Am I going over the top here?

[HowAboutNo]

I'm between the bugaboo bee and the uppababy vista. Same price bracket (sort of) but majorly different in terms of usage.

Anyway, my other pregnant friends are only spending £250 max as they say anything over is excessive and a waste. What do you think? Do I need to go for a cheaper pram or am I buying into quality products that are going to last? Don't want to spend money I don't have to. Thanks in advance.

I'm probably not the best person to answer; we have three buggies and they all get used each week...

W have a BabyJogger City Select - this replaced our original travel system (M&P) which we had for DC1 until DC2 was born. The City Select is a tandem/single. It's big, it's robust, has a massive basket and can be parent-facing. DC2 is 2 next month and this is still our everyday buggy, still in parent-facing mode and I love it. In fact, the main reason we bought this double was because DC1 was 2.7 when DC2 was born and refused to face out...

We also have a Maclaren umbrella fold. It lives in the car and is great for short trips to the shops, using on the tube/buses (though for a full day out in central London I take the City Select) or taking on holiday. I rarely use it for DC2 to sleep in, though - whereas he will climb into the City Select for a nap! It's light but horrible to steer and can't be pushed one-handed, unlike the City Select, so I hate taking it anywhere I need to hold onto DC1’s hand.

Finally we have a Nipper 360 3-wheeler. We use this for hilly/off road walks, mud, snow, etc. We had this for DC1 - my parents live in the countryside, DH's live by the seaside, we live near woods/steep hills. It's suitable from NB, our Maclaren is suitable from 6m and was easier for holidays/tubes etc once we had a toddler as well as a baby. We use this least of all these days, but it came into its own last winter, being pushed uphill for just under a mile each way twice a day on snow and ice to nursery and back. It will go where the car can't, and where a four-wheeler will get bogged down, so it's my emergency back-up.

I would love to get rid of a buggy. At the moment, we do use all of ours every week, and not one of them would be suitable for all purposes. So for now we're hanging on to all of them rather than compromise for the sake of another 6m or so. In fact, we even used the City Select as a double again a month ago, when DC1 was ill, the traffic was totally screwed and I needed to get her to the GP a 20-min walk away...

So basically, you're never going to find the one perfect buggy! You need to work out what you're most likely to use it for on a daily basis and for how long (and whether there'll be a DC2 within the next 3 years), and whether you are going to buy just the one buggy or be prepared to buy two for different functions, eg cheap umbrella for holiday if your main one is expensive, etc.

How suitable is the bee for longer walks (on pavement)? I'm 2 miles from town, and usually drive, but am thinking if I want to walk some days, will it be suitable? Really great advice here to think about. I keep hearing about these baby joggers or something, are they good?

Still using our Bugaboo Bee at 14months. Largely chosen as we don't have a car so needed something suitable for public transport and walking. During ML was generally walking with it for several miles a day (DS refused to sleep anywhere else), experienced no problems at all and have loved it throughout. It's light, easy to steer and very comfortable to push around for hours!

Disclaimer-we now use a Maclaren for the nursery run which a friend gave to us but this is a consequence of lack of buggy storage space rather than an issue with the Bee.

We have a Vista and I love it. I do get it in and out of the car a couple of times a day, but I'm tall and fairly strong so the size doesn't bother me. I think the key is to be absolutely honest with yourself about what you will use it for. I don't use public transport or spend a lot of time in town, but we do some fairly rugged walks so the Vista works for us. We haven't felt the need to buy a second pushchair.

Also if you splash out on one of the more expensive brands, it will have a good resale value so you will get some of your money back.

I regret not getting a bee. Got a lay flat, both ways facing buggy from m&p which we still use for ds 2.5 and is the only one we have ever had. It was a lot cheaper than the bee.

The bee was out of our budget at the time which is why we didn't get it. But I wish we had stretched a bit and got it anyway.

Am pregnant again and I really want a bee, even though the current m&p buggy will suffice. The bee is narrower than ours and lighter (although our m&p one is fairly light and fairly narrow, never had a problem getting on buses etc). I still want one though and am planning on making savings elsewhere so we can get a bee +buggy board!!

Still using the iCandy now DS is 3 - I don't drive so it's great for walking to supermarket and I can fit lots of shopping in it. It's comfortable for him, lovely to push and can face either way. Also have a M&P stroller which will fold up on bus. The iCandy is in perfect condition for DC2 due in April so I'm looking at maybe five or six years of regular use which makes it worth the cost. The cheaper stroller won't last, I don't think so we might need another light fold-up one at some point