Which pushchair accessories are worth it?

[minipie]

So, there seems to be a massive list of accessories that are available, but they are not cheap! Just wondered which are worth getting and which are not.

What would you get out of the following (assuming not included with the pushchair):

Raincover - this seems sensible!

Sunshade
Bug screen
Bumper bar
Snack tray
Parent organiser
Cup holder
Footmuff/cosytoes
Padded insert to support small baby in large seat
Sheepskin liner
Pram clip

Also do I have to buy the branded ones or are there generic (cheaper...) ones which fit just as well?

forgot to say Thank you!

Raincover, footmuffs, mummy clips and parent organiser here. I do have bumper bars but unless they swing away they just get in the way when the children are older.
My children rarely eat in a pushchair so snack trays are useless. Cup holders are useful but think about what cups will go in there. We don't use liners - most footmuff tops come off to provide a liner.
Sunshade - depends on the hood, where you live / go / do but we have never had one. Parasols are useless - all of them!
Bug net - we need one for about two weeks per year at harvest time but otherwise not needed.

A pair of clothes pegs and a muslin for moveable sunshade ;)

We have a footmuff and it is handy, but it came with the pushchair, don't think I would actually pay money for it when a blanket will do just as well. However, thinking about it as I type, I can see how it might be useful when DD is a wriggly, kicky toddler but I need to keep her warm...

We have a sunshade/snoozeshade which has turned out to be well worth the money but that is because baby likes to sleep in the pushchair and so it helps her off sometimes (and has been great on really hot and sunny days).

Bug screen, Bumper bar, Snack tray, Parent organiser, Cup holder... don't have them, don't miss them!

But it really depends what pushchair you are thinking of getting! Is this for a newborn? Do you have a puschair/pram in mind?

Rain cover - essential. I would get the branded one, unless your stroller/pushchair is fairly 'standard' in design then a generic one might work.

Cosy toes is useful if you intend to walk a fair way/need to go out & about in winter. I used mine from Autumn through to Spring, layering up DD more or less dependent on the conditions. I found it meant you could keep baby warm without over-heating when going in and out of shops (could undo etc compared to a thick snowsuit or similar).

Were given parasols which offered some cover BUT my pushchair has a big hood so DD was mainly covered when she was small and as she grew, a muslin draped over & clothes-pegged to the hood offered more consistent coverage than a parasol that needed constant adjustment.

My pushchair has a bumper bar as standard.

I have literally today received my buggy organiser/parent console. Less than £10, Sunshine Kids or whatever their new name is. Never thought I needed one before BUT recently have wanted a cup holder when out & about. Also, have my change bag hanging off bag clips from the handle, so everything has been accessible. With #2 on the way, & likelihood that we will either have DD on a buggy board or at the back of a tandem, hanging the bag there could be problematic, so think a parent console/organisers thing will be handy, rather than going into the basket underneath constantly for dummies/drinks & so on.

As for the rest, DD is 2.3yo & never had them, so would guess they're a luxury/choice, not a necessity iyswim.:)

I have:

Footmuff
Raincover
Bag to strap rain cover to chassis
Parent console
Tray
Fabric to make second liner
Different coloured hoods for each buggy

(oh dear, I'll just slink away now)

Thanks everyone!

Nelly I am thinking of getting the Uppababy Cruz or possibly one of the Babyjoggers. They both have big hoods (Cruz especially) so I guess a sunshade is less necessary - and I can always use a muslin as a few of you have said.

Raincover comes included with the Cruz but not the babyjogger. Sounds like I would definitely need one of those

Bumper bar is available separately for Cruz, not sure about bjcm/versa. Sounds like it's not worth it from the replies above.

What about to hang toys on - or do you just clip them to the frame?

Good point about having bag hanging off handles, I may not need a parent organiser in that case. If I can get one for £10 it may be worth it though, just to save having to stop and rummage in the bag, and for cups. Do they get in the way of handles extending though?

DD is due in December so will be in carrycot for the winter months, so I guess I won't need a footmuff until winter 2013.

What about infant inserts? The Cruz has quite a large seat and they do something called a Snugseat which has a head support and padding, I guess it's for when they are too old for the carrycot but a bit small for the seat. Has anyone used something like this?

Footmuff is great- but just because you get a Baby Jogger doesn't mean you need the Baby Jogger footmuff- you can get a universal one instead :)

Rain cover and cosy toes /footmuff top of my list. But mine came with both, and a built in sunshade and bumper bar.

I have Baby Joggers and have (and use) bumper bar, bumper bar console and parent organiser.
I have a raincover (never used once in 3 years!).
I had a footmuff for when youngest was a tiny baby but sold it as I preferred a sheepskin liner and waterproof stay-put blanket (from a lovely lady on eBay- it clips onto the D-rings).
I also second Mummy Clips (not recommended by Baby jogger to hang anything from the handle) but have worked great for us.

Hi, I have the koo-di pack it sunshade which would also double up as a bug net and was the only way I could get my baby (then 6months) to sleep in the buggy on hols last year, I will be using it again this year and have just invested in the koo-di pram storage bag for on the plane (and no I don't work for koo-di in case you are wondering lol), all the parasols I have tried are rubbish.

