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Pushchairs

Hoping you can recommend me a pushchair...

12 replies

puzzletree · 01/03/2012 16:03

Hi pushchair experts!
I'm expecting my third child and am wondering whether it's worth getting a new pushchair. Criteria are....

  1. rear-facing for newborn (this could be e.g.with carrycot rather than seat)
  2. not crazily expensive (buying 2nd hand is an option though if hard-wearing and reliable)
  3. not heavy (we're used to a maclaren triumph now!)
  4. compact fold
  5. no carseat compatibility required, lie-flat is essential
  6. sturdy and comfy enough for day trips
  7. compact enough for public transport (I don't drive)
    The 3 pushchairs we've owned before are
    a) M&P pliko pramette- Loved this for the first year, nice and sturdy, rear-facing and lay flat, but then didn't really use once we got a Maclaren.
    b) Maclaren triumph- great buggy for older children, like how lightweight it is and the umbrella fold.
    c) Phil&Teds double- brilliant double, also used a lot as a single as it was so sturdy/comfy for DS2.
    We've only got the maclaren now so our options are to either borrow something to use for the first 9 months or so (a friend has offered the loan of her Loola) or buy something, but I'd only prefer to do this if it's something we're likely to keep for use for a few years.
    So what (if anything) fits the bill?
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Ihateparties · 01/03/2012 18:49

Hmmmm... lots of options depending on your concept of crazy expensive? Compact in general terms is fairly easy but more complex if you want it to be narrow in particular for public transport?

In the region of £250 if you hunt down the cheapest deals: the obvious ones are Baby Jogger City Mini (62cm wide I think?) with carrycot, Britax B Agile (58cm wide) with carrycot, both of which are consistently recommended on here and probably the most genuine options for something you can use for a newborn and would realistically continue using when you may otherwise go back to your Triumph. Ditto a Bugaboo Bee (53.5cm wide I think?) either used at this price level or new but more expensive. Micralites with carrycot also come up often in discussion here for this sort of thing. All of these could easily be ebay jobs for quite a bit less than the new price Grin

Babystyle Oyster (56cm), Mamas and Papas Sola (62cm) things of that type have the lie flat or almost flat reversible seat unit but being that little bit more bulky perhaps more of a first year option than a use for 3 years type thing but depends on how you use your buggy maybe?

I have a B Agile with carrycot for my 3rd, it's working out pretty well so far, extremely light to push but the carrycot is a very tight fit. The sitting position for an older baby/toddler is also a bit weird, I have been using it for my toddler as well and they seem to struggle to sit very upright. Have a suspicion the City Mini might be slightly easier to use but the compact carrycot is quite a bit smaller than the Britax one. I'm sure more people will be along shortly with other ideas. Good luck!

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puzzletree · 01/03/2012 19:00

Cheers for the quick reply, lots of ideas, will check them out. DS2 pretty much lived in the Phil & Teds cocoon for his first few months which was great, so I do like the idea of a carrycot attachment.
Hardest job is going to be convincing DP that buying something new is the way to go...

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BrassMonkeyBaubles · 01/03/2012 22:24

Uppababy cruz, but not sure when they're available in the uk...
mountain buggy swift (eBay or new from boots if still on offer if code PUSHC80 still works for extra 10% off).

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Tiggywunkle · 01/03/2012 23:32

I think the others have said it all and I agree with everything above :)

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puzzletree · 02/03/2012 13:05

I like the idea of the Baby Jogger City Mini plus carrycot option. One of my friends has one, it's the 3 wheeler one, and the only problem she mentioned was finding it a bit tricky to manoveur up and down kerbs etc. Do any of you know if the 4 wheel version is better in this respect? I'll try and find somewhere to go and try out all the pushchairs you've suggest, just want to have as much info as possible in advance. Thanks for all the advice so far.

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puzzletree · 02/03/2012 13:42

Oh and another question. Do any of you rate the maclaren xlr plus carrycot? Thanks

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Tiggywunkle · 02/03/2012 16:28

The 4 wheeler is solid as a rock. I would recommend it. I swapped my 3 wheeler to the 4 wheeler to gain the stability.

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puzzletree · 02/03/2012 16:33

Thanks, sounds like that's my top option then. Now to work out how much this will all cost by emailing around, it seems lots of retailers can't post prices online!

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Tiggywunkle · 02/03/2012 17:13

No, they aren't allowed to post prices. Give people a call :)

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Ihateparties · 04/03/2012 21:54

I would second the City Mini 4 with carrycot, either the deluxe one or the compact one maybe dependent on your tendency to have big or not so big babies? I got the b agile because it was cheaper and 4 wheeler as oppose to the city mini 3 which would have come in to my budget just. Whilst the b agile is definitely not bad personally I'm convinced the baby jogger is the better of the two for ease of use and probably has the edge on quality also.

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Lifesagame · 04/03/2012 22:07

I have a BJCM4 and it is truly fab. Didn't get it till DS2 was 6 months so can't comment on the carry cots, but as a pushchair it's nigh on impossible to fault. I certainly have yet to find anything I dislike.

It's so easy to maneouvre and I frequently get it up and down curbs with one hand, whilst I'm sorting out DS1 and his scooter with the other hand.
As Tiggywunkle said the 4 wheeler is rock solid, so far not a squeak, rattle or creak to be heard (unlike lots of other pushchairs I see!), and completely stable. I can imagine it will last an awful long time, no matter what you throw at it!!

My husband was reluctant to get "another" pushchair, but the BJCM has won him over completely and even he now freely admits it's brilliant!

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puzzletree · 04/03/2012 22:12

Ok ladies, I'm going to push for the BJCM4 with carrycot then, thanks for all your help :)

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