HELP! NEED A PARENT FACING PRAM WITH BIG SEAT!

[WoolySheep]

Hi,

Sorry about the annoying shouty title of this post, but I really am getting a bit desperate at this point. My son is very big for his age and very long, at ten months old he wears three year olds coats and trousers and the waist/legs fit him in terms of length and size (both me and DH are tall people as are both grandpas)

For this reason we seem to be finding it very, VERY difficult to find pram/stroller's that he's comfortable in, he often looks squashed and cries because he's uncomfortable. I don't know why a lot of strollers/prams these days are so small- they're supposed to go up to age 3-5 a lot of the time, yet if they can't fit a big ten months old it seems ridiculous and certainly will NOT go up to those ages surely?!??!! I tried out a Quinny Moodd recently and that was a total joke! The seat was TINY and sat bolt upright or totally flat- no in-between- and his bum barely fit on the seat. He totally hated it.

I posted on here about finding a pram with a nice, big, wide and deep seat so he would be comfy and happy- I got great responses but almost all of the response posts from other mumsnetters were about prams that face outwards, and don't have the option of parent facing. DS has travelled in a parent facing pram, our beloved Quinny Zapp Xtra (it seems to be the only pram with a seat big enough to fit him!) for much of his life aside from when he was a tiny newborn. He is used to seeing mummy or daddy pushing him, likes to chat away to us, and can only fall asleep if he sees us in front of him.

On the advice of many mumsnetters after my last post I got a Out N' About Nipper- which is only forward facing and doesn't have the option of facing the parent. It was AMAZING! Wheels were massive so didn't feel any bumps on the road, had loads of storage space,and best of all the seat was perfect- big and deep, and DS was very comfortable and happy in it. We took a trip out and he was fine going along in the pram, however, when it came to his second nap of the day in the afternoon, he started screaming and crying and going mental with frustration- we realised he couldn't sleep without seeing us! We tried the pram out three more times and the same thing. Then we took our old faithful Quinny Zapp Xtra out with him in it as usual and he fell right off to sleep. So obviously he needs a parent facing pram to feel secure enough that we're there to drop off, also it must have been a shock to be parent-facing his whole little life then suddenly looking out at strangers faces going past.

PLEASE- I am in desperate need of a new pram as I am sick of the Quinny Zapp Xtra, it's great, light, has a big seat- but it has crap storage, the wheels are a bit crappy too, and we want something new and better.
I get sent a lot of free prams because I work in media, to test out, and so it money isn't an issue and I can even get more than one pram too- so advice on different models that fit the bill would be a life saver and I will deffo get the best two recommendations sent to me.

PLEASE, send me your advice on prams/strollers with parent facing options that have big, deep and wide seats. Will make my son and I so happy and grateful as for now I am totally lost, and as we don't drive the pram is like his car, it's the only way we get out the house and without one that works for us we're royally screwed!

xx

Any advice? x

Britax might be worth a look. DS stayed in his britax rear facing pram until he was enormous.
The model we had is no longer on sale, but they have some similar looking ones on their web site.
It was the best of the many prams I have pushed over the years.

Have you looked at a Babyjogger? I think the Select can be RF but the Versa definitely is.

I have got one here but it's folded at the moment and baby is asleep on my lap! It certainly has a reasonably sized seat.

Have a look at it on Bestbuggy.co.uk and see what you think - they compare side-by-side with other prams too.

(lucky you getting to test prams - I'm a pushchair addict so am very !)

Have you tried the Bugaboo Cameleon? My boy is huge and he's sooooo comfy in it.

actually immmediate thought that came to min was the cosatto T4, but it's not RF - and it's no longer made - but it has a HUGE seat, and such a nice recline angle that the baby can look up at you and see you clearly while they are in it. as long as the hood is down.

It's like an armchair on wheels. The other very good one is the Quinny freestyle, which again is outward facing - but they made a model called the fashion and a later, more recent one which was I think called freestyle XL something or other, which I seem to remember can parent face.

