Prams/Travel systems

[jadelouiselaird]

Hi All,

what prams/travel systems have you got and would recommend

preferably looking for one that comes with everything, car seat, carry cot, isofix etc?

Also dont want to be paying much more than £800

Thanks:)

Going for a Mountain buggy - £400.
Buying a 0-4 year rear-facing seat separate for £200. Isofix is included.

Seems the most cost-effective way to last the first 3-4 years. Its 30 min drive from here to anywhere so by the time we arrive baby will have to come out of car seat anyway due to the 30 min max time as newborn. Will use sling or pram in shops.

@JingleBelle27 ive been looking at the veccini ones, did you get a car seat base or not?

@jadelouiselaird no, I don’t drive so it wasn’t worth it for us. But I think I’m their website you could add the isofix base for maybe another 100.

We have used the car seat a few times when going places with family and it’s been fine. Secure and doesn’t move at all, even without the base. But once I can drive we will buy the base as we will be travelling more frequently.

My only issue is when you put the pram down, you have to take the front wheels off. It’s really issue to do, but just seems an unnecessary ball ache really.

That being said, if we had another baby I would look at Venicci prams again.

Really easy to do. Sorry.

I have just ordered a jane pram travel system this actually comes with a lie flat car seat that lays flat in the car for long journeys and turns into a normal car seat too, they are brilliant the model I've ordered is the matrix x

@PPopsicle isize and isofix are not the same thing. isize carseats can be belted in or fixed with a base and there is currently no date set to make isize seats compulsory. If and when isize do become law, the original non-isize seats will still be fine to be used for a fairly lengthy time if they have already been purchased.

In terms of car seat safety, the safest thing you can do is keep your child rear-facing for as long as possible.

Sorry to derail your thread op, I just hate it when incorrect information is given about carseat safety.

@PPopsicle please reference where you took the scrrenshot from. Anyone can type anything online as you know

I've used the ERF seat since birth for my dd2.

I've had no issues with popping into shops quickly. After a few trips out you'll be able to get the pram up and sorted in a blink.

I've just recently purchased and put together a travel system from Halfords. It's Joie. It came with the carrycot, stroller, car seat, car seat adaptors and the isofix base. It was £470. It's online at the moment. It's really lovely and folds down and up so easy you can do it one handed. Highly recommend. 🙂

This was an article I read recently regarding the new car seat regulations as I was also wondering for ourselves

www.which.co.uk/reviews/child-car-seats/article/i-size-child-car-seats-explained

Seems basically there are two current regulated products which are both still legal, and both still run alongside each other until further notice.

@lovelyjubbly12 never even thought of halfords, will take a look!

@riddles26
Sorry, no idea I had to fully reference where I was getting information. Simply thought I would screenshot to save people scrolling through a webpage.

As @Caspianberg says, the 2 guidelines currently run alongside each other but at some point, with no specific date currently released, they will phase out the old guidelines so that it is a legal requirement to have isofix.

And surely the fact they are bringing in this new law, although however far away it may be, shows that there is a safety issue with just seat belts securing car sears otherwise the law wouldn’t be being changed

The safety issue is with the human error involved in fitting a belted seat. If they are properly and securely fitted they are as safe as an isofix.

Hi OP we bought a pram on the weekend I was so overwhelmed beforehand but it was actually okay. We bought a mamas and papas flip². The car seat it comes with is a which best buy and it was less than £700 in the sale. I would really recommend paying £1 to sign up for which to research the brands they recommend. It shows you the price ranges and you can check car seat safety. In some cases there is £300 difference just for an aesthetic reason. We also booked a personal shopper appointment in mamas and papas. It was free and meant no waiting and I found the staff very honest. It also meant I could try putting it up and down and in the car. Their sale ends on 16th.

As per the link @Caspianberg posted, the safety issue is in relation to extended rear facing (mandatory for longer with isize) and additional side impact protection that is provided by isize car seats. The testing on the seats is also more advanced than regular seats. Isofix is not the part to focus on

Isofix reduces the risk of installation error so is extremely useful for infant carriers (as I mentioned before) as they are regularly taken in and out so the chance of them being installed incorrectly in a hurry is higher. This is less of a concern once into stage 1 as the carseat remains in the car so only needs to be fitted correctly once.

When looking at stage 1 carseats, it is much safer to look at plus tested extended rear facing seats - these are not isofix but allow rear facing until 25kg - much longer than isize - and are the norm in other European countries with much better road safety statistics than ours.

