Pushchairs vs travel systems vs strollers... Confused!

Dinah93

I've read a lot about how the maxi cosi is the best car seat for the baby as it's less upright so can breathe easier in it, is there any website which tells you which buggies it works with?

ETA: http://community.kiddicare.com/kiddicare/topics/which_buggy-q243b - found it myself, hope that helps someone

onlyroz

You need to decide what you want, and spend time making the right decision now - otherwise you'll find you'll need to buy another buggy later on. Things to consider:

- Do you want to go off-road?
- Do you want to take it on trains/buses/aeroplanes?
- Do you need to get it up stairs easily
- How big is the boot of your car?
- Do you want shopping capacity?
- Do you want it to last from birth to 4-years or are you prepared to buy another one when baby can sit unsupported?

For off-roading, I found the Mountain Buggy range is the best. For zipping around towns, and for folding up for buses/trains/planes, you can't beat the Quinny Zapp, but that's only suitable from about 5-6 months onwards.

AlternateMe

There's a Zapp Extra now, which has the same frame as the Zapp but the seat can parent face and lay flat. We love our Zapp as a second buggy though, it lives in the car and is fab for 5 min journeyrs. It's a great buggy and folds SO TINY! You can take them as carry on luggage in planes cos they fit in the overhead lockers... however absolutely rubbish basket.

dizziblonde

Other factor is with carrycot attachments and bits - it's more stuff to store when you're finished using that stage.

Personally I think I'll end up going with the Silver Cross one, but end up in a stroller eventually anyway - but going to go play at the weekend in earnest now we've got it arranged with the grandparents who's paying for what. Were planning on going to kiddicare (although it's a fair trip for us) but there are like mega roadworks scheduled apparently.

ginvzt

I find this thread a great read, although not applicable to me as we are expecting twins!!!! If you thought shopping for a pram/pushchair for one is hard, try finding a twin one!!!!

It took us some time to get pregnant, and before we got the confirmation that it is twins, I was set on Stokke Xplory - I till think it is great, unfortunately, doesn't come in twin version. Yes, it is pricey, but the resale value seems to be high as well.

Now with twins, we saw one that I loved, seemed easy enough to put together and take apart, and wheeled well - Baby Jogger City Select, and it also has the ability to be single pushchair as well as double! Yes, we need different attachments.

With regards to the car seats, there is Jane car seat - is it Strata one? - that lies flat as well, so if you go for Jane travel system, you would only need the pushchair (seating bit) and the car seat, which can be used both in reverse position in the car, or as lie flat one taking up two car seats. I know they have a twin version travel system as well, but haven't seen it in reality yet - need to find the shop that stocks it. I am not sure if there is a base for the car seat - one of the things I was adamant I want.

rockabelle

Thank you so much everyone! This is all really helpful, and has given me a lot to think about.
Weight is going to be an issue, as my local tobe station has loads of steps. And I don't need off roading capabilities, as although some people may consider south London to be a jungle, I don't! My car boot's not huge (an old Golf), but I think it should be big enough for most options (though I'll check before I buy). However, the house isn't huge either, so the enormous ones aren't an option.

I'd (theoretically) like something that will last for years. My sister has the bugaboo cameleon and isn't impressed by the sturdiness (after just 1 year).
As for car seats - that's a whole issue I hadn't even thought about! I would have thought that it wouldn't be that much harder to have a car seat permanently in the car and put the baby in it, rather than detach it from the pram each time, but I think I'll do some more research on that.

And I'll certainly take the advice to go and try them all before buying! (Thanks also for the advice on shops - I've never heard of Kiddicare, or Mama's and papas - like I say, I'm very new to all this )

Belle

AlternateMe

Hi Belle, where in south London are you? That's where I was living till recently. If you reguarly use the bus or tube then I massively recommend the Bugaboo Bee, honestly it's fantastic- most of my mummy friends in London have them and love them. You won't fit lighter, and still soooooo sturdy.

dizziblonde

rockabelle wrote: »

Thank you so much everyone! This is all really helpful, and has given me a lot to think about.
Weight is going to be an issue, as my local tobe station has loads of steps. And I don't need off roading capabilities, as although some people may consider south London to be a jungle, I don't! My car boot's not huge (an old Golf), but I think it should be big enough for most options (though I'll check before I buy). However, the house isn't huge either, so the enormous ones aren't an option.

