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This thread is a little old now, and some of the product recommendations are out of date.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"

I got one cheapy for the baby insted of forking out for another bug cam and dd still fitted in it easily with room to spare when she was 2.9 and she is a tallie but impossible to push!! I gave in and sold it for a bug cam and could still push dd with one hand in it now just turned 3

I did think the Linear would be heavy to push to be honest as the 3d was and they are quite similar.

My friend found the Switch really hard too. I love the Bee and nearly bought one when DS was 2, but they come up so small don't they. If they made the seat slightly bigger it would be perfect! That's what's putting my friend off it too. She's been looking at:

Jane Solo
Bebecar Rversus
Inglesina Ottuto
Loola Up
MPX
Chicco for me

Don't suppose you've had any of those?

(The Solo may be for me too - had a Jane Carrera and the steering was shit, but the Solo is the new version and wondered if it had been improved)

Been pram shopping again today, visited Mamas and Papas and liked the Pliko Pramette. Does anyone have any experience?

Quite heavy to push. If you want a compact rear facer I would go for the Bugaboo Bee or Loola Up.

Hey babyc, hope you're still checking in.

Your situation describes me & DH to a T! I feel strongly about the baby lying flat, and as every penny counts, we don't want to have to change all the kit after a year.

After MUCH deliberating, this weekend we finally decided on a Briax Vigour 3, with Baby Safe Sleeper for the first few months. The pushchair seat lies flat and can face both directions, and the Sleeper clips onto the frame to make a pram while the baby is still small enough to fit inside. It has a one hand release too - perfect for me when I'm on my own and need to do the stairs if baby's sleeping. I figure I can leave the frame under the stairs out of everyone's way.

Best bit for me is that the sleeper straps into the car as a car seat. We're going to be doing a few long journeys once the baby is born so we're keen to not have to stop every 2 hours to get the baby out of a seat.

We had been offered a second hand bugaboo chameleon, but with a car seat and the carry cot it just wouldn't fit in our car. At least this way, the carry cot will be the car seat saving a bit of boot space.

Hope it helps. It took us weeks to find the right one, but it's so worth it when you finally get it crossed of the list!

There are 2 things that would put me off the Britax baby sleeper. The first is that it can't sit up. I can't imagine an older baby being very happy lying down all the time. The second is that it isn't very long. My friend has one and her 3 month old doesn't like he has much more room left in it TBH.

I've just bought a second hand MUTSY 4 rider light. It's about two years old but still seems to be a real work horse. I bought it complete with carrycot so that the baby can lie flat, the traveller lie-flat car seat and the normal seat unit which can be front or rear facing. I got the whole lot for under £100 of EBAY. It's got a few scratches but I figure that I will only use it a lot in the first six months or so and then I will want something small and light, so it wasn't worth spending loads of money on something. Of course I haven't had it out and about yet cause baby isn't due until April but I love the way it looks and feels so sturdy and comfortable to push. I have heard really good reviews about it and decided I liked it when I tested the new ones in the shop.

wow this thread has got so long since last time I checked! I don't have time to read through it all, so sorry if this is all old ground. I am expecting number 3 in April. I know probably 30 women with small children, plus all the school run mums etc. Everyone ends up with a Maclaren in the end! Whether they started with a Bugaboo, M&P, Bebe Car, Jane, Phil & Teds, everyone gets a Maclaren by the time the child is 8 months or so.
We have a big M&P chassis with carry cot. I found this perfect when tiny as put in cover with blankets and if asleep you don't have to distrurb them to go out. Lack of straps made it v easy to use. After carry cot there was a push chair attachment. We flew abroad when DS was 8 months and bought a Maclaren then (September 2004). DD went in the carry cot for the first 3 months or so, then into the same Maclaren. New baby will be in the M&P and then either baby carrier or Maclaren once about 3 months. That Maclaren has done a lot of miles, both, street and air, been up chairlifts and is still going strong.

