Best prams for maneuverability and storage

[sarah96]

Hello, my name is Sarah-I'm just new. I'll be honest, I'm not a mother, I'm a student engineer looking for some information about prams, buggies and car seats, and I wanted to speak to the people who know best. I will try and get a survey going some time soon, if I can, but at the moment I'm just looking to discuss if anyone's got a spare minute-I know you'll all be busy.
Anyway, I'm looking to find out how you find the prams, buggies and car seats you use. Do you like them? And what would you want to add to them/change about them? I noticed a lot of pram/buggy wheels can be quite sticky- has anyone found one that's easy to turn? And how do you find using prams and buggies on public transport? Parents, carers, grandparents etc-anyone welcome to chip in, I'm be delighted to hear from you and discuss.
I hope this is not completely out of order, I don't want to inconvenience anyone!
Thanks in advance
Sarah

Our travel system is the Jané Rider which is great in every way except it's heavy and doesn't fold particularly small. I don't know if weight is the price you pay for something that pushes well and folds easily. It has foam wheels, they're great.

I've got a Phil & Teds as well which is unbelievably heavy and while the air filled tyres are great outside they're a nightmare in a shop. Trying to use it one handed in a supermarket is a special kind of Hell.

We tried a Mountain buggy side by side but found it very unsteady with DD in one side and the changing bag (representing a baby!) in the other. I think four wheels is better for a double unless you've got twins. We ended up with a Babyjogger that I like a lot, its little wheels do surprisingly well.

Want2bSupermum, What kind of foam do you put in the tyres? Is it the "slime" you get from halfords for bike tyres?
Thanks :)

My buggy criteria were:

1. can be forward or rear facing
2. large basket
3. carrycot is suitable for overnight sleeping
4. tall enough for me to push without bending down (you'd be surprised how many buggies were too short. I know at 6feet tall Im a bit odd, but surely daddies push the buggies too sometimes???)

The Silver Cross Pioneer was close, but I went for the Uppababy Vista. HUGE basket, nice and tall, can steer it with one finger! Also like the fitted raincover and mosquito net which is great when there are wasps around. It converts into a double really easily and looks good.
Downside, it doesnt fold very small, although thats not been a problem for me.

Thanks, BikeRunSki- I found that info, that was really helpful. I didn't realise there were so many options :)

Hi Trilbydoll, special kind of hell duly noted!! ;)
Thanks, I've had a look at the foam tyres- they seem to give similar if not better performance than pneumatic tyres. Definitely a major factor to consider. I had a look online and it looks like a lot of people who have the pneumatic tyres get them foam filled, or use "slime". Do you find the foam tyres good on most terrains?
Weight is a bit of a recurring issue but balancing weight and sturdiness/safety is a complex issue, easy to get wrong too. But it's so important that you don't have a heavy device before you even put a child in it.
Thanks so much for the info!

Hi WiIdfire
The conversion to a double is great, that's a fantastic feature.
I don't think 6ft is that unusual- surely there should be some way of adjusting the height of the handlebars to accommodate on all prams/buggies?
How do you find the steering when converted to a double, is it affected at all?
Thanks so much for your help :)

I also used the Jane rider, I specifically went for that model as it is a slightly higher seat than a lot and is high enough to use as a high chair at a table when we were out and about. Another reason for picking it is the matching car seat is slightly bigger than most models so my child managed to stay in it right until the top weight limit despite being a taller than average child. It is very easy to push and manouvere one handed.

I tried a Chicco London stroller but hated it, used it about 3 times just couldn't get used to it so got rid of it.

hi BaronessEllaSaturday
Thanks for the info- that's an interesting point about the pushchair being used as a high chair when out, I didn't think of that. How was the steering with the seat (and weight of the child) being higher up?
It's a good idea for elements of the systems being still usable when the child gets bigger- you don't want to be forever buying new products all the time, they're expensive enough as it is.
Thank you :)

Hi, most handlebars ARE adjustable, however they go from short to 'a bit less short', so they dont quite adjust far enough. Its the difference between walking at a bit of a stoop and walking upright.

Steering when double with the Vista is still brilliant, and I can even get it on and off trains by myself even though its heavier.

