista). And also for air travel. It's a god send in airports as you can take it on the plane and then put the baby in as soon as you're off the plane. Some airports make you pick prams up at baggage control which can be a long walk and/or you can wait ages at customs. We only got the 6+ yoyo without the newborn pack but DS was fine in it for short periods when we travelled with him at 3.5 months - we put a sheepskin in for cosiness.

dinosaurkisses
I still come across vista reviews and I think after having read them, its all very well and good using the Vista in areas where the pavements are straight, wide and unobstructed. Its great using the Vista in areas of calm/leisure/breezy strolls ect (you get what I mean!) But in practical terms, what about inner city where there's barely space to manouvere around aisles, or huge constant crowds of people and shopping queues. I started to feel silly arriving at my local tiny post office with this tank of a buggy, taking up a huge space in the queue, i must've looked ridiculous huffing and puffing in my attempt at turning the vista into position so as to get to the service point. Awful.
And it takes up huge space in my boot. I have a Skoda Fabia and it filled to boot to near brim.
I remember now that another selling point for the visis the seats fold attached. They do, but once folded down, its like trying to lift, carry and fit into the car, something akin to a dishwasher - its heavy and awkward and easier if a bloke does it

I sold my useless iCandy after 7 months and bought an Uppababy Vista after seeing it in John Lewis- it far more sturdy, has a massive shopping basket, pushes really effortless and it is bulletproof. Still looks new 2 years later.

I have heard a lot of good things about the Cruz model, it is smaller so if you don’t need the double up feature I would go for the Cruz

I have a Cruz. I got it in 2014 when I had my first baby, and I've since had a second baby. I've never felt the need to buy another pushchair - it's still going strong. It's easy to use and a good size - I was also put off by the size of the Vista and its huge wheels. I had visions of running over people's feet in Costa! The basket is a very good size. However, a few small gripes: the carrycot is quite short. I had big babies and DS1 was especially enormous. He grew out of it lengthwise by 2.5 months. He was fine in the main seat with a bit of extra padding called the Snugseat that they sell separately. I don't think it's the best on rough terrain but that's not something that's troubled us too much. Also, if you needed a double pushchair then it wouldn't fit the bill, but I'm of the opinion that it's best to buy the tool that's best suited for the job you need right now and change if necessary further down the line. We have a 3 year 4 month gap so DS1 was old enough not to need a pushchair and we didn't have to think about doubles, luckily.

I also live in London and we have a Cruz. I really like it. It's sturdy, but easy to manoeuvre and not too heavy. I do a lot of walking and use public transport regularly and it's been great. It's basket is fantastic. It's also lasted really well. We're using it with baby number 2 now. It also seems to be comfortable for them. My nearly 3 year old is tall and still fits comfortably in it. We did buy a double buggy when our second arrived but we haven't used it. I tend to use a sling for the baby and my toddler in the buggy or the baby in the buggy and my toddler walking.

The thing is OP, you’re trying to future proof when you don’t need to just yet!

I’m looking at getting a double for when dc2 arrives early next year, and the thing with doubles or tandems is that you will never get a pram that is “the whole package”- you will always need to make compromises, whether that’s regarding weight, size, aesthetics or whatever.

There’s a market for a robust feeling, lightweight, parent-facing, compact folding double buggy that isn’t the size of a baby elephant when folded! If anyone knows of one, let me know...

JW13 I wholeheartedly agree with you. The Vista is beautiful as a single pushchair. Amazing suspension, beautiful drive, can be pushed singlehanded, easy to turn and steer. Very nice. I loved taking out the one child when the occasion allowed me to. Unfortunately, that was rare.

@DunkandEggAgain

Out of curiosity, did you try the vista with a buggy board?? I'm not sure we'll have a second child but picked the vista over the Cruz on the offchance that we do....

Having said that I didn't find the Cruz as easy to manoeuvre and the basket is smaller so we may have gone for the vista anyway.

Also I should say public transport wise we mainly use overground which is a lot easier with a bigger pram than buses/tubes. I would definitely take the yoyo on the bus/tube and it wouldn't work with 2 either (except maybe with a buggy board).

Gahhhh now I don't know! Maybe it's just a personal thing! Some people love it and like icandy, others, it's the opposite! I think I'm going to have to go to John Lewis and spend a long time playing with them all. Whilst we live in London we live in zone 3 and it is a pretty calm and green type of area. We only go into central London for work and the odd nights out at the moment, I actually can't imagine going in central with the baby all that much. We are buying a new car, currently have an audi A3 which has a fairly large boot and new car will likely be an SUV type car so I'm not too worried about boot space but I will have to be able to lift it in and out of the boot! I'm not going to write it off completely just yet. Maybe I will go with the cruz and worry about baby number 2 when the time comes. And JW13 thanks for tip on babyzen yoyo. I've actually been looking at these for a while and while I don't want it as my actual pram, am definitely thinking of getting one when baby is 6 months or so purely for travelling/flying. I can see how it would be so useful to just whack the buggy on your baby like a rucksack and have it with you all the time. Do you know if the seat detaches so you can attach a car seat? Does it accept any car seat with adaptors or something?

