London mums - which pram did you choose?

[HelloRose]

Not just London, but any mum living in a city or busy town. Which pram did you choose?

I'm currently looking at Bugaboo Fox or Bee. I like both but wondering if the Fox will be a pain navigating busy streets / shops / tubes etc.

Not wedded to this brand and open to suggestions of other prams if you have recommendations

We found that with walking everywhere a pram with a big basket was really convenient for storing stuff. We rarely use buses and our local tube station has a lift so size didn't matter as much as we thought initially.

If I had my time again, would go bugaboo bee but we have really liked the uppababy vista that we ended up with second hand.

We seriously considered the Bugaboo Bee, Yo-yo, Uppababy Cruz and Mamas & Papas Flip xt2. Went for the M&P in the end over the Cruz, as we felt that the Cruz had weird wheels/steering. I'd definitely look at the light weight M&P ranges as they're identical to the Bugaboos etc just cheaper and generally get better reviews on things like Which. The Uppababy Cruz is the pram of the year on which, btw.

We use mainly trains and buses rather than tubes, and live in a house rather than a flat so really really lightweight wasn't our main priority, although we will be carrying it a lot in stations without lifts but we didn't want something massive like the Chameleon or Vista. We've heard people struggling to get them on the bus etc. We also don't have a car so this was a big factor for us. I recall that the Fox is pretty heavy?

I'd seriously advise getting a subscription to which magazine for all things baby as we've found that really helpful as a first decision making sifter. The first month is £1 and if you're savy you can just save all of the reviews/best buys for future reading and then cancel the subscription.

Oh and to add, my DBro and SIL have a Babyzen Yoyo and the wheels are teeny tiny. This was fine on a flat pavement or in the tube but out and about the moment we hit cobbles or gravel or grass it was surprisingly difficult. I missed the wheels on my old BJCM (which aren't all that big either, just bigger than the Yoyo) while pushing my nephew around. It also needed two hands to fold it, though at least it all stayed in one piece - I once got on the bus with a friend who had to fold down her Bugaboo Donkey and it was torturous!

We've got a Bee, I go out a lot and I have to lift it a lot (building has a load of steps and local station has 30+ steps, I use the tube). We picked it based on my availability to lift it and it folding in one piece (not that I've tried to do it while out alone with DD)

I had a Bugaboo Cameleon and loved it!

It totally depends on what you'll be doing day to day. I did a lot of walking so the big back wheels were excellent for bumpy pavements, going up and down stairs and kerbs, and in parks. You have a proper baby basket thing for when they're tiny and it can still be parent facing when you change to the seat, which was important to me. I have used a Silver-Cross maclaren- style pushchair and hated it. Impossible to steer one handed, tiny wheels with terrible suspension, outward facing, and still slightly reclined even at its most upright.

Also I walked a lot and only used buses outside of rush hour so I literally never folded the cameleon on the bus, if a bus was full I would just wait 5 mins or so for the next one. We didn't have a car so never had to worry about fitting it in a car boot! Also the big back wheels were excellent for steps getting on and off on the tube.

So there are pros and cons to all types but I wouldn't assume a maclaren type is automatically better for city life, especially when you have a newborn.

Decormad

OP addressed that in literally her first sentence

Bugaboo Bee. Small and nippy. Got bag clips for the handles as the basket isn't the biggest. Or it wasn't in 2009, might be different now. God, 10 years ago!!!

We have the Cameleon and it's great. Lasted us through two kids. But we live on the outskirts of London and it regularly gets punishment through woods, across fields etc. If you're not going to be using it in that way, go for the Bee. A lot of people will say get a MacLaren but I really dislike them from birth. We've also had a Baby Jogger City Mini and that was excellent. Had nothing but trouble with a Mamas and Papas Armadillo Flip XT so would avoid.

Bugaboo Bee, it’s lasted 7 years and two DC. I used to take DS into London on the bus with it no problems. Someone would always help on the tube steps.

I had a Maclaren and didn’t like it, it’s much harder to push and having two handles makes it harder to steer. The Bee steers like a dream, can do it one handed which is useful when your toddler wants to walk.

Babyzen Yoyo - light, super compact, narrow wheelbase, robust, steers great with one hand. I also just use the sling for public transport a lot though. I had a Baby Jogger City Mini at first but compared to the Yoyo it was huge, heavy and much harder to steer.

Babyzen Yoyo+

Was deliberating between a Yoyo and Bee but went for the Bee as it feels a bit more robust and I prefer its steering. The Bee is on offer in John Lewis and Mothercare at the moment!

Thank you all so much for your replies - really useful. Tested a few in John Lewis yesterday morning and still liking the Bee but also impressed by some of the functionality of the Uppababy Cruz.

We've got the Oyster 2 on recommendation. It's one of the narrowest, so good for ridiculously narrow London flats as well as public transport! Got another 7 weeks or so before we get to use it though, so we'll see how good it is then.

We've got the Bee. Great for getting on buses and on the tube (it's light enough that I can carry it up/downstairs without taking DC out). Also folds up into one but which is handy, although to be honest I generally just wait for the next bus if it's too busy/a wheelchair user needs the space.