We’re expecting our first child and the Mrs is looking at cots, prams etc, so:

1. Is there anything that we should be looking for in a cot and do you have any recommendations?

2. Would you recommend a prams or travel system? I’m 6’5″ so we want something that won’t kill my back, what can you recommend?

Sorry about yet another Dadsnet question, but STW tends to give straightforward answers, Thanks.

You’ll probably be keeping le babette in a Moses basket alongside the bed for the first few months, so no panic over cot to be honest.

As for pram/travel system etc., you’ll get a spectrum of replies that go from Stokke Explory to what-would-you-need-a-pram-for-we-just-used-a-newspaper-as-a-sling-for-two-years. I’d go for what you fancy yourselves. Think about the kind of stuff you’ll be doing…will you be travelling lots to relatives? Camping? Flying? His big is your car boot? Do you have a dog that needs walking lots? Good places to see the whole range are Mamas & Papas, Mothercare and John Lewis. Personally, we got £1100 worth of bugaboo for less than £400 on the bay. Most of it is overkill but at that price I was happy to try it all out, even the matching parasol 🙄 I suspect we won’t lose much in it when we sell it on. But if you can afford new or have rich grandparents, then why not buy new if that works for you?

we got a greco evo from mothercare for less that £350 new.

We chose that one cos my wife could open it up and fold it down with one hand.

Got a Quinny Speedi SX from a chap on here. Does everything we need it to: fits car seat and carry cot and has a stroller seat for when he’s a bit bigger, folds down easy, extendable handles for the taller or shorter gardener pram-pusher (I’m 6’2″, she’s 5’2″), bouncy tyres so it’s OK to run with the wee man, etc.

what dd says really.

Fwiw we have a silvercross 3d and a phil and teds sport. The sport is better off road but is a far less cosy interior than the silver cross. The silvercross has done literally hundreds of off road miles.

Somewhere like kiddicare hundreds of prams to try. I’d recommend it. Even though a lot of prams have adjustable handles it’s worth trying a few for ‘toptube length’….

If you are going to have two close together think about something like a Phil and ted. Ours was great. Buy second hand though and you’ll save loads.

On the for front we put ours straight into a cot bed from John Lewis. Youngest is three shortly and only just growing out of it.

We bought a lot of stuff new but with hindsight second hand is just as good especially good brands as they wear better.

Enjoy sleep while you can 🙂

Cot wise – one that turns into a bed when they get big enough, one that drops low enough to ensure they can’t climb out when they are tall enough. Our cot bed has long since died (3 kids, it was a bargain basement factory second with parts missing, bodged together for three kids) but the mattress still sees service as a put me up for any of the kids (eldest is 8), because we got one on the large size.

DD+1,
But Id also ad from my experience (mainly becaause DD will never have experienced this) that at 6’4″ I found the STokke Xplory fantastic for being able to push without having to stoop. And the closed loop handle makes it very controllable singlehanded which is another plus.

We also got 75%+ of the original price back when we sold it on eBay after the second child had out grown it after over 4 years of use.

If you live in the countryside – muddy paths, poor roads, fields – and have a big boot, I can wholeheartedly recommend the Mountain Buggy Urban Elite (now seemingly called the Urban Jungle). It also works well around London museums – though is a pain on slam door trains!

You can get a pram attachment for when they’re a baby, then unclip that and reattach the seat for when they’re ready to sit up.

It’s one of three or four pieces of baby / toddler kit that we really feel were perfect for us.

Cots, we went for an Asda cheapy, I think. Worked just fine but didn’t ever look great.

Do your research before you go. From personal experience wouldn’t recommend bebe confort pushchairs as the wheels wear out and aren’t replaceable (OK it took 2 1/2 kids before unuseable but we couldn’t have sold on after 1). Sounds basic but check the folded puchchair/pram will fit in you car (and in the case of some makes (silvercross etc) the unfolded pushchair will fit through your house door.