My advice would actually be to wait and see A padded insert for a newborn wouldn't go amiss if you chose a pram without a carrycot, and a raincover is pretty much an essential, but the rest you'll discover as you go what you need. A friend has the UppaBaby and she puts the bag in the underneath storage, so you wouldn't even need clips.

Raincover and footmuff/liner definitely. Headhugger insert if you need it for a little baby, not if you're using a bassinet/carseat. DH would say yes to a cupholder as he's generally the one pushing a sleeping toddler with a hot cup of coffee scalding his hand. The rest of its just unnecessary stuff really.

Thanks again! Sounds like the insert is prob not needed given we are having a carrycot (unless DD wants out of the carrycot very early, but can play that by ear).

I think a parent organiser could be useful - if I get the Cruz I'll probably put any bag in the big storage basket (like nelly says) so it won't be very accessible, if I get a Babyjogger I may do the same as it might tip with a bag on the handles... However again I can wait and order one off Amazon if I need one I guess.

Do I need something to go inside the carrycot? like a liner/sheepskin? (winter baby).

Thank you!

Raincover - this seems sensible! - we've had a BJCM since DD was 5mo (she's now 2.9yr) & have only used the raincover once as the hood extends so far. However, on the iCandy cherry, the hood is smaller & so I used the raincover in both pram mode & pushchair mode although since DD was about 18mo I rarely bother as she'll often have a coat on & is obviously a lot sturdier than a newborn so I don't worry about her getting cold & wet.

Sunshade - if you get the BJCM, you won't need one
Bug screen - never had one & never wished I had one.
Bumper bar - this came with the iCandy cherry & did seem handy for putting toys on. However, the BJCM doesn't have one and we just clipped some toys to the side.

Snack tray - never had one or saw the need for one. DD just held her drink/snack
Parent organiser - didn't have one for the iCandy or BJCM as hung the bag off the handle and my bag had loads of compartments so was easy to find things. I now have the sunshine parent organiser on my tandem double as obviously you can't hang the bag off the handle bar as it would hit the bottom seat. Note that the parent organiser doesn't have a top so it turns into a lake if you get caught in a downpour
Cup holder - never needed one but then I can push the BJCM & iCandy with one hand so if I have got a coffee & needed to be on the move, I can just carry it.
Footmuff/cosytoes - essential I think but you don't need the branded one (although I always have). Key requirements are that its shower proof (as it reduces the need for a raincover) and that you can take the front off entirely so that you use the back bit as a liner in the summer
Padded insert to support small baby in large seat - never seen the need as baby has always been in a carrycot. However, one of my friends who used the BJCM from birth used to take the one out of her car seat
Sheepskin liner - something I've always ummed & aahed about but the summers have been so rubbish since DD was born that, by the time I've decided I need one to stop her getting hot & sticky, its been raining away
Pram clip - bought & never used but both the iCandy & the BJCM have large, easily accessible baskets

i've never hung all my bags on all my babyjoggers without any of them tipping, oh no, not me

Sheepskin liner's not essential, but very very nice indeed.

It does depend on the pushchair. I don't think you need an organiser with either the BJCM (it has a huge mesh pocket on the rear of the seat) or the Cruz (there are to built in pockets at the rear of the basket for purse, keys, bottle of water etc.
My two have never had toys on their pushchair.....they are too busy looking around TBH. Toys are just extra faff!
You shouldn't need a sunshade with either the Cruz or BJCM. If its hot it's better putting long trousers or a light blanket over the child when walking, or turn them away from the sun when parked. It's August now, and I have just put my winter footmuff on!! I don't think I have ever had a UK summer where it was truly that hot for days on end....that I needed a sun Shade. Maybe if you walk miles....

Righto! Sounds like very little is definitely necessary in that case, so it's a question of seeing how it goes. The one thing that seems necessary is the footmuff but presume I won't need one of those till she is out of the carrycot - thanks for the tips on what to look for Murtette.

Oh how I hated ppl saying things like I'm about to say now but with hindsight I would wait and see what you feel like you most need at the time (raincover notwithstanding!). I find I like a console but only on a handlebar that has no adjustment. I don't do hanging bags really. Infact I discover I really don't do bags at all, especially changing bags. But this is irrelevant, you may only really find out what you need when the time comes...

Ihateparties yes tis very frustrating when I am trying to get everything before the baby arrives! But, thankfully there is always Internet Shopping ...

I would not buy cosy-toes until you almost need them. You may find you dc to big or tall for them when you need them. If the child is walking they are a pain as they get muddy/wet feet put in them. If the child is getting out at park they will need to be dressed for the weather anyway to cosy-toes not necessary. Rain-cover is used more with second dc when you have to do the school/ nursery run

Raincover is a must. Bag clips are useful and cheap as chips on eBay. I personally like a cup holder but I get really thirsty and like a bottle of water to hand. Foot muffs are great and don't slip down and get ruined under the wheels like blankets, but avoid the one for the pushchair and go for a custom one, it will fit better, be a lot bigger and you can get them in all sorts of funky fabrics. Oh and they are usually cheaper than the one specific to your pushchair.

Minipie if you get everything before the baby arrives... what will you do when the baby arrives?! says the person who did FAR too much shopping on first maternity leave...

Ihate I will hang out in cafes and buy shoes (that's the way maternity leave works, right? right?? )

Ha ha Minipie... depends on the baby I have two that played ball and one that very much didn't and doesn't (why oh why did it have to be the FIRST one?!)