Pram or sling for rural living?

[Wishiwasatailor]

Hiya baby due in a couple of months and not sure if we should use a pram or sling. We live very rural so all shops and entertainment is a car drive away so won’t be carrying baby and shopping long distances. We do lots of walking locally to the beach and over fields so am wondering if a sling is the best way to go, what do others do in similar situations?

I’m in a quiet village and have to drive pretty much everywhere, I’ve bought a pram and a sling for my first baby. I feel like I’ll still use the pram for most things and just the sling for walks with the dog when I’m on my own!

I’m also in a rural location, and the house is on a hilly cobbled uneven track. So getting to the main road might be a nightmare with a pram and even then some of the roads don’t have a sidewalk it’s just the road. I’m thinking a sling for walks around the village, and a pram for car journeys to places.

For me, both are essential!

We have a kind of 'cross country' pram that can deal with bumpy ground - yet to find anything it can't handle other than kissing gates/stiles.

The sling is obviously great for walks with stiles/gates and dog walks, keeping you hands free.

But I don't think it can replace a pram, which is perfect for shopping, towns, and literally any time you don't feel like lugging a 10lb baby around. Which for me is quite often.

Also when they are brand new, they are actually too small for a sling and really need that carry cot on the pram.

Thanks for the advice all looks like it will be along AND pram!

does anyone have any recommendations for prams? @breakfastbagel your cross country pram sounds perfect!

My babies have all been the opposite way round to @breakfastbagel 's - they rolled around in the carrycot attachment and hated it, so had to go in a sling as newborns! I've always gone for wrap slings rather than anything with buckles to get a good fit on a newborn. The carrycot for our Mountain Buggy was, along with the expensive changing bag, one of our biggest regrets - we just never used it after about the first week with our first child.

My baby was quite small so he was under the weight recommended for the carrier and the sling just swamped him so I guess it's very individual! He also always loved the carry cot and a bumpy pram ride for a nap so we used it for ages. We did have to pad out the carry cot at first to stop him rattling around.

OP our big pram was the cheapest/ugliest thing on the market the Hauck Rapid 3R - I am not a big believer in expensive prams and I knew I was going to be ramming it up and down ditches. It comes with a carry cot and a (bit of a crap but useful) car seat.

I think they've been discontinued! This is nearest I could find:

Hauck Pushchair Runner 2 / XL Air Wheels / All Terrain / Up to 25 Kg / Sun Canopy UPF 50 + / Ventilation Window / Fully Reclining / Height Adjustable / Large Shopping Basket / Black amzn.eu/d/7di0mxH

We live on a farm and I had both but it also meant that I also ended up with a tidier/smaller pram that lived in the car for town visits etc.

I found having both was great and what I used would depend on how I was feeling, where I wanted to walk and what I was going to do after the walk. If it was a quick walk to get baby to sleep so I could do some jobs etc, it was always in the pram so they could stay in there asleep when I got back. Whereas if it was a walk on fields or I had nothing to do after and didn't mind risking waking baby taking out of sling, Id use that.

Nice to have the option and there seems to be lots of second hand options which mean not having to spend too much either!

Out n about or Mountain buggy are your best bets. OnA is smaller and lighter, MB is taller but heavier to push. Love my OnA for beach, countryside and town visits