Do I need a pram?

[ArcticRain]

I have a 6 week old daughter. My stepsister has let us borrow her Maxi Cosy car seat which clips into a Quinney frame , and we have been using this for shops and trips .

I use a Kari Me sling for dog walking.

I want to start daily walks with DD , trying to build up to several miles , and not sure whether its fair to use the car seat system. But I don
't want to spend out.

I'm also very petite so need something light.

We were going to wait till 6 months and just get a Maclaren.

Do you think I should buy a pram or would it be ok to use the car seat one ?

Which Quinny frame are you using? If its the Buzz then you can get the carrycot to go on to the chassis. If its the Zapp then you will probably want a more robust pushchair. I am not sure I would necessarily recommend the Maclaren if you want to do serious walking, but equally you probably don't need a pram. Do you mind buying second hand or do you want new? I am thinking something like a Nipper or Mountain Buggy Swift may suit you.

From a practical point of view, the maximum time recommended for babies to spend in a car set is 2 hours at a time due to the position of the spine. For longer trips they should either lie flat or sit (older babies)

Plus I always think that my son is a little exposed in the car set clipped onto the pram base, even with the footmuff.

You may be able to just buy the carry cot top for the base you are using, which might be cheaper than shelling out on a whole new pram.

Yes I was worried about her being in the car seat for so long , she can't wriggle . I'll take a look at those suggested . Do they last ?

If you're doing lots of walking then do look at the sort of thing Tiggy suggested i.e. a 3 wheeler with air tyres for offroading. There are often lots of this sort of thing going cheap on eBay if you're not too fussed about cosmetic condition and age.

The issue with carseats is that it closes up the baby's airway. I wouldn't choose to keep a small baby in a carseat for more than about 45 minutes to an hour personally, but the recommendation is no more than 2 hours with a 2 hour gap if possible.

Which Quinny do you have? Is it a tiny folding one with 1,2,3 buttons and two handles, or a big wide chassis with a hydraulic opening ie it springs up easily and has one handle? Or something different?

I was looking at the city jogger mini one . Would that be to flimsy . And I guess the buggaboo bee is out . I feel a trip to John Lewis is on to try some out .

Feel bad now as we have done some long car trips .

It really depends where you walk. Both the Bee and City Mini would be fine for pavement walking. But if you are going on grass or along rough paths, you would be better with something slightly more robust. The City mini would cope better than the Bee. Where will you be walking? Also the City Mini has a high handle. The Britax B-Agile would be better if you like that style of pushchair.

LO, ok, let's start again!
Where will you be walking ie what terrain?
What is your budget?
Do you want to buy new or second hand?
You want something to suit your height and be light to lift?

Do you mean light to lift or light to push? Or both?
And the terrain you'll be on makes a huge difference.
Do you want parent facing?
If your sister gave you the Quinny frame, does she have the seat unit as well? If it's the Buzz, the small seat unit is suitable from birth so you could use that now. If it's the Zapp, the fabric seat is only suitable from 6 months, although there's no recline so it's really only suitable for short trips where the baby won't be napping.
Oh and the budget makes a huge difference!

Ok sorry very tired if not making sense !

I have the small Quinney with the three buttons. It seems very flimsy.

I use the sling for field walking.

I want something I can use to get us out and ramp up my mileage for fitness. It will mainly be hilly paths , with only occasional grass or stones, if at all .

I'm under 5 foot so need it not to be bulky or heavy to lift.

I would like it to go through baby to toddler. Im not sure about a carry cot , and am undecided about which way it should face. Just really after something comfy for her and easy for me.

I wouldnt want to go over 500 but can do if needed , would prefer a lot cheaper !

I'd get a nipper 360 single or a mountain buggy

I am glad we agree sleepless :)

I'd say the BJCM GT but it's due in March so may be too long to wait.

The Bugaboo Cameleon is lovely and light to push, but it would have to be second hand.

The Brio Go is also apparently very light to push.

Or look at a TFK Joggster Twist.

Also maybe a Micralite of some form.

Or a Jane - I get confused with all the models but some parent face.

Silly question and maybe I've missed it but can you get a decent sling for long walks? Something like an ergo or manduca, which you can then switch to backpack as she gets older.

mountain buggys are great and tick all your boxes, apart from the light to lift up say to put into a car boot, what about a b agile [the city mini will be too tall for you] how much under 5 foot are you, i am 5 foot and have an uppababy vista and although it has a high handle i still find it comfy to push [i did not find the cameleon comfy to push at the same handle height, 104cm]
the bugaboo bee is lovely and so light to push, light to carry, but it really is a path pushchair, or the icandy peach or strawberry could be worth a look too.

also the brio go is meant to be lovely and so light to push, there is one on ebay at the mo, but depends where you live, but it looks like it comes with everything
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Brio-Go-Buggy-Accessories-and-Car-Seat-birth-Pram-Pushchair-bugaboo-/330675921524?pt=UK_Baby_BabyTravel_Pushchairs_GL&hash=item4cfdd22274

Ok this is great . I'll take a look at all these on the net later .

With regards to the sling question , I was going to.ask at what age can we start using the normal ones that strap to the front of the body , rather than a wrap ? We want to get back out hiking but need to wait till I can move away from the fabric sling .

Wraps tend to be comfier than front carriers, especially as the baby gets bigger. Which wrap have you got? And what stops you from being able to hike with it?

It's a Kari Me wrap . Have only used the cuddle position yet though and feels a bit vulnerable . But only used it several tmes so need practise .

You can use a lot of buckled slings from birth. Like the Ergo, you get a newborn insert.

I loved my wrap sling, but by the time DD was about 8kg I struggled carrying her for very long. I definitely wouldn't want to do it for long walks up hills. And with a pushchair you have storage for your bag and generally baby crap necessities! And it's easier if the weather turns bad. I know a lot of people do the whole slinging a baby until they walk at 9 months and then they follow nicely beside them, but I'm not one of those women!

I have the Moby which is very much like the Kari Me. But the Kari Me has lycra so is a lot more stretchy. I found having one with less stretch was better for me as it was more supportive. The sings board would be a better place to ask for advice.

The ergo and manduca from birth. I have a manduca which I've used from birth. It has an unbuilt newborn support. DD is 7 weeks so not sure what it'll be like when she's bigger. I didn't get the ergo because it required a seperate insert.