So we’re expecting our first in April and we’ve started looking for prams. I was sceptical when a colleague called them “travel systems”, but now I see what he means as there seems to be so many options! So I’m after a bit of fatherly advice as to what is the best to buy.

Heres a bit of background;

We have isofix in both cars but we’ve got an estate that will be the baby transportation unit primarily.

Due dog walking responsibilities, the pram must be able to deal with fire tracks. We will mostly be using a carry for walks though.

Easy to fold away and remove baby seat bit?!

I’m really on new territory here so any advice would be appreciated.

🙂

How many prams do you think you will need ?

We thought one’ I think we peaked at four or five at one point

First few months they use a click in travel system type thing, small wheels, nappy bag hanging off the handle. As they get bigger and can sit upright by themselves they progress to things like a baby jogger, more usable off-road / on the beach etc.

And a fold up mclaren umbrella style buggy thing

We had kids a couple, of years apart, so ended up with double buggies etc – hence the plethora of buggies

Best of luck – minefield

If you happen to be in Hampshire we have a maxi cosi mura 3 wheeled version to get shot of. Done both our boys and as solid as the day it left the factory.

It is an absolute beast of a thing (bulk wise) but very robust, comfy and well made. it splits and folds down in seconds

We bought because it did all those things you describe and we reckon the three wheels option is more manoeuvrable but a little less stable off camber.

In contrast to allfankledup above this did us for nearly everything from 0-2 twice although we also had a mclaren stroller for light duties from 1+. Our boys are nearly three years apart in age and both have abandoned the buggy at a fairly early age so that helped.

No two people’s experiences of these things are the same ime.

Sorry that looks sales pitch, which was not intended. What I should have added is possibly to look for something burly and and adaptable at the expense of light weight. Some of our friends stuff has looked ruined half way through child one without the kind of outdoor life we lead!

Go to Mothercare, keep your gob shut, buy the one she wants. No point putting off the inevitable.

Funny this as myself ,wife and pregnant daughter were in Mothercare today to get our first grand child’s push chair, lots of choice and prices .. some well over 1k !!
Very impressed with their own range of transport systems ! .. all done for £200
pram pushchair car seat etc all rolled into one

the bigger wheels the better for off road

we got a baby jogger, which is the quickest and easiest folding of any ive seen, carrycot (uneccessary really as the pram lays flat anyway) and adaptors for a maxi cosi car seat(useful), 3 wheeled, stable easy to steer one handed(very useful)and tough- 2nd kid now uses it
i would say for off road the wheels are a bit small, but its all the buggy weve ever needed really through 2 kids, if u get a decent one you wont need several as mentioned above

just try out as many as you can, there are some very expensive prams that are compromised in some way, and a small niggle can be a right pita

we also have a croozer trailer that converts to a brilliant off road buggy, though we use it as a buggy very rarely as is quite wide and bulky about town and off road tend to use it as a trailer

we paid a fair whack for all that stuff, but honestly, shouldve just gone to ebay etc and got it 2nd hand

we’ve got a Jane Matrix system thing which has been excellent for the past two years, from birth we were able to safely bring her home from the hospital in the travel cot/pram which then as she grew also “folds” to make an enclosing child seat, now she’s two and she’s in the push chair seat that also comes with it.

Its got big rubber wheels and suspension on the back two (its a 3 wheeled affair) its also good for jogging with.

I would strongly recommend them, not the cheapest but very very good.

My advice is don’t bother with any kind of fancy pram/travel system whatever unless it’s primarily for walking out of the house and going along pavements.

Most are too big to store in the house and far too big to go in the back of the car. They fold up or down fine except when you really need them to.

For dog walking use a carrier. Besides, if you have a huge pram in the boot where’s Rover gonna go?

I thought we’d need a fancy buggy/pram and bought an expensive Silvercross one. Hardly used it but I do use a lightweight folding buggy that came from a charity shop for a fiver. It doesn’t give you a hernia loading it, snaps open in seconds and leaves room for dogs/shopping.

How many prams do you think you will need ?

We thought one’ I think we peaked at four or five at one point

😆 five **** prams, 😆

We are due in 3 weeks time , so far??? 2 car seat travel systems , 5 prams and 2 cots ,the boys room is chocka , the wife and mother even quoted N+1 for pram ratio good luck ha ha

Hippy dippy speech:

Get a sling. Or several. Small children aren’t that heavy, they’re cleverly designed to start walking by themselves when they get too big to carry. Much, much easier to store and transport than prams and pushchairs, stairs, buses and subays are no problem, and you get lots of contact with the lttle thing.