Check it out on German websites.

Ds1 stayed in a reverse looking cameleon until he was three and a half, and it was a very comfortable seat for him. He was of average height, but he was nowhere near growing out of it.

Look for a First Wheels City Elite - they are unfortunately few and far between, but the seat is reversible, it's big, wide, and very comfortable. And the seat can tilt/is pretty much infinitely adjustable.

You might need to look for 2nd hand though, I'm not sure if you can still get them here new - they're a Dutch brand. First Wheels website.

bugaboo cameleon is great i have it, but its quite pricey. another good stroller is the uppa baby also quite expensive. these are good strollers though.

Emmaljunga seats are massive and reversible.

Prob v cheap on ebay as not too fashionable now.

I have a Silver Cross Linear Freeway system and its HUGE. My daughter is 20lbs and is very long and she still doesnt reach the bottom off the bum bit of the seat let alone the feet. My neice who is 3 sits nicely in the seat and still plenty of room

Not the best looking thing but we have the Mama's and Papa's Ultima. The seat is massive, my DD who is 1.02m tall and weights almost 3 stone fits in it comfortably. It is forward and rear facing and has a huge basket underneath.

It is big and bulky but to be honest I wouldn't swap mine!

i candy apple, the seat is really roomy and front or rear facing. I love mine and my friends comment on how much bigger the pushchair is than all of their various models. Try ebay for a good price.

We had a Mamas and Papas Ultima can be forward and rear facing, the seat is massive. I walked for miles with mine, big and bulky though, kept ours in the shed. I loved it, ohhh i'm getting broody now

We had a silver cross linear sleepover and that was gigantic.

To 'cutestgirls'- yeah I have just looked on best buggy.com at the Uppababy Vista pram- it is by far the deepest listed seat I can see so far with a seat depth of 29 cms!!!!! That's 10 inches deep! Most other prams listed with 'deep seats' are only 25 cms! Am excited about this one now as it faces both ways! x

To 'newbielisa' i have looked at icandys and the seat is listed as not very wide and only 24 cms deep... I don't know if he would be comfy- however obviously they all look great! x

Concord Neo - my kids are both really tall and long in the body and i'm tall and it was prefect for me. Storage bag underneath not great but believe you can buy bigger ones on ebay for about £20.

In fact if you're in London and want a second hand travel set PM me, i'm just going to sell mine.

One of my missions is to find pushchairs which suit bigger children. Bear in mind that although your 10 month old is tall and big now, after the age of a year, and even longer, beyond the age of 2, a child's legs grow more than their backs and heads. You will find that once he's on the move too, he will slim down and its surprising how a big baby can still fit into a pushchair 2 years hence :) Believe me, I once wrote about how a particular pushchair was too small for my child, and a couple of years later, she was back in that pushchair fitting really well!!

Good parent facing pushchairs are the Uppababy Vista, the iCandy Peach, the Oyster Max (as a single), the Baby Jogger Versa (probably the best for a bigger child), the Bugaboo Cameleon and Bee and Donkey. The Buffalo should be good as well. I have had my tall 3/4 year old in all of these (she's 108cms tall I think at present). The TFK Joggster Twist with Multi X seat should be a good option too although I haven't tried it out. Best Buggy has photos of an older child in the seats of many of these.

Don't just look at seat depth, look also at leg length, because long term that's what you will need too. I hope you can find something to suit :)

Can def rec the vista. It's brilliant.

Also the baby jogger versa has a good seat size and height

Have been offline for a few days so just saw all these- thanks so much 'Tiggywunkle' for the tips, I tried my son in some bugaboos and they seemed too small, but all the rest sound great- i'll look into all of them!!

The uppababy vista is brilliant as a single,lovely big seat,brilliant push,the rumble seat is very upright though and not really sutible as a double option unless the eldest is over 3 ime.
The Babyjogger versa has another really large PF seat,and I liked it better than my vista,the fold is much better and it felt nicer to push.

