Buying a pushchair/travel system

[fells]

I'm 31 weeks pregnant and looking into buying a pushchair / travel system. I have a V reg Polo and have so far only come across 3 that will fit in the boot without having to remove the parcel shelf. I was told in Mamas and Papas that you should not keep a young baby in the car seat for longer than half an hour. This seems a bit strange because if you followed this advice you wouldn't be able to leave the house! In the Mothercare catalogue it says you can keep them in a car seat for up to 2 hours. Which should I believe and can anyone with a small car recommend a decent travel system? Also, is it better fitting a car seat onto a base or strapping it into the car with the seat belt?

Hi. I have a bigger car, so can't recommend one. However, there was a report on TV which showed the M&P's carseat that sat on a base and the baby was at a very bad angle once in it (ie. neck lolling forward) and people were boosting the seat underneath with a rolled up towel or similar which negates the safety. I have a friend who was doing this. So, choose very carefully and do drive to shop and try the seat in your car and put something in there that would match babies weight just to see how it would be.

Also, we found that our seat fitted my car but not hubbys so that's worth considering too.

I am following this thread with great interest am only 7 wks pg but have been told I will have to have C-section. Are there any lightweight alternatives so I can take my baby out alone and take the pushchair/carseat.

I have a Skoda Fabia - don't know how much bigger, if any, this is than your Polo (same engine) - wouldn't have thought much bigger. Anyway I have a Graco Sterling Travel System which has been great. It fits in the Fabia boot although there's not much room for anything else and now we have two sprogs we are thinking of getting a bigger car.
We've used the car seat regularly for longer journeys as both sets of parents live a fair distance away (90 miles & 2oo miles) and I can't say we've had any probs with the kids growing up with wonky necks or back problems!

Dyzzidi - I had sections with both mine and have always used the Graco Sterling. I was driving 3 weeks after the op both times but I can't remember exactly when the first time I used the travel system was. Never remember it being a problem though - they're not that heavy - just need to be careful about how you lift (i.e. not straingin stomach - bend knees etc...

fells did you check out the mumsnet reviews of travel systems, i think if u go to the home page you ll find the section.

i would just say, dont spend a fortune if you are planning to have more than one child, we did on our first pram with 1st baby and in hindsight it was a wate of dosh, bought a lighter buggy from mothercare at 6mths for holidays and then a twin on 2nd s arrival, so a travel system maynot be necessary. A car seat up to 9mths and a pushchair suitable from birth might be better.

as for the timew in the seat, well 1/2 stints i think unless you are travelling

I think the advice is that babies shouldn't be in car seats for longer than 2 hours - they should be lying flat for the majority of the time until they are 6 months as their spines are 'bendy'.

I would assume that not many babies go on regular 2 hour car journeys - but this is an issue for car seats that get put onto travel systems and then pushed around. If going to go shopping for a few hours then it is best for the baby to be put into a travel system that can lie flat.

Jane (pronounced Haney) do a lie flat car seat called the Matrix which can be converted to a sitting up car seat as well. The car seat can go on a variety of their chassis so this may be an option if this is worrying you.

However, as you have a small car don't go for the Powertrack which is a 3-wheeler as it doesn't pack down very small. I had a Peugeot 206 and have now swapped to a Picasso - and there still isn't a lot of room!

The majority of my antenatal friends have Mama's & Papa's as they do a really good range - and they have all been happy with them. HTH

I can recommend the jane matrix(pronounced jane not haney-??lol) as i had one when ds was born, we had the powertrack, but a great lightweight smaller version would be the four wheeled buggy-the CARRERA C its quite lightweight and its a lie flat buggy but the matrix car seat can be attatched to use it as a travel system and you dont have to worry about waking baby when moving from car to buggy as it lies completely flat

im also quite old fashioned in my views on this and hate seeing people which graco travel systems, getting babe in car, driving, taking out, plonking car seat on buggy, shopping for hours on end, putting babe back in car etc etc, they dont lie flat, ok some stage 0 car seats lie faily relclined nowdays but the matrix is the only one that can boast of complete flatness which is ultimately much better for a newborn back

I would have to agree and recommend the jane matrix/powertrack/slalom combo. Although as the matrix recently won the Which guide to travel systems there is about a 5 month waiting list, so get in early. I have a small car and as the wheels are quick release there is no problem getting the chassis in the car.I would recommend having a few practise go's on fitting the matrix in the car whilst in the lie flat position as it does take some getting used to!!!

I have the Jane Carrera C - chosen precisely because it fitted in the boot of our Polo. Unfortunately the Polo died after we'd ordered the buggy LOL!

However a nice lady in the shop tried to fit the Matrix car seat and it didn't fit in the back seat when in the sitting-up position (ie. for older babies).

