Which prams would you not recommended?

[Zigazagbox]

Just looking for some inspiration about what to look for when I go pram shopping this week and wondering what prams people would recommend avoiding and why?

I’ve got an Ocarro that I used for dd1 and dd2 and I adored it but now I use the car a bit more it quite heavy to be getting in and out the car every a lot.

I used my sister’s Oyster a lot watching dn but the seat was so shallow he hated it and couldn’t use it past about 1

So, this isn’t very helpful but..

I started off with the egg, absolutely loved it, it’s small lug by and compact, very easy to steer, good suspension and is so small it fits perfect in boots. Once DD was around 4 months she hated the carry cot, she didn’t want to be laying down, I transferred her to the seat unit at 5 months and she was happy for a while, however as I felt she was too small to world face, she was facing me and the egg is unfortunately very low down she couldn’t see much, especially with the baby bag attached (love how the bag attaches to the pram so you don’t have to weigh it down over the handle bars), I got her an icandy orange 3 and we both loved it, you can add seat extenders so she was higher up and had a better view - icandy orange 3 is big, heavy, bulky, struggle getting it in the boot but if you turn the seat world facing and fold it, it does fold with the seat attached. DD is now one and I’ve gone back to the egg now she’s older I’m comfortable having her world facing and we both love it, I prefer it to the icandy just by how light and compact it is, I’m not bashing into shelves in narrow shops anymore. My only con is the basket, it’s not very big.

Silvercross Dune is pretty awful considering the price. Beautiful textiles but it's a nightmare to manoeuvre. Silvercross have brought out the dune and reef 2 now but I would definitely test these out before buying.

Ooh I’ve been intrigued by icandy as my mum had the apple for my DB (big age gap lol) and it was absolutely brilliant but I’ve not had a look at their newer offerings. The folding situation would be a killer for me on the orange though.
The egg isn’t my cup of tea aesthetically but I know I few people that have had them and loved them so I’ll need to have a closer look

I’ve not impressed by silvercross at all these days tbh. Feels like their just relying their name now

We've got the icandy lime, not sure if they still do it but bought it in 2022. LOVE it, rear and world facing, comfy seat, good size basket, easy to manoeuvre. Also has a built in buggy board thing which is quite useful

Tbh if you’re going anywhere other than a town with pavements then a yoyo can be a bit shit. Eg muddy walk or beach

I wouldn't recommend the babyzen yo-yo even though people rave about it here. Feels really rickety, crap if you've got uneven pavements or cobbles to navigate. It's our very occasional buggy and I don't even travel with it - I put the icandy in the hold

Ooh that sounds right up my street. How is it for folding?

It's very easy to fold! But you need two hands.

Yep I agree with this. I would only get one if I travelled extremely frequently.

I disagree with pp about silvercross though, I think people have become really obsessed with buggies being lightweight/easy fold and that means most of them don’t feel sturdy anymore. Whereas the silvercross buggies all feel really solid and smooth to push, not rickety and bumpy over gravel like many compact buggies are. The seat units are also really lovely (same with uppababy) and supportive whereas a lot of single hand fold buggies like the Nuna Mixx (and the yoyo) have very flat seat units that toddlers kind of slip off and they’re only held in by the straps as opposed to actually sitting in a seat.

We have a cheap autofold type buggy we got after we had dd2 and the big name versions don’t seem worth the extra £200 and odd, especially for how rarely we use it. It has been a lifesaver occasionally though

Not a pram but we had a Joie Nitro for DC1 and that was rubbish. Was broken before they turned 3.

We are Cosatto fans. Our Cosatto pram is being used by our third child now. It's been in use for 7yrs and people are always amazed as it doesn't look it at all. The adjustable handle has broken slightly so it won't go up and down without a great deal of difficulty so I just leave it out permanently now. But other than that it's in great nick. We also have a Cosatto buggy that's been in use for over 4yrs now, on its second child, also good condition. Their customer service is very good with the 4yr guarantees.

