Travel Systems: why do people trade them in?

[lexxibeth]

We're expecting our first baby in April and are researching travel systems and hunting for the one we want in used condition to save ourselves some money.

However, while we're looking we notice a lot of the ones we're keen on (that are meant to be suitable from birth to age 3 or 4) are being sold on when they're less than a year old. We're wondering why this might be? It's not just Cosatto (the range we are most keen on) but travel systems in general.

If we're only going to sell it on pretty soon we would possibly rather buy for each stage as we reach it and save ourselves some space/stagger the cost.

What's you guys' experience and thoughts on this?

Two reasons generally:

Either they hate the big, bulky one they've had and want to.change it for a small, light umbrella fold that toddlers can climb into and out of easily.

Or they need to change it for a double to accommodate another child.

Or, like me, thy get bored of it and see another they like more .

They are big and bulky, can be difficult to store, take up all your boot space and can be awkward to manoeuvre. They are great for popping car seats in and out of for sleeping babies/quick trips to the shops (within safe limits), but once the baby is in the second stage car seat (around 12 months) there is no benefit.

Because they seem like a really great idea until you actually have a baby and realise it’s huge and you never use it. An off road type with three wheels are usually what they end up being swapped for, with a carrier.

We didn't. We loved our Oyster so kept it until DD didn't need it anymore.

I’ve had the same travel system (uppababy vista) for 2 children and am saving it in case of a third so no idea really! Loved ours and hate strollers as they have small baskets/you can’t easily steer them one handed.
We certainly got our money’s worth.

Also people dont always think about practicalities. When you choose think about how you will use it and where you will store it. Small prams with small wheels are best for urban pavements and buses. Big air tyres work best for grass, woodland, country lifestyle. Small fold is great for storage in a car boot. People often choose the wrong pram for their lifestyle and regret it later.

I bought a full travel system and while it was great when she was wee for the car seat to click on to wheels etc.. when she moved to the buggy it was a nightmare to fold a 2 part buggy down and it barely fit in my car.
Next time (if there is a next time) i’ll buy one of them car seats that has the wheels under that fold out and just buy a foldable buggy. I use a city mini just now when I need to and it’s the easiest thing ever.

I think you get longer use out of them is one of you is a non driver/you don't use the car much.

I've got a cheap stroller as well but for whole days out without the car (I often go on trains to see my parents) I much prefer the travel system so DS can nap (my little travel stroller doesnt bend back) and I can put all our stuff in the big storage thingy at the bottom.

We got a Bee to avoid doing this. Still using it for DC2, 5+ years after we first bought it.

(although I did also have a double for a while after DC2 was born)

I had a baby jogger city mini which is compatible with the maxicosi car seat it's brilliant once they're bigger it folds flat for car and has a decent sized seat which a lot of travel systems don't have

I have an iCandy for the past 3 yrs that still is used most days with my son.

I love my silver cross pioneer. I thought I'd use it for ds until he no longer needed it. However he is 2 and a half and too tall for the seat now and looks uncomfy. So we had no choice but to get something else (he walks well, but at times he does get tired, so still needs something). We got him the silver cross pop instead, he was so much happier in it.

I'm gutted, I know now he's got his buggy I'll miss his proper Pram

A lot of people buy something that is totally impractical for their lifestyle and regret it so have to swap. If you think carefully about it and buy something to suit your needs rather than what looks nice you won't need to.

If you travel by car, public transport and/or live in an upstairs space or need to fold to store then you'll want something compact, light and folds easily in one piece.

If you walk everywhere then you'll need something with decent suspension, for smooth pavements and general city life something with smaller wheels would work but if you plan to walk on bumpy or uneven ground then something with big foam or air tyres would work better.

With that said, I think most people have 2 pushchairs like we did as we generally walk everywhere and wanted something substantial which was too big for the occasional lift, travelling or public transport so we also had a small pushchair in the cupboard for this.

A bit more thought on our part then I think!

We only have a 3-door Corsa plus 2 greyhound-cross dogs and spend quite a lot of time in town and country both and tend to take our weekends camping, walking or in cottages in rural places.

Very helpful hearing from you all - and reassuring to learn that if we pick right first time we could get our money's worth out of it over a couple of years!

My advice in that case is to think about having two! Spend most of your budget on the pram you will use most on a day-to-day basis for the first 6-12 months. Then scour eBay and Facebook selling for a cheap 3-wheel buggy with big tyres that doesn't matter if it gets covered in mud.

I'd think about a different car. A 3 door car will be a nightmare with a baby seat and your boot is going to be lost to your pram and baby things. I'm also presuming you won't want your dogs sat next to your baby?

