Please help a very confused first timer choose a buggy

[minipie]

Please help! I've been reading about pushchairs and my head is swimming. There are so many! Hoping you can help me narrow it down so I can drop hints to the PILs start looking.

This will be DC1, arriving in December. We live in London and I expect I'll do a lot of walking and maybe some tube/bus if I feel brave enough, but not a lot of driving.

I think I need:

• suitable from birth
• small and very light and manoeuvrable (I'm 5'3 and a total weakling)
• adjustable handles (DH is a foot taller)
• can carry some shopping (see weakling)

I would like:

• choice of front or rear facing
• compatible with decent car seat (everyone seems to have a Maxi Cosi?)

Not so crucial (unless you tell me otherwise!):

• easy folding (we've got space to leave it unfolded at home, phew)
• very compact folded (though we need to be able to get it into Golf boot)
• jogging/3 wheeler
• separate carrycot (unless this is needed to make it suitable for newborns)

Anything else I should be thinking about?

These seem like they might fit the bill:

• bugaboo bee
• icandy strawberry
• micralite fastfold/toro
• easywalker june

Any others? Any bad points of these ones?

Thanks so much, I would be really grateful for some pointers

I don't think Micralites rear face?

Ok, adding peach to the list (what's the price )

Is the peach (as a single) nice and light and easy to push/steer?

safmellow you are right. Phew, at least I can take one off the list!

thanks!

Hi, if you go on to the Icandy website and scroll down you can download a price list. Looks like £595 for a basic peach stroller. I haven't tried one but hopefully someone else will be along to advise.

icandyuk.com/

Also with the phil and teds smart you can add this

kiwibaby.com/shopping/pgm-more_information.php?id=881&=SID

to allow to overnight moses basket

The Peach is eeek but its fabulous to push both as a single and as a double (easy to push really makes a difference when in double mode!)

Bee, Bee and thrice Bee! Adjustable handle... Lightweight and easy to manoeuvre, suitable from birth without a carrycot (but the cocoon is cute but not vital) go for it!

Suitable from birth if you want a newborn rattling around like a pea in a tin can !

KatoPotato- but it is so low down!

i live in the city and absolutely love my bee! i am a bit obsessed with it as it has just been so fantastic

the main upside is that it is just so small, nippy, easy to turn around in shops, city roads. i find it so easy to move around compared to other prams - love it

my newborn was so cosy in the cocoon. grew out of it at 7 months so then had to fork out loads for the seatliner (for hot weather) and foot muff (cold weather). you dont need these but might want them and are pricy

folding is a major downside - esp if using cocoon or footmuff. i cant do it one handed and find it pretty heavy to carry. i dont know if other newborn prams are easier to fold?? i avoid buses (prefer to walk most distances a bus would cover) or get trains/tubes at stations i know are accessible - easy to do in london.

other downside - the wheels are brilliant on pavements but rubbish at anything a bit 'off road' even cobbles, grass. kerbs are easy but would never attempt to 'bump' up or down stairs as u can with some buggies.

basket is fine but becomes easier to access once baby can sit - around 6 mths

hth - i love my bee but mainly because it suits my lifestyle of walking everywhere in a city and using accessible transport where never any need to fold.

Thanks! I had written off the Bee to be honest because of the very low position and because it feels a bit rattly/not very solid when I push it (and that was in John Lewis not over bumpy pavements!) Not so bothered about the fold.

But it may come back into contention ...