3 Wheel V 4 Wheel V Travel systems

amboy

Looking for all your help and advice again.

I have been looking at the many types of pushchairs on the market and am totally confused as to what to go for.

Luckily, we are to choose one as a present so there is no budget, it seems there are 3 main types 3 wheeler, 4 wheel and travel system???

any help much appreciated

poppycat_3

It really depends on what sort of use it will be getting. If you will be walking alot then a 3 wheeler is a good idea. You can now get 3 wheelers that have a swivel front wheel which makes them even easier to use. And they also have 'proper' tyres which comes with a pump. A disadvantage to 3 wheelers is that the storage baskets underneath are usually quite small and not very sturdy.
Another disadvantage is that they can be quite bulky so not ideal for getting on the bus with or constantly taking it in and out of the boot of the car (that's if it will even fit in the boot of the car)

4 Wheelers tend to be a bit more compact and fold up smaller than 3 wheelers. And you can find plenty of brands that have large sturdy storage baskets underneath which is very useful when having to carry all those nappies!!

As for travel systems, these can be either 3 or 4 wheeler so make your decision about that first. You will surely need a baby car seat anyway and you can get some good deals if you look around at travel systems so it might be just as cost effective to get a travel system anyway rather than buying a seperate car seat.

Counting_Pennies_2

From friends experiences 3 wheelers have a terrible reputation for flat tyres, so be prepared for some wheel changes!

For mine I went for a four wheeler 3 in 1, so that I had the carrycot, feeling very grand for the first four months pushing a 'proper' pram, and then a pushchair mechanism fits on in place of the carrycot and it can face you and then when baby is older can face away, the car seat also clips on the chassis which is very handy in the early days.

Many of the more established NCT mums with four year olds and had more babies, and more experience etc have said get a good sturdy one for walking in to town and about the local area and then an umbrella
pushchair to fit in the boot of the car so that you permanently have them available wherever you are. That was a fantastic tip for me and I have a M&P 3 in 1 at home and a Maclaren sitting in the boot.

Another opinion is, I feel so sorry for some of the babies I see who have forward facing seats only. Firstly, the mum misses out on seeing some fantastic moments with baby, and secondly they often have the sun in their eyes and mum doesn't realise.

I am quite dissappointed with M&P in that the chassis is very plastic and a few things have gone wrong with it (including my brake!) but I didn't want to go for a Brittax as I didn't like the bar across the front. Since I have had my baby and meeting up with lots of different mums I am quite impressed by the Inglesina range in Mothercare. They seem to have the same concept as M&P but their ranges are slightly nicer.

Hope the above waffle helps and doesn't add to your confusion!

Jay-Jay_4

I've had 4 wheel travel systems for both of mine and they've both been good. It's nice to have baby high up and facing you when they're tiny. Also the car seat it useable until around 9 months and you need one anyway so can't really go wrong there.

I also bought a 3 wheeler for running with but it's too big to take in the car, it stays 'up' in the shed. It's a baby jogger (check out their website, search for Babyjogger) and is fantastic for long walks and running but baby has to be 6 months to go in it. (i've had this one for 5 years and it's still used often and is as good as new)

And when my chap went to work with my pram in the car I was stuck in town with a long shopping list and a heavy baby and ended up buying another pram :-[!!!! £35 from mothercare, pink, bog standard umbrella folding pram which is actually better that my travel sytem as it folds and unfolds in a trice and takes up no room in the car.

My baby is 7 months and is as happy in her £35 pram as she is in her £200 pram.

I guess my advice to you is to figure out exactly what you want from a pram and go from there. Is it long walks in the countryside (3 wheeler), shopping all day (4 wheeler) or just nipping here and there (quick folding pushchair) ?

AM_2

Check out the Bugaboo Frog.
Student in Holland designed this pushchair/pram as an end of year project and it's really taken off.
Russel Crow and Gwyneth Paltrow are among the many proud owners!
£500, very lightweight, very versatile.
Went to Calais and found one in a shop in a sale! with the Euro exchange rate it cost us £375.
I can't wait to start using mine!
They have their own website: https://www.bugaboo.nl
Good luck
AM

Spendless

I had 4 wheelers for mine when born.
When eldest got to 2 I got 3 wheeler (hubby wanted it I didn't)
It has to be best pushchair I've had (and I've been thru a lot).
Walking thru parks,fields,rough countryside copes with the lot.
Tyres have needed pumping up from time to time but never had a puncture.
Mine was from mothercare and fits in my boot (Ford Escort).
When daughter was born I had 4 wheeler for him cos I preferred her to face me. but I've now got rid of it and she uses 3 wheeler.
I've also got 4 wheel buggy but bought this as it folded up smaller for us to take on holiday.

Why not go in pram shop and ask to wheel each design round. If they want a sale they'll let you.
Or do you have friends with babies could you ask for a turn pushing their prams to see what style you like best.

poppycat_3

You can find some good articles HERE  that give advice about buying all sorts of baby products, including tips for choosing the right type of pram/pushchair.  :)

Bargainbabe_2

I bought 4 pushchairs in 3 years and my 3 wheeler wins hands down everytime.
I started off with a travel system which was great in the beginning but my baby grew out his car chair in a matter of weeks so that didn't get any wear at all..the pushchair was ok but had a constant creek to it so i ended up buying the umberella type which was great on hols etc. The chair broke on that so ended up getting another umberella type. He then got too heavy for me to push up the hills, so i bought a swivel 3 wheel pushchair and it was like the ferrari of pushchairs...the downside is they are a little bulky, but that all depends on where you buy from and what type. If i knew what i know now, i wouldnt i bought the travel system (waste of money for me) i would have bought an umberella type one, a 3 wheeler and a car chair that stays in the car permanently and can be rear facing and forward facing.

