?which pram-for urban walks,bus travel, lightweight, good size basket, easy fold and steer - hit me wi'em! PLEASE PLEASE!!!

[sammysamsam]

I've been set a mission to find a pram for a DH's friends..Mum is 6months gone and so poorly :( the Dad to be is clueless! They'd been out and favoured the Buzz more fool them (!) The Buzz idea has gone out the window once I'd spoken to them about the vast array of prams available and also of my experiences with the beautiful looking, but totally impractical Quinny Buzz! They were both overwhelmed and are so confused that they have asked me to get for them a pram which 'I' think would be best..I referred him to this site but I think he got lost navigating..men..pff. With the help and guidance of knowledgeable mumsnetters, I would reeeeally like to gauge opinions on which pram suits the following needs:

The couple live in Barking. London on the upper floor of a maisonette (about 20 steps, but spacious staircase) They do not have a car and mainly walk/ use the bus. Both are shorties so adjustable handle height is not to fret about.

Budget is £250 so it'll have to preloved (they are paying and do not mind it being used)

good size basket
lightweight-ish (not heavy weighty thing)
easy fold (just incase she has to fold on overcrowded bus)
one 'part' fold (as in the buggy can be folded with seat 'on' )
suitable from birth - or carrycoat 'attachable'
easy steering (sommat sturdy for the London pavements/ curbs
the DH likes 'big tyres' but wife doesn't like the idea of puctures! - not a priority nonetheless

Which pram/ buggy would be best for the clueless couple who are so confused! (well, I thought I knew my stuff, but its hard to see past my beloved bjcm- so im biased, to say the least!)

I have looked at the My3, My4 and the Icandy Cherry and Apple, Babystyle Oyster..is there a really good'un I've missed? I like the cherry so far - and have spoken to the mum to be, but the way she's feeling. I think she'd settle for a padded wheel barrow. I would really appreciate your help!

If they're going on London buses a lot and carrying it up steps, the Maclaren XT has a lot going for it. Robust, solid wheels, fine from birth, can steer one handed. Basket a bit small esp when baby is still lying flat, but bags on the handles work well. Mine's now being used for dc2.

Hauck shopper. Various colours at under £200 on ebay. Complete with carrycot/pushchair seat/car seat. Large shopping basket. Light enough for all those stairs and not too heavy/wide for use on public transport. Cheapest colour is mint at £159. www.amazon.co.uk/hauck-shopper-carrycot-pushchair-stroller/dp/B004AHLLVQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1339432596&sr=8-2

With all the bells & whistles (change bag etc) it's still only £225 www.amazon.co.uk/Hauck-Shopper-Pushchair-Travel-Bordeaux/dp/B007YTWNFA/ref=pd_sim_sbs_by_6

I'm on the 3rd floor, no lift and LOVED my Graco citi sport but it was discontinued, and only seems to be still available in the twin version now. The hauck shopper is the closest modern version of what I had. Posh doesn't mean 1/2 as much as practical when confronted with the weeky shop & all those stairs!

I had the cherry when I lived in Lkndon and loved it. Great for buses and the basket carried a huge amount :)

BJCM? I'm suprised nobody on here has suggested it yet :) 8ish kg, one hand compact fold, some kind of fancy tyres that have foam in but feel like air tyres. I don't know about the steering but the three wheelers I have are very easy to steer. Don't know about the basket size either. I only nearly bought one :)

Ok, just read the OP properly . Do you think they would get on with a BJCM? I use buses (in Norfolk though :)) and I would not chance a chunky buggy in case I had to fold it up, although for your friends I'm guessing that a "good" bus service means more than 2 an hour, so they could just catch the next one.

Britax mobile B. Idea for the urban environment & lugging up all those stairs. Modular system so they can mix & match carrycot/car seat etc as desired. This is deffo my 1st choice due to the flexibility of the system, and the fact that britax has a good reputation for quality. Kiddicare stocks it. Also comes in brand new at under £250.

I would look at the BJCM too - I took ours on the bus this week and it was great. That or a B-Agile.

ooh, lots of info here- ta laydees! I actually went into Britax territory from the 'Haulk' buggy which was suggested by bochead..Haulk unfortunately doesn't look very pretty but seems to be a great buy - still working out the differences between the bmobile and agile!..and the bjcm tabby, I have that myself and love, love, love it! but.. despite having one its a bit 'bare' for a newborn..unless one got a carrycot too but then i wonder if the carrycots would fit any bcm city mini (i.e., if i bought for them a 2010 model buggy, would a recent carrycot fit in it??) - i'd have to do a lot of question asking to the sellers and some might not even know which year their bjcm was manufactured... notcitrus, the xt i suggested to them (ive had that one too!) but agreed that it may be better for a 6m+ bub - tis not so padded iykwim..but god, its so easy and ideal for city living.

any opinions on the my3/4 or oyster etc? for some unbeknown reason i keep on reverting to the icandy cherry! its so pretty...

Definitely BJCM: only buggy I could ever fold, so easy and handy to take about, brilliant.

Barking is not the most salubrious area. icandy is a theft magnet to pickpocket types & muggers in a busy shopping or market area Is it safe to buy a 2nd hand carrycot unit? Can you get brand new mattresses for them?

That Britax mobile would allow you to pop a bicycle lock on it before climbing those stairs with the weeks shopping. Think about those stairs and go for a 4 wheeled lightweight buggy. My neighbours all quickly flog off anything heavy any generous rellies donate! Pretty soon gives way to preserving the back when you have no lift!

I loathe 3 wheelers on buses - more prone to tipping & somehow trip people when there is more than one buggy on the bus.

