Hi my other half is a ticking baby time bomb and we are starting to shop around for prams.
There is a big range out there but not sure where to start (trip to mothercare waste of time as teenagers who work there unable to talk or figure out pros and cons of various makes/models etc)
so anyone got any experience and what would you recommend? We are looking for something from birth (so got to lie down - I have learned something!), that folds small (we don't have a chelsea tractor to put it in), is robust/hard wearing and relatively cheap (I refuse to pay £900 for a pram)
ta
woody
bugaboo or Jane , both a bit pricy but extremely adaptable as baby grows, and competent on dirt too! mamas and papas worth a look too, they do some good modular systems
We got a maxi cosi mura 3 for our 1 week old. Got the pram body/carry cot for the first few months then it will take them offroad up to 3-4 ish in the normal seat. Great on grass etc so far. We have a springer that needs to still go on good walks so intend on using this along with a baby bjorn carrier. Bought a full system inc maxi-cosi cabriofix car seat and the pram body for about 500. The car seat clips to the chassis too.
Bugaboo Chameleon. Expensive but easy to push and folded smallest of pushchairs we tried. Will probably get decent proportion back when we sell it on. If there's a John Lewis near you go there for sensible advice and they'll bring it to car park so you can try to fit it in boot
phil and ted. It will do it as a new born then baby toddler and out three year old still gets in it when knackered. It will also accommodate a second at all the same stages as well as a bigger sprog!!
Ours is almost 4 yrs old and still going
baby jogger here and very happy
after going to mothercare then mamas and pappas and watching the assistants try and fail to easily demo one of the display prams the baby joggers are in a different league
If you're planning on any more then don't bother with the Bugaboo. We have one and as soon as number 2 came along we needed a double so bought a Phil & Ted's. Much more practical. There's an alloy framed one now too, our friends have one with their 2.5 y0 and 6month old and it's great. We haven't used the Bugaboo for ages and till use the P&T for shopping trips as our 3yo daughter tires and needs a sit down! The underneath seat is great for shopping!! Good luck with it all!!
Oh, and if you plan on much footpath or BW use then Bugaboo is pants. The small front wheels clog very easily, esp with leaves. P&T has 3 big wheels and copes much better.
Avoid Quinny buzz. Great when new, wear very easily. Maxi cosi car seat compatible frames are worth there weight in gold though.
after going to mothercare then mamas and pappas and watching the assistants try and fail to easily demo one of the display prams the baby joggers are in a different league
TBH I wouldn't necessarily use that as a reason for choosing one model over another - once you've got the hang of opening/closing the buggy it'll become second nature. I'd check out the size folded, weight, sturdiness, isofix, etc.
baby jogger accepts maxicosi carseat too!
+1 maxicosi car seat, with base if your car has iso-fix
3 wheeled is more practicle than 4 imo
Babystyle Oyster for us. Which magazine best buy, reasonable price, works with maxi-cosi car seats. Been great so far.
Cheapest Maclaren we could and a Bush Baby back pack was better than the oversized, overpriced pose wagons most seem to go for. We did do a lot of walking, off road as well, mind, not just floating round local shops.
We went with Icandy Apple which does the whole modular car seat, pushchair and carrycot thing.
Been good so far. Highlight def being able to put the car seat straight into it and wheel that about. Now onto the pushchair bit and like everyone else says will probably buy a small Mclaren type thing as it is easier to chuck in the car.
None are that great when ground is rough/soft as they are all pretty heavy. Better off getting a Baby Bjorn carrier type thing then going up to a backpack thing when they are bigger for proper walking etc.
ps the Isofix car seat thing is really good if your car has the points. Really easy to set up and swap between cars if needed.
Don't buy new. Go second hand and save yourself a fortune, then sell on when you're done.
Phil & Teds are excellent if you're planning on a second.
Hope all goes well.
thanks folks been looking at baby jogger just coz looks so easy to fold.
wot about a high chair?
Phil & Ted. Great piece of kit and the larger wheels are well worth it for a smoother ride and easier to push. Don't pack as small as a crappy McLaren though, but the other stuff makes up for it. As above, if you plan a second baby then you can get the attachment to pop them both in.
We got one from mothercare, it says my3 on it. Seems OK but tbh I spent the whole time playing with the toys in mothercare and left my mum and the mrs to it!!
IMO the quality of every single buggy/pram out there is atrocious for the money.
We looked at loads last year, ended up choosing the Phil and Teds Sport as it seemed to pass the wobble/fold/quality test better than anything else(still rubbish tho). We decided we'd be having another fairly soon after so the Phil and Teds works for us that way too.
The only reason to get an off road / big wheeled pram is for running off road. Walking off road a sling or baby carrier is a million times better, but you can't run with them.
