Phil &Ted Question...HELP??

[emmabemmasmom]

We are about to invest in a P&T Vibe.

Having had a look on Ebay for the 'extras' I wondered if the Sport, Dash ect. extras can be used with the Vibe (such as the cocoon) or do I need to buy the specific Vibe models?

Just wondering as the Vibe accessories are so much more expensive so I would love to be able to get away with using a cheaper sport cocoon since it is only for a few months anyway...

Thanks for reading and hope that all made sense!

I have a sport and can't see why the cocoon wouldn't work with the Vibe.

Have a look in Mothercare as they usually have both models on display.

I was in Mothercare today returning a double that I bought cause it wouldn't fit in my boot lol

They didn't have any on disply which peeved me seeing as I drove 30 min there

I don't see why it wouldn't work either but thought I would ask before I buy since I already had issues with buying to soon as you can tell lol

tbh though, i'm not sure that what you get different on the Vibe (adjustable handle height and handlebar brake) is worth the extra on the price tag. I looked at this inside out while I was pregnant and eventually just went for the Sport. there are 17 months between my two and it has been fantastic.

sport from kiddicare with all the added bits, still costs less than the vibe

So you would suggest the sport then? I was looking at that and the Dash (not sure of the difference there)...and my DH said he liked how you can fold the Vibe with the second seat still attached. That is why he wanted the Vibe...

To be honest though I do not know much about P&T and I don't know anyone who has one.

My DD's will be 18 months apart when DD#2 is born.

Thanks for the advise...will keep searching!

I would defo advise the sport. I too considered the sport and vibe and studied them both several times alongside each other in our local mothercare!

What i discovered is that the second seat on the sport is far better than that on the vibe for 2 reasons.

First is that it is longer backed so your child will be ableto use it in recline function for longer than it could do in the vibe second seat. At just 12 months old my dd was too big to recline in the vibe second seat but she reclined comfortably in the sport one, with spare room for growth, at the same age. Given that you are not meant to even use second seat till baby is 6 months there is a very small time for which vibe second seat can be used in recline position.

Second is that the vibe second seat when on the back (i.e. set up for 2 toddlers) is closer to the main seat unit than it is on the sport model. Therefore view from second seat was worse for the child sitting in it and dd looked far more comfortable in sport second seat, not so claustrophobic iyswim!

I would however concede that the hood and the brake are better on the vibe. But i don't think that either of these 2 features alone are worth paying over £100 more for!!

We went for the sport and i love it. gap between dd#2 and dd#3 being born was 19 months and this is defo the best double buggy i have had for ease of use. it is also really light to push even with 2 kids in.

hope this helps your decision!

I'd get the sport too. We looked at the Vibe and for the same reasons really as tinseltot we went for the Sport.

I love it and would never have another pushchair. There is 21 months between DS1 and DS2.

I work in the industry and we sell P + T at oor store. when we had a training session with the guy from P + T, I asked the question, what was the difference between the vibe and the Sport.
He responded about £160. (grin)
He basically told us there was no major difference between the 2 except styling.

Oh wow thank you so much for the well thought out reply!

That helps in my decision for sure. Do you think that the cocoon is needed? I don't want to buy something that I think I would use and then end up not using it. Baby is due in May so it is not as if I would really need it for warmth iyswim.

I talked to DH today and told him the same. I cannot justify paying so much more for just a few changes either.

I do agree that the folding is cool...however I have seen it folded with the second seat on youtube and it is huge! So maybe that is not the best feature either.

Again, thank you so much for taking your time to reply!

if you don't go for the cocoon, make sure you get a head support cushion. it will help your little one feel a bit safer in there in the first few weeks
Given that it will be summer, you probably won't need the cocoon.

I have the cocoon and is lovely for this time of year as is so cosy for baby when all zipped up. but agree its not essential for a summer baby at all. A head hugger would be good tho if you decide not to.

My dd#3 is nearly 4 weeks and 10lbs and i think she will prob be too long for it by about 16 weeks. Just a guess on my part tho! that said i am really glad i bought it as i find it really useful for baby groups etc. i arrive, leave buggy upstairs or on edge of room and unclip cocoon to transport sleeping dd with me. is like having a portable moses basket! Is also good for napping round our house or friends houses. we even put the cocoon in a supermarket trolley once to push dd round in as dh pushed another trolley with the food in! DD slept all the way round!

You won't be dissapointed with the sport. i have had side by side doubles and the sport is defo the most practical and flexible doubles option out there. Plus it will be a great single once you no longer require a double.

i also love my sport. (19m gap between DD1 and DD2.)
it's not that big a deal to unclip the second seat to fold it, just two push in buttons and out it comes.
brake on handlebar is good though.

i got great use out of my cocoon. i used it as a portable carrycot for ages, just lift it out without disturbing baby and carry the baby around. they do clip in to the buggy so even if it fits the Vibe the clips won't be compatible. (i didn't actually clip it much, but just wanted to fill you in).

does anyone know if the vibe is wider than the sport? it looks it.

I'll also go on record with amidiwish to say that it takes seconds to get the second seat on and off the sport!

Thanks everyone!

TBH we drive most places so I thought would I really use the cocoon? However, I do plan on doing a lot of walking this summer as DD1 was born in winter and it took ages to get baby weight off (as if i got it all off...not!) So I have high hopes of enjoying the summer!

