Any reason why I shouldn't get a M&P Pliko Pramette?

[Mandy73]

This pram decision is so difficult and lovely at the same time, no?

I understand the Pliko Pramette has scored really well in tests & won awards.
And is best suited for an 'urban lifestyle' - anything else I should know?

Any words of wisdom much appreciated. The buggers aint cheap!

Many thanks!
x

PS: And since we're at it - what car seat should I get?

Haven't read through it all but just wanted to add my bit.

My SIL has one of these and although she liked it in the early days by the time her DS was about 4-5 months she moved to a lightweight buggy as it was too big for her boot, took longer to get in and out of the car (although they do drive EVERYWHERE).

I had a lovely m&p travel system that was given to me second hand in fantastic condition. I loved it but agaian, only really good for the first few weeks. And although I have kept it for the next one (I am pregnant now with DC2) I will need a double so won't really use it. Haven't decided yet if we will get it out for this one for when there are 2 of us or whatever but to be honest, we don't really have the space. It has a lovely carrycot though which was fab for using for sleep in the day and meant I didn't need a moses basket down here and could actually have used it at night if we weren't given a moses basket.

And we didn't get on with the m&p car seat - the one with the base, but think it was more to do with our car as the seatbelt always locked so we had to unplug the base everytime and re-do it so was more hassle than one without the base.

We were then given a mothercare one with a base which was fab in our golf. It has the base but unlike the m+p one, you can take the seat in and out without touching the seatbelt so it was so easy.

I had a Pliko with DD - loved it when in pram mode but not very sturdy when she went into the pushchair (which wasn't all that old since pram is quite small). Wheels are a bit wobbly on it and just generally started to feel like it might collapse, even though it obviously wouldn't. It was lovely and snuggly though as a pram and have passed on to a friend to use for her newborn. We got a good 7/8 months use out of it before switching to a lightweight MB Breeze which I love.

We walk loads too and found the Pliko ok, but when we swapped to a 3-wheeler the difference was amazing even when DD was bigger and heavier she was still easy to push with one hand (dog in other hand!)

Agree with others who have said about 2 handles - definite minus point, although they are a comfy position. The shopping basket used to be hard to get in and out of too. But I miss the cup holder!

Liked it as a pram, but found it big and unwieldy as a buggy so bought a secondhand Maclaren Quest instead which is a lot more compact.

I'm still using the pramette with 2yo DS, but it is heavy (mind you, so is he). Will prob switch to a lighter buggy and convert back to pram mode once DC2 is here.

One thing: the wheels seem to be a weak point, if they fall off don't get spares from M&P, have a look on eBay. Or do what I did and liberate them from a pramette our neighbours had put out for the dustman

Wanted to add that I used mine for DS from baby to toddler, I never used anything else but now I've come to use it for DD it doesn't lie very flat anymore as the heavy toddler has pushed it all out of shape. Very annoying.

I did like it but agree with everyone else that 3 wheelers are easier to push. Suits urban lifestyle means don't push me over grass or cobbles, or even those bumpy bits by pedestrian crossings without shaking the child. I wouldn't buy it again.

I got mine secondhand for my second baby (had the dreadful overprice dlump of shite that is the Jane Matrix for my firstborn - BIG mistake). I love The Pliko Pramette. it's versatile, light, easy to collapse and put up again (even after a c-section), very cosy and has a spacious basket underneath and two handles to hand things off. Everything I was looking for in a buggy.

I will still use a McClaren cheapo buggy once my DD is big enough, though. Can't beat them for city living. Hence why I got my Pliko secondhand (£80 off Gumtree - twas a year old and in great condition - worth thinking about).

Thanks everyone for input & experiences, I really appreciate it.

I'm tempted by the Hauck now.

xx

I loved my pramette - loved the fact that baby could lie flat and face me when tiny and that it converted into stroller later on. Being able to snap on car seat was v handy too. It can also take a buggyboard well.

I liked the 2 handles - v useufl for shopping bags - and the drink holder was great. It can be tough to push one handed, but if you lock front wheels it's ok.