Really consider the Cruz, OP. It's a fair compromise IMO.

I've just bought the Vista for my 3rd. I had the M&P Sola for my 2nd (youngest) and then switched to the Maclaren XT when she was 1. She'll be 2 and a bit when our 3rd is born.

We got the vista second hand and will be using it with our existing M&P carrycot which is slightly bigger and compatible. I agree the vista carrycot is small. I borrowed an extra child and did a trial run with it and honestly loved it. I appreciate this is not day in day out use though. We also have decent roads and I'm not in a busy city - just a small town.

I'm under no illusions that I can use it on the bus or that it'll be small because I know it won't. I will have a newborn and a 2+ year old in it for a year. During this time I plan to use the extra seat and/or the lascal maxi buggy board with saddle which I tried at the weekend and works like a charm. Fits well and doesn't bump into my feet. After the 1st year I'll most likely switch back to the Maclaren. My 2yo is already very independent and is fairly reluctant to sit in the buggy if she can walk, but I use it for long distances so I'm hoping that by 3yo she'll be fine.

Only down side for us is that our house is small and I think it'll be quite cumbersome and I'll have to switch between leaving it outside and in the small kitchen. For me though the pros outweigh the cons.

@SophieStripe yes, you can buy car seat adapters (£60 though 🙄) for the yoyo and we used that set up a lot when DS was younger. Also good for when we flew as we checked in the car seat and he only had to sit in the seat bit in the airport after check in. The car seat actually attaches over the seat so you don't need to remove it each time and the adapters just click on (but it won't fold with the adapters on).

Definitely go and give them a good try in JL. We did that too. For what it's worth my friends with Joolz/Bugaboos all hate them now and I think some of their models are even bigger than the Vista (the vista has been getting progressively smaller with each years model but I am still conscious of not running peoples feet over)!

In the shops I go in locally (Tesco/post office/M&S) there's enough space but some of the independent shops are a bit tighter. Also pavements here aren't too narrow so we've been alright.

DS is now 7 months and I've used it almost every day for walks in the park and locally. It's definitely been a good investment for us. Not sure what we'll do if we have a second!

Play with it in the store BUT always keep in mind that you're playing with an empty pushchair.
I've always believed that stores should keep weights in the back and bring them out whenever parents come in to trial a buggy. Then its far more realistic.

JW13 I absolutely did use a buggy board, I was bitterly disappointed that it didn't seem to make much difference. It was still heavy and stubborn to manouvere plus it got in the way of my stride. God knows how. Its not like I walk doing the Foxtrot.

I had an Uppababy Vista that I used as both a tandem and single. The basket was great and it was good (as a single) when pushing on a flat, level surface. However, it was just too heavy as a tandem and I needed help a couple of times when I went on walks off road because it has no bounce to get it up a rut or kerb - trust me, you need to cross a road where there is a dropped kerb if you had two in it!! I found it too difficult as a tandem (less than two years between my children, so I had a baby and toddler rather than two heavy older children) and bought an Out N About Nipper for when they both need to be in the pram and sold the Uppababy.

And yes, I had the buggy board as well but my older child hated it and it made no difference to me in terms of weight or manoeuvrability.

Yes... My I'm trying to kill 4 birds with one stone and its just not possible. Either future proof with the vista and accept its more bulky or deal with no. 2 when it arrives and go with the cruz. I really like the cruz too... To be honest though what made me think of the vista was that once you add carry cot to the price of cruz it is almost the same as the vista! But without the benefit of the double conversion. So in my head I was thinking if we are spending that much, we should get one that is going to last 4/5 years as opposed to 2. I guess they will Al have their pros and cons and I have to decide, for me, which cons I can live with more easily.
Our public transport tends to consist of more overground trains then tubes/buses too, which I do think makes things easier as others have said. I can't even remember the last time I caught a bus so I highly doubt I will be taking many with baby. We are very close to three train stations wihh connections into central London in 15 mins so there just isn't the need. I'm going to play around with the cruz and the vista a lot in the shop and keep listening to people's opinions. The cruz would be a great option I think, I just can't shake it from my head that we should be buying for a bit more longer term. I feel like a double buggy is going to be heavy with two kids in it whichever one I get! Also, I have read for anyone considering buying the vista, that they have changed the shape of the bassinet in the 2018 version so it is bigger now. It's not physically bigger, but they have squared the corners or something and done something with the padding it is in effect wider and longer. That's one of the big differences between 2017 and 18 version plus a different finish to the frame that means it scratches less. I was wondering what the differences were as some shops are selling 2017 versions for £100/200 less and I needed to know why!