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Original poster

Prams. Are they a good idea.

41 replies

bakedpotato · 19/01/2005 12:36

I keep feeling tempted by prams. Last time I stuck the newborn in totally reclined maclaren techno but got some horrid comments from old ladies and it really didn't look comfy despite the lambskin. and in any case, she didn't sleep well in it, so we ended up being tied to the cot for naptimes.

however, i live in an urban area with a few steps in front of my house, and prams do seem unwieldy, plus so expensive and i'd probably only use it for, what, 6 months or so? i don't need carseat/toddler seat etc. just carrycot and chassis. as lightweight as poss.

Any comments, suggestions, experience, please? is it a silly idea? I've seen a chicco cortina for a 'goodish' price. are these OK? i'd rather go for a 2nd-hander but delivery is an awful hassle.

OP posts:
Twiglett · 19/01/2005 12:38

NO

Angeliz · 19/01/2005 12:38

YES

Twiglett · 19/01/2005 12:39

No they're not a good idea I meant

pixiefish · 19/01/2005 12:39

I have a mamas and papas travel system. dd was in the car seat bit when she was tiny and as she got older she went in the pram bit, fully reclined and with the cosytoes making it seem more pram-like. Now she's enarly a year old I use it as a puschair and she can still have a nap in it. My dd used to sleep ok in it

aloha · 19/01/2005 12:39

If you want one buy it on Ebay for next to nothing.

Angeliz · 19/01/2005 12:40

Aren't we helpful.
I loved my pram had a big oldfashioned looking one which i'll be using again soon. It didn't fit in the boot of my mini though. (Now have a very sensible Ford Focus!!)
DD was so comfy in it and it's GREAT for shop lifting.

Angeliz · 19/01/2005 12:40

That WAS a joke!¬!

Blackduck · 19/01/2005 12:40

No - I inherited a Mamas and Papas number - pram, pushchair combo thing...it went out of the house ONCE! Occasionally ds would be put down to nap in it during the day - saved taking him upstairs. Never used the pushchair bit as the chassis was too big and a pain in the ar*e. Got a nice lightweight buggy instead...

nailpolish · 19/01/2005 12:41

no way bp, no no no.

my FIL bought me a £440 3 in 1 pram thing and i absolutely hate it. i used it 5 or 6 times with dd1 (only cos i felt guilty) and i havent used it at all with dd2, i thought 'whats the point i hate it'

put it in the attic and bought a £60 pushchair.

it was heavy, awkward, unsuitable for car, bus or train. it looked lovely, dont get me wrong, but that was it

vict17 · 19/01/2005 12:41

The best thing I ever bought for ds was this citilite from mothercare. It is suitable from birth and will last until ds no longer needs a pushchair. A pram would definitely have been a waste of money and friends with travel systems found them unwieldy and heavy to put into boots of cars. Really glad I bought this.

Tessiebear · 19/01/2005 12:43

I must say that the "pram" bit on my travel system was used for such a minute length of time that it was hardly worth bothering. THis time i have got a three wheeler that has a newborn carrycot bit that you attach into it. The look on my mums face when i showed her was priceless (she likes big bouncy prams) but then with two other kids and a dog in tow i have got to be practical. I would personally say just try and avoid looking into the eyes of old ladies as you walk...

morningpaper · 19/01/2005 12:44

Have a look round charity shops - lots of 'flat prams' for about 20 quid. Hideous but practical. I LOVE mine even though it is a monstrous tank.

I used a sling but found that after 4 months or so my back was totally F*CKED from carrying her around and breastfeeding and I had to give it up.

Now she's 2 we still need the pram because she's an unreliable walker and it's still functioning fine (it had the ability to turn into an upright buggy-type thing).

The advantage of the older/seond hand ones is that lots of them FACE you so that you can still talk and interact.

Twiglett · 19/01/2005 12:45

Mclaren Techno XT .. that's what you want (£99 from kiddicare)

I had a M&P Pliko completo travel system with DS which I thought I loved (and another buggy that went in the car)

With DD I got rid of them both (well actually I used the M&P and the carseat for the first couple of months) and replaced with my lovely wonderful Techno ..its fab (especially with the cosy cover)

LIZS · 19/01/2005 12:46

We had a Silver Cross 3 in 1 (separate carrycot and pushchair seat) and did use it for both kids. Cosy for a newborn, daytime naps when tiny, out in garden for naps, walks into town (would take a 3 1/2 yo on kiddyboard) and carrycot useful to take away. We had a sprung chassis too which was great for walks along lanes. You can easily bump it up and down a few steps. However it is bulky and one of the heavier models and took a bit of getting used to to get it in and out of car.

If you are likely to walk a lot in those first few months then I'm sure you'd get your money's worth second hand at least, if you drive most places and have to shuttle an older child around perhaps not.

