Recomendations please for a compact pushchair to use from birth in a city

[Bartimaeus]

We're looking for a pushchair to use in a capital city - think small pavements, crowds, underground trains....

We've started looking and have seen travel systems where you can use a carrycot clipped onto the chassis from birth, then change to the seat from about 6 months.

Our friends have a Bebecomfort travel system but they say that it's too heavy really and are changing to a Maclaren now their baby is 7 months old.

So, what we're looking for is light, practical, compact, easy to fold, with a carrycot attachment (preferably that can be used in a car) and that can be used from birth up until walking age...

If possible, we need the carrycot attachment to be light - we live on the 6th floor without a lift and although we'll leave the chassis on the ground floor, I'd like to take the carrycot upstairs with us.

Price isn't really an issue. My problem is that there is just so much choice on the market!

Another friend has recommended a Red Castle Citylink 2...

Any other suggestions?

Thanks!

How about the Phil&Teds Smart? There is a brilliant Blog piece online about a family taking their Smart on a train. It's worth a look. Although it doesn't have a carrycot the Quinny Zapp Xtra worked well for is from newborn with a Bugaboo Cocoon inside it. Because the seat unit is flat, it may be possible to strap a different soft cot or cocoon into it.

The Petite Star Zia also takes a carrycot and car seat and may actually be more suitable than the Zapp.

The Phil and Teds Smart can have a mxi cosi or a peanut carry cot.

We used our Maclaren XT from birth. It's now on baby number 3 and nearly 7 years old. Still going strong despite being used day in, day out. I had a sheepskin and fleecy blanket thing to make a cocoon when the baby was little. The fleece could be adjusted to keep a toddler warm later on.

bugaboo bee is a great option fab buggy forward/rear facing,lovely cocoon you can take upstairs with you easily,think it has car seat attachments too...

maclaren xlr has a carrycot attachment and it's reasonably lightweight but carrycot can't be used in the car. Don't think there are many car usable carrycots about but lots of chasis can have a car seat attached but sitting in a car seat for long periods isn't advised so wouldn't go with this option if you can. Carrycots however aren't used for that long - you might be better off going for a stroller with a lie flat option like the maclaren xt, I see loads and loads around London so that many people can't be wrong! We have an xlr as the car seat could be attached but for the few times we really used it, I'd have gone for the xt in hindsight! I shortly will be using the double xt - as for how that manages around town will be another thing entirely!!!

Thanks I'll have at look at all those!

bugaboo bee plus.... 100%!

my best most favorite baby purchase ever... cant say enough good things about it. light easy turns on a dime....best buggy for city living

just starting my own research and heard a lot of good things about the Baby Jogger City mini, very lightweight and manoeverable and collapses with one hand.

My friend has got a Red Castle citylink 2, and they live in a flat several floors up without a lift. What they like about it is that the car seat that they have to go with it can recline flat when it is on the chassis (not in the car), so I understand the baby can be left in it longer than a normal car seat clipped into a pushchair chassis and don't need a separate carrycot. Not sure how easy Red Castle is to get hold of in UK, but having seen how my friends like this model with the reclining car seat I think it is worth you looking into further. I've seen lots of good mentions for the BJCM.

I have a BJCM with carrycot and maxi cosi car seat. Tis fab and I love it because it's so easy to use, collapse, manoeuvre, carry etc!

That Red Castle one looks great and there are UK suppliers if you Google it.

I'm in France so suppliers are no problem

We've decided to go with the Red Castle as there is a handy promotion in a discount shop in Paris (came just at the right time!) which means we'll be saving a bundle.

Our friends who have Red Castle just got back from holiday and they were allowed to strap the carrycot into a plane seat!