I had a cosatto and ended up selling it because it wouldn't fit in my boot. I got a bugaboo bee instead. Small, compact and will last from birth to walking.

I loved my Joie Chrome but ds is a giant child and was over the weight limit (15kg) by 18 months. He only took his first steps at 17 months so another buggy was a necessity. Nightmare trying to get one with a decent weight limit too. Got a silver cross pop which is crap frankly, end up using the Bob revolution se running buggy all the time.

I don't drive so my travel system is still going strong. If I go out for the day with my mum in the car it takes up most of the room in the boot so I can't imagine having to do this daily, this is when a buggy would come in handy. I have a Venicci 3-in-1 I absolutely love it I think I'll actually cry when it comes to getting rid of it I kept my baby in the carrycot until she was about 6 months and could no longer fit in it.

For many people it's possibly a case of needing to sell the single to fund buying a double.

I sold prams for a number of years and the people I encountered seemed to get fed up of lifting whatever system they had in and out of the car boot and so bought some sort of quick fold buggy at the 10-12 month stage. Loads of people hated the fact that it was in two parts when folding and wanted something which just folded quickly, in one go and throw it in the boot.

Some felt their DC had outgrown the seat unit and looked cramped somewhere around 12-18 months. Lots and lots of iCandy Peach users complained of this.

They'd spend a fortune on travel system for the newborn then just get rid.

I think if you research carefully and think very thoroughly about what you want from your buggy and your particular needs then you can get the right thing from the off.
OK, I know it's difficult to picture your needs before you've ever even pushed a pram but if you get expert advice from a nursery shop and some sterling advice from MN users then that would be better than an expensive mistake.

FWIW I had one brilliant buggy for three children and never bought another because I LOVED that one and nothing else pushed as well or was as comfortable for my babies so I just got on with the fact that it was huge when folded and not very light to lift because it did everything else so brilliantly.
I was really sad when DC3 no longer needed to used it and my buggy pushing days were over.

Our travel system did ds until he decided pushchairs were for babies at 2 and a half and come June hopefully will do his new sibling to at least a similar age.

However we have an estate car with a large boot. We live rurally and a lot of the walking I do is either on wide pavements and rough tracks (it has lovely wide tires). I rarely use public transport and if I do with a baby, I tend to carry them in a sling/wrap.

I hate my umbrella pushchair though, it has this annoying bar across the back wheels just where my feet want to go when I'm walking fast. I hit it every time.

Because it’s usually at that point that you stop lifting them in/out of places & pushing them around in their car seat, which is the main benefit of travel system.

It then depends on whether the plan you’re left with suits your purposes. We’ve kept ours (icandy strawberry) as when used as a prawn it’s still nippy, folds down easily and was one of the few that folded down one handed/ in one piece AND fit in the boot of our at the time Nissan micra.
We’ve had it for 4yrs/2 children so it’s worth the money.

I’d recommend city jogger if you can do them as a travel system, as that’s a good park in its own right and will fit in a corsa*

*i think

I borrowed a travel system when dd was born. I thought it would be a great idea.

In reality it was too wide for narrow pavements, fiddly to fold, and huge when folded.

Also baby-and-car-seat were far too heavy and too awkward shaped for a small person like me to lift in and out of the car, or to carry about.

I said thanks but no thanks to my friend, and bought a lightweight maclaren that I could fold for the bus and store in my hallway, and got a car seat that stayed in the car. I learned to lift DD between car and pushchair without waking her.

So glad I didn't buy one.

Take a look at the Baby Jogger City Mini GT.

It folds in one piece, there is a lovely carrycot available, the seat unit is huge and lays properly flat for sleeping so is the storage basket, it has large wheels with foam filled tyres (so no punctures) for dog walking and a really smooth ride for the baby and just glides along for the pusher.

It has a one-handed folding mechanism (it really is one-handed too, not many on the market that truly are).

It is car seat compatible which is invaluable for short trips and errands in the car so you don't need to disturb a sleeping baby for a quick run into the post office or something (certainly not a good idea for long days out though).

The handle is adjustable and also v comfortable.

The rain cover is well designed and easy to use.
Nobody ever researches the rain cover but in reality a crap one will drive you nuts. A friend of mine bought a fantastic system which worked brilliantly for for as a London dweller using public transport but the rain cover was such a pain in the arse to get on and off when she needed quick access to her DC when out and about that she got rid of it! Seems drastic but is wasn't working for her.

BJCM GT is pretty expensive but is top build quality and will see you through several babies if you ever do this again!