Buggies recommendations for a small car boot?

[Nuttypea]

Wasn't too sure where to post this, but really after a nice travel system or buggy that will fit in a small car boot. Ideally I don't want to be having to take wheels etc off to get it in... Suitable from birth also.

I drive a Ford Ka and really can't afford to get a new car. Any advice or recommendations is really appreciated!
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Hi @Nuttypea

I've been in the same boat with a small car/boot (Skoda Citigo). We booked in at John Lewis (free no obligation to buy) and they had a lot of knowledge of which travel systems would fit in our car/boot and we could even test them out.
I had done a bit of research before and wanted to look at the Mamas and Papa Armadillo pushchair but unfortunately they didn't stock it in the store so I went to Mamas and Papas and they let us check it in the boot and it fit perfectly! Although we have bought it now, I can't recommend it just yet as we haven't used it. Just a heads up though, you can't have a carry cot with it but the pushchair itself lies flat and so is suitable from birth. So it depends if going without a carry cot bothers you or not with the Armadillo!
At John Lewis they also recommended the Bugaboo Bee 5 and the iCandy Lime. One of them we did have to take off 1 wheel but it was super easy.

I understand that Mothercare let you test out prams in your car also so definitely worth going to one of these shops!

Good luck!

No recommendations but following with interest. Thought I was being so clever buying a 5 door car last year which would make it easier to get a car seat in and out. Didn’t even think about the boot!

We have an Oyster 2 (I suppose now you'd get the Oyster 3...) which folds up quite nicely - both the seat and the chassis.

I’ve got a babyjogger city mini zip. I already had a mama and papa sola from first baby and needed a smaller fold for our other car/second child. It’s an American brand, and they have stricter rules for ‘from birth’ So it’s only listed from 3 months but the incline is tiny, seems about the same as the sola seat to my eyes (which is listed from birth) it’s been used to death and I’m so glad a got it (dd’s now 6&3) wish I had got it with my first. I used the sola cosy toes sleeping bag with it in the winter (cocoon style) and sola cotton liner in the summer to make it comfier. It still folds small even with them in place. Strongly recommend a poke around somewhere that lets you try buggies in your boot like John Lewis or an independent if you have one nearby. Keep in mind the carry cot bit is not used for long at all, the buggy seat is used for years.

@LucyAurora22 I know this post is quite a few months old now but I've just read your comments on the M&P Armadillo pushchair and wondered how you've found it in use?
It's front runner on my list (baby due Sept) but the only thing holding me back is it only faces out and not parent facing. Have you found that to be a problem? How is it generally?
Thanks!

@Margo34 If it’s any help we’ve gone for the M&P flip xt3 which I think is the newer version of the armadillo? Or very similar anyway. And the seat can be changed from parent facing to world facing if you wish. It also folds with the seat attached which is brilliant and folds up quite small. I have a Renault Clio and it fits in the boot just fine. Haven’t used it yet as baby isn’t here yet but it’s currently folded up in my living room until I figure out where to put it!

Babyzen is very compact. Small enough to go into the overhead locker on a plane

I have just bought a bundle today on mamas and papas website. Great sale. Unsure of how well it will fit in car but I have a fiat panda and have bought it on the understanding that it's really compact

I have a skoda citigo which has a tiny boot, I can get a baby jogger city mini double in there easily so the single would be no problem. I can also get an icandy peach (wheels and seat unit) in.

Thanks @Havlerr that's helpful. Is the flip xt3 heavy? Trouble is with the flip xt3 where do you store all the extra attachment bits when not in use?! We are very short on space so lie flat pushchairs appeal more than interchangeable systems with bassinet /carry cot etc. The Armadillo ticked all our boxes except parent facing.... Oh the dilemma! 🙄

We looked at babyzen yoyo and Bugaboo bee5, they were tiny but both were low to the ground and weren't as smooth to manoeuvre as the Armadillo so didn't look all that comfy for baby. How do you find the Yoyo @iboogy?

I have an old style corsa and went for the Babyzen , I found it easy to fold and easy to have other things in the boot. I've taken it out many times for a test ride albeit with a cat rather than a baby , as I'm not due until September but I've found it very smooth

@Margo34 I haven’t tried the armadillo so can’t compare but the flipxt3 with the seat attached feels the same weight as the occaro without the seat attached. I wanted the occaro originally but when I lifted it I knew it would be too heavy on a day to day basis with me lifting it in and out of the boot.

The seat does lie flat so is suitable for newborn which means if you’re very short on space or budget you could potentially just get the regular seat and not the carrycot. We’ve decided it will live in the car as we don’t have a hallway in the house and our living room is quite small. When using the carrycot we will leave the chassis in the boot and bring the carrycot inside so baby can use it to sleep in downstairs (rather than buying a Moses basket or crib for downstairs too). Once grown out of the carrycot it will be a lot easier as it’s quite compact with the seat attached and folded down together.

@margo

Babyzen is a dream for me. I bought the mamas and papas occoro and while it's great for rugged terrain and has great suspension, lots of space under the pushchair, it's very heavy and bulky. Want good for going on the pubic transport because it's so heavy and wide.

I switched to the Babyzen yo-yo because I wanted something that didn't take up space in the hallway and could go under the stairs. The only downside is as your baby gets older they can tip it over, while in it because the whole thing is very light weight. Also for older babies the canopy when down covers their face and the only way to get the rain cover on is for the canopy to be down. It means my D.C. keeps trying to pull the canopy up so they can see out. while it has good suspension it's not the best for going along rough terrain like in a park which doesn't have a tarmac path.

Overall good for short journeys, small and compact. Not good for rainy days.