lightweight city pram/pushchair:oyster gem, bee+, Njoy bubble or BJCMG?

[rainonroof]

Dear all,

First post ever on mumsnet and any help is greatly appreciated! 25 weeks in and deeply immersed in research on pram/pushchair suitable from birth.

Needs: 2 or 3 times a week on public transport by myself (bus, underground), 1 time a week by car, mainly city roads, parks and shopping malls. needs to be lightweight and has good suspension. ideally foldable by one hand.

Budget: max 400 pounds

Considering:

1. Babystyle oyster gem: saw a lot of praises from ihateparties and Tiggywunkle end of last year, like the colour and look, but then I couldn't find that many latest reviews from moms in 2014 or even that many places selling these? has this officially been released into market? did see quite a mixed feedback for babystyle oyster on mumsnet though so a bit hesitant.

1. Bee+: had high hopes until tried it out in JL, seat too low and wheels too small for me, does it really offer good suspension? aso does feel unsteady and very over priced...but then again continue to hear very positive reviews on the portability and convenience for city moms, and it does seem very, very popular.

1. Njoy bubble: highly recommended by a pramholic friend, but again not very popular in UK and mixed reviews

1. BJCMG: first got interested in Baby Jogger City Versa via below survey, www.bestbuggy.co.uk/2014/04/best-buggy-pushchair-survey-2014/. But then it sounds like versa is very heavy? I'm not confident enough to handle this in public transport by myself, hence turned to the lighter version, mini GT. How does this compare to above?

Please could someone give me some advice and guidance?....very lost as a first time mom!! Thanks!

In terms of the baby joggers, I tried the versa out in JL the other weekend and did find it clunkier than I was expecting, and also it felt heavy. I would NOT want to carry it up and down tube stairs. The city mini is about 2kg lighter than the GT which is in turn about 2kg lighter than the versa (or possibly more). so the plain city mini might be good if you want light. Also the fold is easier on the CM as it is one step, one handed. They say the versa is one handed fold but I couldn't manage it with just one hand myself- however I'm sure practice will help!

I have a Bee. I absolutely hate it - it pushes like a dream but you absolutely cannot fold it one-handed so you need to think about what you'd do with the baby while you folded it.

In the end I got a Close Caboo and an Ergo baby carrier, which I used when DD was a newborn (Close) and instead of a pram for the first 8 months (Ergo). The Bee sat unloved in my car boot...

I use it a lot more now (DD is 1.5) but it's on sufferance and mainly used to carry the bags, picnic, picnic mat etc. and for naps. I've thought about selling it and getting a Yoyo but I haven't had a chance to try one out yet.

moggle, thanks a lot for your reply, so very helpful, I'll defo get my hands on mini and see how it's like:)

AndHarry, yoyo would be a no brainer for me too except the price! i thought bee is the one, untill i put my hands on it and couldnt understand why it's so very popular to save my life....

My next door neighbor has the City Mini (after going through a pram every other week for the first year of her child's life!) and rates it very highly.

The only thing with the Yoyo is that it can't be used from birth. If I was going to get it for a newborn I'd put a Bee newborn cocoon in it.

i think there is a yoyo that's suitable from birth? seems like you need to buy a nest for the newborn, and the a seat for 6 month+, which bring the price up quite significantly... www.babyzen.com/yoyo-parent-facing.php

I just bought the 2014 Baby Jogger City Mini GT after about 20 weeks of obsessive research. I live in a hilly area and there's about 13 shallow steps up to my front door from the road, so I wanted something light and easy to push.

It's lovely - very manoeuvrable, massive sun canopy, nice big basket, forever air tyres and a hand brake, plus I love the optional parent console and the adjustable handlebar. The one hand fold is amazing - that was the killer feature for me - and it's not too heavy.

However it's not rear facing, so if you want your baby to be facing you from birth you need the carrycot too. I bought the crimson pushchair, carrycot, car seat adapter, parent console and a matching red Maxi-Cosi Cabriofix (and got a free raincover) for £620 although I think prices have already dropped. I thought that was a pretty good deal compared to some of the travel system packages out there.