I'd (theoretically) like something that will last for years. My sister has the bugaboo cameleon and isn't impressed by the sturdiness (after just 1 year).
As for car seats - that's a whole issue I hadn't even thought about! I would have thought that it wouldn't be that much harder to have a car seat permanently in the car and put the baby in it, rather than detach it from the pram each time, but I think I'll do some more research on that.

And I'll certainly take the advice to go and try them all before buying! (Thanks also for the advice on shops - I've never heard of Kiddicare, or Mama's and papas - like I say, I'm very new to all this )

Belle

Might be worth thinking of getting a good sling for on the Tube to be honest - we were in London when I was very early pregnant and I was thinking that there's no way I could have done it all with a buggy, but one lady was there with her little one in a wrap sling just going along as normal while everyone else was trying to drag buggies up and down steps (and incurring the wrath of London commuters - which, let's face it, it generally doesn't take much to incur the wrath of). I'm planning on keeping a baby carrier (hubby refuses to consider wearing a sling) in the basket of the buggy in case I do need to fold it down for a bus or anything (shouldn't do unless our buses are very packed) so I can pop baby in there and work with hands free if the need arises (and I'll only fill the shopping basket with unccessary crap otherwise - see my handbag for proof).

A neighbour has a Polo and their travel system looked an INCREDIBLY tight fit in their boot - they've basically been bootless for the last year (and just appear to have cracked and bought a stroller) - thankfully we've got an estate car - but still want to keep some boot space free as we've got two dogs that have the boot to themselves generally!

We're planning a trip down to Kiddicare this weekend now we've got a mental idea of our price bracket and what we want to try a load of stuff out - I particularly like their comment that you can try prams out to see if they fit in your car boot before you buy - and since I have the world's most accident prone man as a husband (he seriously ended up in A+E loading the washing machine) I want a buggy he can fold down without damaging the baby, the buggy or himself! Also had a horrid realisation at 3am this morning (love pregnancy insomnia) that I need a narrow width buggy - I'm going to have to walk two dogs with it, and the fields local to us that we take the dogs on have those anti-motorbike gates to stop the local mini-moto brigade taking them over - so need a buggy that can fit through (or no walkies boys!) - so I'm gonna look like a right nutter taking a tape measure on the next dog walk with me to measure the gap!

Kiddicare is REALLY worth a look though on their website - gives you a real idea of what's out there before you hit up the shops - even if you go into the shops, try them all out and then go back and order online - plus they also start the guarantee off when your baby's born I believe, even if you go out and buy your buggy/pram/travel system/centurion tank after your 20 week scan - otherwise you've lost 4 months of your guarantee before the bump even makes an appearance.

Basically I'd rather window shop prams (and cots - our particular target for this weekend - want to get furniture bought so we can vanish off on a day trip and leave all the in-laws with the flat packs to build ) than start washing baby clothes and tidying the nursery-to-be, or scare myself witless watching one born every minute (getting it IN there was a relatively pleasurable experience - I'm ignoring the fact that it's going to have to come OUT at some point)!

AlternateMe

I massively recommend a baby carrier too, especially to Londoners (but get a decent buggy as well- you'll need it when it's raining/want to do shopping/long trips out). I barely used my pram for the first 3 or 4 months!

Remember, babies should face inwards not out- unstructured fabric carriers are far better for their joints and development than structured (i.e avoid baby bjorn)- and firm shoulder straps for you. I have a rose+rebellion- [I can't link to them cos i'm a new user, but just google them] which I still use all the time for my big 18 month old, except these days he goes on my back. Worth every penny- three friends have tried it out and loved it and bought their own- it is SO supportive, you can't beat them, and so easy to get on and off. Cost £75 but resale even on 2 year old R+Rs is around the £50 mark.

Tigerlee_2

Hiya. There is quite a good website which seems to give good reviews on loads of pushchairs. www.bestbuggy.co.uk. I had a maxi-cosi travel system with my first, i thought it was very neat and folds up small. I thought it was a good buggy till i fell pregnant with my second (due in May). As there will be a close age gap i needed a double. This time i did heaps of research and got a baby jogger city select, Its a single which converts to a double whilst both babys having a good seat. I love it. It's so much better than the maxi cosi travel system which now seems flimsy and hard to push. The baby jogger is bigger but looks like it will go the distance. (I have only tried it with my first at the moment, i know it will seem long and maybe a bit heavy when i have the second but i reckon even with two i will find it easier to push than the light and flimsy maxi-cosi). x