Silver cross Kensington.......advice please!

[DottieRose]

I am toying with the idea of getting a silver cross Kensington, have any of you experience with one? Are they very cumbersome? I live in the country so getting around with one shouldn't be too much of an issue. Up to how many months can the child use it for? And in terms of getting it in the boot of a car is this even possible....I have a BMW 3 series, would it fit do you think? Thanks in advance!

I had a Silver Cross Voyager for my DD...It was an 80's pram that has a fabric body, rounded hood and oval ends and was smaller than a Kensington...I loved using it...There was a period of time from 12 weeks until 5 months when i could only use it if DD was going to fall asleep in it, because she got really upset if she was wide awake and had to lie flat and couldn't see very much...I used it until she was about 18 months old, as she loved sitting up high and having a great all round view...We had a Vauxhall Meriva at the time and i could put the chassis with the wheels on inside the boot, and the pram body fit perfectly on the parcel shelf...I still miss my proper pram as it's so easy tp push and i loved the bounciness of it.

I half thinking of buying a 1970s one that I saw for?200 that could be a going for walks etc. pram and then maybe invest in a stroller to put in boot got outings to the city! I think if I bought it brand new I would feel very cheated if I couldn't bring it everywhere!

I had and still have a big silver cross pram but i really should sell it on as my youngest is 17 !!!! I bought it second hand for next to nothing and it was brilliant. I bought a new mattress for it and would advise reins for when they are sitting up so that they dont fall out. There is a board that lifts up in the bottom so that they can sit up and mine has the reins attachment hooks there. It was brilliant for walking and gives a lot of protection whatever the weather. I had a cosy toes that i used once they were older. I had another pram and sling that i used for going into town as you would not want the hassle of taking it down to put in the car , although the lady i bought it from did do that.

I have a mamas and papas ultimate with fixed wheels- it is very similar but maybe a bit more town friendly.

I have the Balmoral, which is the GINORMOUS one. I would never have bought it (my gran did) but I LOVE it with all my heart. It has tons of room for the baby, plus you can fit all your shopping down below. I used mine until my daughter was maybe 18 months or so - with the reins attachment and all the room, she could sit and happily play surrounded by toys. I also second the weather protection thing - with the hood up and the cover on, you could walk your child through gale force storms. It's also very good for naps - I'm about to have my second baby, and I plan on using it as a travel cot as well as a pram.

If I was going to buy it though, I think I would choose the Kensington purely because you can fold it - I have another for car trips, because mine doesn't fold. The only other issue is that I constantly got stopped and asked about the pram :)