I love the City Mini (mine isn't a GT). The fold is brilliant and for what it is it's an easy push. Take it on public transport (bus, train, tube) regularly.

Ooo they didn't have that one last year! Very nice!

thanks mupperoon and JassyRadlett for your input, seems like city mini GT is a real winner! the only thing that's slightly putting me off is that it's really not an eye candy loool but otherwise it sounds impeccable and ticks all boxes! will get my hands on one this weekend to try it out:)

Assuming you're in London try John Lewis to try most of them out. I know the Kingston branch has the Versa, City Mini and CM GT on display so I'm sure Oxford street or Peter Jones will have them all too. The salespeople are so helpful and they took the seat fabric off the city mini for me to show me how it looks with just the carrycot on (like a proper pram!), and how you can wash it in the washing machine!
At lunchtime today I popped into mothercare with colleagues and they had the city mini & GT on show, my colleague who has a 1.5 yr old and a bugaboo bee was really impressed with the fold. He stopped using the bee when the baby was about 1 as it just got too bulky, they were going to buy a maclaren but never quite got around to it and just take him in the sling everywhere.

I am fairly sold on the city mini, just have to decide whether to get the GT or not... there is also a 4 wheeler city mini around too to throw into the mix but I don't know where you can try that out, JL didn't have it on show although they do sell it. I agree it isn't as pretty as an icandy or bugaboo or oyster, BUT you could splash out on a nice liner instead!

The britax b motion is on offer with kiddicare for £99 in red or black. Very similar to the baby jogger mini GT and a bargain a that price. I have just ordered one to try it out. I already have the mini GT and the bee and I like both for different reasons. Depending when you are due Icandy raspberry is due out august time which looks amazing and they are also bringing out a new bee around September

Baby jogger! I love mine.

Ps I have the four-wheel city mini. For city/town use I really can't fault it.

rainonroof yes, I do heave a sigh when I see an iCandy Peach Jogger or even a Cosatto Giggle, they look really cool and come in lovely colours/patterns. But hey, I'm sure I will feel pretty smug when I'm skipping up a hill with the BJ CM GT or nonchalantly folding it one handed to put it in the car boot while juggling baby in the other hand...

I'll admit that we started out with an icandy peach and it was a total dream. We used it until DS was about 2. Gorgeous to push, and narrow enough for shops etc. we got the city mini when he started nursery at 10 months and it's a total workhorse. The icandy is now in the loft - the city mini is not and still comfortably fits DS at nearly 3!

I have a Babyzen Yoyo 0+ and it's ideal for city living. Fits perfectly on buses and other public transport, folds and unfolds with a flick of the wrist and is light enough for me to carry up the stairs with DS in it if he's asleep when I get home. Price-wise it's no more expensive than a Bee.

The only thing to look out for with the city mini family is the width, it isn't narrow. As long as you can accommodate that then it's no problem. The b motion is a very sturdy pushchair for the price quoted above and it takes the britax carrycot and car seats too.

I've never had any problems getting my baby jogger through doorways.

No, you wouldn't, I'm just saying other stuff is narrower. The city mini is 62cm wide, the yoyo is 44cm. Probably an extreme example but a yoyo would fit places a city mini wouldn't*

• I am totally irrationally obsessed with pushchair width.

Yep, I can fit my Yoyo onto the bus even if there's a huge pram or a wheelchair in the designated space.

Nwilson, just wondered how you found the britax, as I can't afford a baby jogger city mini. I've read bad reviews on the slumping seat. The b agile is also on offer but has the same problems it would appear.

The seat issue is easily fixed. On the b motion you can unpick the stitching on the recline strap that stops it going up right.. The agile is probably the same actually but I made sit up straps for that, you can buy them on ebay now.

Thanks, Ihateparties. I don't think I'm quite up to unpicking things, this could turn into a disaster. If I can buy straps that's fine. How are they both? I'm more inclined to the agile, only due to weight.

I liked both, weight versus a cushier ride really. Oh and the handle being adjustable on the motion is good. Today I have been reading about the baby jogger city mini zip which looks sort of awesome!