We've gone with the nuna mixx but can't give you a review yet as baby is due in 4 weeks. It looked sturdy/had a good suspension set up but wasn't too big if that makes sense. We also got the pipa lite car seat that turns it into a travel system. We bought it before the sales at Mothercare but with various discounts I think it came in around £700 for everything. (A lot of the nuna accessories seen to come in the box already which got extra plus points from me!)

@riddles26

Not sure why you seem to think I’m making up a load of crap about isofix becoming a legal requirement at some point but fair enough

If you so wish to do your own research, websites such as the AA, Maxi cosi etc all discuss isofix seats becoming a legal requirement in the future

We’ve gone for an oyster 3 pram with isofix base and maxi cosi pebble car seat. Came as a bundle for £800 including carrycot bag rain covers and sunshade. we liked that the pushchair collapses easy with one hand and folds up small. Don’t have to take the pushchair off the frame to collapse either. We also have the cybex Sirona I size 360 isofix that is suitable from birth to 4. We are lucky my family have purchased that for us. We did pondered about not having a car seat that attaches to pram frame but most come as a bundle when we looked

Apologies @Ppopsicle, I certainly don't think you're making anything up but there is so much misinformation about safety where carseats are concerned and I am just trying to give out correct information that is backed up by safety statistics

As per the link Caspianberg posted, there were plans to make isize (and isofix by default) law by the end of 2018 but this was delayed and it is unlikely to happen imminently. Even if it were to happen, there are lots of non-isize carseats available today that are extremely safe available and would last you for as long as your children need without the premium price.

I am passionate about carseat safety and it makes me mad when the manufacturers use the line that isofix is safer to sell more carseats. It is absolutely not necessary for anyone on a budget and there are much much better non-isofix options for stage 1 carseats that are also rigorously tested and will last your child much longer than the isize ones

I have a venicci travel system in gray. I got the 2 in 1 as I didn't like the car seat and got a kiddy lunafix car seat and adapters for it. The whole lot was £750. It was worth every penny. 3 years on and has been used everyday. I'm now planning on using it with baby no2 due next week.

I have the icandy peach and the Joie I-level car seat. The car seat can recline to almost flat and has a slighty bigger weight range.

I had an icandy peach jogger with my eldest and it was the only pram we needed for the 3 years she needed a pram/pushchair

I've also got the Nuna Mixx! Can't recommend it enough. So much storage space below the pram, materials are high quality, brakes and suspension do what they should. It was very easy to assemble and reasonably priced. Carry cot is rated for overnight sleep, so has been handy for the occasional hotel stay we've done.

It's a little heavy, but I can get it up and down the three steps to get to my front door easily enough. Baby loves popping wheelies now. It is a little bulky, but we can get it into the boot of a Corsa if we take the rear wheels off, which is easy to do (and replace). Unfortunately it does need two hands to collapse, but it's not too much of a negative point to me.

We also got the Pipa Lite LX. And they really do mean it when they called it 'lite'. I have no idea how anyone carries any other carseat with a baby in it when they're that heavy without the baby. Only negatives we've had is that you have to have the base, no seat belt fitting for just the seat, so taxis and getting lifts from other people can be tough. The base itself is seat belt or isofix attachable though. Remember to take out the low birth weight pillow from the newborn insert if you don't have a teeny baby. Poor DD was a little squashed until I realised the pillow was already inside the insert.... The head pillow is a little oddly shaped. Doesn't seem wide enough. It does it's job though, so no real complaints.

If getting a combo pack, unless you use the car-seat on the system regularly don't bother getting the ring attachment. We've used it exactly twice, and even then we'd have been just as well off using the normal attachment. Also don't bother with the diaper bag. It's nice, but incredibly bulky, stiff and quite heavy. I wish I hadn't bothered getting it and just gotten a simple rucksack instead.

I also have a Venicci. Paid £700 for it. We got the car seat and adapters with it and DS was in it until around 14 months then I bought a Joie every stage for him. He was a long baby so I only got about five months use of the pram but he did sleep in it during the day. He was in the buggy part until he stopped wanting to be in one. We didn’t have to take the wheels off to fold the frame down though. They need to be forward of the pram, like they’d be if you pulled it back a bit and then they tuck into the frame. The only problem we’ve had is that the seatbelts in two family cars - a Mazda 6 and Ford Focus - have slightly shorter seatbelts than the others and it’s a bit tight strapping the seat in but other than that, I like it. I think it compares well to other systems in that price range.

Thank you @Dyra - that's all really helpful to know! I think we've just got the normal attachments for the car seat but will look out for the pillow on the insert.