I also love icandy's and I think the seats are much larger than they seem,there are pictures of my DD on bestbuggy in our peach jogger at four and a half!
She fitted nicely and was very comfortable (she was only borrowing her brothers buggy and I really didn't think she'd fit)

As for doubles the B-dual also has nice big seats,the Jane twone is another option,the bugaboo donkey too perhaps,but I'm unsure on the seat sizes...
I had a 2.2year age gap,and the most important thing for me was that both DC could sleep in the buggy (so 2 reclining seats were a must) and that it pushed well...I went through way too many trying to find a magical perfect buggy....I never did find one that did every thing I wanted..
if I ever had to have another double though,I'd have an icandy peach blossom 2,without a doubt.

Sorry,long rambly post....

I'm sure someone already said it but it's quite often the case a baby will start looking too big at coming up to a year but growth patterns do alter over time. From your previous thread i recall dc1 was v similar in size to your ds and he fitted in his little sister's bug gecko at over 2. Height wise it was dubious i suppose but the hood did go over him if required. Also he was precisely on the weight limit at 17kg and tbh i wouldn't have put him in it beyond that weight. For him, with the prams available now i would get a versa, no question. It's great for bigger kids and pushes really nicely. I have a brio smile for dc3, which has a vista chassis essentially but is narrower than a vista, the Vista is too wide for my taste.

Doubles wise - tandem or side by side, or if cost isn't an issue both? PB2 would be my first choice as I would be confident it will handle quite a lot of child weight plus both babies can recline. I have a Jane twone which is good but looser feeling chassis and a lot lot lighter. Loved it over time but have also had a second main seat unit, which put it in the same position for me as the peach, ie neat small tandem with two full size fully reclining seats. I'm no use on side by sides as my life has never really accommodated them very well

Just to add, I know long term from your previous post that you need a double too, and for that reason I think you absolutely should have another look at both the Bugaboo's, and the iCandy's BUT with someone who can give you a really good demo of the pushchairs eg how the Bee seat "grows" with your child; how the Donkey hood can be clipped up to a higher position for an older child; how the iCandy liners can be removed for a bigger child; and how the hoods on some slide up the chassis and can actually accommodate a 10/11 year old!! The reason I say, this, is because you will need a double pushchair with your age gap, and there are very few really good quality double's on the market. The Donkey and Peach (and Apple but not recommended) would serve as good single pushchairs, but also good double pushchairs. To rule out the Bugaboo Donkey and iCandy Peach Blossom (and Pear) removes two of the best double pushchairs for your age gap that there are. You will struggle to find a better tandem or side by side, for your age gap, than these two, and which can both easily accommodate a bigger child IF they are set up correctly. However so many sales assistants really do not have a clue. Just to add, there are lots of forward facing double side by side pushchairs (eg Baby Jogger City Mini GT or Bumbleride Indie Twin) which would suit bigger children....but thats another story for another day!

I appreciate your son is tall and heavy for his age as well, but he really will slim down and lengthen as he heads towards 2 and then on towards 3. I think as well as you move towards wanting a double pushchair, that being able to push and manoeuvere a double pushchair easily, and into the places you want to go is ultimately more important than anything else!

Just to add as well, the Baby Jogger City Select is worth a look, as it would meet your criteria for a large seat parent facing single, and would be useful as a double too short term. However I think it will very quickly become heavy to push, given your son's current weight, but its worth a look in the understanding you could change it later, or use it in conjunction with anotehr pushchair. A lot of mums of 2 children, often end up with both a tandem (for small spaces and shops) and a side by side (as these are generally nicer for walking with to the park or walking generally). Please do not consider the Vista with Rumble seat as an option with your age gap. It simply won't work! You WILL need two seats which have good reclines probably for at least another year.
But the Vista as a single is lovely. I would put the Versa and Vista at the top of your single shopping list :)

BTW Frigg - I hope you feel better soon. Huggles

Have a look at the Oyster Max, Can be a single or double and in our shop is half the price of icandy peach :) and the donkey :)