Buying a buggy.

Gingham_Ribbon

I have a maclaren buggy that my 2 year old has had some heavy use out of. The wheels are wearing down and it's getting a bit creaky. I'd like to buy a new one that's easier to push around as he's a very big lad and I don't find it easy for health reasons.

My predicament is this. I'm hoping that I'll be pregnant in the very near future. Ideally, I could even have another baby within a year.

What do I do? Can I buy a good, lightweight buggy that is suitable for newborns too? Any recommendations? What about going for a lightweight one that's good for big kids? At 23 months he's about 93cm tall and nearly 37lbs. At this rate I wonder if I'll find one that he'll still be able to rest his head in a few months down the line.

That's the other thing. How old do most kids grow out of their buggies? Do people have any success with using buggy boards?

I don't want to end up buying 2 prams, but if that's going to be much easier then I don't mind. Using a baby sling for the new one until old enough to use a buggy is unlikely to be an option (again for health reasons.)

Thanks for reading this!

Anya

I had the same predicament a couple of years ago. My little boy was two and a half when my little girl was born. I first of all bought one of those prams which you can fit a toddler seat on top of. So the newborn is in the pram and then the toddler sits on this seat which is fixed onto and over the frame. Bit confusing - I'll try and find a pic but it was made by Emmaljunga. I bought that one second hand as a new one will set you back over £400!!!!!! However, he soon outgrew it and it was a pain in the neck for collapsing and sqeezing into the (very big) boot of my car. So I got rid of that and bought a Graco mirage pushchair. That is really manouevreable (sure that isn't spelt right! but it is late so forgive me!) and lightweight and easy to collapse, cheap to buy is suitable from birth, and can go right up in age as the playtray comes off and it can be turned into a travel system as well (deep breath taken!). I also got a buggy board to fit onto it for my little boy. They are about £40 but can be got for about half that price on eBay (...reminder to myself to dig it out of the attic!). That would have been good if he was the kind of child to stand and be pushed on it. He wasn't... he played at scooters and sitting on it and trying to jump on and off whilst it was moving! They can be really good if you have a cooperative child who is not overactive. However in the end for us he went on reigns or Daddy's shoulders whilst I tripped over the board doing my shopping!
So, all in all, the options for your little boy will depend on him, you know him best to decide whether he will stay on the board or run off...like mine! In which case the toddler seat might be better - but soon outgrown. Whatever you decide to do I would probably say don't bother buying new in case you need to swap at any point.

I probably haven't helped you much there. I wouldn't bother with 2 prams, he will probably be walking round shops by the time the new baby arrives. Good Luck with whatever you decide and let us know when the patter of tiny feet are on their way. (Hopefully I'll be joining the club again next year!)

frostyspice

Hiya Gingham Ribbon,

I know this dilemma only too well!

Perhaps you could get a second-hand pushchair for now, something like a Mamas & Papas Pliko which would be roomy enough for your son. They seem bigger than the maclarens. Then if the next one comes along while your elder one still needs a buggy, you could consider a double or some other arrangement, but be warned, two kids are heavy, and the lighter the buggy, the more you'll pay.

My children are 3 and just 2, with 16 months between them. When my second was born, I couldn't push the old pushchair while 'wearing' an enormous baby in a sling. So I used an umbrella-folding double buggy which I still use quite frequently now, especially if I want to keep my elder son exactly where I want him! When he was about 2 and a half I bought a buggy board which I fitted to the back of a Maclaren Quest, and we still use that too.

If you've got problems with your back then you need to beware of buggy boards with most pushchairs, because however carefully you fit them, you still end up leaning over your child to hold the handles, and it does your back in, especially down slopes.

Why don't you have a look around mothercare etc, maybe Ebay and other websites, see what there is out there.

Be careful though, your son may not be happy if his new pushchair is suddenly given to a new sibling - my elder one was very upset when we put his baby brother in his old pushchair one day!

Good luck!

gravitytolls

I have 2 prams. A buggy, Bruin something or other from Toys R Us, but Argos etc. all do newborn buggies too: because it is umbrella folding, and takes up little space in the car. I use a buggy board with this. But I didn't realise how much space behind the buggy it would take up. I am short, only 5', and I have to stretch my arms, a little uncomfortably, and walk very precisely with my feet going just under the board.

