Pram advice

movilogo

Expecting our first baby end of this month

Bit confused about pram. My budget is around £300 for push chair with carry cot and car seat.

Quite confused with so many prams available in the market.

can you please advice which features are most useful?


Does the push chair seat needs to be both forward and reverse facing?

Should the folding mechanism be operable with one hand only?

What should acceptable weight of the pram? (It may need to carried over stairs occassionaly)

Should I buy a car seat which also fits on the pram or doesn't really matter?

Any specific model recommendation?

Thanx

Greenr

Hi, we're expecting our first at the end of the month too and decided on the obaby zezu as the reviews were good and it seems to do everything we'll need it to do. I couldn't believe the amount of prams to choose from!!

http://www.kiddicare.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/productdisplay0_10751_-1_97151_10001

movilogo

Does Kiddiecare have any branch other than Peterborough? It's quite far from my place.

daveyjp

It's 5 years since we went through this. A baby seat which fits into the pram chassis was a real bonus for us.

Back then we had a Quinny Buzz, but I'm sure there are plenty more to chose from now.

go_cat

Prams are so individual - what suits one doesn't suit another.

You need to look at your lifestyle to see what type you need e.g

Do you use public transport- needs to be lightwight and easily foldable
Do you do alot of cross terraine walking e.g with dogs - needs to pos be a 3 wheeler / suitable for this purpose
Where do you live house flat etc - again think of weight / access
do you need it to go in a car - you will need to check it fits the boot
Do you want the car seat to fit the chassis?

Just some of the questions you need to ask yourself and don't be swayed by an enthusaistic sales asst - try it walk around the store with it fold it yourself could you do that with a baby in one arm???

HTH

esio_trot

Does the push chair seat needs to be both forward and reverse facing?

I wouldn't say so, I think often, once babies are a bit older, they like so see the scenery. Mine does parent-face with the carrycot attachment and the car seat but won't when he moves into the pushchair. The hood on mine also has a sneaky little netting bit which you can spy on them through when they're in forward facing mode.

Should the folding mechanism be operable with one hand only?

definitely useful - quite often you'll have a baby in your arms when you want to fold it, or probably more likely, a toddler that you need to hold hands with before they run off somewhere!

What should acceptable weight of the pram? (It may need to carried over stairs occassionaly)

Mine weighs 15kg so quite heavy - but I manage to carry it folded in one hand with the car seat (including an 11lb baby) in the other up and down 20 odd stairs to my flat on my own.

Should I buy a car seat which also fits on the pram or doesn't really matter?

I find this really useful - mine came with the car seat anyway. There's nothing worse than waking up a sleeping baby (especially when you have one that sleeps as little as mine!)

Any specific model recommendation?

I have the Graco Quattro Tour Delux travel system. It came with the car seat, carrycot, pushchair, footmuff, car seat apron, raincover, change bag for I think about £240.

Thanx

Another thing to consider is folded size, do you want to use it on public transport, or fit it in your car boot? You might also want to think about the circumstances in which you'll use it - I couldn't fold mine down to use on the bus (too big and folds flat, not longways) but it has great suspension and wheels which suit walking on uneven terrain. This might not be such an issue if you plan to use it only on pavements.

pinkclouds

If you have a car, then the pram/stroller will probably live in the boot. The weight will be irrelevant because you'll only lift it in and out the boot and they all feel the same to push around once you've loaded them with baby, changing bag, shopping bags, etc.

In my opinion, the important points are: fits in your car boot (measure it), easy to fold, easy to fit raincover, reclining seat (for naps), some storage (basket underneath, etc).

It is not actually important for the pram to come with/fit a car seat. You need a group 0 or 0+ to begin with and it may only last for 6 to 9 months (although group 0+ could in theory go up to 15 months). If your baby grows quickly (height or weight or both) then you'll be looking at a new car seat (group 1) in a few months time and it certainly won't fit on the pram! Think of the car seat as a bonus. If the pram you like doesn't have one, it will do no harm to buy a separate car seat - and it may actually fit in your car better.

Personally, I would recommend Maclaren and Obaby as good value brands. They do various strollers which are suitable from birth, lightweight, durable and cheap. You'd have enough change for a good car seat too. If you have isofix in your car, Maxi-Cosi are one of the best (although a bit expensive). Otherwise, if you're using the seat belt to secure the car seat, then any reputable brand would do as it'll be six of one, half a dozen of the other.

lauren_1

Graco's have the biggest shopping basket known to man (or woman).

Maybe a nurse hello style might suit your needs

happytails

having a parent facing option is definitely a must! I wouldnt dream of putting my newborn facing out - wouldnt know if he was sick and you dont talk to them the same If they want to face you or outwards when they are older they can do DD is 18months and prefers to chat with me facing me (she can see plenty around her this way also).

Car seat that clipped on was a bonus but not essential if you have a carrycot or a lay flat seat. (most you have to pay extra for adaptors for pram and a raincover for the car seat)

One hand fold isnt necessary but if it was 2 handed it needs to be quick. Ours was 2 handed you pulled a clip up either side of pram chassis at same time and it folded up in seconds.

Definitely check how it fits in the boot - we have a ridiculously small boot - the chassis goes in there and the seat fits in the footwell of the back seats :T Most places (babies r us, M&P etc) will let you 'test' them out in your car

We are getting the Mamas and Papas Sola its £260 and is a chassis and seat pram (parent or forward facing), several car seats can attach on with adaptors - 2 M&P ones and a Maxi Cosi. You can get a Carrycot also, footmuff, parasol all the extras at cost mind Raincover is included in price (not all prams come with raincovers as standard :mad:). With DD we had a Britax Vigour (i think they may have changed it now), similar but a bit bigger and a bit dearer.

HTH xxx

JAM1376

Greenr wrote: »

Hi, we're expecting our first at the end of the month too and decided on the obaby zezu as the reviews were good and it seems to do everything we'll need it to do. I couldn't believe the amount of prams to choose from!!

http://www.kiddicare.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/productdisplay0_10751_-1_97151_10001

We've got this one with the matching car seat. C is 12 months old in 12 days :eek: and we love it. It doesn't fold brilliantly as you have to remove the seat from the chassis but it fits in my 206cc boot with one wheel off. For the price, I can't recommend it highly enough.

HTH xxx

tiamai_d

Don't buy one without trying it our first! I ended up buying and selling a few before settling. eg, I loved the idea of a loola, bought one, it was too low and too difficult to push one handed which was a must.

Get to a few shops and try some out.

Look for the height of the handles, can both you and partner use it comfortably?
Is it nice to push?
Easy to fold down?
Are the rain cover and accessories well designed? Nothing worse than a stupid raincover that takes half an hour to put on and lets their feet get wet anyway.
Car seat - I personally don't like babies in car seats unless they are in a car so for me, one that clips on to a pram is not a priority. Plus I think a car seat is a personal choice as to what will actually suit your car. However, it is more cost effective to get a travel system.

What will you be using the pram for? Bus or car, country or city, how long will the baby be in there each day?

Also, check out eBay if not for the pram itself, then for a carrycot. You usually find them for about half the price of a new one on there, and they are only used for a few months so don't get much wear.