any advice on what pram to buy?

[babyc]

First baby and I have no idea where to start! Ideally we would like something that is a pram and car seat, and where the baby faces the person pushing - but there are so many variations, some seem to do everything and can face front, back and go right up to age 4. It is unlikely we will have another baby so we would like to just get one pram to see us through until baby doesn't need it - is this possible?
We live in a first floor flat, so it needs to be lightweight enough to do stairs, and I'm really short whilst dh is well over 6foot, so do any prams come with adjustable handles?
Long list of requirements I know, but any advice would be welcome. Thanks

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Hello,

This thread is a little old now, and some of the product recommendations are out of date. We've spent weeks speaking to parents and testing prams and pushchairs, here's our round up of the best pushchairs on the market right now and what to look out for when buying one.

Hope that helps!

MNHQ"

Got my bugaboo bee (at great expense!) 'cos it was the only one that would fit in my tiny car boot. Not that impressed with it really. Has a lot of features i.e. newborn lie-flat in nest, forward and rearward facing, quite light and folds down small. I have found it very stiff and difficult to put up and down. Actually we are on our second one for this reason as we took the first one back. It looks great but is overpriced and a bit of a pita. I carry my DD in a sling a lot of the time and am getting a second hand mclaren now she is a bit bigger. If you are on a budget then sling/cheap pushchair is probably the best option

Well personally, I have had about 12 prams and theres only one that I wont part with which is my icandy cherry. Its sooo light and my dd is really comfy in it! Its rear facing too. I also second what someone said earlier about buying second hand. You dont need to spend a lot if you keep your eye out for a bargain.

DOn't have time to read the whole thread so apologies of someone else has suggested but I would really recommend the Hauck Infinity. We had it for our first then went onto the Maclaren Techno at a year (also brilliant). We are now using it for our second when we are both available to push buggies (we have 19 month gap) and I am reminded again how much I love it! The handlebar is so adjustable that my husband (6 ft) and toddler (!) can both have a go at pushing and it is quite light. ALso a lot cheaper than Bugaboo which was a major factor for us.

I would go with the Quninny Buzz and Maxi-Cosi car seat - i have just bought one of these and its great, you can also get the pram attachment (Dreami). There are some good deals available if you look on the internet!!!

quinny buzz a real doozey of a pram weighs hefty 13kg huge wheels base.bad quality.avoid

bugaboo gecko,cameleon both@9kg
bee @ 7kg
all rear/forward facing
adjustable handle
i would go bugaboo.they retain resale value too

had a buzz hated it -sold after 2wks
icandy apple - anothre heefer.tippy and heavy.dont go threre

i have a stokke xplory. i just love it. expensive but really worth the extra expenditure.

easy to get up and down stairs. soo easy to push, feels very light weight to manaouvre. sits front back high low every combination plus you can add a carry cot and the maxicosi. has a detachable front bag which has masses of space, which might also be useful if you are on 1st floor.

the handle bar is adjustable, so even my 2 year old nephew and my 6"6 husband find it equally easy to push (with guidance from me of course in the case of my nephew... and sometimes my husband!).

but really the lovely thing is having dd high up with us now she is 5 months, she sits quite nicely at table level playing and pickling away without us having to lean down to her.

does admittedly look a bit odd/space agey/ but hey, its a very social buggy, lots of people ask you about it!

if you are only having one child well worth looking into.

like you i didnt know where to start. I went to harrods on a weekday, spent two hours trying out every buggy in the store putting them together, folding down, etc etc decided which one and went and found it £150 cheaper on the internet. John Lewis were so hurried i would avoid.

For the first 4 months my dds were basically in a sling and occasinally in a handed down traditional pram. Could you park the pram on the ground floor of your appartment block?

You will need a car seat, which can be bought separately.

You could choose a buggy later when you know more how things have panned out and what you nneed it for. I have 2, one very comfortable one for planned walks, one cheap Mclaren for when we´re out in the car and doing more shopping style trips.

These huge expensive travel systems are a complete waste of money imo. Much more about status symbol than travel system.

speaking as a buggy addict, bugaboos are lovely, but the frog is no good for you as the handlebar doesn't change height and the cameleon is so expensive to be used for one child, not to mention you have to carry it up stairs in two parts, and take it apart to put in the car. its perfect for people in houses but not flats. If you don't want to get a maclaren (which in my opinion is the best for a flat, (lightwieght, folds small, easy to fold etc) then look at a micralite. you can clip the carseat in and pram unit, but the actual buggy is light and folds easier than bugaboo, but can still be bumped down stairs. you can get good deals from kiddicare. with regards to carseats, i would get a maxi cosi or britax.

Coming in from the left...I love my pram, it's a Chicco trio for me.
Hard to find, but it's a travel system which isn't huge and heavy, and I'm the only one of my gang of mums who hasn't given in and got a second, lightweight pram now that our babies are 9 months etc.

Pros:
Carrycot is great, we even used it as a moses basket for ages. Also quite roomy and will last a long time. It can also be used strapped (with special attachments) to the back seat for long journeys.
Carseat - clips on to the chassis, isn't too big and heavy.
Pushchair: goes both ways.
Chassis - folds small, umbrella style, without the seat attached, and is still quite small with the seat attached. I store it in my extra cupboard car boot (VW Golf). It's also not too heavy.
Another pro is that although it's pricey, £500, you get absolutely everything included. Except a coffee cup holder.

Cons:
Very few of these. Shopping basket isn't huge.
When folding with the rear facing pushchair still attached to the chassis, the back sticks up. (But it is dead easy to take it off.) This isn't a problem when it's forward facing.
Hard to find stockists - there was a local shop here, but John Lewis don't stock.