Just my opinion though ;-)

likabu_2

I had a 3 wheeler travel system to begin with for DS, and it was a nightmare with the carseat in place. The front wheel stuck out further than I imagined nut I couldn't see it over the top of the car seat!

Needless to say there were a few disgruntled shoppers in the High Street when we went shopping, i kept running people over!!!

My advice is to go to the stores that sell them and test them out and have a good old fiddle with them!!!

Lisa
xxx

Plumpud_3

I currently have 3 daughters aged 19, 6 and 19 months. I have also just discovered that unexpected baby number four is due next April.

When I had my first daughter, there was very little choice available. In fact Mothercare opened in the local town just before my baby was due. Having looked around the very limited choice, we settled on a three in one system from Mothercare. This consisted of a carrycot that fitted on the same chassis as the pushchair. The pushchair lay flat, or faced either way. The pushchair folded down umbrella style and was very lightweight. Even so, travelling on public transport was a nightmare. Baby under one arm, pushchair folded in the other, no hands left for changing bag or handbag or any shopping. Not to be attempted by less than two adults, as people would rather watch you struggle than help.

The carrycot didn't get much use, as babies like to sit up and look at things from a very early age. I didn't have the pushchair facing me for long, as she got bored just looking at me. Was more entertained by being able to see everyone else.

The set wore well and I eventually sold it on. As my daughter got bigger my Parents bought an old fashioned (now) substantial pushchair. I used that a lot. Fixed wheels, but still easy to push. Both pushchairs covered many miles, as after my partner left when she was 18 months old, I had to either walk or catch the bus - I nearly always chose to walk.

When I had my second daughter, we were absolutely skint. We were given a second hand pushchair. I never liked it, but you can't look a gift horse in the mouth. We were also lent a carrycot for her to sleep in for the first 3 months. I don't think any parent would choose to put their child in a carrycot for sleeping every night. It’s ok when they are newborn, but they fill it within weeks.

We bought a Chicco umbrella style stroller when she got older. That has been excellent and I still have it for later use. The pushchair we had been given was thrown away, as we had worn it out.

For our third child we looked around extensively. Tried umpteen different types and again settled on a Mothercare pushchair, this time a 3 wheeler. She was born in January, but I never felt that we missed out with not having a carrycot. With an all-in-one and the cosytoes, she was plenty warm enough. This has been excellent. It occasionally goes 'off-road' at the park, but has really come into its own on the poorly maintained pavements and roads which appear to be universal, not just local. We have never had a puncture, but I think we may have to get new tyres eventually, as these are well worn (even with a car, we still walk miles). It is a pleasure to push, can be pushed easily with one hand, turns in its own length and really has a one hand folding mechanism. It is bulky, but easily fitted in our original car boot (Volvo 740 saloon), when we bought a new car, we just made sure the boot was big enough (there is no such thing as a 'too big' car if you have children IMHO).

Everyone who pushes it is amazed at the ease at which it manoeuvres. It is easily the best pushchair I have ever used. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it. It had the same features as the more ‘up-market’ models but was cheaper. Mothercare also have an excellent repair warranty, one year from birth of baby. Consists of the usual paperwork, plus a sticker on the frame. So if the pushchair breaks whilst you are in town or on holiday, you take it into Mothercare, they check the sticker, send it off for repair and give you the loan of another pushchair until it is fixed.

With regard to car seats, it may seem nice to have matching car seat and pushchair, but it isn't really necessary. When you go out, how many people do you actually see using the car seat on the travel system? Not many I bet. Those that you do see have very tiny babies. The people that I know who have bought them (3 lots), think that they have compromised either on the pushchair or the car seat and would rather have bought them separately.

When my second daughter was born, the carry seats had been around a few years, but they had just brought out the ones that went up to 15 months. We thought they would be brilliant, so did everyone at Parentcraft. With hindsight, carrying a baby in it at a year old, you need the muscles of Hercules - up to 15 months is wildly optimistic. You have to carry them away from your body with your arm at approx. 45 degrees. To go through a doorway you have to suspend it in front of you. I found that it hurt my back. Constantly pulling the seatbelt over the top every time you put it in or took it out of the car, eventually wore holes in the cover. Using the same seat for daughter number 3, I fitted it into the car and left it, putting her in and out of it as necessary. She moved up to the next sized seat as soon she was the minimum weight.

Remember, car seats are designed for keeping your child safe in a car. The fact that they can rock and be used as a freestanding seat is essentially a gimmick. Children shouldn't be left in them for long periods as they are bad for their backs. Your midwife should confirm this.

It is important that the car seat fits properly in your car. Halfords used to fit the seats in your car to see if they were a good fit, I don't know whether they still do. Also, Britax have a function on their website which tells you if their car seat will fit in your car. It also covers discontinued seats if you are changing cars.

Sorry to waffle on so long, but it's a lot of money to fork out to make an expensive mistake. Then having to put up with it because you can't afford to change what you've got.

If you know anyone with babies or toddlers, ask them if you can try their pushchair or carry their car seat. They are both different with the weight of a baby in.

All the very best to you. I hope it all goes well.

Poppy9

Forget fancy pushchairs spend as little as possible. Strollers which you can use from 6 months are the best. Light to push, easy to store. Also you don't mind so much when they are sick in them :P