Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 46 total)
  • Pram time
  • richardkennerley
    Full Member

    It’s time for us to start thinking about what pram to buy.

    I know there’s loads to look at and loads of reviews to read through, but I thought I’d see if anyone has got any personal recommendations, horror stories, or if there’s just one obvious one that everyone gets!!?

    After a “from birth” one that does it all!

    scaled
    Free Member

    Just get yourself down to John Lewis and try some out.

    There will only be one or two that fit all your criteria.

    Wheel size, as always is an area for debate.

    grahamt1980
    Full Member

    We went to kiddicare (one of the scariest shops i have been to) and tried them all out.
    We went for the uppababy vista in the end as it was the best built one in the shop.

    tinybits
    Free Member

    You won’t find a from birth one, I bet you have at least 2.
    Bugaboo Chameleon was ace for me (bought second hand, 2 kids and sold for £50 less) but after a while I wanted an easier collapse, smaller buggy so got a city stroller. Just have that now, about done with it so soon to be pram free

    andy4d
    Full Member

    remember to check it fits into your car boot. I..ahem..know someone who didnt…… 😳

    longmover
    Free Member

    We have an icandy strawberry it folds down easily one handed and will fit in the boot of a polo if you take the rear wheels off.

    Make sure you look at how manoeuvrable the pram is in tight spaces and how easy it is to lift the front wheel with a baby in it.

    stox
    Free Member

    Long shot and hope you don’t mind but I’ve a one year old Silvercross pioneer to sell when I get around to putting an advert together!
    Only selling it as we have another baby due .. Today actually! On the off chance you’d be interested … feel free to send a message.

    Either way, I can recommend it 🙂

    http://www.silvercrossbaby.com/our-products/prams-and-pushchairs/pioneer/

    Harry_the_Spider
    Full Member

    We had a Mothercare travel system that survived two kids. It was a bit tatty after 5 years of constant use, but it never broke.

    It was a 3 wheeler with 10″ wheels. Very good off road, over kerbs and uneven pavements.

    cheers_drive
    Full Member

    We’ve got some massive Danish pram, it’s like a modern version of the old Silver Cross ones. Beautifully made but its massive so takes up all of the boot of my car and doesn’t fit in the wife’s. Is to large for some shops and is a liability in a busy street. It works in Denmark as they leave means and babies outside and don’t drive so much.
    Not that I was allowed any say in choosing it.
    Rant over, but make sure the size suits you.

    funkrodent
    Full Member

    Bugaboo Chameleon was ace for me (bought second hand, 2 kids and sold for £50 less) but after a while I wanted an easier collapse, smaller buggy so got a city stroller. Just have that now, about done with it so soon to be pram free

    I’ll second that. Superbly well made, really easy to maneouvre, the big wheels can be at the back (normal pushing) or front (uneven terrain), the small wheels can be completely collapsed so you can pull it behind you (on the beach). Its cot is good enough for baby to sleep in, it will take a maxi-cosi car seat (godsend) and can be converted into a stroller. I had the original for my first two ten years ago, have now bought a 10 yr old 2nd hand one for no.3 (4 weeks old, he’s asleep in it as I type this) and it’s as good as new. Find a good 2nd hand one with a few accessories (raincover etc) for around 400 pounds and you’ll never regret it

    eskay
    Full Member

    Well, it was a few years ago but we went through about 4 or 5 before we settled upon one that suited us.

    We tried various different variants but my advice would be to get the smallest/lightest ‘thing’ you can.

    We had a Maclaren (I have just had a look and they no longer make it!). It was a city or something like that. It would allow the baby/child to lie flat (if needed) so was suitable for the early months. It is all we used for our second son.

    You can get very carried away with these things (particularly if it is your first child). I think there is also a certain amount of snobbery involved with child carriers!!

    mark90
    Free Member

    We have an old style Mutsy (4 runner?). It’s a bit big, heavy and cumbersome in confined spaces. A light weight stroller would be better around a shopping centre. But the well built Mutsy with its 12″ pneumatic tyres and in bulit suspension (springiness in the frame) is ideal for out and about families. Copes well with ‘off road’ paths and tracks and gives a smooth quiet ride on uneven pavements. Takes a pram/cot, car seat, bugggy seat. Seeing us though our second child now, just some scuffed wheels (just like the missus’ car) to show for it.

    Just read that back, I sound like a bloody marketing brochure 🙂

    stumpy01
    Full Member

    We’ve got a Babystyle Oyster 2. It was mainly down to what would fit in the cars and the Oyster is pretty much the smallest one that we found once folded.
    We found it nice and easy to fold, is relatively light and manouevreable.

    Dunno if it’s the best but it suits us. We got the normal buggy bit and the carry cot base, which also suits us for when we go for walks in the local area.

