Travel System Help!

[Juicytoot287]

Hello everyone,

FT mum here and looking for some help. I think I want a travel system for ease and flexibility but could be swayed. We want something affordable that fits nicely in cars as we have a big dog too so space isn't too easy. So what I am asking is, what does everyone have and recommend?
I have been looking at Ickle Bubba (although the name sends me weird lol), Silver Cross Pioneer (bit pricey) and a few others. Not a clue if any are too cheap or a waste of money..

Also when did you decide to buy? is there a "right time" as such? Starting to panic we have nothing yet..

The name Ickle Bubba completely put me off as I was worried someone would ask what we had and I’d have to say it out loud we got the ocarro travel system from mamas and papas, but hasn’t been delivered yet as I’m only 25 weeks so it’s when I’m 35 weeks. If you go to mamas and papas the staff are really clued up and give you lots of great advice!

Most travel systems are pretty bulky. We only used the car seat on the base a few times with my older children & now mostly use ours for walking (cossato mobi). We have a compact fold up one that fits much easier in the car. I guess it depends how often you will be doing journeys where you are in & out of the car and then walking at the other end. We only really go in the car for longer journeys or visiting relatives where we could just carry the car seat into the house without needing the frame, or I put baby into the sling if we were going for a walk when we got out of the car. Most of my everyday travelling is on foot as I don’t drive myself.

All pushchairs are very expensive so it’s definitely worth going to a shop if you can to look at the features & really considering what will work for your needs, e.g. if you are walking the dog places without good paths youwant chunky wheels & good suspension or a sling.

You need car seat before baby arrives but if you don’t have pushchair until after or near due date it’s fine. When are you due?

It would help to know a bit more about your lifestyle and what you'll be using it for as your responses might change what people advise.

I'd recommend the Oyster - we had an Ouster 2 and it lasted with both my boys until they were 18m or so then I'd switch them into a Maclaren which folded down smaller and didn't have a bassinet / take the car seat etc. It fitted easily enough into my boot, I could take it round the shops without too much bother, and it was mid-price.

Lots of advice here thank you everyone!

Good thinking about the car seat, doubt we would need to attach it very often actually so maybe I could just looks for them seperately to get more variety.

Lifestyle wise is quite varied. The pram would be used for typical path walks but then hopefully some country paths too with the dog although it may be a sling is more appropriate for that down the line. Honestly I have no clue as it is our first.

We are due in October so it's a while off yet but trying to budget and feel organised. Seems like there is so much to do and I don't want to leave everything last minute haha

I’m due in December and we sorted ours last week - it’s a bit early, but it’s here and all ready, and we got a good deal in the Mamas and Papas sale.

The Occaro was really highly recommended to us. We found most of the travel systems were compatible with any car seats but didn’t tend to come with one, so we still need to buy one that works for us with the car, but it’s a good feeling to be getting things done!

I have a 5 week old and bought the Ocarro from mamas and papas. I only bought the pushchair and the cocoon, didn't buy the travel system. It was on offer at almost half price. We got a car seat that is left in the car hence the need for a cocoon (although the Ocarro can be used from birth as it is flat lying for newborns). It is an all terrain so can be used for walks in the park, woods or city. Mine was delivered on March 1st and baby was born end of May.

I have the pioneer from silver cross. With the carrycot on it is quite big (takes up a lot of boot space) but it is so worth the money I love it!

I have just switched over to the seat which is a lot less bulky.

Also I sorted my pram after my 20 week scan (but this was in between lockdowns when shops were open!)

No harm in getting it sorted early, as long as you have space to store it!

@Juicytoot287 Just a note on the sling, I bought a sling thinking it would be much easier for dog walks but I actually found it harder because bending down and picking up dog poos with a baby on your front is a bit tricky! I actually ended up using sling around the house or on walks without the dog and I used my buggy on dog walks. We have the mountain buggy swift with the carrycot plus for the early days - its brilliant. Does it all.

Honestly for dog walks in country areas for at least the first 12 months it is way easier to carry them in a sling (I had a fabric wrap when she was teeny tiny then an ergo 350).
I made the mistake of buying a travel system with bassinet that attached to the frame that was suitable for country walks and used it probably once. I absolutely regret the large sum of money I spent on it.

I have a Joie 360 car seat which is ace and after she was one we got a smart trike which folds into the size of a cabin bag so gets thrown in the boot with the dogs.

I also have an Oyster zero just in case we go somewhere all day (not happened much cos of Covid🙄) but it wasn’t expensive compared with the off road travel system.....

I have the Silver Cross Pioneer Brompton, paid a bomb for it and I've used it for 18 months. Absolutely love it and it looks beautiful, but my god, its bloody heavy. It takes up a lot of space when it's folded so I wouldn't recommend it if it's small and lightweight that you're after! We've just got a Silver Cross Pop stroller to replace it with and we're sticking the Pioneer on Ebay!

To add about the Silver Cross though, our road is like a dirt track and its done us proud getting up and down there every day for 18 months. We used all the bits that came with it so we have got our monies worth, but it's just so heavy and it became a pain to get in and out of the house with a heavy toddler strapped in.

We got an Ocarro too, went to see it twice in M&P but then we searched endlessly for deals online and got a bundle that included a car seat, carrycot, raincovers etc for a really good price. If you aren't fussed about the latest colours then you can get them for practically half the price that they're sold for in M&P. Then we bought the isofix base from Amazon as part of their prime day so saved around another 60 odd quid.

Baby due in a couple of weeks so haven't tested the pram out on a walk yet but I love it, it's sturdy, all-terrain, good looking and really easy to fold once you have the hang of it. It also folds with the seat in place facing either direction which is rare. The only downside is that it is very heavy- but for me I guess the only time to lift it will be taking it in and out of the car so I can suck that up, I very rarely use public transport. If you use public transport a lot then something more lightweight would probably be better I'd imagine.

I have the pioneer and it's easy to fold up and put down but the wheels are crap.