I found it works for me, and I won't be buying a smaller pram. From what a friend tells me, it's really quite similar to her Icandy Cherry.

Having said that, I agree with sachertorte - travel systems not strictly necessary, and everyone I know (except me) has switched to a smaller pram once the baby is 6 months or so.

Mine isn't trendy though: not a big name and doesn't stand out from the crowd!

but the bugaboo etc detractors always whine oh the price/whit a monster/ostentatious

if you want a bugaboo - buy a bugaboo

Another Stokke Xplory fan here. As stated previously, the front wheels fold up so that it works on two wheels - ideal for stairs or escalators. Can also be used as a high chair when out & about as it is the same heght as the table. DD is now 18 months & we are still raving about it! It takes up a fair bit of boot space, & is amongst the more expensive buggies, but we would still buy it above any other should we have any more DCs.

I have a bugaboo and now have a lightweight buggy as well. I wouldn't have put a newborn in the buggy even though it lies virtually flat - I think they need a bit more protection than the lightweight buggies provide. The bugaboo takes a bit of getting used to particularly the whole collapsing into two bits piece of it - but generally I think it is a great piece of engineering and a lovely pram to have (unless you think you will be going off road a lot in which case it isn't the right one as it doesn't do that well in muddy conditions)

On slings, I also had two different ones and past about 3 months found that I couldn't carry my baby very far in it without getting really serious backache. Also, I am assuming your baby is due around summer? If this is the case bear in mind that it becomes uncomfortably hot for you and the baby carrying round in the sling..... (as I found out!) Hope this helps.

Have only skimmed thread, but wanted to put in a word for the Hauck...think only one person has mentioned. They look like a bugaboo and can be forward or rear-facing even when baby is a bit older and sitting up. Also much cheaper than bugaboo I think. I didn't have one but friend did, and I thought it was great.

I had M&P pramette, which I also recommend for being a flat pram-like thing for first few months and then pushchair-style, and is still quite small and light. But I will confess we also bought a lightweighy buggy for hols etc as M&P does not fold down v neatly.

Xplory is fab. We initially had a M&P Pliko Pramette for dd2 which was lovely in pram mode but no good for us as a pushchair as only forward facing and dd used to get distressed because she couldn't see us.

We sold the pramette and bought the Stokke and used it until she was about 2.5 (had a Maclaren Ryder as well but preferred the Stokke for ease of use, comfort and huge shopping bag).

As we hadn't planned any more dcs we sold it but I now find myself pregnant again and will almost certainly be getting one again. One of the best features was being able to whizz round the narrow aisles in my local Tesco Express, pushing it one-handed with a basket in the other!

i have a quinny buzz and car seat and dreami carrycot to match
big wheels to bump up stairs detachable carrycot to carry if needed
chassis folds flat and self rises no buttons to press one touch literaly and it rises up.
ive just got mine ready to sell now as my ds is 9mths and i need something lighter
its got adjustable handles which is good anyway facing

BUT as another poster said i also thought it tended to tip at the curb

has anyone tried the Mothercare MyChoice?

I had a go at the Baby Show and liked the design, it seemed to do everything. it is compatible with the maxi cosi car seat, and the flat carry cot then folds up to become the seat later on.

both the maxi cosi and carry cot/pushchair can face either way, and the handle is adjustible. you can get it in a 3 or 4 wheel version.

the only things that looked a little dodgy to me were the tiny basket (especially in the 3 wheeler) and the fact that the handle is one big joined up one, rather than two handles angled for comfort.

has anyone actually used one of these? what are they like?

I'm looking for something for our first baby in August - we'll mostly be in and out of the car, with some short walks on pavements, and money is no object because my lovely parents have offered to pay, so i'm looking for the best one regardless of price!

NOT the Quinny Buzz. it's good for the first few months, but an absolute bitch to push once LO gets to about 6 months. It's 3' wide and barely fits through most doorways.

I hate ours, it's sitting in the conservatory. not been used for months. horrible thing!

These are excellent, but don't fit the maxi-cosi (not as big a deal as you'd think). babies are better off not sitting in the same seat for hours on end.. .

www.mamasandpapas.co.uk/range/luna/2409/

also, these..from 6 months. awesome pushchair. We have one and I love it to death.

www.mamasandpapas.co.uk/product-frankie-nicey/101510801/type-i/

sorry, again will say DO NOT BUY A BUZZ!! I could barely get it up the stairs into my front door, would never manage it up a flight of stairs.

These are excellent, but don't fit the maxi-cosi (not as big a deal as you'd think). babies are better off not sitting in the same seat for hours on end.. .

www.mamasandpapas.co.uk/range/luna/2409/

also, these..from 6 months. awesome pushchair. We have one and I love it to death.

www.mamasandpapas.co.uk/product-frankie-nicey/101510801/type-i/

sorry, again will say DO NOT BUY A BUZZ!! I could barely get it up the stairs into my front door, would never manage it up a flight of stairs.

oops

Essie your lo is still very young so I wouldn't bank on not getting an umbrella fold. I tried my 2 year old in a chicco for me the other day and it was much too heavy to push with him in it. The bugaboo was much lighter to push but he was too tall for it.

BTW don't get the 3 wheeled petite star zia. It veers really badly to the side making it incredibly hard to control and push.

You might like babystyle 3 in 1 system . It is a fab carrycot which doubles as a Moses basket , pushchair attachment which faces both ways. And britax rock a tot carseat has an adapted to got onto chassis. The kit includes cosytoes, matching bag, parasol , raincover, huge wire basket, detachable hood with side pockets. The best things was wheels came off to to onto boot. I walked this pram to death with 2 ds and still sold it on for good price as it looked good. My dh could also walk comfortably behind and a buggy board was a good fit when in use. All in all a great buy.