iCandy jogger vs Stokke Xplory. Any recommendations for this and a nursing chair please?!

[AC786]

Hello All!

Sorry to ask for more recommendations but I am torn between the iCandy Jogger and Stokke Xplory. Any views please? Also, I am looking for a nursing chair- the ones that I have seen do not look so good. Any recommendations please?

Thank you!!!!

I vote iCandy Strawberry

My only comment is that these two seem poles apart - ie one is a an urban pavement pushchair with barely suspension and the other is a good off roader. What are you looking to do with a pushchair? Which one will meet your needs and why?

Thank you! I had not really realised that- I guess I was looking at aesthetics! I would like one which is durable, looks good and allows baby to face both ways. I am not particularly active but would like to go out with it to the shops and for walks in the park etc!

I second Tiggywunkle but here are my thoughts anyway :)
I have a Stokke (which I highly recommend) and I've had a quick look at the jogger specs. We were stuck between the Peach and the Stokke and went with the Stokke as my husband is quite tall and aspired to take it running (Not once did he do this!). Neither of us wanted the jogger style because of their weight mostly.
Stokke Pro's and Cons
The standard seat is suitable from birth so you don't need a cot section.
It really doesn't fold down small, and will take up most of the boot on a family saloon. The handle design means you can't hang a handbag off it easily, but you'll probably give up using one anyway :)
The baby is really nice and high up so can see out of bus windows, watch you prep dinner at counter height, sit with you at the table and if you have a bad back or a CS, it's a godsend. You can get a surprising amount of groceries into the bag and the nappy bag is well designed.
It's really, really easy to manoevre with one hand which is handy if you need your daily coffee/keep one hand on another child/have a dog, I've gone running with it without any trouble, and the rain cover etc is v quick to fit.
Irritating con (on the 2009 model anyway) - the bag/cozy is designed with two legs to go either side of the handle. When you change the child to forward facing there is nothing to stop it sliding down except the shoulder straps. It's really irritating to have to hoist it, and a wriggling child up so that you can relieve the pressure on the straps to actually tie them into the pram.
There's no option to add a second child to it other than a buggy board - given the cost of both, it's worth really thinking about your plans and timeframe for a family
You will buy a second umbrella style pram to keep in the car. If you don't live in an urban area and will be putting the pram in and out of the car constantly, I really don't recommend the Stokke. If you are buying a new car to go with the pram and the new baby, buy a hatchback. It fitted into a hire car Focus without a fuss but we had angle it in all directions to get it in a standard saloon boot.
The stage 1 car seat (izisleep 2009 model)that they are affiliated with weighs a ton. Avoid and buy the maxi cosi that's compatible too!
Note this too re the izisleep "Due to variations in the angle of car seats in various car models, and also due to the fact that the ISOfix anchors are fitted very low in some car models, we encourage all customers to try the Stokke® iZi Sleep? in the relevant car prior to the purchase." I can vouch for this being a big problem - we had to put padding in the car seat to stop DD from slumping forward as the angles were all wrong.
The winter kit for the Stokke is designed for Scandinavian winters in my opinion. Totally unnecessary for the South East UK - the bags that they come with are extremely toasty.
ICandy Pro's and Cons
I haven't used an iCandy, just pushed them both around a pram shop and collapsed them down etc.
Their wheel bases collapse really easily and while it's still large enough I think you'll avoid buying a second pram until much later unless you are frequent flyers.
Lots of their models can take a second seat later if you need it. It's got to improve the resale value too if you want to get rid of it.
The jogger has air filled wheels (so punctures are possible - we couldn't be bothered), you have to buy the cot for a newborn as the seat is not suitable until 6 months, and even though the seat can be rear facing, you can't use the rain cover in a rear facing position ..... wtf ? It seems to me more like it is suited to an older child (apple jogger - the peach seems to be ok)
6 months is a long time in a flat cot in my opinion but it's quite probable that people move their DC's into the seats earlier.
My nosy DD lasted 8 weeks in her cot and then spent her time craning her neck backwards so she could see in the direction we were travelling. Put her in the Stokke seat at that point and stuck the pram section in the attic to gather dust.

No opinion on nursing chairs - they all look like something in a hospital I think. I just found an old chair with low arm rests and had it reupholstered. It was v comfy - fell asleep in it way too often :)
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/His-and-Hers-Beautifull-Oak-Parlour-Chairs-in-Excellent-Condition-/120952321518?pt=UK_Antiques_AntiqueFurniture_SM&hash=item1c2951f5ee

Both prams often have longish lead times depending on colours - up to three months+ so don't leave it too late unless you fancy a fairly startling colour.

Basically what lacroix said. Although we had the Stokke and the cot lasted us till DD was over 4 months. Compared with other prams the Stokke cot is quite shallow, and we often put DD on her front so she could see where we were going. She loved it, and meant that 'tummy time' wasn't a scream-fest like at home.

I did love my Stokke very much, but sadly the base is very big and heavy and we moved to an umbrella fold at around a year old, which was much more practical for us.

Thank you so much!