Tell me I'm being daft!

[SundayLunchHappy]

Currently expecting dc 1 in March.

Live in a semi rural small market town with narrow pavements but lots of well paved walks around the outskirts.

Have a big old estate car with a boot you could camp in for storage.

Dh and I are both keen to 'wear' baby lots, him with a hideous ergo baby performance suitable for hiking, myself with a wrap sling for out and about locally.

However when it comes to a pram, I've got the lovely and generous offer of my cousins 4 year old Jane Rider buggy. Now I know little to nothing about prams/pushchairs but I do have a silly idea in my head that I fancy myself pushing a silver cross sleepover(?) or something similar with a cosey pram part and nice bouncy wheels.

Is there such a thing as the "right" buggy? Or will my yearning for something a bit traditional ostracise us from the local mum gang?

Thanks in advance,

A novice first timer

I wouldn’t give too much thought to what others think of your pram choice

But equally if you can afford it and have your heart set on a particular one, I’m sure the pram offered could be given to someone else.

We bought the Silver Cross Sleepover in Cadet Grey for our DD (born in March) as I saw it at a stockists and fell in love with it, and didn't spare a thought for the practical implications (it is heavy, doesn't manoeuvre well, there isn't a lot of support in the pushchair seat attachment, tiny changing bag etc.)
We paid £839, sold it 3 weeks after DD was born for £450 - although it was literally used twice and absolutely immaculate, it was only worth what someone was willing to pay.
I suppose it would better suit somebody who didn't drive, although I imagine using public transport with it would pose some difficulty.
That said, it is an absolutely beautiful pram.

Jane pushchairs are great. Give it a go first, you can always get another one after a while. Baby sling will be much better for the first three months anyway.

Nobody else will care much about your pram. However, if you plan to mostly babywear when baby is tiny, it's a lot of money to drop on something heavy and not that practical. Depends if you want the look enough to put up with the weight, lack of manoeuvrability, etc. And that looks like an absolute bugger to carry up and down stairs if you need to take a train or something.

All really depends what your priorities are buggy-wise - do you want to be able to off-road in it or is it a purely urban buggy? Do you need to be able to get a decent amount of shopping in the basket? Will the wheelbase fit through your front door or take up your entire hall? Can you push it one handed while desperately clutching holding a coffee?

I've learned from experience that as an urban buggy-er, a narrow wheelbase, easy fold and light enough to steer with one hand are my top priorities. I'd go to a department store and trial-push several while thinking about your daily routine before you decide. I ended up selling my first buggy to trade to something lighter and smaller.

Some useful input there thanks! Where we live there seems to be a lot of three wheel type buggies or mums with slings. We don't go into a city very often and our "town" is more of a big village on a hill. However friends who have recently had babies and are in nct groups etc all seem to have fairly uniform swish looking buggies and I don't want to look like a lemon parking a tank in a coffee shop

I will have a play with the Jane next time I go over.... hopefully the first few weeks of practical baby care will make this pregnancy day dream a hilarious memory!