Cots don’t wear out buy second hand possibly buy a new matress and set the grand parents the mission of sanding down and repainting the frame (Its amazing how knowledgeable they become about non-toxic low off gassing paints they become).

We got the Phil and Teds Smart buggy with the peanut and could not complain was great, now that little one is no longer little we are getting just a small folding buggy. If you are interested drop me a mail and I can email pics etc probably looking at £225 plus postage.

Leave it to the wife. They’re the one’s who care what brands you buy, surely?

Buy secondhand is my main tip.

We had 3 double buggies before settling on a mclaren as they were all a nightmare and massive (not to mention only just fitting in an accord tourers boot.

Anyhow, in short they are a waste of good money when there are so many A1 condition second hand ones about

As for Cots, same goes. I have a Mamas and Paps one for sale you can have a deal on Here

Phil and Ted. Height adjustable.

Good strong piece of kit. Birth till the kids can ride pump track. We bought ours new, went through 2 kids, and sold it for £150. Thompson equivalent.

Jane Matrix system

– great carry cot / car seat / pushchair / pram and when she’s bigger a car seat.
– easy fold / open
– good for tall folk

We bought a HUGE solid oak Mamas & Pappas cot/bed off ebay, spotlessly clean and an absolute bargain.

Check out the BoB Revolution.
We have a single and a double for sale if your interested.

Another vote here for the second hand route. I got a mint bugaboo chameleon for £400, it’s done number one and will do number 2 as well in 6months. I reckon I’ll get back what I paid. Whatever you get, make sure the car seat will click into the frame. The one thing you learn is never wake a sleeping baby!

Not sure if you would be interested, but we have a Britax Vigour 3 travel system for sale at the moment. Includes base unit, cot, chair, car seat and Isofix base.

It is currently taking up too much space in our loft!

andrew.c.pettifer@googlemail.com if you are interested

Newish dad here (11 months)

Cot wise just go on ebay and see what’s going 2nd hand, there’s always loads on there for a pittance if you’re willing to collect, we have a lovely wooden Cossatto that we got for about 50.

I’m 6 2″ and find most pushchairs are too low for me so when I’m the one doing the pushing we just just put the stroller wheel kit on our Chariot Cougar, It doesn’t hold as much luggage as a normal pram but if you’re more into yomping round the woods it works great as a rough stuff stroller.

We bought new first time and that saw us for the second too – only the cot was new for the second as we didn’t bring the first cot back from abroad with us.
All depends on how SWMBO feels – a lot of new mums ABSOLOUTELY WILL NOT allow precious little Jonny/Jane in something some other child has been in…. others realise that £’s are important and that you actually can clean things.
We’ve had £400’s worth of Mothercare solid wood cot/bed sat in the loft now since our second and the nephew grew out of it and after advertising it half a dozen times it’s still there as again – most women really won’t put their precious little package in something “old”..
Look at your budget, think about what you both want and make YOUR choice.

I’m 6’7″ and expecting my first in 13 weeks. Went into John Lewis at the weekend and had a play with a load of prams.

The iCandy Apple handle extends loads and so I wasn’t stooping/bent double when pushing. Was the best fit for me.

Go and try them as some extend higher than others if you’re tall.

Cot/bed – as above, one that will see them from baby to toddler and then convert into a little proper bed.

Pram – I wouldn’t spend more than necessary on the first pram as we got our kids into a bare bones Maclaren ASAP (perfectly comfortable, takes up no room in the boot and much lighter for Mum to wheel around).

Second hand if you can but good luck as it’s your first.

Almost forget – get them out of your bedroom as soon as possible, they don’t blow up when further than one metre from you.

😆 DD +2!

FWIW, we did lots of research online and ended up with a Quinny Buzz, along with the majority of aspiring middle class, first time parents. It works well once you figure it out and the handle extends for tall folk.

It’s a comprimise – the best of a bad bunch. It feels shoogly but it’s very versatile.