Shopping basket was great, and it folded easily. It was lightweight and very durable. never needed customer services!

All covers are detachable and wash well.

I walked miles and miles with mine and it still has some life left in it. It's not a cross country buggy and not as lightweight as a maclaren, but it does exactly what it says on the tin - it's great for urban life and I would buy it again in a flash!

I've just bought this one

It's vitually the same as the Mamas & Papas but a fraction of the price - the harness is different though. I'm happy with it, and it came within 2 days of payment.

I too am a huge Pramette fan. For me it's critical point was that it's an umbrella fold, unlike the Silver Crosses, Bugaboos, Quinnys, etc, and also that it pulls up towards you rather than having to bend ove to fold it to the floor. Ours has had daily use for nearly 3 years now and is still going strong. Yes it's bulkier than a Maclaren, but it's got a proper pram mode to face you, and I think it's better upholstered. It is quite heavy with a (skinny) nearly three year old in but size wise it still fits beautifully. And frankly it's hardly rocket science to convert from pram to pushchair, it's easy.

As an all in one umbrella fold you can't beat it. Do see if you can get a second hand bargain though, there's usually an M&P sale in December, we got ours direct from them for half price. But avoid the car seat - M&P seats are generally crap and fail most of the advanced Which? tests.

Thanks again for all the good advice!

xx

I am not a pliko pramette fan at all. Friend's of mine have the normal pliko pramette and also the pliko p3 version and they say both are really heavy to push. However I would still like to try the pliko switch

On a rant here, but I have bought a pram, car seat, starlight swing and ravel cot all from M&P for 1st son, never will I shop there again. Not only is it expensive comparably, but shite construction. Have taken he star light swing back 2x as electronics were dodgy. Pramette was bulky and hard to steer. Car seat was too upright causing baby to slump forward, travel cot sides don't stay up. Blah blah blah! Not only that but I've had a few friends who have worked at HQ and apparently they are a shite company to work for!

We had a pliko switch which was faulty. The pram section fell off whilst our baby was inside, it fell on to the road and he bumped his head. We rushed him to the GP who was appauled by the incident, as were we. Mamas and Papas weren't bothered despite admitting it had been caused by a manufacturing fault. We got a refund in the end but the customer service was terrible and we never received a proper apology.

Heavy to push and overall bloody heavy -weighed as much as my double pram!
Awkward to manoeuvre
Instructions are gob.bledegook and the pram to pushchair switch is so time-consuming that you wouldn't switch between the two.
You can only clip in the car seat when it's in pushchair mode but you are most likely to want to do that when you are using it in pram mode.
The buckles are stiff and never really loosen up (I have used it for four years now)
The carseat weighs a ton, comes with a base which makes it even heavier, but not especially safe (did not score impressively in the Which? carseats test - you can google for those, I think they are still freely available).
The brakes are crap.
It is overpriced.

Errr, I think that's it. Yes, I hate my Pliko Pramette with a passion. We bought a cheapie Maclaren when PFB was about 8mos and use that quite a bit too. The only good thing I could say about the M&P is that the shopping basket is a reasonable size.

Happy pram shopping

Hey Aligriff I see only you and I have posted since errr December 2008. D'ya want to form a "We hate Plikos" support group

I had a P3 and it was ok..but I found the car seat difficult to clip on..I also dont rate the primo viaggio car seat as my dd seemed pushed forward in it and her head kept lolling about..used to be terrified everytime I drove over a bump that she would get whiplash!
Finally chopped it in for a maclaren techno xt and a quest mod and used both until dd was out of pushchairs, would definitely recommend a maclaren..theyve been around for donkeys years and they do exactly what it says on the tin

I have a VW Polo, if your boot's any smaller then it won't fit in - mine does with about a mm to spare.
Car seat - I got the maxi cosi cabriofix, if you have isofix connectors I can't recommend it enough

We bought a Pilko Pramette and thought it was awful!! REally difficult to close and the wheels ended up buckling and not moving in a straight line... I too think Mamas and Papas stuff is overrated.

cos M&P have notoriously, famously bad customer service.

And you can get their stuff half price from a clearance outlet just outside the M25.