[Closed] Pram for newborn - which and why?

Another uppababy vista. Great bit of kit.
Bag was a patagonia messenger bag bought in the sales. 100% of the functionality of a proper baby bag for 30% of the cost and reusable after.

Baby born is pretty good but a long stretchy fabric sling was the best for the early weeks. Papoose is great for hilly or rough terrain but we don't use it that often.
Phil and teds sport is the best of the buggies we've had (it's the one I wanted to start with but was over ruled). It suits what we do as a family really well. Yes it takes up half the boot but so do most of them. It's tough, rolls well, multiple seat positions, spares and accessories. Seats two (in tandem) with the extra seat, which can be a godsend with tired older siblings. Ours was 2nd hand from friends and is now on its 5th child and still going strong.

We got a Babystyle Oyster 2 with the carry cot thing to stick on it as well.

It folds really compact and is simple to do, is manouevreable, reasonably light weight.

We use the carry cot bit mainly for walks when the temperature is a bit low; I think it's easier to keep a baby warm and toasty in the cot, than the pram seat.

We did also look at a Joie something or other, which I slightly preferred, but it didn't fold as small and my Wife was adamant she didn't want to upgrade to a bigger car (which we ended up doing) 🙄

Comments above about buggies that go completely flat and ones that can be used with the car seat as well as the pram seat etc....99% of them can do these things.

We were lucky in that Kiddicare is just down the road so we made a couple of trips there, trying them out, sticking them in the car etc. and quickly narrowed it down.

I'd have been happy with a second hand one, but my Wife said it was one of the only bits of baby kit that she'd like to get new.

Car seat wise, we got a Maxi Cosi Pebble with an isofix base...mainly because they were doing an offer on it where you also got the next size car seat thrown in for about £30.

Regarding slings....we just bought a BabyBjorn one of those yesterday for the little one, but I can't see it ever replacing the buggy....it's an alternative.

Phil and ted sport with the cot bed in it. Genius thing, by far the best we've had. Major major plus point is that the wheels pull of with a button so you can clean them when you inevitably run over something unsavoury.

Whatever you choose, for heavens sake get it 2nd hand, the savings are way too big to be ignored, choice is huge and you're not compromising in any way like you are with a car.

Whatever you choose, for heavens sake get it 2nd hand, the savings are way too big to be ignored, choice is huge and you're not compromising in any way like you are with a car.

There's a huge amount of wear and tear on a well used buggy. They're not designed to be maintainable, bushes get loose, hinges creaky, parts fatigue, etc etc etc. My MIL got a Cameleon secondhand which gets used very occasionally when we visit because half the time yet another part on it has broken. There are just as many cons as pros to secondhand buggies, especially if you're likely to have more than one child - you might get a little used one at a good price and you might not.

It's a good point but, especially in nice middle class areas like round 'ere we had an huge selection of barely used kit.

and down shop aisles, doesn't fall over like three wheelers do etc etc.

My 3 wheeler hasn't fallen over yet... Is this a common issue? Surely you can't sell baby buggies likely to tip over?

Couldn't use just a sling, it's ok on country walks but a buggy has worked better for us around city centres.

We got a Mamas & Papas Solo. Works well offroad and around town. Plenty of luggage space. We walk to Tesco every other day so nice not to have to carry the shopping. Goes in a MK1 Focus no problem. We paid about £325 new with car seat adapters. Not too bad if it does both our kids.

After 9 months we got an umbrella type buggy. Takes up less space in the hallway.

Regarding the slings from birth comments, our baby was only 6lb2oz at birth, and most slings have a min weight of 7.5lbs or so.
She didn't put enough weight on until about 5 weeks or so to have been a suitable weight to use them....

Maclaren techno tx. Light, easy to fold, compact & highly durable. No doubt the best buggy/ pram on the market hands down. Suitable for newborns up to 5/6 yr olds.

Second hand pram, yes, second hand buggy no.

Pointless spending loads on a pram as they're not really in it that long, hence why I'd buy used. We got the wee one into a buggy as soon as we could as its so much more convenient in shops etc, and doesn't fill the boot. But because we used it from maybe 6 months until she was 2, it was pretty gubbed.

Thanks for all the pointers, certainly given me an idea of where to start looking. We live in the middle of nowhere, so car trips are a necessary evil, plus my wife will be on her own a lot during the day. My wife wants to buy new, and given the high resale value I don't see any reason not to - doesn't cost that much more, you have a guarantee, no wear and tear, no cleaning required on purchase, and can sell it for a decent amount once we're done with it.

Mammas & Pappas Sola here, not particularly pricey but definitely would have gone cheaper/second hand if the mother in law hadn't insisted that she wanted to buy as a pram.

When I see someone who thinks it's a sensible decision to buy a Bugaboo I can't help thinking it's pity that they've managed to pass their genes on.

