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Original poster

Advice on prams - again

18 replies

firsttimer08 · 29/06/2008 17:33

Ok, so I finally started to look at prams, and I know there have been a few threads already on this topic, but I just can't seem to find them!

I've finally narrowed it down to:

Mclaren techno XT
Mamas and Papas Pliko 3
Bugaboo Bee

I know in terms of price range, they're all very different, but they're all suitable for a city life, especially as I will be using public transport most of the time. We don't have a car, so need to make sure that I can get the pram on and off the bus / tube.

Has anyone had any experience with any of these? I found that the first two were easier to fold and unfold, but the bugaboo and the mamas and papas seemed a lot more comfortable for the baby - also the baby can face me in these two which would be good.

Hmm, so any views on or bad experiences with these three?

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honeyapple · 29/06/2008 17:54

Maclaren are great for town babies- so easy on buses and light to carry about. I would really recommend using a sling for when baby is little (especially as you will be using public transport a lot)- so no need to worry about forward facing pushchair.
Dont like M and P (no real reason!)and have no personal experience of the bee...

So many people buy other prams and then end up with a maclaren anyway...

PollyParanoia · 29/06/2008 20:02

I agree with honeyapple - almost everyone I know ends up getting a maclaren in the end, often as a second buggy esp for taking on planes etc. As for comfort, you can always get a sheepskin although I'm not convinced that babies need quite as much padding as we sometimes think they do and would be happy to sleep in a drawer.
The only disadvantage of the techno xt is that it's not backwards facing, which I do agree would be nice. But as honeyapple says, using a sling circumnavigates that problem (I love wilkinet and huggababy).
You don't mention finances? Mclaren way cheaper option and takes up less room in hall.
Polly
ps I also agree with honey re. M&P - whenever I see one I misread Pliko as Pikey, which for some unfathomable and unforgivably snobby reason I think they are

CoolYourJets · 29/06/2008 20:06

chicco for (4) me very nice too. Folds facing either way with the seat on.

dragonbaby · 29/06/2008 20:11

i have a mclaren techno xt brillant pushchair not very padded but with a coseytoes would be fine for a new born i have had a mamas and papas pliko stay away from they are heavy and me and my friend who had one had nothing but problems with them and mamas and papas ARE NOT very helpful at all and again i have had no experience of the bee sorry

star6 · 29/06/2008 21:00

mutsy spider for me... hope I'm doing the right thing... I heard it was easily maneuverable and easy to fold...etc.

silvermum · 29/06/2008 21:55

i got the pliko pramette and was not impressed. it got loads of compliments from other mums as i bought the red and cream polka dot design which is very cute, but it is very badly made and bits started falling off it at an early stage. it does fold down quite small but it's incredibly fiddly and complicated to collapse - it took me and my husband a while to get the knack of it. once converted into a pushchair, the harness is an absolute nightmare to use. i would not recommend this pram. I bought another one - the Quinny Buzz - which has been absolutely fantastic.

DD1ofcolandgerry · 29/06/2008 22:09

I have the Out n About Nipper 360. Its fab, lighter than a maclaren buggy (hard to believe, but I did serious testing prior to buying), soft tyres, has a lie flat option (best for newborn) and looks great. Front wheel rotates so it is a dream to push and steer. I would recommend this buggy to everyone.

( i had a quinny buzz, but retired it to the attic when my baby was 6 weeks old, heavy, tipped up and over going up and down kerbs.....the list is endless)

thomasina1 · 30/06/2008 10:37

Firsttimer, we've just bought the Bee but as baby isn't due until Nov I'm afraid I can't tell you what it's like to use! But I do like it a lot - the way it faces towards me and also you can clip a carseat to it... OK you don't have a car, just remembered! But it seemed a good compromise for me - compact and it will it in our flat, but hopefully cosy enough for baby too.

slinkiemalinki · 30/06/2008 10:58

I have a techno XT - bought it when my daughter was about 6 months. It hasn't replaced my bugaboo which I love but does have its uses (great in the car, on holidays etc, am thinking about getting the double). But I just don't think these are any good for newborns, although they lie flat, you can't see the baby and would terrify me shoving that through a busy bus or along a busy street or through the park with dogs roaming. I would definitely go for something that can forward and rear-face. The Bee looks lovely. I think the Pliko is a lovely pramette but a very old-fashioned looking pushchair (which, face it, is the stage you use it for most).
I have a number of friends who have used slings a lot with their second children and a lot of the babies have gotten used to being strapped to mum all day which can cause problems when you try to put the baby down alone in a cot at night! Some people are huge advocates of slings; I think they are great but could never use just a sling - it can get pretty tiring pretty quickly on your back.

