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Original poster

People with a Bugaboo Gecko - please talk to me about the carrycot.

45 replies

cupcakes · 14/09/2006 16:55

I thought this was the puschair for me but having seen it today in John Lewis in carrycot mode I now have my doubts. The carrycot doesn't look very secure (though I expect it must be) but also it seems so far away and close to the ground!
What do you think??
The chameleon's carrycot is fixed higher up the frame but it is too expensive for me.

OP posts:
Original poster
cupcakes · 15/09/2006 14:21

anyone?

OP posts:
misdee · 15/09/2006 14:23

i saw the chameleon one the other day and it seemed very low to the ground as well.

i can recommend the i'coo infinity.

Original poster
cupcakes · 15/09/2006 14:47

tell me about that one, please!
Ideally I want one with inflated wheels (we go offroad with the dog a lot), has a carrycot and can take a buggy board when needed.

OP posts:
Teaandcake · 16/09/2006 19:44

The Gecko carrycot is very secure but it does sit quite low, its just the design of the chassis.

It sounds like what you really need is a Mountain Buggy Urban. Much better for off road use but has very light steering in swivel-wheel mode. Also has a proper carrycot (which sits quite high). One of only a few products that is really strong enough to use with a buggy board.

It costs about the same as Gecko without the carrycot, but take a look at one before you rule it out on price alone. its perfect for your needs.

Believe it or not, I don't actually work for Mountain Buggy, I just sell them and loads of other brands but MB is by far the best buggy on the market today.

accessorizequeen · 17/09/2006 21:03

I have a frog, and although I haven't actually used the carrycot (we bought it when ds was older), it put me off that it was so far away & low down. Seems to be about the same as the Gecko in that respect. But for other reasons including ease of pushing & folding, I have bought a MB urban now that I'm expecting no.2. I do love it & am not sad to see the frog go, but if you're set on a bugaboo-style one there are plenty of them (like the icandy or I think mothercare stock a couple of lookalikes) which may be affordable & the carrycot works better for you. Worth noting that the buggyboard for the bugaboos are v.expensive, you can't buy standard ones for them (or 2nd hand on ebay).

Original poster
cupcakes · 18/09/2006 10:22

I know! £50!!
And I already have one buggy board already.
Right, so I need to look at Mountain Buggy and icandy - I haven't heard of this one before.

OP posts:
accessorizequeen · 18/09/2006 20:44

Mothercare also do one called Maui which is bug-lookylikey? Or what do you think of the Mutsy Urban Rider? First wheels city elite is bug style too. But have heard the icandy is all the rage in US at the moment.

Original poster
cupcakes · 18/09/2006 20:52

I quite like the look of the Mutsy but haven't seen one in real life for ages.
Am going to a big baby shop in a fortnight so will see if they have it.
Showed the icandy website to dh but he doesn't think it's hardy enough for offroad (the front wheels look a bit piddly).
Am going to search for Mutsy...

OP posts:
Xena · 18/09/2006 20:52

I'm looking at the MB atm what is the icandy?

accessorizequeen · 18/09/2006 22:15

There's a lady with mutsy round here, seems very easy to push but quite large, suppose just like a standard pram I guess. 3 wheelers seem better for off-road (I find the bugaboo difficult just on rough pavements, have never pushed it with small wheels at the back as it goes all wonky). MB is also quite a bit larger than bugaboo, but I don't care particularly as I don't really do town shopping with it. Icandy is cheaper version of bugaboo I think. Try here

Original poster
cupcakes · 19/09/2006 18:34

that's interesting about pushing the bugaboo over rough ground. If you have the large wheels at the front I suppoose it is harder to steer?

OP posts:
accessorizequeen · 19/09/2006 20:20

Well, I've never got the hang of it, I find it really awkward. But it wasn't that much of a problem before ds got older & bigger (he's 2.9), the bug seemed easier to push then but now if I've got shopping in there & ds as well I find it really hard. Have really noticed the difference now I take the mountain buggy out. But I think the rear-facing thing on the bug is very nice & I can see why it's so popular on that basis. Also it's quite nippy to steer in & around shops, much shorter in the body than a 3 wheeler. What do you have now?

