Anyone recommend a pram for going up and down a hill each day?

[missslc]

So- i have a baby due in 8 weeks and i have just moved to a new country. After much searching we have found a suitable house but it is on a hill- the last bit is fairly steep so it will be a workout each day-it is half a mile to the local shop and i will not have use of a car during the week.

Once we have bought a car and then all the new white goods next on the list is baby stuff- we have nothing yet- but anyone know of a pram that is suited to that kind of usage- at the weekends we will use th car so it wil need to go in boot but most usage will be going up and down that hill each day

Are 3 wheelers better perhaps for this kind of fairly heavy usage??

I don't know where to start. any advice appreciated.

also any car recommendations- we are going second hand- everyone says hondas and nissans are reliable?

If it's fairly smooth terrain I'd go for a good Maclaran. They are light, maneouvreable, well made and compact. The wheels are small though so if it's rough then they wouldn't be so good.

The more expensive ones are suitable from birth and I'm sure some will take ceratin acr seats so they can be travel systems aswell if you want that for the weekends.

yes to hondas/nissans

Pushchair - lightweight if possible!

Maclaren XT if you are tall enough and don't mind the baby being forward facing.

thanks a lot -that helps will see if i can find the maclaren techno xt out here.

Personally I wouldn't use a Maclaren for new born as they have pants suspension. There are a few 3 wheelers that are very light (lighter than Maclarens) that also fold up quite small although not as small as a maclaren. The Nipper 360 is great, very light, lots of shopping storage (especially if you buy the extra basket) and folds quite small. It also has large pneumatic wheels so it is a lot easier to push especially when baby gets older and heavier.
If you have the money a bugaboo Bee would be good also. Folds really small, very light, good suspension, good basket and rear faces which I always find a bonus with a young baby.

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i would go for a 3 wheeler,
personally i would go for one that parent faces too,
britax vigour 3+ looks nice,you dont need a separate carrycot,has a decent sized shopping basket,it also folds smallish,

I live on a really long steep hill and, like you, don't have use of the car during the week. I've got a Firstwheels City Elite- which I find ideal. It can be rear or forward facing, has got quite a big shopping basket and really good suspension. My (rather heavy) ds rides on a buggy board on the back, and at the mo my dd faces me. Had a Maclaren before she was born, and for all its advantages, it was a complete nightmare to push up the hill.

There are lots of families with small dcs living round here, and I reckon most of them have buggies with tyre-type wheels, rather than solid ones.

Not a P&T (or any of the big 3 wheelers, imho). That's what I have and it is far too heavy to push up a hill.

I have a Baby Jogger City Classic which is a 3 wheeler with large pneumatic tyres and despite being quite heavy to lift when folded it is extremely light to push and can be steered easily with just one finger (not that I've ever really found that necessary).

Its quite a big solid pushchair, really well built, but suits me fine around the shops as well as across fields with the dogs.

One of its best features is that to fold it you just pull up on a strap which is located across the seat, one pull and the whole thing folds in half, this feature alone has made my life much easier.

It is forward facing, but you can get a carrycot for it and also a carseat adaptor which works with lots of different car seat models (although I did find it heavier to push and more unweildy with the car seat on).

I absolutely love it and would definitely recommend it to anyone.

Other 3 wheelers I would recommend are the Mountain Buggy and Nipper 360.

I live at the top of a fairly steep hill and have tried a fair few pushchairs. With a newborn any pushchair is going to be fine it's as the child grows and gets heavier that you will notice it.
I would recommend an air tyre type at first for the softer ride it will give the baby and then later it is definitly easier to push one up hills.
I have had a Mountain Buggy, A Nipper, Vigour 3 and the Hauck Infinity all of which I would recommend.
Having said that I now have a Maclaren XT for my 3 year old..... but I make her get out for the hills

Bugaboo - the old ones with the 2 big wheels, not the new one with 4 teensy weensy wheels.

I have a Jane 3-wheeler - mines called a Powertrack but the new version is a Slalom, essentially the same though. It is a 3-wheeler, fantastic to push - I've pushed various other prams including assorted lightweight maclarens and I wouldn't swap any of them for mine.

But the main thing is it has a disc brake on the front wheel (like a bike brake) which is operated by a squeeze brake on the handle. So you can hold the brake on a little bit as you go down hill, which means you can go down a very steep hill easily - with other prams you have to hold the weight of the pram back as you go down.

It is heavy to lift in and out of the car boot. But it was easier to push up our steep hill than the maclaren daytripper that I had at one point.

Oh, and I have a Honda CRV, has never broken down on us and has plenty of room in the boot for the 3-wheeler and 2 bikes, with 3 children in carseats on the back seat. But I guess you may not be looking that far ahead.

I live up a very very steep hill. I have a bugaboo chameleon. It has been wonderful, it goes over the cobbles well and bumps down the step easily to my house. I love it!

Car wise we have an opel zafira. I can put the bugaboo in the boot without collapsing it.

We have a Fiat Doblo diesel. Cheap, functional, loads of room, loads of mpg and a cavernous boot! I have a Baby Jogger City Mini but I haven't used it since birth so wouldn't feel able to comment on its suitability for a newborn, however it is easy to steer, decent basket, excellent hood, great fold.

loads of ideas there- thanks. we do not want to spend a fortune and are happy to find one second hand if we can so will check out what is available out here- glad i did not go for the mclaren as it seems there are better options out there.

much appreciated everyone

I live at the top of a hill and walk a lot, car only a weekends. I would say skip anything that doesn't have pneumatic tyres..... you will need the air tyres for ease of pushing when bub gets heavier. I have a mountain buggy and with my 2.5 yr old in it it's about the only thing I can get up the hill with (relative) ease. I also have a jane energy (like a Maclaren) which to be frank with it's small wheels is a pig to push up any incline.....We have a mountain buggy which is brill and you can get a carrycot from birth. The only parent facing options in 3 wheelers are the bebe confort high trek and the teutonia. Top tip would be to push a few with some weight in

Another Mountain Buggy vote - practically pushes itself, has wrist strap for added safety when going down hill. Still easy to push even with my 3 stone 2.7 yr old DS in it

Thanks-thinking it may be worth buying a specific pram- i was just going to pick something up second hand but thinking that hill will be part of my daily routine- 2o mins down 20 mins up and as baba gets heavier could be more of a challenge.

is the mountain buggy a brand or a type of pram?- will do a search and see if it is available out here.

Another vote for a mountain buggy - they will probably ship to you, wherever you are - you don't feel the weight on the hills, my daily commute to work was 4 hilly miles and it was fabulous.

A wrist strap is definately a good idea and I think a mountain buggy would be a very reliable bet - the clue's in the name!