Yesterday in Town I saw a mum get a classic pram out her car and pop the baby into it ( eventually after the assembly process) and when she came back I popped over say how nice it was to see an old school pram. She totally floored me by saying she had totally restored it with a full strip back and repaint plus a full re chrome. Brilliant jobby.

qtip - Member
My wife wants to buy new, and given the high resale value I don't see any reason not to

Fair enough if you want to buy new, but don't rely on a high resale value to justify it.
The buggy we bought is £400 without the carry cot option. There were plenty of 12-18 month ones on eBay going for £80-120, which is a pretty steep drop in my eyes.

They're not prams they're 'travel systems'.

After lots of research we took out a mortgage & bought an UppaBaby Vista which was on sale (still smarting that it cost more than a car we sold at the same time. How can a fully functioning car cost less than a [s]pram [/s]travel system??!?? )

Its been great in the 16 months we've had it - bombproof, no need for a trolley in the shops & littleBit seems happy.

Looking at 2nd hand sales of them we're hoping to recoup a fair bit of the cost when we decide to sell but with thoughts on littleBit2 it won't be for a while yet

Go new for wear and warranty for sure, w did and new nice, but not resale. Watching Vistas on eBay at the moment and I'm a bit disappointed. Will watch a few more then be sticking it on hear at realistic value.

Maclaren techno tx. Light, easy to fold, compact & highly durable. No doubt the best buggy/ pram on the market hands down.

Buy used - sell used.

We have a Danish pram as Mrs CD is Danish, and she insisted on it as all Danish use them. It's an modern version of the old Silvercross stryle and is really well built but it's huge and heavy, it hardly fits in the boot of my Octavia estate, and is too wide for some narrow pavements and shops around here. In Denmark many babies get left outside shops and houses in prams, that's hardly going to happen in the UK!
There was a deal on Maclaren Technos a couple of months back and I got one in preparation for future holidays and trips where we wont have the space for the pram. Mrs CD didn't like it at first but Mini CD loves in as she is facing forwards, it's also much better for taking to the shops or doctors. Now the Danish pram only gets used for sending Mini CD to sleep and she then gets left outside in it until she wakes.
We also have a Baby Bjorn which was great for the firs few weeks but Mini CD likes to look outward so got whingey, she now big enough to face out so we'll start using it again.
We do not have infant carrier for the car, which isn't a big issue as she would have outgrown it after 4 months and the Baby Bjorn or Maclaren does the job.
Every baby and situation is different and above all if your wife has wants a particular type go with that for an easy life.

Got a three year old boy and one year old girl so this is fresh.

We bought an I candy apple system and it was a life saver, little things life adjustable height handle to stop the other half stooping over after having stomach muscles ripped apart, on board pump in case of flat, very easy folding mechanism etc. Very comfy for the little one to the point my son would only nap in it. When they are teething or have a cold and have trouble breathing it was tillable so many nights the only way to get him to sleep was in the pram (Including 1 New Year's Eve) the boy was always very big so we put him in a mclaren xt when he was older and the weather was better. The buggies don't seem to have as much weather protection as the bigger prams.

If a second comes along then getting a board on one of the lighter buggies causes it to tilt over whereas the candy was solid. so if the wife walked somewhere with the two of them and the eldest had a meltdown and refused to walk home she could push him on it.

I used them both but tbh this is likely to be a decision you just give up to the primary care giver ( mother without being sexist)

Got a baby born when they were little and have now got a cross country backpack which have both been great

Not noticed a recommendation for Mountain Buggy yet, which is surprising being a predominantly off-road forum. We bought the 'Terrain' which comes with small and large wheels and a folding system which in my opinion makes it worth the entry price alone.

[url= https://mountainbuggy.com/uk/Products/buggies/terrain#.VsrH3kXfWnM ]Mountain Buggy Terrain[/url]

When MissSB #1 arrived we got a buggy/car seat combo what was pretty good (but the wheels got all wobbly after a while).
First time we went out for a walk with the little dude and our two dogs I chucked the buggy into the boot of our Audi 80 estate aligning it front to back so leaving room for the dogs on the other side of the boot. Boot didn't close because the buggy was too long - ended up going and buying a Volvo V70 a few weeks later!

The moral of this story is: whatever the buggy, make sure it fits in the car the way you want it to.

Another happy Uppababy Vista user here. Still going great 3 years and two kids later.

Any of the Britax range, they're great

We have a Britax B-Agile. One handed fold + unfold (actually quite useful if the other hand is full of baby). Folds down fairly flat. Has a travel cot that plugs in for newborns. Then their car seats plug in. Generally well built and not horribly expensive. Definitely recommend it. Would buy again, etc. A set of plug-in big wheels is available.

