Get feedback on PRAMS

mercman_3

expecting our 1st arrival in Aug / Sept

have started to look around for prams / travel systems.... and wondered...

we like both the Mamas & Papas, but also like the look of the bebe confort travel systems!

anybody care to give us any feedback on these products please?


regards


Pete

Poppy9

A few considerations:

How small does it fold
Does it fold easily
Will it fit in boot of car
Swivel wheels essential
Big wheels harder to get in some car boots
Is the handle height adjustable
Does it have a shopping trolley
Does it take standard rain covers
Is it forward and away facing
How heavy is it to lift

Rather you than me looking :rolleyes:

nedden

depending on if you use public transport/car you need to consider that if your out and about on your own with baby you may need to hold baby and handbag and collapse and lift up pushchair/pram this is very difficult!!!

so think where and when you will use the pram, how often will you use it? is the use you will get out of it worth the cost? can you manage with a babycar seat with a carry handle and then when baby is over 3months old you will find you have a much wider range of pushchairs available to you, mother care do some brill umbrella style puschairs that are light and easy to manage and will last until baby is 3 or 4 years old!!!! plus they cost between £30 - £80...... (if you do end up buying pram ask shop assistant to see if it fits in the boot of your car before you buy, the same as you would ask them to fit your car seat in your car before you buy to check that it fits ok)

My experience is don't waste your money on fancy prams that do everything I know its tempting and exciting but they are just too big and not practical to put in car boot ( + your shopping and any other stuff you normally have in your boot) or use on public transport.

bargainbelle

Whatever you decide on, these two sites have fab prices

http://www.glasgowpramcentre.co.uk/shop/

http://www.kiddicare.com/icat/2in1prams

plumpmouse

I'll move this over to the marriage and family section.

Your sure to get lots of advice over there

td

I loved my travel system - my daughter is 3 now so make will be outdated - I got a Graco. Some of the earlier points are very valid - definitely try it out in your car boot, see how comfortable it is lifting it with something heavy inside it cos u willbe lifting it a lot. I personally wouldn't spend lots on anything that wasn't safe - check out Which online to see if there are any in their best buys as they test safety. My Graco cost £99 and was great - it's still going strong with a friend who is a childminder.

I echo the Kiddicare recommendation - it's ace.

td

KK

My info is about 4 years out of date, but I agree with the light, easy to push, adjustable handles, easy to fold, must fit in the car, swivel wheels etc. I bought a Mamas and Papas Pliko for my newborn complete with car seat which turned it into a travel system. I have been thrilled with it. It was light, easy to steer, cosy, came with cosy toes and zip on/off raincover which fitted perfectly, folded flat for a newborn, and up for a nosy toddler. The hood and raincover and cosy toes were completely removable so it then became a really small light buggy for the summer. I used it every day for at least 3 years and it still looks brilliant. It has been on trains, planes, automobiles and boats. I think they still do a similar one. It was about £250 at the time, but as most people I knew bought a big pram, then a McLaren stroller, or a 3 wheeler and a McLaren for the back of the car I reckon by buying only one pushchair I saved money in the long run. Also remember that you will probably need to keep it in the house for a while too, so it needs to fit in the space you have - mine had to fit in a small alcove in the hallway. Good luck and happy looking

mercman_3

Thanks for all the posts. Please keep the feedback coming


Regards


merc

Sarahsaver

Prams - not worth it
Travel systems - ditto - what a rip off!
Get a separate car seat, and a sling or backpack, and a buggy which is suitable from birth that baby can lie flat in. I had one, a Graco one, lasted for 3 kids and was £80.
If car space is important, hold off getting a buggy til baby is 6 m.o. and get an umbrella fold one, which will fit in the car a lot easier.

Lemoncurd

We bought the Mamas and Papas 3in1 Ultima with Sportline chassis (saved £150 by buying it from https://www.kiddicare.com). We used it non stop for over a year until I went back to work so didn't need to go out with it as much.
We thought it was great, it was brilliant having the carrycot because babies should lie flat until about 3 months. We used the carrycot quite a bit in the house as well and it was convenient for baby to sleep in when we were away.
The carseat was very convenient for carrying around and clipping onto the chassis for quick trips.
The chassis was great for all kinds of terrain, I found it great for using on buses and walking everywhere but quite big to fit in the car. There was a good amount of space to put shopping etc underneath.
The seat unit also got a lot of use, I loved being able to have baby facing you and not many pushchairs let you do this.

omega_2

We chose the Maclaren mac 3 and have been extremely pleased with it:

OH wanted a 3-wheeler. Saying that, if the price hadn’t been reasonable, I would have steered the hunt towards the more conventional models. Did we need a 3 wheeler – if I am brutally honest, we probably could have got away with a from birth buggy. It has, however, encouraged us to take little ‘un off-roading, and it certainly fared better than my friends little buggy on beach walks last year. And the grandparents seem to be reassured that my daughter is getting a more comfortable ride with the suspension and big wheels and since they were part-sponsoring the purchase, this was relevant in my case.

Space is at a premium for us, so it needed to be as multi-functional as possible. The mac 3 is a lightweight (basic weight 8.2 kg) all-terrainer, with the added bonus of folding freestanding package (L78 x W45 x H35cm).

I initially thought it would be money saving if we looked at the travel systems. However, in the all-terrain market, the models seemed pretty heavy, (eg the Mothercare urban detour was quoted as 18.2 kg – pushchair + infant carrier combination, and I personally struggled to pick the m&p model up at 5 months pg). The lighter models turned out to be the more expensive – I was particularly impressed by jane’s offerings (360 wheels, fold-flat car seat, the works!). It’s a good job that the car seat wouldn’t fit into my oh’s car, or else we might have been seduced into parting with over £500!!

So, price wise, the mac3 was £199, which included the raincover, and foot muff.

Minuses – I wanted to get away without buying a carry cot/moses basket, and put newborn straight into their cot (much to my mum’s disapproval) but because the mac 3 pushchair is suitable from 3 months, we opted for the carrycot as well. Glad we did in the end, but added expense at £89.

Think I’ve waffled on far too long. Hope it’s of some help!