Original poster
cupcakes · 20/09/2006 13:28

I have an old Boogie (XTS) which we bought for ds in 2000 (was also used for dd). It's been fantastic but is knackered and I need a new pram/buggy for newborn in December. Hence need for carrycot. Ideally want something which will be excellent offroad but also good for 6 trips back and forth to the school every day.

OP posts:
katierocket · 20/09/2006 13:30

Is the Mountain Buggy Urban really big when folded?
and is it suitable from birth?

PrettyCandles · 20/09/2006 13:31

Have a look at the iCandy Apple. If you're going off-road with a carrycot it's probably very good as it is the only one (AFAIK) where the carrycot is braced rather than merely attached to the buggy in the middle. We wanted an Apple, but I found the handle too uncomfortable. But as it's the same profile handle as the Bugaboo you might find it comfortable.

Original poster
cupcakes · 20/09/2006 13:32

From what I've read it is suitable from birth only with the carrycot attachment. And it is supposed to be really big when folded.
We have a large boot but this is frequently filled by large dog.

OP posts:
Original poster
cupcakes · 20/09/2006 13:33

sorry - that was about the Mountain Buggy.
Am going to look at the icandy next week (am trying to ignore the annoying name ). Am I right in thinking that you can't switch the front wheels to the back like you can with a bugaboo?

OP posts:
PrettyCandles · 20/09/2006 13:37

That's correct, but you can set it up either in 4-wheel mode or put the two front wheels close to gether in a pseudo 3-wheel mode, which is more stable than a conventional 3-wheeler.

katierocket · 20/09/2006 13:37

Ah. We're looking at the gecko too cupcakes and it seems the only one that ticks all the boxes. I do like the mountain buggy but it looks too big.

accessorizequeen · 20/09/2006 14:41

For the first time today, I put the MB in our boot (we have a Peugeot 307 Station Wagon) and yup it is big. No denying it. I still had plenty of room for all my shopping and the wheels come off in seconds but if you're doing a lot of car journeys it's probably not for you (I don't now, and didn't much when ds was small). Folds so easily though (compared to bugaboo, which annoyed me everytime I had to do it) although lifting it is a stretch at the moment coz I'm 6 months pg.
The seat goes pretty flat & you can get lovely sleeping bags for newborns to make them snug. But carrycot best option I think esp if you want to look at newborn!
What I haven't heard from anyone on any thread is what the bugaboo buggy boards are like & how they fit etc. If you're doing several trips a day, that really matters. Personally I would go all air tyres if you're doing that much walking cupcakes - have you considered another boogie or some of the other 3 wheelers?

accessorizequeen · 20/09/2006 14:44

Should have also said that whilst the mb is big folded, I haven't had a problem with it in shops, it's only a wee bit wider than the bugaboo & actually a lot more manoevrable once you have shopping + large child on board! But I'm not trying to sell it to anyone, what suits me won't suit everyone & the bugaboo is a quite neat-sized pushchair.

Original poster
cupcakes · 20/09/2006 16:29

I saw the bugaboo buggyboard in a shop and it did look quite good - the older child stands inside the handlebar so you don't have to stand half a mile away. But it is £50.(hurrah! new emoticon!)

OP posts:
accessorizequeen · 20/09/2006 18:58

Well, that's good at least. If your only concern about gecko is the carrycot being a bit low down, it's only for 4-5 months I guess, perhaps less although they don't advise putting children in the frog seat until 6 months I don't see how you could wait that long.
There is never a perfect pushchair really, which is why I'm on no.5 in 3 years!

amazonianwoman · 20/09/2006 19:35

I had to get involved somehow on a mt buggy vs bugaboo debate

I read on another forum that the bugaboo is hard to push with the buggyboard as it's just too light to handle it?? I have seen a woman locally pushing a bugaboo frog with baby and toddler and it looked like it steered OK but she does have to walk and push to one side and can't walk behind it as the board sticks out too far.

HTH
(have just cleaned up my bugaboo frog ready to sell & buy a mt buggy urban - the frog really can't cope with rough terrain and is a nightmare to push with large wheels in front)

amazonianwoman · 20/09/2006 19:42

Forgot to say - I used the frog carrycot (same height as gecko) for 5mths with a HUGE baby and didn't find it too low (and I'm 5ft9)

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