Baby travel systems (merged)

fernliebee

For DD I got a Maclaren (cheap in Jan sales) as thats what most people end up with (or similar umbrella fold) after 6 months anyway. It lays flat so is suitable from birth, and has the headrest thingy for newborns so it didn't swamp DD. I hardly used it for the first 6 months anyway TBH. I would carry her in the sling a lot, and DH would carry her in his arms.

I don't like the carry car seats anyway, as I didn't want baby sitting in one any longer than necessary, so got the britax 0-4 years one so baby can travel rear facing until 18kg (another thing that is very important to me.)

This time round I am planning on getting exactly the same car seat for the new baby (as obv DD is still in her one) and for the first six months I will sling baby anyway but already DD mainly walks anyway. After that DD will have to walk as I cannot be bothered with a double, she will be 2 1/2 by then so plenty big enough!

I don't really 'get' the whole travel system bug that most people have, but then again I hate shopping too- I can't be a real girl!

fernliebee

nearlyrich wrote: »

Just don't get one of those prams that look like an office chair they are hideous!

I hate those! I hate most of the modern looking buggies TBH, but the stokke explory one I detest! It is a vile thing. IMO!

valkirn

fernliebee wrote: »

I hate those! I hate most of the modern looking buggies TBH, but the stokke explory one I detest! It is a vile thing. IMO!

lol your not alone i dont like stokkes either and wouldnt be caught dead with one even if it was given free (id sell it for something i would use) but sayig all that i do have a couple of friends that sware by them x

milliebear00001

skintchick wrote: »

Babies should not be in car seats for more than two hours, and should have a minimum 30 minute break from them, according to what I have read, and my Health Visitor, so you really shouldn't use a car seat as a pram.

Car seats hold their spines bent so are not right for use everyday - they really are CAR seats, for journeys only.

LINK to story on baby suffocating in car seat. Scary!

http://www.examiner.com/x-608-Early-Childhood-Parenting-Examiner~y2009m2d4-Baby-dies-sleeping-in-car-seat-prompting-Canadian-official-to-warn-parents-of-dangers

Many people find they rarely wheel their baby for this length of time anyway. It is worth considering how you are likely to be 'out and about' with the baby before you invest in a special carrycot. I don't recall ever having my babies out walking for two hours - particularly before they were 6 months, and so never needed a lie-flat (I was/am very car reliant though!). I also used to put mine in a sling for longer journeys. Slings are well worth considering as an alternative to a travel system for the first six months. That way you can go straight to a Maclaren umbrella-fold, which will see you through until your child is a confident walker .

emlou2009

i "get" the travel system thing. we paid £130 for our buggy in the sale, car seat and car seat base, with a cosy toes and rain cover for the buggy, and if we hadnt had that we would have had to take the risk of everything 2nd hand, as we couldnt have afforded everything new. we couldnt afford a pram, but would want one for another baby as we did miss having it for him to sleep in. we did put our son in the lie flat buggy from about 4 weeks old to sleep when we were out visiting, but the straps were just too small to keep him held in properly, and it would have been unsafe to put him in there. he also looked completely drowned in it! and it was important to me to have him facing me at such a young age. so yes, we used the car seat as a pram, it worked fine, and to be perfectly honest, we would do it again quite happily. when you have a small baby that is fast asleep in his car seat and have the capability of just lifting it out the car and putting it on the buggy without disturbing him so you can nip in asda for some milk, you appreciate how useful they really are!

fernliebee

Yeah thats the thing, choosing a buggy that is right for you and your lifestyle is so important, it's such a personal thing. I can look at buggies and just think "why???" and someone else would think it was the best thing ever!

I'm not style concious at all, but the stokke is just baffling. It claims all these wonderful things like you can use as a highchair etc but I have fed DD no prob in her buggy while we have been out and about and if I'm sitting down your at a level with them anyway. Gimmick I reckon, and for the price you would want it to be a cot, highchair, car seat, buggy and get up in the night to feed baby!

fernliebee

milliebear- yes thats what I found, I'm glad I didn't bother going for a pram now, as like I said before I used the sling when she was tiny so no need to worry about laying them flat, and then when she was bigger she went straight into the maclaren and we still use that now, it has been everywhere with us and is still in great condition! It was £115 in the sale though tbh if I had known how little I would use it for those first 6 months I would have got the cheapo version that is suitable from 6 months instead!

Em-lou- yeah for your situation that sounds perfect. As I said before though I'm not a fan of lift out car seats, maybe helped by the fact that DD was a great sleeper at night, but never really napped in the day so I rarely had that problem. When she was tiny though if she was in the sling she would fall straight to sleep anyway- she could not keep her eyes open! Luckily for the buggy companies we are all soooo different in our needs!

valkirn

Dont get me wrong i do "get" travel systems, i just personally would leave the car seat in the car where it belongs x

daska

I lurrrve my Stokke! For us tall people it's wonderful, my son loves being high enough up to see things properly, it copes with sandy beaches, it doubles up as a high chair, it's wonderfully easy to manoevre, it can be forward or parent facing etc etc etc...

OK, so it's an ugly brute but do you want a pushchair that looks good or performs well?

onlyroz

We had real problems with the Quinny Buzz - the front wheel kept jamming and had to be kicked straight again whenever you did a tight turn. The Quinny Zapp, however, is excellent - but that's not suitable from birth...

I'd definitely rate the Maxi-Cosi car seat though - the isofix base is worth its weight in gold and the car seat fits on many brands of push-chair base...