Some new prams I have seen that look nice:

Hauck Malibu
Hauck Manhattan
M&P Urbo
Obaby Zoma
Mothercare Spin

agree, maclaran (or similar) are the best!!!

Has anyone looked at the M&P Mylo or Urbo? I quite like the look of the Urbo... right now the Bugaboo Chameleon is our first choice; I did like the Stokke but feedback from friends is that it's just a bit too heavy (and there are quite a few hills where I live!)

Does anyone have any experience with the Mothercare Xcursion travel system?

I am having my 3rd and have been looking at the Graco Symbio - anyone know anything about it? It seems really well priced and looks good..... I'm amazed at how much pushchairs cost now - when DS was born (almost 7 years ago) we got our travel system for £250 and that was a lot of money for us then!

I agree re: maclaren - everyone ends up getting one....but when DD was born in 2003 didn't have a maclaren option with car seat and carrycot - like there is now, seems like a no brainer to me, can't see why anyone would think of buying anything else?

What about the Britax BSMart 3...

It's under £500

Includes carrycot so baby can lie flat
A car seat that gets a good review from Which
and a pushchair that should last until baby is a toddler....

Has anyone else had experience of this model? Good/bad? x

babies can't lie flat in a car seat. It is not advisable to keep them in a car seat for more than a couple of hours. I am always amazed when I see them being wheeled round in them in shopping centres after also being in the car!

Ideally they need to be completely flat so a carry cot on a pram base is the best idea. Unfortunately IME most of the systems that offer this are expensive.

I had a Pliko Pramette which did lie flat but didn't look very comfy tbh. Plus I found the handles were too short.

I am still thinking of what to get myself!

Yet another maclaren fan here!

Had big cumbersome all singing and dancing three wheeler travel system for my first. Lasted a few months until I got a smaller maclaren which was suitable from 3 months.

With my second I bought a maclaren techno classic in the sales - this has also been used for my third, both from birth. I should have just got one right at the beginning, but you get carried away I think!

I have just never seen anything that can beat it for basic shopping trips/ other trips, small walks and quite a lot of abuse.

Hi there,

No idea if people still looking at this thread but i'm having my first boy in February and have no idea where to start pram wise!

In all likelihood it will be our only child though that's not 100% definite (he's an IVF baby).

Anyway I live in a country town but in a house with an estate car, so my primary concern is to find something that can cope with:

20 minute walk through town to the shops
Navigating shops
Country walks

Any advice gratefully received!

I don't know about where you live but i'm in glasgow and we have a pram centre obviously it sells mostly prams n some nursery furniture they were great when i went pram shopping all the staff are trained to do a short demo of what each pram does like how you change seat how to fold/unfold and you can have a bit of a push about and lift. I asked a million questions about each one i liked before deciding you could have a look to see if you have a similar shop in your area i'm sure glasgow can't be the only one.

My list of things i needed it to do was

• be narrow enough to fit thro every door
• be light enough to carry
• fold while holding baby
• have a carry cot and buggy

I ended up with silvercross freeway. Take a check list with you of requirments and don't get carried away with one thats lovely but doesn't fit your needs.

Whatever you decide to get, I would recommend you check ebay for a second hand one if you're on a budget, you might very well find it much much cheaper. The car seat however you should buy new as you never know where it's been before and safety is paramount.

I've got the Britax B-Smart and I love it, it does parent-facing, adjustable everything and has a huge easy-access bag area underneath, I can fit two huge shopping bags in it! But I'm small and it's fairly bulky, there is no chance I could get it up stairs.

Once my DD is too big for it, I will invest in a lightweight pushchair, but I wanted a flat carrycot for the first month and a half.

Good grief, I've just realised this thread was started in 2008. Why on earth has it been resurrected?

I found the initial thread via Google and thought they were interesting but mostly spoke about urban pram needs. Thought easier to continue same discussion than start new one!

Thanks for advice...

A

Next time start a new one. :)