Pram shopping | Mumsnet

mrscotton · 2021-12-26T11:30:27+00:00

I really need help. I am going pram shopping this week with my husband and parents as i am due early March but still working full time and feeling more tired as time goes on. I orginally wanted the fox Costetto pram but there are only two stores within 50 miles of me that stock them and not 100% sure on either of them from reviews ive read/heard. I am going to Mamas & Papas on Tuesday (my brother had their pram and lasted two kids) but im not 100% sure what i need. What prams would people recommend? Ideally looking for a travel system so i can use the car seat in the car & on the pram for when i pop into shops etc.

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mummyh2016 · 26/12/2021 14:40

Mamas and papas ocarro, purchased it 5 years ago when expecting DD and will be using it again when DS arrives next month.

wingingit33 · 26/12/2021 14:52

Also due early March and I've ordered oyster 3 luxx

peaches1991 · 26/12/2021 14:53

We have the Flip XT2 (they sell the XT3 now) which I loved - it was sturdy but not too heavy to get in and out of the car a lot which I felt the Occaro was. If I'd been doing lots of walking I would have got the occaro instead I think. Would love to use it for our next ones but we are having twins so have had to get a tandem!

BertieBotts · 26/12/2021 15:06

This is great, helps break down some of the different types of pram out there.

Brand wise -

Cosatto look lovely but I don't think their quality is the best any more, they seem to have outsourced a lot of their product design to China, and just design the covers now.

Mamas & Papas are good in the mid range, also Maxi Cosi and the cheaper Cybex models. All great for quality if you don't want to spend £600+. Joolz, Bugaboo and Nuna also have a couple of cheaper models which are under £1000 which are worth a look.

If you have any independent baby stores near you, they tend to be better than chains in general, but have a visit and see how you get on :)

Scirocco · 26/12/2021 15:21

I'd suggest having an idea before you go of what features you want and need in a pram. Are you going to be in mostly urban environments or more rural? Will you be taking the pram on public transport? Will you need to carry the pram or parts of it up stairs? Etc.

That should help you develop an idea of what you need in a pram. Eg. rural areas or regular country park visits might warrant chunky wheels and more robust suspension, while a mostly urban lifestyle might mean you prioritise manoeuvrability and something which folds down to a small size. If you have to climb a lot of stairs regularly then you'd need to be comfortable carrying the pram or carry seat plus baby.

I found it helpful to keep an open mind about which particular pram to get, as you may find some which surprise you!

We've got an Uppababy Vista, which was initially way out our budget but was discounted enough that it just made it into the budget range.

You could also look at second-hand sites, ex-display models and the like if there's a pram you like that's more expensive than you can justify paying. There are a lot of good quality bargains to be had.

WalkingOnSonshine · 26/12/2021 15:25

Are you tall? DH & I are, and we found we were limited with ones that were comfortable for us.

We have the Joolz Day 3 and it’s really practical for us. It’s nifty enough to get round shops/tight spaces, with chunky wheels to go off-road.

It folds up quite compact into the boot & is suitable for overnight sleeping in the bassinet, so doubled up for us as a downstairs sleeping space.

dottydally · 26/12/2021 15:27

We also have an Uppababy vista and I love it. It's now doing baby #2 with a buggy board and it has a monster basket underneath! It's not the smallest though so it wouldn't be ideal if you were planning to take it on public transport a lot but works well for us slightly more rurally.

My best tip is to walk 'normally' with it. My Mum has a pushchair for our toddler and I find I kick it because my stride is too long for it. It's easy to potter round a shop but not walk how you usually would. Also test in the boot of your car!

Where are you based? If it's east/south east we went to a brilliant store when we were looking who had different terrains/kerbs etc set up inside so you could really trial it. They also brought it out to my car so we could try putting it down and see how it fit in my boot.

Original poster

mrscotton · 26/12/2021 15:36

@Scirocco

I'd suggest having an idea before you go of what features you want and need in a pram. Are you going to be in mostly urban environments or more rural? Will you be taking the pram on public transport? Will you need to carry the pram or parts of it up stairs? Etc.

That should help you develop an idea of what you need in a pram. Eg. rural areas or regular country park visits might warrant chunky wheels and more robust suspension, while a mostly urban lifestyle might mean you prioritise manoeuvrability and something which folds down to a small size. If you have to climb a lot of stairs regularly then you'd need to be comfortable carrying the pram or carry seat plus baby.

I found it helpful to keep an open mind about which particular pram to get, as you may find some which surprise you!

We've got an Uppababy Vista, which was initially way out our budget but was discounted enough that it just made it into the budget range.

You could also look at second-hand sites, ex-display models and the like if there's a pram you like that's more expensive than you can justify paying. There are a lot of good quality bargains to be had.

I live in a little village where there are some country walks that we will want to take her on but mainly be for around town, shops etc. I dont ever use public transport so i just need it to fold enough to get into the boot of my car (im going to have a golf estate).

We live in a 3 bed house so wont need to carry pram up any stairs, probably live in the car most the time unless i pop to the shop in my village.

I want something thats not too heavy as my Mum will be looking after her 1-2 days a week when i go back to work so she needs to be able to fold it and lift into her car boot too.