HTH

I am follwing this thread ladies as I want to try and get as much info as possible re Travel Systems. Although we have a big boot on the car I know that there are days when I'd like to get on the train/bus and would like mine to be a small as possible. About 2 weeks ago I saw a lady with a Bebe Confort Loola (she had the car seat attached to the frame). It looked nice and compact. Just what I need. I might Visit the Baby's R Us store down Purley Way to actually what they have and have a good old push round!

Bami xx

I have a Graco Quattro travel system and to be honest it's a waste of money, bought a lightweight Maclaren Techno XT after a few months. The graco just fitted in the boot (nothing else would fit in there though) and found it too big and cumbersome to push round the shops. The car seat and base you leave in the car is good though, DD still in hers as she is little.

I've also got a Jane travel system, tho I've got the twin one. It folds up to fit int he boot of our fiesta, so I'm sure the sinlge would fit in a polo. They say two hours max, but we have the rebel car seats and the twins pratically live in them tbh, even at home. They are well padded, quite reclined and the babies always look comfy in them.

the lightest one I've seen is the Quinny Zapp. I think you can fit the dreami carrycot and the maxicosi car seat onto it.

I have the quinny buzz, it folds up quite small and you just clip the carseat onto the frame, the actual puchchair chair can be left at home.

It's lightweight and easy to steer and not half as cumbersome-looking as many of the travel systems

Hi ladies, just as i had sold myself on the idea of a Jane Carrera + matrix - I have done a little internet research and been a bit put off by a couple of things

1. Apparently the matrix is huge and cumbersome!
2. The matrix does not fit into a shopping trolley?

How did you cope with this - did you push the whole trolley round tesco?! Also, did you use it as a rear facing seat with a newborn? - if Ihave my other kids with me - I won't get them all in the car if the matrix takes up the whole back seat. Unfortunately this would be mainly when we are on longer car journeys and the baby should be lying flat.

By the way, Mumsnet reviews seem to rate the Mothercare urban detour (my previous first choice) more highly!

tha matrix in the lie flat takes up 2 seats in the back, and it is bigger than your average travel system, however i went for safety as the carry handle/roll bar is made out of the same material they use for side impact bars in cars, in the Which guide the mothercare specials dont even feature for safety. However the choice is yours, and lifesyles dictate which will be the most suitable, unfortunately motorways are a big part of my life, whereby safety had to come first!

Hi, well I have gone completely mad and bought a Jane Carrera with matrix car seat on ebay! I know I'm only 8 wks (with number 4) and hate to tempt fate but I thought it was too good an offer to pass up. I got it for £105 and it looks like it's in immaculate condition (and not been in an accident). I went for the carrera buggy type cos in my experience, substantial pushchairs are a damn nuisance unless you walk everywhere and can leave it up. (I wouldn't have coped with my double pushchair but I had my car stolen and was able to keep it up in the garage).

Congratualtions!
you'll love the matrix(unless you are planning on carrying it around everywhere lol)
No, seriously though, when we first had our powertrack+matrix it was very new to the english market and we had never seen one in the street when we ordered it, then when ds was born, we got stopped in mothercare and asked what it did and the women was dead intrested and chatted to us about it for about an hour! lol
I was like...it does this, this, this and this!

busyalexsmummy - how did you cope with the trolley dash round Tesco? My seller tells me she used a sling which is an option. Is it like carrying a carrycot around?

Can I just use the carseat in a sitting up position when I want to ie when I have a car full or in a trolley?

I found that even when sitting up the matrix wont fit in most specially designed things in the supermarket trollys, but I never really go shopping on my own, my partner and I always go at the weekend together so havent really had that problem. but you could just take a little blanket with you when shopping to put on the baby seat of the trolly then put baby on it(ie. the baby seats arent always spotlessly clean)
or as you said use a sling, or if your not getting much shopping sit it up and put it in the trolly.
we never really used to use it sitting up, but this time it'll be different with 2 children and 2 car seats in car so yes it will be sat up(ps it takes up 2 spaces when lieing down not the whole back seat(thats as long as you have lap belt in middle seat)

what i would recommend though is getting it fitted in to the car lying down, just so you know how to correctly put the clips in(then the clips can always be left in car-no need to take out)
they are pretty simple, just loop the seat belt, push through the metal bit, the slip the red bar bit in the loop, if you have a fiddle around you'll know when its done properly becuase it shouldnt move.
hth xx

To anyone buying the Jane Powertrack 360 - be prepared for lots of attention in the street!! I couldn't believe the amount of blokes who stopped to comment " Bloody hell, disc brakes". Not being up on these things I have to admit it was DH's choice of such technicalities and to this date don't think i've ever stopped the buggy with the brake! They are great buggies and we are having to currently work out what to do in September when No 2 comes along as No1 will still need something for a while.
Re matrix and supermarket trolley - seem to remember putting it in the actual trolley and not being able to buy a lot!!