I also have an emmaljunga with toddler seat. My lad is 4, and he loves the seat, but it is quite heavy with him in it too. But I use this for long distance stuff, and I keep it permanantly up in the hall as baby can then sleep in it.

I hardly use the board, and much prefer the bigger pram for all but the short rides around shops or into school.

As others have said, I would definately buy 2nd hand, as if it isn't quite right, you can resell, hopefully not lose anything/too much, and try something else.

Gingham_Ribbon

That's really helpful. I used to sit on my brother's silver cross pram on a blue seat when I was little. I know the kind you mean. I also didn't think of the problems with buggy boards. And yes. My son is THAT kind of boy! He doesn't stay still for a second and my back can be bad so that's out.

Going into town to look at styles today and try a few out if I can get him to sit in them. Then I'll have a look around on line. There are a couple of second hand shops I can try.

I think that if he's going to be in it for a while longer it might be worth buying new because we use it a lot and if the newborn (if we're very lucky) needs something else, the buggy we get our son can always be put away for when the baby is older. If that makes sense. We used a second hand pram for our son when he was little and put him in the lighter and easier maclaren as soon as we could. That pram has been passed on to another family so I can't really ask for it back unfortunately!

Rikki

Would you be able to encourage him to walk more and just use the creaky buggy occassionally. Then you could buy the new one with just the new baby in mind.

callansdad

I would suggest buying a cheap buggy just now, i think there is a Graco Mirage on

http://www.glasgowpramcentre.co.uk/shop/product.php?product_id=1161&choice_ids%5B10%5D=530

this is £32.99 and i think postage is something like £3.99 for orders under £50.

If another one comes along i would suggest the Graco Stadium Tandem Duo. I have a 2 year old and a 6 month old. I have one of these and i do recommend them. It is a good bit heavier but you are transporting 2 children at the same time. The back seat is fully reclineable and can take an Autobaby Car Seat (If you have one) and the front seat reclines a bit too. It has a large shopping basket and has the option of swivel wheels. The swivel wheels is a must, this makes it more manouvreable (spelling). I managed to get mine from Kiddicare for £80 last year but they have another one now which is slightly dearer at £94.99.

http://www.kiddicare.com/invt/tangcostaduobakz

Hope this helps and i wish you luck with conceiving

They also have Zooper Shoppers but they have removeable toddler seats so i am not sure if they are any good.

pdoff

my new baby is due in 2 weeks, son was 3 in july & luckily he loves being called a big boy so as soon as we knew i was pregnant we managed to wean him off the buggy by telling him now he is a big boy he can walk & doesnt need to be pushed like a baby any more. he hasnt been in it since. of course it is harder in shops etc to keep them under control - he knows the rules - no touching, stay by my side & no running around & if he sticks to them he gets a reward like sitting in one of those car/train machine things they have around (luckily again he doesnt mind if they dont move he just uses his imaginations so 5 minutes free play is reward enough usually!) we had some tantrums at 1st but once he learned that he wouldnt get his reward no matter how much he screamed he was fine.
whatever you decide toi do i hope it all goes well.
have u tried freecycle to see if anyone has a buggy they want to get rid of? or a cheap one from the car boot to use for now if he won't be in it long? i agree with frostyspice re giving the new baby your toddler's pushchair though - he needs to have been without it for a while 1st.

Gingham_Ribbon

Thanks again, all. He does really well with his walking but we hardly ever use the car and can walk for 3 miles to get where we need to be. We also live on a really steep hill so we definitely need the buggy. Although I think he could probably practice more so that if there's a new arrival he will be more able to walk beside me.

The graco one looks like my friend's and it's really easy to fold down. I'll look for it today. It's very reasonably priced. :j

Gingham_Ribbon

Oh, thinking of the practicing walking though, my husband does sling the maclaren on his shoulder for when my son gets tired so maybe an umbrella one is still best...

Oh decisions, decisions... :rolleyes:

Also, if 3 seems to be about the age that the pram goes for good then I may have over a year's use out of it whether or not we have another, so a decent one seems like a reasonable investment. Freecycle is a great idea.

Rikki

I encouraged both of mine to walk from the age of two. It was a great help that they didn't need the pushchair when it came to potty training and being out. so much eaiser to get a child to the toilet quickly without a pushchair.