If they want a car seat for coming home from the hospital, taxi trips to the clinic etc don't forget this should be purchased new - so careful that doesn't ruin your budget.

Bee. I have an Apple, a Bee and an XT. All fab in their own way. The Apple would be massively too big for buses etc. The XT isn't padded enough for a newborn as you say, even though it's technically suitable from birth. I have a 21 week old and I wouldn't put her in it yet.

The Bee is light, forward and rear facing, reasonable basket, great for buses, light to lug up steps. It doesn't have big tyres but unless you're off roading it's not a problem. DD2 is still in the baby nest and she's been lovely and snug.

oh.. yes, you're very right about barking they live on one of the nicest roads but once you turn turn the corner a few streets away spot on!... although i guess she'll be going to gp apptmts and will have to leave the buggy in a buggy park area thingie so can't be too safe... many thanks for highlighting that...

although as for their maisonette, the stairwell leading up to their living area is solely for their use with its own entrance (the downstairs has a separate entrance). as for the carseat -it literally will JUST be used for the taxi ride home - the midwife mentioned the hospital may loan them one and also, should they not have one, they can borrow my maxi cosi (it's a little too much to expect them to shell out another £100 for a carseat that'll be used for one journey and mine hasn't been involved in any accidents.)

i think you're right about three wheelers prone to tipping, esp. when the mum is a weakiling type (i.e., not a 'well rounded' gal with giant norkage like me!) she does have good genes as she looks about 16 (from the back) and can only tell she's preggers when looking at her from the side! she is so trim! she's nearing her 30's btw!

GwendolineMaryLacey - oh the bee is sooo lush! but i haven't even attempted to look at bug as one in good nick would be really pricey even second-hand..they hold their value so well. Windsor is full of bugs, but I've not seen one around their way (but have only been to their house about 3times)- and to be fair, haven't really gone to the shopping malls etc

anyway..Im looking at the britax as i write.. is it a nice steer? ooooh, just came across a great strollerguru video comparing the B-agile to the BJCM- crikey, how similar are they???!!! looks like the agile is better than the mobile so far.. deffo a front runner...

crikey, just come across the sola now - oooh, it's parent facing!...

any ideas about mothercare spin? bargainous prices second-hand..how come?!

The Sola is awful......it looks pretty but really isnt good.
The Britax B-Agile and BJCM are lovely - the BJCM IMHO is slightly better for the child, but the B-Agile has a lower handle.
The Cherry is fab - one of my favourites.
The Oyster is really high spec but I am not that happy about the seating position for the child, but the advantages may outweigh the disadvantages.
If the Cherry is a magnet for pick pockets then a Bee would be worse!!
Have a search on here re the Mothercar Spin - there have been some threads about it collapsing on people.

Which of the Britax models could you most easily attach a simple flexible bike lock from the £1 shop to? I'm thinking about trips to childrens centres etc as the baby grows, where they make you leave the buggy in the bike shelter thingy outside.

Could the carry cots for any of these models double as a moses basket for the early days?

Seats that can lie flat when needed are nicer once the child is older too. Nothing nicer than stopping for a coffee & natter with a friend at the cafe in the park while the little uns nap

I had a Baby Jogger City Mini - fantastic buggy. Loved that I could just grab the handle in the seat and it just folded up.

Just to say you can get really luxurious cuddly muffs for a Maclaren XT, if you do get one from birth (or simply for the winter) - John Lewis do a range of them. Ds refused to sleep anywhere else for the first few weeks so I ended up sleeping in the lounge with him!

I think Bugaboos have come down in price second hand a lot - there's loads round me now (similar area to Barking)

The B-Agile nd BJCM are one pieces so should be easier to chain up than a to piece. Plus they will fold flat and I should think be locked to a railing easy enough. I don't think any of the models mentioned have carrycots suitable for overnight sleeping apart from maybe the Cherry and Apple but you need to check the iCandy website out or that information an may need a specific mattress, but you would need a new one anyway if buying second hand.

Sola is horrid, no suspension at all

Bee would soon fly away by the sounds of it.

Bcmj sounds a good one.

My4 is nice to push/roomy but a two piece.

The maclaren techno xlr has a soft carrycot that fits onto the stroller seat. So snuggly mt dd took all her naps in it til 3mo.

The Phil and teds smart

www.boohoobaby.co.uk/prod_show.asp?prodid=2077&ref=froogle&sa=X&ei=ZbfYT-X6I-el0AXlgLmQBA&ved=0CHwQgwgwBA

The seat goes forward or rear facing, and can add a carrycot or a car seat if needed

Folds small and only 8kg

Non puncture wheels

I'm also assuming the Phil and teds carrycot ( peanut) that is on the Phil and ters smart can be used overnight as a bassinet as on their website they sell a stand for it to go on for this reason

Got to be a BJCM. You can buy a new one in Boots for 200 quid, then use the points towards buying the carrycot from there too. Whole lot shouldn't be much more than 250, and they can use it till baby is 3-4. I'm a buggy addict and it is by far the most practical city stroller on the market.

Just to say, please dont make the assumption that the P&Ts carrycot is suitable for overnight sleeping. I have been trying for almost a year to find out if it has been safety tested for overnight sleeping and I still dont have a definitive answer. A stand can be used for the day time.

OK, I have spent the night digging, reading all about safety standards, as much as I can, and I am not a lot further. Except to say that the P&Ts Peanut - all of them - pass the same tests as moses baskets. What I can't work out is if that particular test deems a carrycot safe for overnight sleeping but also I know that certain carrycots that are not suitable for overnight sleeping do not carry the EN 1466:2004 standard. So my feeling is that this is the standard to look for. I would love to have this confirmed one day that this is what makes a carrycot suitable for overnight sleeping or not.