We never bothered with a pram or pushchair at all.

I’m sat in a hospital delivery suite writing this now, my wife due to produce in the next couple of hours!

We went for the Silver Cross Pioneer “travel system” and simplicity car seat. Not used yet but it seems well built.

Get a bugaboo. The Santa Cruz of prams

Zen. Genius! Buggy and carry cot went in the boot of my Abarth. Big wheels go anywhere. Can be folded to nothing one handed. Adapters to take all sorts of car seats. Lights. It has lights!

Check out the ADAC tests of car seats before you buy (they actually run the tests that Which! publish). Some popular makes are stupendously bad / dangerous.

Sensible time:

You don’t need one of everything BUT I’d recommend three things:

A car seat with an Isofix base that can be clipped on and off easily. MaxiCosi and Britax tick this box for starters and has lasted mine so far (now 20 months, we went with the Britax for the cow print seat, yes really).

Don’t piss about with something that’s too heavy or cumbersome for day to day use as a stroller, you’ll hate it, people will hate you and it’ll do nobody any favours. Get an all-in one that’s light enough to get around day to day and assemble/collapse in no time. We went with a Babystyle Oyster with the cot and chair options and the adaptors to carry the car seat. The cot lasted as long as it needed to (and was handy for leaving her for naps in) then was out in the loft till next time. The chair is still going strong and has plenty of time in it yet, by the time she’s grown out of it she won’t need it anyway.

http://www.mothercare.com/Babystyle-Oyster2-Pram-Pushchair/psN4184,default,pd.html

Finally, the jogger. Invest ahead in a decent bike trailer that can be converted, something like a Burley (anything but the Bee and Honey Bee will convert) and you’ll get far more use out of it over the years.

Whatever you decide upon, do yourself the justice and get it secondhand, just get a good one and when the wife decides to have a second or just decide she needs a different one as the one you went for is a pain you can sell it for near enough what you paid for it.

Seriously, think we had 5 too. When the 2nd Jnr B came i allowed Mrs B to choose whatever double she wanted as long as it was second hand! Glad i did, the first was a one in front of the other job and was like driving a limo round a macdonalds drive through, the second was a side by side and so big it filled the boot of an accord, the third was a Mclaren Double and it stayed! Says something.

Incidentally, all 3 of the doubles were sold for more than we bought them for as i got them off ebay where sellers sold collection only and sold with delivery.

Biggest load of crap out there i tell thee!

Just get a McLaren Techno XT and have done

If you want to take it dog walking a 3 wheeler with proper blow up tyres is needed imo. We got on from mothercare, no idea what it was called. Did the job.

My advice would be to go with the smallest, lightest one that covers your needs.

Phil and teds , converts into a double , handy if you are planing on having another child!

Thanks for all the advice folks. Very appreciated. In true first time dad fashion, I’ve sent the link of this conversation to my wife so I’ll take a back seat now!

I have nothing sensible to add other than to thank the OP for not using the word ‘stroller’.

Just go for second hand – as others have said you will find that some are no good for your lifestyle/transport/children…and this changes pretty rapidly. We spent a fortune on one for our eldest, which was retired after about 6 months for cheaper and better (for us) options.

Good luck trying to persuade your wife to go secondhand however!

We went for a Graco evo with detachable car seat. Great job. It did everything I could reasonably want it to. The Enduro green colour swung it.

I seriously dont understand all the need for multiple prams, strollers, pushchairs etc. Like others have said, second hand one’s can be a real money saver and you can get more for your money.

When your baby is a newborn they will need a system that lies flat or can be converted to lie flat. Plenty out there for sub 250 that will do this and then allow you to use it up until they are a toddler. We bought a 2nd hand one that looked in new condition from ebay, a mamas and papas one. It had a pram/carry-cot attachment, a baby car seat attachment, normal pushchair, rain cover, parasol and various accessories that were hardly used. Cost us less than £100 2nd hand and got used loads. Did the job fine up until just after the sproglet was walking then we chopped it in and bough a maclaren techno stroller. My wife sister has some fancy £1000 thing. Looks great, but whats the point?!? It is no different functionally to the one we had. I guess you could use the same analogy with bikes though?!

Phil and Teds navigator with a maxi cosi car seat and adaptors. Big air filled wheels make it great off road and if you have a second you can add a seat. Great kit. Also had an icandy peach which was rubbish yet twice the price. Plenty of p and t on ebay