Best travel systems

[Nala97]

Hey everyone

Recommendation for travel systems? There's SO many to look at just after some honest reviews! Also don't want it costing the earth 🙈

Thanks!

I don’t think the perfect on exists. If by some miracle/nightmare I had another child then I would look at second. But buy a new car seat unless you know and trust where the second hand one came from.

Think about what you will need it for. My first is almost 3 and now pregnant with number 2. I had a Cybex priam first time round (and it’s still in the garage) but I have been using a babyzen yoyo since my DD was 1 as most of the trips we do are on pavements so it’s been fine and so much smaller. I’m considering just getting the newborn pack for the yoyo this time rather than taking the huge priam everywhere (and it really is huge 🙈)

Look at The Stroller Workshop on youtube for some really good geberal tips, then you can narrow down from there what you want.

It's a bit overwhelming looking online too as there are so many. In some ways it might be better to visit a local shop and start with the selection they have, then you'll know what features and such you are looking for.

There are a LOT of cheap, poor quality makes out there.

Depends on what you need. We had an UppaBaby Vista - comes with a basinet and chair which you can buy a separate newborn insert for and there is also a boogie board (is that what they're called?!) that you can buy if you have a toddler and a baby. The key thing that swung it for us was that it was compatible with our chosen car seat so we could also use it in that mode.

The newer versions can take two seats, our version didn't have that option.

Ours lasted 2 kids over 5 years or so without any issues so while it was expensive to buy initially, we got plenty of use out of it and no worries about it breaking.

uppababy.com/uk/vista-v2/

I went into a pram shop and pushed them all around. The Bugaboo Fox stood out for me as it it SO easy to manoeuvre with one hand, and I loved the foot brake etc. It is big, although they’re all quite big.

Depends what your budget is, but the Fox 3 has recently come out and so we managed to get the Fox 2 for £700 (saved around £400)

We always wanted two kids close together so went for a pram that could convert from single to double from the start. I don't drive and rely on buses so wanted a pram that was small enough time get on and off bus. I went for the egg in the end as it's very compact and can fit onto even the smallest of spaces and very easy to push around. Yes it is very expensive, However ours is 4 years old now and been used regularly for two children and will be used for our third when she arrives in a couple of weeks, so I would say value for money

My mum summed it up for me when we were in John Lewis excitedly having a PFB January sales trip to look at the travel systems "why is that one (iCandy) twice the price of that one (Maxicosi) when it's almost identical?" Branding, of course.

I got the Maxicosi because I was happy with the weight and simplicity of it and have been delighted with it ever since, it's now on child number two. Equally I wouldn't have got one the cheaper brands as you can tell the build quality isn't as good but there's lots of mid-range ones that don't get recommended as much but are well worth looking at.

I wanted a travel system that I could use rear and front facing, and that had a carrycot and a lie flat seat. The one I got wasn't very good off-road but I managed to get a compatible secondhand one that has the right chassis for country walks so that solved that one. The only thing it doesn't do is accommodate a second child, so I got a double Phil and Ted's secondhand but haven't used that yet as the baby is still happy in the sling.

So think about where you'll be going and work backwards would be my advice, and don't feel obliged to follow the crowd and buy a top brand one unless of course that's the one that ticks all the functionality boxes for you. They do resell for slightly more than a mid range brand I guess but a fancy one 'owes' you more so I'm not sure you gain a lot.

Thanks everyone for the recommendations! After Christmas I think I'll go into a shop and try some out to see what works for us 😊

Totally agree 8dpwoah. And Maxi Cosi tend to be excellent quality. I had a Bebeconfort one (same brand) for DS1 and it was one of the best buggies I've ever had (over 3 kids I've had 7).