A bugaboo bee double is long overdue imo

Hi WiIdfire
Yeh it's no good walking stooped over. Thanks so much for the info- I'll see if I can get a look at the Vista, it sounds a good one :)

Hi Warriorsoftheworld,
What do you like in particular about the Bugaboo bee?
Thanks :)

The bugaboo bee is best in terms of
Compactness without compromising on comfort
Ease of folding
Effortless manoeuvrability
Simple to set up and dismantle

thanks Warriorsoftheworld! That's great
Everyone had been so friendly and helpful here- i really appreciate it :)

Hi everyone, another general question:
Has anyone experienced any safety issues with their pram/buggy/carseat?
Thanks so much for your help!

I had a second hand Quinny Buzz. I believe it was 2 years old when we got it (so would be a 10 + year old design now). No problems when we first got it and used it with the carry cot. When we changed to the buggy seat, it no longer clipped completely securely into the chassis and would suddenly swivel round and leave DS suspended face down above the ground.

Also the price of prams needs to come down the profit retailer's are making from new parent's is disgusting imo a nice easy to use 3 in 1 with a reasonable price is what the baby market needs

I really love our silver cross pioneer, the bigger/sturdier wheels and bugger basket made it worth the extra money over the wayfarer for us.

What I like:
Forward or rear facing
Carrycot was really snug and comfy for newborn phase
Massive basket
Good choice of colours
Handle adjustable (I'm 5'2, MIL 4'11 and DH 5'11 and can all push comfortably)
Wheels are sturdy enough for big walks with the dog
Apron etc easy to remove and machine washable

Would change:
Folding in one piece would be great

Also the price of prams needs to come down the profit retailer's are making from new parent's is disgusting

You could say that about any product though, for any market.

Hauck do a travel system for £100 - how much cheaper do you want it?!

In my experience though, you get what you pay for. My lovely cheerful bright red cheap Chicco stroller collapsed when loaded after a few months use, even though ds was well under the weight limit. My Nipper 360 was bombproof and I sold it in excellent condition after 3 years hard labour.

Hi BikeRunSki,
Regarding the Quinny Buzz pram/buggy- that is shocking design. A product for children (esp young children) should be, as you put it, bombproof so that even older or 2nd hand it doesn't develop dangerous faults.

I'd be interested to hear if anyone else has experienced something like this?

I do agree with you, that to a certain degree you do get what you pay for. Although opting for very brand centered product you can end up paying more for the name. Unfortunately in such a competitive market often small brands (which are just as good as the bigger ones) can often get pushed out-leaving customers sort of more affordable products. It's a shame really.
Thanks again for you input!

Hi Warriorsoftheworld,
Our team are sort of siding with the more affordable end of the scale- however designing a product which is safe and durable often brings the price up. To aim to be the cheapest in the market tends to set you up for failure. We're aiming for a balance between quality, desired features and price-it's a bit tricky!!
Out of interest, how much would you be happy to spend on a carseat or pram/buggy?
Thanks again!

Hi VenusVanDamme!
Thanks very much for your input :) Yes, a lot of what you said are points which are coming up regularly during research- I'm keeping note of them all. But you are the first to mention the cleaning side of things- it makes sense with babies that being easy to clean is an important issue.
Thanks again for your help-i really appreciate it :)

We have a Mutsy 4rider which is fairly old now. It has been great for us as it has adjustable handlebars which mean my husband (6ft4), myself (5ft7) and my mum (5ft1) can all use it comfortably.

The wheels come off which helps for fitting it into the boot, however I would say the frame would definitely not fit in smaller cars.

We have attachments which let us put the baby car seat onto it, it has a toddler seat, a huge shopping basket and our new favourite, a bike seat style attachment which we use for pushing out toddler to the shops now he dislikes being in a buggy.

I have a baby jogger city mini and am happy to answer any questions about it! The reason we went for that one was wanting something that was most practical as a stroller as we knew we would only need the travel system/pram part for 6 months and didn't want to buy two. We have used it on the tube with two of us and it's very easy for one to hold toddlers hand and one to fold and lift stroller in one move onto escalators etc, you could manage with one person but a bit much with bags etc. It also doesn't fold if the basket is full.

Hi Sarah :)

I use the icandy raspberry, its really good for using on buses and other transportation. The fold is quite easy, only takes a couple of tries to get the hang of it. its super lightweight so its awesome to steer, plus it looks great, really bright and colourful! it definitely stands out.