PRAM HELP!

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I'm expecting my first baby in January so starting to look at prams.

Ickle bubba is a brand I keep seeing everywhere, reviews online rate it 5/5 but some friends said they returned their travel system as it seemed cheap and just overall not great to them.

I was thinking of getting the pram in the link below, has anyone got any experience with this brand or could recommend something? Ideally nothing over £600!

icklebubba.com/products/stomp-luxe-all-in-one-i-size-travel-system-isofix-base

Hi congratulations ! I worked in a pram shop last year and ickle bubba did tend to be a brand that we had customers having a few problems with (although ickle bubba ) were always great and fixing the problem quickly . I like the stomp luxe it's a lot better than some of their cheaper ones.
If you want to stick to a similar price range have a look at the joie versatrax or the baby style oyster (that's slightly more expensive but some places to a good deal on it!
If your budget can go higher I'd suggest an uppa baby vista or the I candy peach as they have long warranty's so if you have a second baby quite quickly you are still covered. Also both can be converted to doubles (not saying you're planning another one 😂)

Anyway hope I've been helpful 🙂

https://www.babyandchildstore.com/shop/pushchairs/joie-versatrax-travel-system-laurel-black/?gadsource=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwsJO4BhDoARIsADDv4vDeRKmtRZOO2ZgVipfoQZ00mXhN3st49PcLP2kwVXePxpnbEik2oMaApYrEALwwwcB

ukbabycentre.com/products/baby-style-oyster-3-essential-capsule-bundle-5pc-set-gun-metal-moon

To add... I feel ickle bubba spend more time on making it look more stylish like the I candy etc and don't spend the time on the quality , joie is the same company that make Nuna , that is their high end version but the quality it just as good ! Little fact joie and nuna are their daughters 😀 I miss that job 😂

Amazing that's so helpful! Another friend actually mentioned Joie and she has that pram and swears by it so I'll have a look at all of your recommendations. We can stretch a little higher if the quality is worth it 😊

@verabarbleen sorry to jump on this but I'm in the same dilemma! what joie/ nuna would you recommend please??

Shop around for deals too, even if you see a pram that’s out of your budget. I just got a Mamas and Papas Ocarro bundle from Winstanleys Pramworld for £599. It came with the pushchair, carrycot, footmuff, changing bag, cup holder and car seat adaptors. The pushchair on its own from M&P is like £750!!

That's brilliant! I think my problem is I lack confidence in what a good pram is it's my first baby I have no friends or family with experience so a bit alone!!

Be careful about buying a travel system - sometimes the car seats that come with them are not that great. If you a pram / buggy sorted, you can usually then get a decent car seat separately with adapters for the pram. For example, the nuna car seat puts baby in quite a poor position (in my opinion). Joie, maxi cosi, avianaut, britax all do better infant carriers which fit on any pram with adapters.

I also think joie are great, if you want to go higher silver cross. Shop around now, then purchase on Black Friday x

We bought our pram second hand on eBay. We quickly ruled out various prams as all of the second hand ones looked tired and had the same issues. I would see what condition each of the prams are on second hand sites then you can see how well they might last.

With travel systems factor in a 4 months old baby - quite a few of my friends ditched the travel system by 4 months in favour of a spin chair as it was too heavy for getting in and out of the car once past the new born phase.

Interesting and I didn't know this thank you! I think it's the joie I'm going to look at

this is such a great idea so silver cross is higher than joie?

There is a group on FB called Car Seat Safety UK. It's a bit intense (to put it mildly) but they have some good info on good car seats if you are interested. You might need to join the group to be able to see the link. https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1E8ou5TdAb/

If you are near a John Lewis you can book a free 90 minute appointment where they take you through the pros and cons of the various brands for all the baby equipment you need (pram, cot, car seat,etc). My daughter found it excellent - the staff don't get a commission and can be completely honest, and there is genuinely no obligation or pressure at all to buy anything from JL. I was really impressed by this service.

Treat yourself by going to John Lewis or one of the independent pram shops, test a few, push them around, lift them up etc then shop for deals :)

I would love to but I'm NI based there are slim pickings when it comes to actual shops to go in to view prams and it always seems tonhe the ridiculously priced ones on display! not that I'm cheaping out for the right one I can go up to 800 ish but over 1000 pounds for a pram is a bit excessive I think

Agree with this. The lady in there was amazing! also you can set up a payment plan where you pay 10% deposit and choose a delivery date, there is no set amount to pay back monthly the balance just has to be paid 2 weeks before delivery. found this very helpful.

I believe John Lewis do virtual appointments too if you can’t get to a store. They give you a discount code after your appointment to use on things you’ve added to your wishlist. % varies based on your total spend.

No advice on best buggy as I wouldn’t say I’ve had one I’ve really liked. Actively hated my iCandy though, was a nightmare-avoid!

We ditched our travel system for a baby zen yoyo and it was brilliant. So much more compact and easy to manoeuvre.

Same! I hated that our big pram didn't fit anywhere in our house. The YoYo slots under the stairs 💪🏻

Higher price bracket, but worth it imo, they are really sturdy and well built, mine looks brand new after two kids have used it from birth to 2!

I had an Ickle Bubba stomp (I think?) for my first baby, I’m now expecting baby number 2 and considering buying a different pram even though I still have our first pram. We don’t have an endless budget though so I will most likely stick with our Ickle Bubba.

The thing that bothered me about ours was that even after no longer using the carry cot the seat of the pram was still a separate piece that you had to clip onto the top, whereas most prams fold flat in one piece. The seat had a curved bottom so it didn’t sit flat in the car. Not so much an issue now as we have a bigger car, but maybe not great if you have a small car.

Saying that my son would only sleep on me until I discovered a bit later that he would nap and stay asleep in his pram, and so he slept many hours in it asleep during the day, so it wasn’t all bad!

Only real issue was not folding flat and not a huge amount of space underneath for bags either x

Also the car seat with the travel system was significantly heavier than other’s that I’ve tried lifting so not ideal