OP posts:

Original poster

mrscotton · 26/12/2021 15:37

@mummyh2016

Mamas and papas ocarro, purchased it 5 years ago when expecting DD and will be using it again when DS arrives next month.

This was the one i was looking at online! It seems to be everything i think i would want.

OP posts:

Original poster

mrscotton · 26/12/2021 15:39

@WalkingOnSonshine

Are you tall? DH & I are, and we found we were limited with ones that were comfortable for us.

We have the Joolz Day 3 and it’s really practical for us. It’s nifty enough to get round shops/tight spaces, with chunky wheels to go off-road.

It folds up quite compact into the boot & is suitable for overnight sleeping in the bassinet, so doubled up for us as a downstairs sleeping space.

My husband is about 6 foot but i am quite a bit shorter than him. He just wants me to be happy with it as obviously he will be using the pram quite a bit less than me.

I found walking with my brothers ideal and was very easy to turn, fold etc so might look at something similar to his.

OP posts:

Original poster

mrscotton · 26/12/2021 15:40

@dottydally

We also have an Uppababy vista and I love it. It's now doing baby #2 with a buggy board and it has a monster basket underneath! It's not the smallest though so it wouldn't be ideal if you were planning to take it on public transport a lot but works well for us slightly more rurally.

My best tip is to walk 'normally' with it. My Mum has a pushchair for our toddler and I find I kick it because my stride is too long for it. It's easy to potter round a shop but not walk how you usually would. Also test in the boot of your car!

Where are you based? If it's east/south east we went to a brilliant store when we were looking who had different terrains/kerbs etc set up inside so you could really trial it. They also brought it out to my car so we could try putting it down and see how it fit in my boot.

We are based in the Southwest. Our nearest major cities are either Exeter or Southampton and both are about an hour and half drive from us :(

OP posts:

WakeUpLockie · 26/12/2021 15:46

I’m due April and just bought a mountain buggy swift 😍 it’s soooooo compact, 3 wheeler, carrycot, parent facing seat, world facing seat, carseat adaptor etc. Not sure what else I could ask for.

We had an Oyster Max for our other 2 kids, it was nice but massive and therefore annoying in shops, and not great for off-road. Quickly swapped to a mountain buggy nano stroller.

PurBal · 26/12/2021 15:52

Get the smallest one you can manage with. The Uppababy Vista is lovely, SIL has it in London, but flipping HUGE and she ends up driving everywhere because it’s a PIA on tube. We have a 3 door mini so size was key but it amazes me how many people with SUVs can’t fit much more than their pushchair in the car. If doing a lot of “around town” shopping get something as narrow as possible, I am always surprised at how narrow access is in our local market town (wheelchair users beware!). Also we can get ours through kissing gates so can walk around the flat village footpaths rather than having to stay on the road all the time. We have a pushchair that’s designed for city use, but is perfect for narrow lanes where cars might need to pass. Car seat attaches too. We have a secondhand 3 wheel off road buggy and tbf we use it a lot on certain routes (2+ hour country lane walks) but it’s cumbersome for the town and car and useless on most hiking routes (eg stiles). Tbh we use a backpack more now DS is older.

WalkingOnSonshine · 26/12/2021 15:58

How far are you from Taunton? Can recommend a place there if it’s closer than Exeter.

MissLC · 26/12/2021 16:01

Just an FYI, John lewis have a nursery offer on where you get a £75 gift card if you spend £750
Just in case looking there is an option for you

Sunshinegirl82 · 26/12/2021 16:05

I was going to suggest checking out Mountain Buggy if you are fairly rural. Otherwise you might be better off getting a travel system now whilst baby is little and then getting an off roader as well.

We had an iCandy peach for DS1 which we also used for DS2 but also have an out n about double which is a proper off roader and great for country walks I love our out n about, it's incredibly light to push and is a real work horse.

mariebaby3 · 26/12/2021 17:34

It’s really hard to get an idea of what you’ll like until you. Just have an open mind.

With my first I bought a big travel system but as soon as LO was big enough to sit up in the pushchair bit I hated it because it was heavy and difficult to manoeuvre. I ended up selling it and buying a lighter buggy which a lot of people end up doing!

2nd I bought the bugaboo bee plus and absolutely loved it. It’s not for everyone but absolutely perfect for us and most importantly it was compact, super lightweight and so easy to push in small spaces etc. I didn’t feel the need to buy a lighter buggy with it and kept it until he was walking and no longer needed a pushchair.

Dd3 i repurchased the bee 5 with carrycot. I would have liked a really luxurious pram but I know it wasn’t practical for my lifestyle and I went with what I know and love.

GrowBabyGrow · 27/12/2021 19:25

@dottydally

We also have an Uppababy vista and I love it. It's now doing baby #2 with a buggy board and it has a monster basket underneath! It's not the smallest though so it wouldn't be ideal if you were planning to take it on public transport a lot but works well for us slightly more rurally.

My best tip is to walk 'normally' with it. My Mum has a pushchair for our toddler and I find I kick it because my stride is too long for it. It's easy to potter round a shop but not walk how you usually would. Also test in the boot of your car!

Where are you based? If it's east/south east we went to a brilliant store when we were looking who had different terrains/kerbs etc set up inside so you could really trial it. They also brought it out to my car so we could try putting it down and see how it fit in my boot.

I'd love to know the name of this store @dottydally! I'm based South East