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Pregnancy

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Original poster

Prams - which to buy?

28 replies

degroote78 · 08/08/2009 23:13

I am a few months away from giving birth and am starting to think about prams but have no idea which ones are good. I want one I can use from birth that has good support for the baby's spine and is not too cumbersome as I live in London. Any recommendations?

----------------------
Hello,

We've noticed this thread is quite old and some of the product recommendations are a little out of date.

We've spent weeks speaking to parents and testing prams and pushchairs. Here's our round up of pushchair reviews for the best prams on the market right now.

Hope that helps!

MNHQ

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

sleeplessinstretford · 08/08/2009 23:52

it's what will suit you really.
There's buggar all point buying a massive big wheeled pram that you don't have any space to store,won't fit in your car and if you'll only be using it sparingly.
I knew when i bought mine that I needed a big wheeled pram as i walk everywhere and was planning on taking a year off so needed a decent one that would do me for ages. I didn't want blow up tyres on it as i couldn't be arsed with punctures.I needed a high handle as i am quite tall.I wanted a proper carrycot so the baby could sleep in it during the day,i wanted a carseat that would clip onto the wheels and came with a cover etc etc.
If you are likely to be using your car to get about you should maybe start there as a lot of my friends bought massive prams that they then struggled to fit in cars and reverted to using a cheapo buggy for getting about during the day.
I got a mutsy and i love it-for me it suits-baby is still in it daily and is 22months old.

BelleWatling · 08/08/2009 23:55

I got 3 syllables for you - Bugaboo.

Plenty of people will be along shortly (tomorrow morning) to disagree with me. However...lightweight, manoevrable, rear-facing, adaptable, sturdy, a dream to push and I can still carry mine down the tube steps with a 9kg baby and shopping. Plus importantly they look cool. You can get the chameleon if you want a carry cot when baby is small or the bee from birth - I had the latter.

Cons: they are a nightmare challenge to fold so not great if you use a car daily (unless you become more skilled at it - I have not), they claim to go to four years but if you have a sturdy / chubby / average kid will probably only make it to 2. And they are £££.

Get a McClaren XT techno...everyone will recommend this instead.

Congratulations!

BlackberryFool · 09/08/2009 12:14

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Mouette · 09/08/2009 17:59

I have a Pliko Pramette too and am very pleased with it. Only downside is it is hard to fold when assembled as a pram, so not ideal if you want to go places by car and take the pram.

nappyaddict · 21/08/2009 02:30

Bugaboo Bee

NewbeeMummy · 21/08/2009 09:58

I was given a second hand M&P Pliko, and although I have yet to actually use it (dd due in October) I have managed to expand and collapse it with one hand.

If cost is a serious concern join freecycle, it's been a life saver for me, to date have spent a grand total of £50 and have everything I need and more, and everything is great quality.

Boobz · 21/08/2009 10:43

Bugaboo Bee vote here too.

diddl · 21/08/2009 14:16

I had a Silver Cross classic sleepover which I loved.
Great for walking a lot with.
As I walked every day,it was mostly left up.
Folds "flat" but still takes up a bit of room.
Works as pram for newborn, & front & rear facing pushchair.
I loved it as a pushchair as your little one is still quite high up.
Sorry, but I hate those umbrella fold buggies where the child is practically on the floor.

VAB · 21/08/2009 14:34

Just consider what you want from a pram/pushchair. For me important aspects were:

? Forward and rear facing
? One piece (ie not separate carry cot bit)
? Extending handle
? Stylish/modern
? Easy to fold
? Fit in boot

I got the M&Ps skate in the end. It's not the lightest or smallest pram ever but I likes it's looks, it offers everything we wanted and was a good price (£200 off in sale).

I had orginally wanted the Bugaboo Bee after seeing this it felt rickerty - also heard alot of stories of them being tight space wise for a toddler - although this would no doubt be very easy to maneuver around London!!

bunnymother · 21/08/2009 15:55

Quick post from me - I bought a Phil & Teds, which I have to drag up and down and narrow bendy staircase every day. I am v happy with it - its not particularly light but I can lift it without a problem, and it steers a dream. I can easily wheel it into black cabs and they seem to also be easy to get into buses. Can't comment re folding into boot. Its meant to last from birth to about 3 years old. Also an excellent option if you need to have 2 babies in a pram...

reikizen · 21/08/2009 15:58

If I had my time again I would buy a 2nd hand phil & ted's from ebay. Really easy to manouvre, good for babies and big toddlers (unlike a bugaboo which as far as I can see only fits the smallest of children) and good if you have another or need to transport another child for any reason. As it was we had a selection of hand me downs etc as there is no way in the world I could justify spending hundreds of pounds on it. Cheapo...

icedgemsrock · 21/08/2009 16:12

Stokke all the way for me
It's great support for them when tiny and as they grow.
They are really high up so away from exhaust fumes and good for your back.
Easy to manouver (spell?)
you will get loads of compliments
read the reviews on mumsnet products - and watch the stokke video.

EyeballsintheSky · 21/08/2009 16:26

Bee. I bought a huge travel system and I still really love it but I haven't really used it since the seat unit went on as it was too heavy to lift in and out of car. Bee works from newborn with the nest and looks lovely and snug. Very light and easy to push too. DD is 19 months and still happily in hers. Or at least she would be if my footmuff hurried up and arrived!