Before that we had a mamas and papas travel system thing. It was rubbish. Plasticky. Not very solid. And several bits broke (the handle, the folding mechanism). Highly unimpressed. Expensive for what it was. Didn't fold down small. Managed to be the worst of all worlds. Fortunately it was a second hander so we didn't pay the earth but it was just guff.

Also still have a big wheel buggy. Gets used once in a blue moon for "off road walks". Complete waste of money. Folding is a joke. Weighs a ton. Can't actually go that much more "off road" than a normal buggy.

Baby Bjarne harness. Used all the time. Excellent for "off road walks".

Have a rucksack with a seat in it. Somewhat useful when the harness gets outgrown (12 months ish).

Slings are ok but I never got on with them that well and nor did mrsmonkfinger.

BTW, a mountain bike + child seat is the best off road answer.

this is likely to be a decision you just give up to the primary care giver

truth

We used this

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Partners parents kept it in the loft for years and gave it to us. Proper old school.

MiL bought us a quinny travel system 3 bit thingy. It was massive - the cot part barely fit in our hatchback, but did look comfy and was well made. The maxi-cosi brand car seat worked well and fitted the pram base. The pram base needed constant fettling with the wheels - mucky bushings would jam up etc.

I tended to use the baby bjorn chest carrier instead as it was light, comfy, you had free hands and you could get the whole thing with baby under your coat on cold days. Then later a rear rucksack carrier by macpac (excellent bit of kit) and a cheap folding stroller that did the job, but was nothing special.

If choosing again, I would get the baby bjorn, a decent carseat, a cheap folding stroller and the macpac rucksac carrier. I wouldn't bother with the full travel system.

has to be a travel system...baby car seat and pushchair. by the time the car seat becomes too small for them theyll be ready for the pushchair. saves you having to buy a separate carrier for the pushchair
our eldest had a mamas and papas one which served him well. when our daughter was born we bought a hauck one. this one got used for our third child too.
the mamas and papas one we passed onto my nephew for his newborn son as it was in perfect condition after having it for 7 years
both were good. what we looked at was how easy it was to fit the car seat into the car. the m&p one came with a base that was secured via isofix or the seat belt to the rear seat and the car seat just clipped into it. the hauck one was secured using the seat belt
we also looked at how easy it was to attach the seat to the pushchair and how easily manoeuvrable the pushchair was
lastly was how well the pushchair folded flat so it could fit i the boot of the car...some of the fancy ones take up a fair bit of space as they dont fold entirely flat...the ones we had did do
the m&p one was pretty lightweight so it was easy to lug it about when folded but the hauck one is very light in comparison

there are more expensive ones compared to what we spent...£200 for the m&p this included the car seat, pushchair, changing bag, foot muff and rain cover
£150 for the hauck which included the car seat, pushchair, carry cot (which fits onto the pushchair) and rain cover

personally i found a great travel system i liked made by Recaro that i wanted to get but the wife didnt like it so we opted for the Hauck...which turned out to be a good purchase...however we've had it for nearly 4 years now and its started to look a bit tired

I am sure you will be aware of this and any store worth its salt will point this out, but car seat pram adaptors are purely for short periods of use and not a replacement for a pram or buggy themselves. So great for going to the super market and not having to disturb the little ones too much if they have fallen asleep, but definitely not an all day option.

You will use the adapters for such a short period of time, that there are many on gumtree and ebay, and they seem to hold their value.

We had an Icandy Peach, which has been great, highly maneuverable, solid and the height adjustable arms were great not only for swapping between my wife and I, but also navigating tight shops. It took car seat adapters and was solid for attaching a buggy board to it. However, you have a separate pushchair and a frame to pack away, is quite heavy and I would say the pushchair comes up shorter than Icandy suggest.

My in-laws used to live overseas, and the Icandy was too much bulk and frankly too nice to expose to baggage handlers so we bought a Babyjogger City Mini from ebay. We still use it and prefer it to the Icandy and it has thus seen more use. It folds easily in one piece and great for napping children. We bought a carrying case for it, so easy for travelling too. I am sure you can get pram conversions for them too, and would have got one originally if we know what we know now.

Come on, 3 pages in and no one has mentioned the ultimate STW buggy? We've got a bugaboo donkey. It's huge, big wheels, goes anywhere, can be adapted to so many things, very expensive. The Santa Cruz Nomad of buggies if you will. The one upside to it is they seem to hold their value well.

In our defence we also have two babies to put in it.

Generally though, my wife uses it in one baby mode and the other one goes in a sling. Or we both use slings if we're both going out. If you're looking for slings I'd avoid the baby bjorn at all costs as they put all the weight through your shoulders rather than your hips and putting babies in them forward facing is really bad for their backs. We've got his and hers ergobabys.

gonzy - Member

has to be a travel system...baby car seat and pushchair. by the time the car seat becomes too small for them theyll be ready for the pushchair. saves you having to buy a separate carrier for the pushchair
our eldest had a mamas and papas one which served him well.

