Help i'm clueless - Advice on pram to fit in a Mini please?

[JanieLovesLuckySocks]

hi there,

Our baby is due in November and we are beginning to think about prams / travel systems / aaarrrgh i don't know anything about these things!

So I drive a 2006 mini which has a teeny tiny boot, and would love to be able to keep it rather than sell it to get a more sensible car.

I will need something suitable from birth and the rest!

Help!

Bugaboo Bee- they are luverly and small. I love mine. Also, buy one second hand if you want to save a pile of cash.

Right - now this is a subject I DO know something about!

I did end up swapping for a clubman, for the convenience of getting into the back seat, but I was choosing between the babystyle oyster and the quinny zapp extra (or extreme?).

The quinny lay flat so was suitable from birth, but my concern was that it didn't look cosy enough for a newborn. The oyster pushchair seat isn't lie flat so not suitable from birth, but you can buy carry cot for £100. Both are compatible with maxi cosi car seats- you buy adaptors and the car seat will then attach to the chassis.

DD was born last October, and my thoughts were that we weren't going to be going out for long leisurely strolls, just an hour or so round the shops here and there so I didn't want to shell out on the carry cot. I chose the oyster in the end and have no complaints about it.

There are other far more expensive options, which others will be along to tell you about, but I didn't want to spend a small mortgage on a pushchair!

i love you both already! thank you so much for your advice. We really don't want (nor have) loads of money to spend and i am more than happy to go down the secondhand route. and yes i agree citrusyone, winter isn't going to be the time for long walks out and about over christmas time!

thank you again...at least i now have a starting point.

We had a mini copper when we had DS1 in 2006 and kept it for over 2 years (in fact until I was expecting DS2) so it is doable - you can either use an umbrella stroller and put on seat down (so in boot and along one seat) or go for a buggy which would fit in the boot - we had a Quinny Buzz - chassis in boot, seat on rear seat next to baby. I reckon a baby jogger city mini or versa might fit. Loola confort would have fitted too. Our mini took us on plenty of holidays (including camping holidays and trips to France) - you just have to get used to travelling very light.

Babyjogger city mini definitely fits.

I have a Mini Cooper and the bugaboo bee fits in the boot as if it was made to go in there, I can even get my changing bag in as well! I love my bee!

I had a loola up. Cost a bundle of cash and was immediately too heavy. I hated it, and sold it for a measly £65, it cost £350 6 months beforehand . The bee cost £150 secondhand, is like new and even my DH who claims not to notice these things has been advocating the bee to anyone who'd listen.

Btw, you shouldn't use the car seat for anything more than an hour at a time. This includes the journey. My friend is a children's nurse who is seeing kids with back problems due to travel systems . I never used mine as a travel system. Newborns should lie flat as much as possible.

Fyi a maclaren techno xt does not fit!

thanks all, this is brilliant advice. i'm making a big list as we speak!

i hope you didn't find out the hard way janek? :(

can you change the seat on the babyjogger city mini to be both fron or rear facing?

Baby jogger city mini is front facing only but suitable from birth - Baby jogger city versa is more expensive but two way facing (seat not suitable from birth so need carry cot or car seat).

My sis has a BJCM which she loves, and it looks like new a year later. It doesn't parent face, but you can get a carrycot if you like. She didn't, and my DS demanded to face the world at 4 months. Totally depends on you and baby I think.

Are you city based? The only reason I ask is because the bee is a bit useless on bumpy roads. I also, ahem, have a second hand bugaboo frog that we use on country roads. I sound like a right pram junky. I won't even mention the strollers we've sold

elkie you really should work for which? magazine! brilliant help. yes i am in a city, so most walking would be around town etc, any out of town walking would probably just be at the seaside where there are paths, rather than rugged ground.

thanks again everyone, this advice is greatly appreciated x

I also really love my bee. Dd was born in January so we had the baby cocoon on it which was lovely and cosy for her while it was cold. On a slight tangent, get a carseat that has an Isofix base. Then you can just "clunk" the baby seat on which will be much easier than fiddling with seatbelt s in a three door mini. I had a 3 door vw polo for a while and reaching in the back to do the baby seat was a pain! Hth

Cheers Janie. We got the loola after a little research but regretted it almost immediately. I'd suggest going and having a play at a big pram shop and seeing what you like. I also recommend trying to fold it down and throwing it, you, a baby and a changing bag in the pouring rain to get the real experience- but that may be a bit unrealistic!!

throwing it in the car

Oh, and a sling is your friend, on case you ever have to go somewhere and can't fit pushchair

Keep your eyes on the Babystyle Facebook Page and see when the Oyster Gem is coming out. Its absolutely fabulous and will knock spots off the Quinny Zapp. The fold is teeny tiny and there's SO many options - 2 seats, car seat, carrycot. Absolutely brilliant (and I have had a few pushchairs!)

Look also at the more expensive Easywalker MINI - which like its name apparently fits in a Mini.

Do you know how much the gem will be. Not that I need a new pram but

Oh tight thanks for the heads up, it looks amazing. I bet it will be pricey but could be worth it!

I'm trying to steer clever of the super expensive ones if possible, the bugaboos seem very expensive.

I love the idea of a sling, think I'll definitely try one if those too :)

Begins to feel more real with all this research! Thanks again for all your great advice everyone x

Thanks Tiggie - not tight! Damn autocorrect on my phone!

I think it will be considerably less than you think. Oysters are relatively cheap as pushchairs go, and I suspect it will be less or similar price to those.