I liked the idea of having it for walks with DD1 as I can just carry baby in and out of house without having to worry about holding tiny little baby and wrestling a fiesty 16 month old lol

Also since we decided not to get a moses basket this time around I could use that...I don't know!!! lol

I love the fact that it goes to a single...that is what sold it for me as my FIL takes DD1 on walks a lot and I would love for DH to be able to take one off my hands if not both...and when DD1 gets old enough to walk around...I won't have to invest in another but can keep the second seat in the car incase she decides she wants a ride lol

Why is something so simple so hard? lol

The other good thing to know about the sport is that the second seat can fit under the buggy in the parcel tray so you can take it out with you under the buggy to clip on and use if and when required. Or if your older child wants to walk whilst you're out you can take the second seat off, slip in into the parcel tray and turn buggy to a single.

Also not sure whether you know that if you get the cocoon it allows you to use the pushchair as a pram when you don't have the second seat on the top. the cocoon can be clipped in and used so that baby is facing you when the top seat isn't on (i.e. so that baby has its head over the front wheels). when the second seat is on though babies head has to be over the back wheels.

I borrowed a cocoon from a friend, but it's the one from the E3 not the sport so the clips aren't compatible....at least that I can figure out. Anyway, could you do the same?

Being able to tote the baby around in the cocoon when taking them out the buggy (like at playgroup) is fantastic.

We also use it as a sometimes single when DH or the GPs take one or other of them out so it's been great for that alone....otherwise they'd have been pushing a half empty side by side double.

the toddler seat makes a great extended storage area when the older one is walking as well.

I don't imagine you can use the E3/Sport extras on the vibe as the frame has been redesigned in shape whereas the E3 and Sport's frames are still the same.

There is quite a difference in price, as you'll know, between the Vibe and Sport, the fabric is better/more hard-wearing and the 5 point harness clips are better too and handle-bar brake. But we were more than happy with the Sport.

You can fold the Sport with the second seat attached but only it it is in the 'front' position, ie on top rather than behind.

I'd go for the Sport and save some pennies, or even better pick up a second-hand one from Ebay in good condition.

I too am thinking about the vibe or sport. I was wondering if it was true that you can put the cocoon in the front and the toddler in the back? I am still not happy about baby being near to the floor and not in a good viewing position.
Please can someone reassure me.
Thanks

Sorry, in the Sport you cannot put the toddler in the back if the baby is in the cocoon lying flat. The only place a toddler can go is 'on top' above the baby lying flat. Not sure about the Vibe but if you look on the www.philandteds.com website they have very useful pics of all the possible pushchair positions so you'll see it there if it's possible.

They are not lying close to the floor, really. The main seat reclines and that is what the baby is lying on. So the same height (from the ground) as any other lie-flat pushchair. The todder sits above them, so they are a bit higher than they would be in the main pushchair seat. If you look directly down (towards your seat) you can see the baby's face.

Ladyclaret - i agree with Anna. With the sport the baby has to be underneath if they are lying flat.

I don't know about the vibe but if the baby were on top I can't see how you would be able to see them - the pushing apparatus and hood etc would get in the way - as it is with the sport, you are looking directly down onto the baby's face at all times, it's actually more visible than a lot of other prams.

Not sure what you mean abotu the baby being close to the ground - they are a good 2 feet off the ground and there is the shopping basket below them. They are in no danger of getting bumped or splashed if that's what you are worrying about?

When both children are in the upright position then the bottom seat is quite close to the ground it's true - but you would be looking at 6 months + for that position, it's not for a newborn.

I suggest you go to mothercare or somewhere and get a demonstration of both models, the assistant should be able to show you all the possible setups.

Emma, I LOVE the cocoon, IMO it is one of the best features about the buggy.

I use it loads with the car because it enables you to put the baby down on your journey to and from the car, while wrestling with the toddler. Otherwise you have to either take out the car seat (much more of a faff) or hold the baby at all times while juggling keys/toddler etc. It's incredibly useful and I take it everywhere, I also used it as a moses basket in the house, and as a travel cot on holiday.

Hi I have had the E3 and now have the vibe.

I have found the vibe seats more comfortable for the dc. My ds always looked cramped in the front seat of the E3.

I prefer the break on the handlebar especially when dd tries to run away (although when I first got it I did push it accidentally a few times)

The seat straps are easier to use (although imo not perfect).

The sun shade is excellent can be pushed up and down the buggy and cover the front part of the buggy. This helps if you have a child on the top seat the hood fits over them, on the E3 my ds head used to hit the hood. I also had a real problem shading the front child in the E3 with the vibe the hood just flips to where you put it.

I haven't found it heavy at all and I can push it with one hand with 2 dc in buggy and a baby in the sling. It weighs less than the e3.

The fold isn't great when you put it in the car. The E3/Sport fold is much more compact.

The vibe cocoon is wider and the sides don't collapse in like the e3 cocoon. Is it worth 20 quid more? Probably not. Try and pick one up second hand maybe. I will try and check to see if E3 cocoon fits in vibe but I shouldn't see why not.

The footrest on the vibe is hard, on the E3 it was fabric and ds used to push down and try to stop the wheel.

I wouldn't personally buy the p & t sleeping bags for the buggy as I don't think the fit is great.

I haven't found that the vibe seats are close together as someone else mentioned maybe the front seat just needed to be strapped up higher.

Basket access is probably better on E3/Sport as you can undo the poppers you can't do this on the Vibe.

Have a good time buggy shopping.

How does the sport cocoon clip in? We used this with dd but just slid it in - didn't know it attached - oops! Will be using again with dc number 2 due in September. Dd will be 17 months then. Just having used the Sport for her I think it's fantastic. Got much more than money's worth out of cocoon too, although she is tall and slim and had outgrown it by about 5 and half months.

if you look carefully you will see clips on the side of the cocoon which attach inside the buggy. I didn't notice them, only when a friend borrowed my cocoon and was struggling to fit them to hers (it is a bit tricky!)