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!

So is the b motion a smoother ride. Would the agile handle bumpier terrain or not really?

There was two years or so between the two for me, it's hard to do a direct comparison. We have an awful lot of rubbish pavements and both were fine, the b motion is a lot smoother. In my memory the b agile is a little lighter to turn (the b motion was tricky to do one handed but I may not have had the tyres at the optimum level). I must have done the b agile one handed as I was using it when dd2 was born, dd1 was 2 and a week and ds was a fairly bonkers 4y5m... Based upon that it cannot have been hard to push!

I've not tried out the b motion yet, it just arrived yesterday. I'm trying to decide whether to keep it before I take it outside or stick with my city mini GT. I need to sit baby and toddler in it and see what I think. Its definitely good value at £100 though

Thanks for that. I think my concerns are with the slumping, weight of the motion and smoothness of ride.
Nwilson do report back if you decide to give it a try.

I have the bee+ and bjcm.

I completely agree that it's low and small wheels but doesn't affect it once you get used too it. I feel like it's slightly too exposed. I liked it for when ds was younger as was parent facing. But the hood does not provide enough protection. It's light weight easy to fold, compact, and doesn't have to be taken apart to fold.

I love the jogger, light weight easy to fold, store, push. Fantastic protection offered from the hood. especially as now has a SPF 50. Only suitable from birth if have the baby carrier which slots in. I like this for my 13month ds now.

So I would be torn to which from birth. I would sway towards bjcm.

Hope this helps

I have the bee. I am not in love with it (mainly as I would prefer a bucket seat to make dd sit better, and would prefer chunkier wheels) but it does have some factors I liked and couldn't replicate elsewhere:

• it's not just narrow but also short. Several other supposedly compact prams (eg Babyjoggers) are very long which is a real pain on buses for example

• it has a curved handlebar. I find this so much comfier to push than a straight across one, yet hardly anyone does it.

• handlebar has a very big range of heights - so works for short me and tall DH - this is rare

By the way it feels much less flimsy and wobbly once it has a sizeable baby in there - and even better with a toddler. And suspension is great. I've never felt dd seems too exposed - she loves being able to see all around (I bought a sheepskin footmuff to keep her cosy )

As I say I am not totally sold on the bee so not trying to persuade you but these are the reasons I went for it.

I wanted to like the BJCM but found that when the seat was fully reclined (ie to take a carrycot), the back of it bashed my legs when I walked. also it didn't have a sufficiently adjustable handlebar for me/DH.

oyster gem wasn't available in my day! from a look on bestbuggy it sounds good, but the fiddly recline sounds very annoying. That's one of the real pluses of the bee - everything is so easy to use - the only exception being changing the seat from parent to rear facing but how often do you do that...

I had Bees for mine as small children and absolutely loved it. So versatile and easy to handle and newborns were winter babies and lovely and snug in the cocoons. When dd2 turned 18 months last year I switched to a BJCMGT and it's been the love of my life. She's 2.5 now and rarely in a pushchair annoyingly so I'm starting to contemplate life without it. It makes me very sad! Apart from the lack of rear facing it is a fab pushchair, best one out there and I've tried loads!

simply yes will feedback if I try it outside. I also have the bee+ which replaced my oyster as I still wanted parent facing but more lightweight. I only got the city mini GT because some of the terrain is too much for the bee to handle. If the bee had better chunkier wheels then i wouldn't have got another buggy. I ordered the britax to see how it compared to the GT as it's slightly smaller and fits better in the car and has 4 wheels. Have taken photos of baby in all of them but need to work out how to upload

Nwilson, I just can't find one I like to keep long enough. I've had the bj versa for a year now. Dd is 21 months and want something lightweight but can handle bumpy terrain and that also doesnt cost the earth. I don't think I'll ever find what I want. The motion probably isn't gonna feel much lighter than the versa, so the agile might be the way to go.

simply same here, think I've now had 8 pushchairs in almost 3 years. I had the versa too but sold it after a week as I found it too heavy. Tried the b motion in the house and it does feel quite heavy as well so it may be going back. The GT is nice to push and is very good on rough terrain. I'm short and find it easy to lift. not seen the b agile but tried out the city mini. Chose the GT as I wanted better tyres and adjustable handle

I've had 4 pushchairs in 21 months. I can't justify.... Or should I say I'm not allowed (husband) to pay the price of a city mini and definitely not a gt version. And unfortunately I have a thing about used pushchair so won't buy second hand. Probably just end up preserving with the versa.

simply have compared the GT and motion side by side and am going to stick with the GT as it ticks more boxes and i think will last longer. I also much prefer the hood on the GT. I understand about buying second hand but I did and got the gt brand new in box for £220 as the lady didn't like it. No way would I have been allowed to pay full price!

We have the babyjogger City Mini GT, our little boy is nearly 2 and it's the only pram we've owned. We did use the sling an awful lot in the first year though as we also live in a hilly area and have lots of steps! It is great to push, fab on uneven ground and DS loves it and looks really comfy in it. I would heartily recommend, my only slight negative comment is that I find the straps really hard to get right. Not having had another pushchair I am not sure if others have easier to adjust straps.