Getting baby into flat - carrycot?

[MustardYellowJumper]

So, we live in a second floor flat, no lift. How do you get the baby up the stairs?

I've just been shopping for prams and trying to figure out which are light enough for me to lift. I was thinking I'd be able to unclip the carrycot and carry the baby up the stairs in that (and either take the chassis up at the same time, folded up, or pop back down for it separately - or always leave it in the boot, I suppose), and was trying to figure out which models were light enough for me to carry. But the assistant in the shop looked very doubtful and said they couldn't recommend carrying a carrycot while the baby was still in it.

Is that correct? I thought from the name "carry" cot, it would be ok for carrying the baby... Have tried googling, but no clear answers. (I realise a lot of lightweight Moses baskets say not to carry the baby in them, but carrycots seem more solid in general?)

I guess another solution would be to always take a sling/carrier with me and put the baby in that every time? What do other people do?

I lived in a flat when I had my first baby, I just used to take him out the pram and carry him upstairs...

I just took dd out of the pram and carried her up. Put her into Moses basket or similar if I needed to go back down for shopping.

Sling is great for when baby is a bit bigger and you can just keep them on all day then.

I live in a flat an also take the baby out of the pram and carry him in my arms, or in his car seat if we've been in the car

So would you always end up waking the baby up when you got home and took them out of the pram? (Sorry if this is all really obvious...)

It seems non-ideal to leave the baby alone to go and get my shopping etc, but I suppose it's only for a minute...

Carry cots aren’t intended to be used as literally as that. Baby isn’t fastened in, so could roll around while being carried. Risk of suffocation etc.

Just lift her out and carry her in your arms. Put her somewhere safe, then retrieve the buggy.

Definitely just carry the baby in your arms- that's going to be safer and easiest.

Storing buggy in the car is sensible if there's nowhere else to keep it.

Or is the flat/building secure enough to place baby in its cot whilst you go back for the buggy?

The mamas and papas armadillo flip is the best (IMO) compact buggy when folded (once baby has moved out of the carry cot as that doesn't fold down) but it is still clunky and heavy.

Carry them in your arms or a sling. If you tripped with a carrycot baby could go flying as there is nothing holding them in place.

What about something like a bugaboo bee? It lies flat so you could use the cocoon insert so it's more pram like (it also has a carrycot element but I've not used it as I have an older version). Bugaboo is light, I use to carry the whole thing up and down stairs at my local train station so I assume flat stairs would be OK (depending on width). You'd just need to leave the baby for a few seconds perhaps to bring up any shopping.

A newborn is unlikely to wake up if asleep and taken out of the pram but an older baby might (my two definitely would wake).

Thanks everyone, I appreciate it.

The building's not locked, but it's a quiet enough building that I could deal with leaving things downstairs for a couple of minutes.

@Thesearmsofmine Tripping with them in your arms seems pretty awful too! Though I have heard people say that they fell over and hurt themselves but instinctively managed to protect the baby.

Have a look at a Phil and Teds Cacoon. I use it on my double pram as a carry cot (it just fits inside the seat of an out and about nipper) and use it to carry DD in and out of soft play type places when with my toddler.

@ParisWilton Thanks - I'd worry about having a baby in one arm and a folded up pram in the other, I think? Maybe when I have more practice holding the baby! Tbh, this was what I was originally considering doing with, e.g., the Babyzen Yoyo, but I wasn't sure how practical it would be.

Used to live in a 2nd floor flat with DD, took her up first put her somewhere safe either cot/bouncer then went down to get the pushchair. As she got older, enough to be out of the carry cot, I was able to just drag the pushchair up backwards with her still in it.

I used to leave the pram in the car; I wouldn’t carry a baby up in a carrycot and even if you did all the moving about would wake them up anyway. I found a sling much better when DD was tiny with living in a flat.
The bugaboo was the lightest pram we could find although not cheap

@WhenZogateSuperworm How does that Cocoon differ from a carrycot? Does it have straps to fasten the baby in, or something? Otherwise I can't see how it solves the problem.

Third floor flat here too. We have the babyzen yo-yo. Folds flat just about one handed even in newborn mode.

So in the following order:
Fold back handle bar (requires both hands)
Unstrap baby and hold with one arm
Fold pram, sling over shoulder using strap
Pick up nappy bag with spare hand
Walk up stairs

If there’s shopping I leave it downstairs and come back for it once I’ve popped baby somewhere safe like the cot. But this is rare for me- I mostly shop online.

I’d forget anything with a carrycot, it’s just not practical for a flat with no lift. Also the sling- it might work for tiny babies but unless you’re moving soon then you need a pram you can carry easily. I’ve also heard good things about the Bee with the newborn cocoon.

Thanks, @Expressedways. We'd looked at the Yoyo and liked it, so this is a really helpful step-by-step! I particularly liked the shoulder strap as a feature, in fact.

No it doesn’t have straps. It’s much easier to carry than a solid pram carry cot and so there is less risk of it tipping. Baby wouldn’t fall out as it’s soft fabric so sort of moulds round them as you lift it.

If you google it there are plenty of videos of dishy Frenchman demonstrating how easy the YoYo fold is! And yes with the shoulder strap you do have both hands free to carry baby. We also really liked the Bee but the YoYo narrowly won as it can be taken as hand luggage on the plane. Like Zogate we also carry it without folding sometimes, especially up our outside stairs from the street to the front door, the YoYo newborn nest does have straps so it’s really secure.

I lived in a 2nd floor flat until DS was 16 months. I used to leave the pram in the boot of the car and then carry him up in the car seat.

No I meant carry the entire bugaboo bee up with the baby still in the pushchair. If you use the cocoon element the baby will be strapped into the pushchair.