I wanted to go down the 2nd hand route, but the car seats appear to have a shorter shelf life than bike helmets – they may have been subject to strains and stresses which are invisible to the eye (apparently).

We got a cheap wooden cot from Ikea with adjustable base which was fine. Now have a great little toddler bed which came from Freecycle. No problems with these but if buying new a combi cot/bed would be good.

We used a Quinny Speedy SX which has an adjustable handle so think it would be OK for you. We also used a Quinny Freestyle XL which is the version before the Speedy, the Freestyle’s steering mechanism is much nicer but not as robust as the Speedy’s. Both great for offroad though which was important for us. The Freestyle was a bargain from Ebay with pram and car seat, The Speedy from Freecycle.

Have a look for the Out n About Little Nipper – its really light (about half the weight of the Phil and Teds) and you can push it around with one hand. Its lasted us 2 kids and I’ve lost count of the number of people who have bought a bulkier buggy, only to test ours and then go out and buy one. It has pneumatic wheels so its good for foot paths and packs up small, so can get in the back of a mini.

Fabric sling at first, no pushchair. Travel systems are great if you want your baby to be luggage, slings are better for a convenient way of getting around whilst also giving your baby a lot of love and reassurance. They might wake up when you get them out of the car seat but they go to sleep again pretty quickly cos they are so warm and loved. And they cost £50 instead of £500

Then you can make your pram purchase at your leisure after the baby’s born, when you know a lot more about your requirements.

Re cots – we never used a moses basket. Just went for a bog standard Mamas and papas (I think) cot with a coire mattress.

If you are going to have two close together think about something like a Phil and ted. Ours was great. Buy second hand though and you’ll save loads.

On the for front we put ours straight into a cot bed from John Lewis. Youngest is three shortly and only just growing out of it.

We bought a lot of stuff new but with hindsight second hand is just as good especially good brands as they wear better.

Enjoy sleep while you can

+100

We bought far too many pushchairs etc when the sensible thing to do would be go and find a 2nd hand Phil & Ted’s in good condition with accessories, the 2nd “jump seat” for the first born and the little cocoon thing when our youngest was still under 6 months was perfect for all day trips… the fact that you can buy a basic sport model and then get other bits to add to it should you crank out a second is a big selling point IMO, but don’t buy a brand new Phil & Teds, they cost a fortune new and all the fabric bits are washable/replaceable, spend £150 tops IMO…

We also found a small lightweight, folding pushchair (Mclaren) handy round town if you only have one child to heard…

We plumped for a cot that came with the bits to convert it to a bed she’s been in that from ~ 6 months until now (3.5), Moses before that… doing the same with our 2nd…

I would recommend a cot/bed. We have a Mamas and Papas one which is very solid and will last from 3 months to age 3 or 4. At newborn you will probably use a moses basket.

I’m not sure if its clear from above but it is best to have a pram or pram attachment if a travel system where the baby can lie perfectly flat for the first 4 or 5 months until they are strong enough to sit in a stroller attachment. We have the icandy peach and along with a maxi cosi car seat one chassis does all three attachments. Take your Mrs along with you to see if she can lift the buggy in/out of the car and assemble it easily. We went with the icandy as Mrs Melon could assemble the pram one handed.

EDIT – very good height adjustable handle on the icandy for the taller pusher!

cot bed is the way to go imo.

ref prams, dont get too worked up on fancy ones, we had a quinny and hated it – form over function (just my view – i know this is a sensitive subject 😉

you can pay £500+ and a £150 will do exact same job, we’ve been there and done it 😉

depending on how ‘materialistic’ you are, have a look on ebay for prams, nothing wrong with secondhand if its been looked after, same with car seats.

We went the Maxi Cosa Mura. It’s better build quality than the Phil & Teds, not a ubiquitous as a Quinny and seemingly no advantage in spending the extra for the chelsea footballer favourite Buggaboo.

We had a Traditional style lay flat things at the start, then it turns into a car seat thing and now she’s out grown that she’s in the pushchair bit which again apparently transforms so you can have older ones in it.