Not sure I understand this.....are you saying just use the baby car seat with the base until they outgrow it?
If so - that's not very healthy for the baby if you believe all the advice that is out there.

We were told that the baby should be in the car seat for no longer than 45 mins at a time (which to be honest isn't always possible to achieve) as the curvature of the seats are bad for their spines if left in for long periods & can cause breathing issues as they are hunched up.
That is why the push chairs that are suitable from birth allow the 'seat' to go completely flat so you lay newborns down, rather than sit them up.

gonzy - Member

there are more expensive ones compared to what we spent...£200 for the m&p this included the car seat, pushchair, changing bag, foot muff and rain cover

Was this new or second hand? If new, that is a great price! I think the car seat & base alone cost us over £200....most of the 'travel system' bases seem to be around £300.....

As somebody who will hopefully be popping out a sprog in four months time, I'm interested in knowing what the best pram/chairs are for rough surfaces like forest fireroads, etc, and also the best slings. Was considering a 2nd hand Mountain Buggy Terrain for off-roady stuff, not sure if there's anything else that's as good but cheaper?

And also the best maternity wear for cycling, as my bump is starting to roll my regular leggings down. -_-

There are 2 correct answers:

1) whatever SWMBO wants, it's just easier that way; or

2) a mountain buggy, just about indestructible, goes pretty much anywhere, light enough and easy to push.

Come on, 3 pages in and no one has mentioned the ultimate STW buggy? We've got a bugaboo donkey.

They did........

When I see someone who thinks it's a sensible decision to buy a Bugaboo I can't help thinking it's pity that they've managed to pass their genes on.

Not sure I understand this.....are you saying just use the baby car seat with the base until they outgrow it?
If so - that's not very healthy for the baby if you believe all the advice that is out there.

We were told that the baby should be in the car seat for no longer than 45 mins at a time (which to be honest isn't always possible to achieve) as the curvature of the seats are bad for their spines if left in for long periods & can cause breathing issues as they are hunched up.
That is why the push chairs that are suitable from birth allow the 'seat' to go completely flat so you lay newborns down, rather than sit them up.

all 3 of my kids used the stage 1 car seat up until about 12 months old...none of them had a problem.
we've had them strapped in for long 3 hour car journeys and they've been fine. as with having children a 3 hour drive isnt 3 hrs as you factor in feeding and nappy breaks...for which you would have to take them out of the seat
even when we've been out shopping they've been fine in the car seat attached to the pushchair...usual shopping trips to say the trafford centre can be as long as 4 hours....again there are times when the little one would come out of the seat such as for feeding and nappy changes
both the pushchairs do have the facility to allow the pushchair back to go completely flat
but from a convenience point of view its easy to simply strap them into the car seat, put the seat in the car and then at the other end take the seat out of the car and clip it into the pushchair so as not to disturb them

we were always told that once the childs head reaches the top of a car seat then its time to move them to the next stage car seat

Was this new or second hand? If new, that is a great price! I think the car seat & base alone cost us over £200....most of the 'travel system' bases seem to be around £300.....

also if you are planning to have more than one child and the pushchair is a long term investment yo may want to look at fitting compatibility for something like a buggy board

This is a bit like a what bike / car thread, everyone will have an idea of what's best. There's also a bizarre theme that if you have a bugaboo you're somehow inferior. Frankly it's astonishing!

What i would suggest is this, think what do you think you'll want it for

Be able to drop the car seat on the frame so not to disturb baby? (you may not have a car!)
Do you want a lay flat pram?
Do you want to go off road?
Does it need to pass the local mummy snobbery test (if it's as on here, you'd be doomed turning up with the wrong buggy!)
Do you want it to last years?
Is storage an issue
You get the idea, whatever you do, do not listen to an idiot who says you shouldn't be allowed to breed if you pick the wrong brand!

fwiw, I bought a pram that turned into a pushchair any could take car seat and snap into the base - really helped when diving out for some milk for example. When they got older I used a baby city jogger as it folder flat very quickly and I found it for a dirt cheap price on ebay. Oh yes, don't think you get a high resale - you will loose 50% of the value. That's a lot when it's £1k!

all 3 of my kids used the stage 1 car seat up until about 12 months old...none of them had a problem.

🙄

Was that a lay flat sling you were using Molgrips?

Best thing for off-road* is a Chariot Cougar. Also doubles as bike trailer. Pushing it in town with the pushchair wheels on makes everything else seem like a chore. You can push with one finger.

Expensive, but not by bugaboo standards, and far more useful.

* after a sling or back carrier

I'm definitely planning on getting a Chariot Cougar, or possibly CX, but that'll come later.

Might as well use it as a pushchair too - it's a damn good one.