Cameleons are ugly buggers though, don't get one of those.

lucky1979 · 21/08/2009 17:14

Go and test them out! We tried every pram we could find and settled on Mamas and Papas Ultima 8 in 1 because it did everything I needed it to do plus was extremely easy for me to assemble/dissemble quickly and light to lift in and out of the car. DH was keener on the Quinny because it had hydraulics to fold it down but he had to conceed that I could barely pick it up made it a touch impractical.

Go to a few places (we did John Lewis, Babies R Us and Mamas and Papas) and get the assistant to let you assemble/dissemble them yourself, test the weight, even try and get them in and out of your car if you will be doing that a lot. Then imagine yourself doing all that in the rain with a yowling baby and you should be able to build a picture of what's most important to you ;)

fireandice · 24/08/2009 21:15

Bit late I know - but had to recommend the bugaboo bee.

Sella · 26/08/2009 15:45

I haven't bought a pushchair for myself for nearly 6 years ( and I still use the 2 I had then!).

I got a Mamas and Papas MPX travel system - carrycot is FANTASTIC as it's much bigger than the tiny ones you get in the Buggaboo etc, seat unit is forward or rear facing and you can clip the car seat onto the wheels.

Downside is it's quite big so if you are using bus or tube a lot it might be a pain. At the time we lived near Hampstead Heath so was great for long walks in the park but when I needed to jump on tube down to my sister's I couldn't use it...

This was when I bought a MacLaren Techno. It too is great, lies completely flat so suitable from birth and if you get a good cosytoes in it it's quite snug. Only thing I don't like about it is it's forward facing only.

Anyway, my point is both pushchairs were - and still are brilliant, I'm soon to have baby No3 and will be using both original pushchairs again. They have lasted and are still in really good nick. Hope this helps a bit!

zelda200 · 26/08/2009 16:53

I reckon the Stokke. I have two other pushchairs (a silver cross normal umbrella-type) and one where you put a car seat onto the frames.

The Stokke is miles better for loads of reasons...

Pros:

baby can face you or other way
can position seat high up, so you can talk to baby easily, can function as high chair in restaurants etc. Also easier on yr back for getting child in and out (don't have to bend down to do up ties etc).
massive shopping bag at front, can stack up high so great for supermarket shops. Can also wedge suitacases/large bags in there so great for travelling
smooth 'handling' (according to all males who use it!)
adjustable handle heights, so good for all esp tall men who can use the highest setting
does not tip over, unlike all those maclaren type ones (even without shopping bags hanging off handles - our silver cross on the bus once and it would NEVER happen with a Stokke because of their design)

Cons:

Folds up quite long so a challenge to get into cars with small boots, but always manage it (eg in my mum's vauxhall astra)
Price. But I honestly think mine worth every penny, esp if you use public transport a lot, and don't use a car to go to the supermarket.

BTW - no pushchair is perfect and you'll probably end up with more than one anyway!

Good luck!

tostaky · 26/08/2009 17:09

maclaren XT, not a pram, much better!

pasturesnew · 26/08/2009 17:14

I really wanted a Bugaboo Bee but was told it would not fit easily alongside another buggy on a London bus so that put me off, also by the fact that it is not completely lie-flat. I have got a Maclaren XLR instead, it is just like the XT as far as I can see except that you can get a carry cot with it. I like the Maclarens very much (easy to fold, fold down small, lightweight, easy to push, fit on London buses perfectly well) but wanted something flat and cosy for a newborn, the carry cot is OK and looks nice but seems a bit hard so I will be padding it before the new baby goes in there.

eth37 · 26/08/2009 18:21

Does anyone have any pros/cons for the Quinny Buzz?

MRSVICTOR · 26/08/2009 18:30

I'm also looking for a pram/buggy/travel system or whatever you call it and I have to say its so confusing - my head is full of it. I've fallen for the bugaboo cameleon (I think our baby is gonna be a big un) but then I read all the other reviews and I think ...argghhhh.............I'm often caught by worried parents eyeing up their prams..probably think i'm a right nut

Paperclipcollector · 27/08/2009 11:31

I had the Bugaboo Frog - absolutely loved it though it was a bit of a pain folding it at first. I needed something very lightweight and out of all the ones I tried (to go from birth to toddler) this was the best.

However considering trying for another baby just so I can buy a Bugaboo Bee.....

MRSVICTOR · 27/08/2009 18:41

Haven't looked much at the Bee - i've been looking at cameleon - off to do some further research me thinks

mumtoted · 27/08/2009 18:48

I had a bugaboo frog for dd. Loved it til someone nicked it off my doorstep. Replaced it with bugaboo chameleon for ds, now 2, still using it, its fab!
Think the quinny wheel base is wider than most.

dinkystinky · 27/08/2009 18:54

Cons for Quinny Buzz in London is that they are really wide (wider than a bugaboo) - so cumbersome to get on buses (and wont fit down the aisle of smaller buses) and a pain in shop. Not much space to store stuff under buggy either. But pros are that easy unfold/fold (but only in front facing mode), easy to steer and lovely to be able to have baby facing you. I have one which I bought with DS1 and use it when out and about with DS2 - but also bought a Maclaren Techno XLR for DS2 which is tonnes easier to use on public transport in London.

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