Carameli · 19/01/2005 12:47

bp I have a M&P venezia that has a pramette thing. Basically it reclines enough and has a cover to look like a pram. I found it great when dd was newborn, although I did not think the base was very comfy for a newborn so I used to put her moses basket mattress in it when we went out. She was lovely and snug(it was winter)
She's now 15mths and its still in great use as a pushchair. My boot is very small and it fits in there and it not too heavy to lift.
I think the brought out anther model as a pramette thing but not sure.

nailpolish · 19/01/2005 12:48

prams are lovely - but in this day and age totally unsuitable. in my mums day she would walk everywhere - she lived at the high st and all the shops were walking distance, she lived in the same st as her family and friends. if you dont use a car or public transport prams are fine but if you are going to be in and out of the car/bus/train to visit f and f who live miles away or your shops are miles away then its not possible with an old fashioned pram.

thats why old ladies look disapproving - they have never heaved a huge chassis in and out of a boot.

my mum was horrified too when i showed her the £60 pushchair all she could say was 'its not suitable for a baby, make sure you use lots of blankets' then later on when i went to meet her at the shops she understood with the practicality of it all

starlover · 19/01/2005 12:49

it really depends on your situation. My mum used to childmind and our big old pram was used ALL the time...
saying that, we live in a semi-rural area and the pram would be used for walking up to the shops with, collecting other kids from school, putting the kids to sleep in... lovely out in the garden during summer when it's warm.
Because it was so giant it also lasted the kids til they were well over a year old... admittedly it's not the most practical of items though!
My mum doesn't drive so fitting it in a car wasn't a problem, and she had a reclining buggy for if she went on the bus.

If you're planning on doing walks and things then they can be quite useful.
from what you say you're probably better off with something a bit more lightweight with a carrycot that you can attach.

Original poster
bakedpotato · 19/01/2005 12:51

but aloha, if you buy it for next to nothing on ebay you either have to drive to leominster to pick it up, or arrange very expensive courier. and they mostly do look a bit... soiled.
well, apart from angeliz , there's a consensus that i have taken leave of my senses. useful. maybe a baby that won't sleep in a buggy also won't sleep in a pram, anyway.
it would only be for walking to the shops/taking dd to nursery school, though.. and going out for the occasional lunch at a pizza joint
(simply can't bear thought of being housebound at lunchtimes for 2 yrs again.)

OP posts:
Angeliz · 19/01/2005 12:52

Another reason i honestly found it great bp was that we have a big boxer dog and i felt dd was saf in the pram asleep.. Not that he's vicious, he's a big teddy bear, just the size and weight of him[smilee]

Off to get dd from nursery+

finleysmum · 19/01/2005 12:57

Why not try Chariots on hire?.You can hire a pram for as little as 2 weeks to try it and it saves forking out for an expensive mistake!.I have never used them myself but i have looked on the website.Its here

Original poster
bakedpotato · 19/01/2005 13:00

thanks to the pro lobby too...

god it's difficult, so confused. we've got the maclaren techno XT, love it, but dd really wouldn't sleep in it after about a month or two.

starlover, a lightweight carrycot with a attachable chassis, that's exactly what i keep coming back to, not a travel system.

finleysmum -- genius. i'll go and have a look at that site straight away.

OP posts:
marialuisa · 19/01/2005 13:09

Well my m&P 3-in-1 complete with big wheels was fantastic. Carrycot was used instead of moses basket/travel cot and it was a dream to push. But I lived in the city centre and couldn't drive so walked a lot. No problems with DD sleeping in it.

Don't understand what the problem with prams in shop is? Admittedly you can't take them on an escalator as you can a buggy, but oherwise I never had any probs (loads of space for bags underneath too).

Nimme · 19/01/2005 13:14

Yes. DD2 sleeps outside in hers. Sleeps so much better flat and outside. Used to put DD1 in reclining pushchair but she only ever catnapped and we also ended up being tied to the cot.

I'd say go for second hand and then ditch.

Pagan · 19/01/2005 13:18

Sod the old ladies - I have to agree with nailpolish here. The vast amount of "hardly used" prams in the classifieds is an indicator of how useless they are.

I used a Britax Rocatot car seat (as I needed a carseat anyway) plus the chassis for it. DD was happy as larry in it until she was about 7 months old then I got the lightest buggy possible (Maclaren Volo) and she was fine in that also.

Bear in mind what a buggy/pushchair/pram is actually for - a seat with wheels to move a baby around in. IMO the more gadgetry involved, the less use it is!

meea · 19/01/2005 13:19

I've got a maclaren superdreamer sitting in my dad's loft. Fold flat chassis ,carrycot seat unit 'cosy toes sun canopy and matching car seat.
Will take photo's if your interested.