Can you borrow a toddler?
Sounds crazy yes!
Some prams are fab till they hit 9-18months and are no good.
I took a friend and her 16month (he was a heavy tank at the time) old with me, we put hin in different prams (staff were horrified it was hilarious 😂) narrowed it down from 7 I liked to 2 in no time 🤣
Can I just say money well spent on my insignia, nearly 20 years old and still being used in the family 6 kids and counting!

Babyjogger loyal here. Switched my silver cross pioneer (brill up to 12 months, but bulky for in and out the car) and it lasted until I sold it at 3.5. Used the double version for twins from birth to 3.

Will always recommend it as it was just a workhorse. Practical. Comfy for the children. Amazing basket. Coffee holder. All terrain. Folded small enough for us. Huge hood.

definitely check it out - they do bassinets for the new born stage and you can clip car seats in too

Stokke Xplory we had, do love it. It can go very high so baby close to parent or can see out as it faces both ways. But it’s bulky / doesn’t fold well so can be hard to get in and out of car

Got a second hand bugaboo bee 6 as well now, also doesn’t fold great but slightly better and more manoeuvre-able

I had a Cossato Woosh and hated it. Felt wobbly, the seat was always slightly reclining, and the basket was rubbish. Break was ropey.

I also have ann Uppababy Cruz and love it. The main complaint I hear about it is that it’s tricky on public transport, but I’ve take it on a million London busses and tubes and always been fine. Its on its fourth kid and still going strong.

My DIL has bought a Cossato for my DGS. It has 3 wheels and is like pushing a Robin Reliant. Very unstable on uneven ground. Shopping basket is too small to be useful. Only positive is that it folds easily to go in car. My DD has a Joie versatrax. It is 2 years old and still in excellent condition. Easy to push, great for shopping. Only negative is that it is quite heavy to lift into the car.

I loathe the yo-yo. Small, doesn’t face parent when first sitting, and I’ve seen one tip over on a bus.

the cityjogger mini has done me proud from about 8mo with both children. Before that I had a bugaboo bee.

Not so much what I would recommend but I would figure out what features you want and go from there. I wanted one that could convert to a double but the seller was the inbuilt toddler step in the icandy peach 7. It has been super useful for my oldest and imagine it definitely will be if we have another one but with a smaller age gap.

I agree about the yoyo, we were given a handmedown but ended up buying our own nuna triv which I love. I used the yoyo recently to travel and it felt so flimsy in comparison, poor baby was being thrown around every time I hit a bump.

DD2 is a tiny 3yo so she’ll be getting brought with us and used as a guinea pig lol

Ooh I think some of the joie travel systems look like really nice for the price so I’ll need to have a nosey at them

I do wish more brands had fun colourful prints like cossato!

I used a borrowed uppababy vista with my first and it was great in the infant cot, but a nuisance with the toddler seat - I gave it back and used a Thule Chariot jogging/biking stroller (highly recommend if you are active and NOT urban).

With my second I used a maxi cosi zelia and LOVED it. I could switch between baby and toddler for one and two, folds nicely (not super compact but easy and fine in most cars). Easy to push… loved it. And kept using the chariot.

I had a bugaboo cameleon, although it was 15 years ago now. Everybody and thier dog had one at the time and I wanted to be different, but it really was the best.

My DS would only sleep if I walked while he slept so I walked about 40,000 miles in 3 years. It did extremely well and was just creaking a bit by the time he stopped sleeping in it. The wheels are replaceable.

It's not that bad for taking on a plane even. There is a big bag for putting it in the hold of a plane.

I did try a Silver Cross coach built pram in John Lewis on Oxford Street and it was beautiful but would have been totally impractical. I know people still use them in my home town in the west of scotland where the weather is very harsh, and they really are beautiful as long as you don't want to turn any corners.