hairymcleary · 30/06/2008 12:55

I bought a Pilko when DS was born and loved it with the carry cot on, went walking with it every day etc. Didn't really take it on busses, however once I got a bit more mobile and wanted to go on the tube, I found it too heavy to carry up and down the stairs by myself. I think the one I've got weighs about 11kgs, so once your DC is a few months old, you really feel the weight if you have to lift it. Also, the model I have (it's a couple of years old now) doesn't have suspension- but I think the new ones do.
I ended up buying a Silver Cross Pop for the tube/ planes etc and using the Pilko for walking near home.
Another thing I wish I had taken into account is how handy it is to have a bar handle, instead of two separate handles... You can then nudge the buggy along with your hip when you need to.

CoolYourJets · 30/06/2008 13:29

The chicco for me can have bar handle or seperates.

Mum2BabyRoo · 30/06/2008 13:39

iCandy Cherry for me. It is light (7.5kg frame & seat), can face you, lies flat, and my baby seems very comfy in it! Oh and has a bar handle!

mustsleep · 30/06/2008 13:45

i have had several pushchair and i think out of the three you have looked at i would go for the bugaboo bee

i am 29 weeks with my third and this seems the best buggy to go for as it does everything

i had the frog and loved it but it is rubbish for public transport

i have also managed to fit a buggyboard to the bee

LadyOfTheFlowers · 30/06/2008 13:50

My eldest child is 3 nest month so all my prams are slightly older. I used to be a pramaholic so quite a few have passed theu my hands....

Currently, in circulation, I have a Pliko P3 Pramette, a Quinny Buzz and a Quinny Zapp.

No probs with Pliko, no bits came off, like the harness so the child has relative freedom whilst in the seat, looks lovely in Pramette mode, sturdy, can put toddler on back plate (M&p says you shouldn't, Peg Perego says you should!) adjustable handle, excellent raincover.

Buzz, weighs about 40 tons, front wheel gets stiff after it has been used in the rain, unfolds itself when you are trying to move it around house/car whilst folded, manage to trap my hands in it from time to time if in a hurry, doesn't alwaya want to fold down, will only fold in forward facing position, excellent hood though with good coverage, Buzz bag very handy, raincover ripped easily, lovely footmuff but makes child insertion difficult, cant steer it for love nor money with one hand.

Zapp, great for toddler, both my kids can sleep in it, crap hood, steers beautifully and effortlessly one handed, tips back if you put stuff on handles, folds tiny and unfolds/folds very quickly for bus once you get the knack. If you have to take 2 kids abroad, you can have your buggy allowance for a buggy in the hold and one person can take a zapp in its carry bag into the cabin as hand luggage - genius.

JessJess3908 · 30/06/2008 14:59

Have you had a look at the Maclaren 4 seasons?

It's got the same advantages as the XT but looks a bit comfier. Have a look at it in John Lewis (£225 - might be cheaper if you shop around).

slinkiemalinki · 30/06/2008 16:07

That's a more basic buggy than the XT - you are paying a lot for the gimmickry of changing footmuffs/liners etc every season I would say!

izzybiz · 30/06/2008 16:23

Im going for a micralite toro, folds really easily and stands alone once folded, so easy for bus, train etc.

I looked at the Bee, thought it was tiny, and wouldn't last very long for that amount of money.

www.groovystyle.co.uk/productpages/micralite/micralite-toro.html

MiniMarmite · 30/06/2008 18:11

I've just bought a Stokke Xplory travel system which is recommended for city life. It weighs (and costs!) about the same as a bugaboo chameleon (so is a bit heavier than some city-friendly options) but has lots of that might be useful in the city (turns on its own footprint so useful in crowds and busy shops, folding feature that allows you to go up and down stairs without taking the baby out, seat/carrycot can be raised up high so not so near car fumes). Not many shops stock them, we got ours from: www.twoleftfeet.co.uk/acatalog/Two_Left_Feet_Stokke_832.html.

I haven't tried mine with a baby in it yet but did stop someone I saw with one the other day and she said she loves hers. Previously had a bugaboo (didn't say which one) and changed it for this because she didn't get on with the bugaboo.

There are quite a few reviews to read online if you Google Stokke.

There are (as with everything) a couple of downsides from our perspective - not buggy board compatible for a second child, not great on rough terrain apparently so might not be good for country walks.

Hope you find what you are looking for.

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