Replaceable tyres which have never punctured (I put Stans in them) and it pushes really well across the beach.

It is really quite massive though, which is ok as our daily drive is a T4 camper van so it just gets wheeled in and out, it only just fits in a BMW 3 series and it was a full disassemble job to fit the Saab softop.

Oh yes and slings we have seemingly endless amounts of slings and carriers (sic) to match outfits.

We bought a moses basket but she wouldn’t sleep in it, in fact about 70% of the shite you buy never gets used in our experience…car boots sales are a great way of getting this stuff very cheap…

If you do want to buy a Maxi Cosi Mura I have one for sale in South Wales – great condition (didn’t get much use!)

We got it in the boot of our Prius taking up about half the space with the wheels on (but the seat removed). It can be made significantly smaller by taking off the wheels though.

Buy secondhand is my main tip

+1. Everyone has different requirements. For example, we try to avoid using the car, so we wanted a pram with plenty of storage underneath for shopping and a good cover to keep the rain off. Others will want a pram where the car seat will attach easily.

A lot of people end up buying a smaller Mclaren type pram to keep in the boot as most prams take up all of your boot space.

FWIW, we went for a s/h Silver Cross 3D and an OBaby fold up we keep in the car. Both have been very good

DD+1

We ended up with a plethora of Mamas & Papas stuff, much of which was barely used so ended up on fleabay.

If you’re in the S.E./Kent then there’s a M&P Cot Bed going (you’d need a mattress) and I think the travel system is still knocking around too. You’re welcome to it if it’s of use.

Stokke Xplory

Expensive and doesn’t fold particularly well but very good

Being tall your babe wont be near your ankles like with other pushchairs 😆

http://www.stokke.com/en-gb/stroller/stokke-xplory/product-information.aspx

You will get golf trolley jokes

Take a look at uppa baby. We got the vista. Works very well and apparantly is tge best rated teavel system on which. Comes with a traditional pram atachment and buggy. Cot bit can double up as a mosses basket so you can move straight to a cot after a few monthsAlso includes fitting for maxi cosi car seats so saves a few quid too. Baby seems to love it. Also seems to have high residual so will get some money back.

Lots of people seem down on the travel systems and go for buggy and sling. Our baby likes the fabric sling indoors but will cry outside. Fine in the pram and baby bjorn. Which are very good as well, much better than all the fabric ones.

For the cot. What every you can get on ebay close by and a new mattress!

UppaBaby, +1. Keeps on winning Which tests.

Mud clearance on the front it a little poor, but a Baby Bjorn for the rough stuff! 😉

Regards prams 2 things 2 consider are weight and how it is too fold,really aesthetics should be secondary to these.

Its not good if it looks fabulous but is a pain to fold and really heavy to haul into the boot of a car or folding to take on the train/bus.

1 which fits the above criteria is the ‘Babyjogger City Mini’,you can fold it and lift it into the boot of a car with one hand and in pretty much 1 movement.
It would be my choice for general use,if you plan on doing much off road use then a Phil & Teds cannot really be beaten.

Regards cots we did not bother until our little dude was nearly 8months old.
Instead he was in a ‘Baby Hammock’ ,he slept better in that than he does in a cot now at 13months old.
2 popular ones are the Amby Babyhammock(what we had)
http://www.babyhammocks.com/

Or the Miyo Babyhammock
http://www.moffii.com/

Nipper 360 if looking for a lightweight easy to fold and store pram. Phil and Teds highly recommended if planning for another in the next few years. We started with the Nipper 360 then upgraded to the P&T’s when our second wee one came on the scene 18 months later.

Oh and if you can persuade her to go for something second hand, then treat yourself to a Stokke MyCarrier sling. Tis a marvellous ting. (We bought an ex-demo one from the bay for less than a hundred squid.)

if you get a mcclaren check the reclining back of the seat very carefully – we bought a crappy one with a strap used to adjust the recline, not good. The better ones have a bar that locks in 4 positions