    We also looked at a Joie something or another, which was a similar price. I preferred it, but it didn’t fold as small.
    We also looked at a Gracco system that was on offer, but it didn’t fold very small. It was impressively light though but still very rigid.

    We are local to Kiddicare so went there and it was definitely worth it. Plenty of space to try them out, all of the bits and pieces, so you can have a proper look at them and you can take them outside and try them in your car.
    They also start the warranty from your due date.

    dooosuk
    Free Member

    Uppababy Vista here too. In use now with our second child. It’s from birth too and can even double up as a travel Moses basket to sleep in overnight.

    Would definitely recommended. It’s well engineered and lasting superbly.

    eskay
    Full Member

    Stumpy has just jogged my memory!! The buggy we ended up with was a Gracco Citisport (not Maclaren!).

    mrsfry
    Free Member

    A pram! no wonder the country is going to pot. Sooner they start walking is the sooner they start earning.

    stumpy01
    Full Member

    mrsfry…ours is only 7 weeks old, but already signed up for an apprenticeship with the local chimney sweep – trainee blockage un-plugger. She starts on the day after Boxing day… 😆

    bencooper
    Free Member

    Do you really need one? We never bothered, just used slings. Much lighter and more compact – and much, much more practical on public transport and the like.

    mrsfry
    Free Member

    Stumpy01

    scottyjohn
    Free Member

    we have had a stokke, a phil & Teds, a bugaboo Chameleon, and now have a city jogger mini. Stokke was great for city and shopping centres. baby was really high, then snow came and it was hard to push around safely. So we got the Phil & Teds, and its been the best all rounder, been abroad numerous times and is really solid. On holidays byt the pool or beach its like a base station as you can load it with everything and drag it anywhere. Weighs a ton though, so borrowed a friends Bugaboo, and it fell apart. Plastic lugged main joint keeps failing. Seems really flimsy made. Mrs got a bad back and couldnt lift the P&T in and out the boot, so she got a city jogger mini, and its amazingly light and well built. We now have a secondhand city jogger doubler as we have number three on the way soon 🙂

    bentudder
    Full Member

    Also worth thinking about whether you anticipate having more than one child in quick succession.

    We ended up with a Phil & Teds three wheeled jobbie after seeing friends out in Tremblant who were moving their 5 week old and two year old around in -35 without any problems. Resale was / is good, and we’re about to get shot of ours after five years and two Udderlets (often moved at the same time – you expand it with a second seat at the back). They’re big-ish, but still very usable, and did us from birth all the way up with the cocoon thing (a hand-me-down from siblings).

    It’s been pretty good off road, although three wheels is not good on off-camber stuff, and it’s pretty indestructable. The Dash looks similarish to what we have, but a lot more compact (which is a very good thing).

    *however* one bit of advice from a group of complete strangers that I later realised was well worth while was: get a Mclaren-style (or Mclaren) folder that you can collapse, open and lift one handed. If you have a shedload of shopping, a baby and a wriggling toddler in a multistorey car park and some idiot has parked very close to your car, then it works out a load easier. It’s also easier to fly with if you plan to go overseas. We inherited a Mclaren from the family, and last time we used it it was still going strong. It would have been less of a sod if it had been crushed, dropped or pinched by bag chuckers at various airports, too.

    Hope that helps. Spend a bit of time working out what you actually want to use it for, what the transport linkages are like (we don’t have much use for buses, living near a railway station and within walking distance of lots of amenities, and with access to a car, for example – we’d have got something smaller if we planned to use public transport regularly), how big you anticipate the family becoming if all goes according to plan, and whether it is practical. As Ben C points out above, a sling might do the trick, but additionally, it may not work for you, especially as they get biggerer.

    senorj
    Full Member

    We were bought a Bugaboo Bee – We’ve absolutely battered it in 3.5 years.
    In that time the handle adjuster clamps have failed 3!!! times . £15 replacement on bugaboo website – but they are always sold out – you have to buy them for about £25 off some canny pram entrepreneurs , grr.
    Despite that , it is way better than the cheapo Maclaren we bought for air travel.

    cheekyget
    Free Member

    If you want to save BIG money and want to buy a 2nd hand quinny zap , car seat ,cabio fix etc…..then give me a message!!

    hanchurch
    Free Member

    We had a Bugaboo Chameleon then a Phil and Teds when the second mini hanchurch came along, both were great and held their residuals well.

    wobbliscott
    Free Member

    Have you considered buying 2nd hand? I got a Mamma’s and Pappa’s stroller style pram for ours (Pliko I think). I thought it was far better than the bugaboo style trendy ones – it folded up really small, converted into all modes without having to remove parts or put them on. It cost us around £800 at the time. My brother bought the same model 2nd hand – looked brand new and he got it all for around £200.

    lcj
    Full Member

    Uppababy Vista here. One month in and its a godsend being able to let the little one sleep in it overnight. Liked the fact that you got the carrycot, chair and car seat adaptors all in one go, and didn’t have to buy extras.

