Pushchairs from birth

[Milly01]

Hi there
I would like to buy a pushchair to use from birth which will be comfy for when baby comes along, the seating bit seems to feel so hard on all the one's i have tried and does not recline enough? any recommendations as to what pushchair i could get? hoping to get a 2nd hand one on ebay? I look forward to hearing from you. thanks.

"Pushchairs" is quite a general term... do you have any other requirements?

No, just a pushchair, dont mind whether it's 3 wheel or 4. As long as it lies flat and is recommended as being comfy, no other requirements.

What is your budget and lifestyle? ARe you going to have to lift it in and out the car boot everyday, have you got somewhere in the house to store it etc.

Don't worry too much about padding - your baby will be comfortable on a surface you woud consider too hard, because he/she is much lighter and so presses into the surface a lot less. We notice hard surfaces more the heavier we get, because what causes the discomfort is the force of our own weight pressing us down. This is why cot matresses can be a very thin layer of foam rather than the thick sprung-wedges we are used to for adult matresses.

There are too many hundreds of pushchairs available for you to ask for wide-open recommendations like this. You need reclining to flat if you will be using it from when your baby is tiny, but otherwise it''s all going to be down to personal preferences!

Do you do a lot of walking?

Do you use public transport or the car more often than not?

is storage space an issue?

Do you want forward facing or something that will face you?

I'd get something cheap for the first 6 months to a year, then get a buggy - which you'll end up with anyway as your child gets bigger.

The first few months though it needs to be comfy and quite well suspended - I mean big wheels, bouncy, you know.

After about a year this isn't so crucial.

See what you can find on ebay by searching 'distance: nearest first' in the lists.

Then when you've finished with it you can sell it on, and invest in a decent buggy like a Maclaren or something, which you will use for years.

The Maclaren Techno XLR is a lie-flat buggy and is apparently suitable from birth. I moved DD into it at 3 months and she was happy, though we still had the head-hugger and never pushed it fully upright. From about 6mo she's been sitting fully upright and using it as a normal buggy.

However I wouldn't say it was ideal for a newborn in the pushchair mode. It just doesn't feel quite as stable and snug as our pram did, and is more exposed to the elements. Also you can't see the baby without leaning forward and looking through the little window, which I wouldn't like with a tiny baby. But I've since discovered on here that you can buy a carry cot that attaches on to it, effectively turning it into a pram and providing more protection, and the carry cot will face you, rather than facing forward. I'm definitely doing that with any future DC.

Failing that, I would look in to getting a cheap or second-hand pram and then upgrading to a pushchair at a later date. Its quite interesting, a lot of a mums I know bought things like the iCandy and Bugaboo and now the babies are 8, 9mo they keep commenting on how light and easy my Maclaren looks compared to their pushchairs, but having spent a lot of money they don't feel as though they can upgrade.

(Ps - where in the country are you? I have a Graco Quattro Tour Deluxe sitting unused with the carrycot but without the carseat, its a bit of a tank but incredibly stable for a baby, I'm never going to use it again...)

I agree a local 2nd hand pushchair with carrycot with suspension in the wheels is the best thing, then get a buggy or similar once older. This kind of largish bulky pram/pushchair combo sell so cheaply 2nd hand.

Best I ever had was a marmet then silver cross coach built - really comfy for the baby.

I wouldn't get something for 6 months and then ditch it for a buggy! What a waste of money etc.
Buy something that is light and easy enough for you to manage from birth and you should then have a great pushchair rather than a rubbish buggy to take you through to 3 and for subsequent children.
As others have said, you need to be more specific though about budget and whether you would consider second hand. My top suggestions new are the Baby Jogger City Versa, the Easywalker June, the Bugaboo Cameleon, the Uppababy Vista, a Mutsy Evo and the iCandy Peach, Cherry or Strawberry. Some of these can be bought second hand too. Some I would say fit my initial statement more than others, but if you want a good pushchair these are all great.

No one said ditch it Tiggy. In fact she could get one you mention and then sell it on for not much loss.

The point was that a lot of people end up with a maclaren eventually anyway - and I've struggled with some larger and heavier pushchairs that were perfect for a small baby, once the baby grew a bit heavier and bigger.

I mean yes if you walk a lot then a solid, comfy and fairly big pushchair will be great, but if you use publictransport a lot or a car, then something small and lightweight might well be the better option after a while.

I've had almost 60 different prams and pushchairs and that's just my advice - I wouldn't fork out £5/700 for something trendy and quite heavy, now - I'd get it second hand and then sell it on and get a smaller buggy, not a 'rubbish' one but a maclaren or similar.

JMO

Am I the only person that thinks Maclaren pushchairs are awful?!

peanut, I've never had a Maclaren as never been inclined to buy one...I always think the child looks really uncomfortable in the seating position, they look all hunched over and leaning to the side. And umbrella folds just look so long when folded.

But everybody raves about them, so maybe I'm missing something??

I've got my eye on a Babyzen Yoyo though...looks much better.....

We had an Emmaljunga Husky (eldest is 12 now so I am sure the models have moved on!) It was quite rugged and was good for rough tracks as well as pavements - it was suitable from birth and had a clip on toddler seat which came in really handy when No2 came along. T he base wasn't as soft as I would like so we got a baby sheepskin and lined the buggy with that - very cosy and comfy - My MIL always commented how beautifully straight the boys backs not sure if there is a connection!!

I have the XLR like Nelly but also got the soft carrycot to fit into it so used that for the first 3-4 months. The recaro car seat also clips into it so is essentilly a storller that starts off as a travel system.

I love it, and will.never buy another pushchair.

There's not much wrong with Maclarens for older children, though I'd use them after about a year really - not a long time before that as yes, the child won't have enough support and will slump to one side probably.

There's no way I'd use one from birth as there's barely any suspension. Babies need to be comfortable as they spend a lot of time sleeping in the day so any disturbance to this will make them more grumpy when they're awake.

This is why I use a pram that's as cushy and bouncy as possible for the first few months. (we have an Emmaljunga too - they are very inexpensive on ebay and built to last)

Sorry, no offence to those using them from birth - I've not tried the XLR, maybe it is a bit more comfy than the XT, but it's just a personal preference for me - I like big wheels for the first few months, we've a lot of cobbled streets and it's that or the baby throwing its arms in the air every two seconds.

Our Emmaljunga lasted my two up until the youngest was walking everywhere - about 4 years then we passed it on to a neighbour who used it for at least the same - it's probably still going somewhere :) and considering mine are only 13 months apart, there were 2 of them on it most of the time!

I only ever had that and a cheap stroller for emergencies.

Ed, the XLR is more sturdy and it comes with a head-hugger and inserts to make it very snug for a little one, as well as very good straps that keep them in place. And in terms of them sitting upright, there actually seems less room for them to slump than in some of the larger, more fashionable buggies - not that they slump much anyway. (Sorry, didn't mean any of that to sound like I'm having a go!).

However I do agree that for a tiny, tiny newborn baby some people might not feel they are quite sturdy enough, I do know what you mean on that point.

Thanks Nelly no offence taken at all.

I think a lot depends on how much you walk, what the surfaces are like (ours are all cobbles/rough paving/sometimes woodland or fields or whatever)

If you're somewhere very modern with lovely smooth pavements then you're probably fine with smaller wheels. But they just rattle noisily along in our town, it's comical really! Definitely not a place designed for families.

Why buy a Maclaren when you can have a Baby Jogger City Mini or a B-Agile? Theres no comparison! You can use both of those from birth with a carrycot or car seat or simply with the baby on the seat.