I ran with ours (quinny) for a bit but now I have a bike trailer I bike instead (can bike with them from somewhere between 3 - 6 months depending on the particular trailer).
Wouldn't recommend the quinny as ours has had two frames and one replacement handle, and is pretty creaky now.
Would recommend buying second hand - prams go on eBay for about 10% of new price.
Like other people recommend, save money for a maclaren as well, I don't know anyone with a baby who doesn't have one in addition to the massive prams that they got first.
I'm with monkeyfudger on this topic - if on-one did a pram using their business model the other pram manufacturers would fill their pants, the mark up on them is ridiculous...
get to an NCT nearly new sale and get as much stuff from there as you can
Also consider how heavy it is - especially if mum is lifting in and out of cars lots. The Baby Jogger is silly heavy - our double (Out n About) weighs much less.
IMO the quality of every single buggy/pram out there is atrocious for the money
Not sure I could agree with that. I have twins and own 5 buggys and most of them are pretty good value for money.
Jane Powertwin pro has been in daily use for 2 years now and been faultless apart from punctures, came with the car seats for when they really small. I think it was c£600, not cheap but nothing has broken yet, bearings seem to be holding up well etc. On the face of it I thought it was a bit flimsy but it gets very heavy use and is still going strong
2 £15 Argos singles, you get what you pay for but they take a beating in the car and holidays and are still in one piece.
Croozer kid 2, for jogging and the bike - proper quality kit for £400 IMO. Highly recommended if you are going to run and / or bike...
Mclaren double buggy, I acquired this from a relative and would say it looks the worst value for money of the lot but I didn't end up using it. I think they are a couple of hundred quid nearly
edhornby - Member
I'm with monkeyfudger on this topic - if on-one did a pram using their business model the other pram manufacturers would fill their pants, the mark up on them is ridiculous...
I said exactly this in our local pram shop the other day.
For our 3rd child, my wife wants a Bugaboo. Fair enough, she's buying it, but no-one can actually tell me what this £8-900 pram does any better than a £400 pram. It's just as bulky, takes up as much space folded, and feels pretty much identical when pushing it. The only good point that I can see is the resale value.
if on-one did a pram using their business model
How many serial nichemaster's buy obscure brands prams everytime they release a new model or style?
Baby jogger BRILLIANT for jogging - no use at all around town. Worth it if mum is a runner (like Mrs TT) but not an only pram.
We have the Mothercare My4 for everything else - 4 wheels far more stable than 3, goes from 1st pram to forward-facing as they get older. Easy to move, take apart, fold. Ours has had nearly a year of use so far and not a flicker.
Bike trailer from FleaBay for £35 - never buy them new.
NO! Not this on a Sunday night, please! This is the current bane of my life choosing the correct travel system/pram.
I'm starting to think that paying my quid for a Netto shopping trolley and doing that out might be the best option
Phil and Teds. No question. Our would have been 9 years old this summer and was almost as good as new. Recently was re-homed for a negligible fee.
Travel systems? Pah! They ain't in em long enough to worry about it.
There is no point trying to swim uphill though. If its the first offspring no amount of common sense will prevail. You will have at least 1 huge pram to buy. You will then have to buy a lightweight affair when she realise how heavy Item 1 is to lift in and out of the car. You will then have to get one with bigger wheels as junior gets heavier and the wheels on item 2 catch on stones/uneven paving slabs.
Phil and ted here.
Taken lots of abuse and still like new.
They grow out of small car seats blimin quick. I dont see the value in planning around those type of buggies. More important is if you are going to have two? If you are a Phil and ted or equivalent will save you loads.
The downside of Phil and ted is they are quite heavy and don't fold small
(I don't work for Phil or ted 😉 )
Either way best of luck
Take a look at a Quinney Zapp awesome for town/pavement munching, no good off-road.
small compact and easy to push one handed.
Folds up small enough to leave plenty of space in the boot.
We had a Jane' powertrack for our first and found it too bulky for day to day use and bought the Zapp
For our second we just used the ZApp all the time and a baby carrier rucksack for off-roading
Never mind prams. Wait until the immortal phrase of "One of those cars with the sliding doors would be really useful" gets dropped into the conversation.
Toys R us will charge you upwards of 600+ for complete system, we bought it brand new from E-Bay for £400 **complete system** with 3 rain covers etc. In my eyes it's a solid construction good quality alluminium lightweight pram reminding me of trusted Hardtail bike! Very smooth due to amazing front forks (with lockout) and back wheels are liek Surly's fat bike high volume air inflatable real life suspension. No play in bearing etc ^^ agile handling* and very well impressed by my savvy wife who found it on e-netz.