    MussEd
    Free Member

    Do you really need one? We never bothered, just used slings. Much lighter and more compact – and much, much more practical on public transport and the like.

    I always thought that air of superiority I experienced around folk with babies in slings was either my own imagination or me projecting my shortcomings/guilt (for taking a pram on a bus) onto other folk – turns out it actually is a thing!

    NINJA EDIT – i dont really do smileys/emojis but this post was intended as light hearted, before I get into trouble…

    bencooper
    Free Member

    I’m vegetarian too, if that helps 😉

    MussEd
    Free Member

    Natch!

    gravity-slave
    Free Member

    We had an Uppababy Vista and it was great from birth to 3, only pram we needed but also used slings a lot too. Carry cot great for travel and letting them sleep and doing something else. Big basket for shopping and folds easily.

    2 friends had one, both on 2nd kid with them now.

    Bought a Maclaren as 2nd pram for my boot, used it 4-5 times, preferred the Uppababy.

    Black Uppababy in good condition now for sale with red footmuff and car seat adaptors if of interest, drop me a mail!

    And congratulations…

    SaxonRider
    Full Member

    After a “from birth” one that does it all!

    Unless you are planning on limiting yourself to just one child, I can assure you that there is no such thing. No matter what the manufacturers claim, their prams/pushchairs/buggies seldom last beyond a year-ish, and certainly can’t do all the things you would like them to.

    We have spent a lot on decent prams, off-road prams, fancy Italian prams, umbrella pushchairs… you name it; and while we have loved this or that feature of the different ones, there has always been at least something that meant it didn’t function the way we needed it to when we needed it.

    I would say to just find one you like, and add to it a cheap umbrella pushchair, and enjoy them until the disintegrate.

    shortbread_fanylion
    Free Member

    Uppababy Vista has been great for us. Number 1 used it a lot and now it’s meeting number 2’s needs as well – no sign of it falling apart. Very versatile as you can stick a car seat straight on as well. We use slings a lot as well but the distance into town is too far to carry them in

    ransos
    Free Member

    My best advice is to buy one secondhand – we got a Phil n Teds with all the accessories for about £150, and it was great for moving our new born and 2 year old. But if we hadn’t liked it, we could’ve sold it on and tried something else.

    You’ll also want a stroller buggy for the car boot.

    bentudder
    Full Member

    The birth – to – two – nippers things is problematic, but we ended up using a Phil & Ted’s inline type pushchair which held a baby carrier lying flat, then expanded out with extra bits as needed. Ours is pretty hammered, but still sellable, I think. They’re generally bombproof, and we’ve had one breakage (a plastic bit we dropped the whole weight of the pushchair on several times while loading it into the boot folded) in that time.

    Nobeerinthefridge
    Free Member

    Biggest waste of money in the whole baby charade…

    Too big to take through shops, cafes etc, takes up the whole bloody boot as well.

    As soon as the wee one was strong enough to hold her head up, a littlelife back carrier for me, a wee stroller buggy for the wife. The baby carrier was brilliant, used to carry a wee mirror in my pocket to keep an eye on her, she loved being up high and seeing what was going on. Bought it second hand, and sold it on for the same money.

    olly2097
    Free Member

    Our babystyle oyster 2 certainly did from birth.
    Bought carry cot and never used it.
    Just used pushchair and car seat. Pushchair suitable from 0 months.

    Good piece of kit. When the next kid comes we will get the ride along attachment.

    jeffl
    Full Member

    Had the double City Jogger. Was ace. Single one looks good. Think you can get spigots for it to fit car travel systems on to it.

    hammy7272
    Free Member

    Bugaboo Chameleon. Brilliant bit of kit. Very easy and light. Quality.

    bentudder
    Full Member

    As soon as the wee one was strong enough to hold her head up, a littlelife back carrier for me

    That’s a good point – we bought one second hand for not too much, and it was great for walking in the nearby hills and further afield with two, if can get a bit tricky, however – they both wanted to be in it.

    Thinking back, we also had a sling, which is great in certain circumstances, not so great in others.

    The thing is, there’s just lots and lots of baby s**t you can buy – but probably not that much baby s**t you *have* to buy. If you can, have a bunch of baby transportation options to hand and pick what fits your need. You may find you get given a lot of hand-me-down stuff by family, friends or friends-of-friends. We certainly did, and we’re passing stuff on now.

    Bream
    Free Member

    Having 2 kids over the last 6 years, owning 5 difference prams and having tried most brands over that time my recommendation would be an Emmaljunga . The other is Brio but I’m not sure if you can buy that in the UK at the moment.

    I would also go as far to say avoid Bugaboo; our own personal ownership experience is not good, and luckily their warranty replacement service is good.

Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 46 total)

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