Baby travel systems (merged)

3_cheeky_princesses

fawd1 wrote: »

I have the silver cross 3d which is pretty good. It works as a travel system and has a carrycot/pram insert for when they're really little. Mind you I didn't end up using it as a travel system very often to be honest. If for no other reason than once ds was past a month old, as the car seat with him in it weighed a ton. Took me less time (and less msucle) to just get him out of it and into the pram bit. I also have a small car (peugeot 206 and a corsa- both 3 door) and it fits into the boot of both-just.

I can second the Silver cross 3D with the lighter chasis (they do a big traditional one or a light modern one). I loved mine for my youngest daughter. It come in various fabric designs but i went for the cream tradition one (cant remember its name) but not sure if they make that one anymore.

It was easy to use and as a pram it was really comfy for a newborn and younger baby. It was well made and excellant qulaity as you expect from silver cross. Easy to use and fitted into smaller car boots as well as. The car seat is heavy but it was really padded and look so comfy compared to others on the market so it made it well worth it.

I actually brought mine from EBay from a Nursery shop Business seller brand new but saved me about £100 on the shop or silver cross prices so def worth a look round to find the best deal.

http://www.silvercross.co.uk/our-range/pram-systems/3D/

jinky67

code-a-holic wrote: »

Why a travel system?!! It is my biggest peave seeing a baby in a car seat being pushed around on the pram frame. That more baby with a undeveloped spine having done a car journey in a curved position is then kept like that around town then home again.

That is exactly what I was going to say.

We had a separate buggy and car seat, found it was a damn sight cheaper as well;)

beccam

jinky67 wrote: »

That is exactly what I was going to say.

We had a separate buggy and car seat, found it was a damn sight cheaper as well;)

Well considering DD screamed for the first 4mths of her life pretty much 24/7 and being in the car was the only thing put her over to sleep, I really didn't want to risk waking her to do a transfer from carseat to buggy.:o

Like I've said I will have school runs to do and generally my day to day involves a lot of nipping in and out of places so much easier to just click the carseat into a base rather than be waking baby to lift in and out.

kindofagilr

These are the two I was choosing from

http://www.toysrus.co.uk/Babies-R-Us/Travel-and-Pushchairs/Travel-Systems-and-Pushchairs/Travel-systems/Graco-Quattro-Tour-Travel-System-in-Ziggy-Zebra%280028424%29 £199

http://www.toysrus.co.uk/Babies-R-Us/Travel-and-Pushchairs/Travel-Systems-and-Pushchairs/Travel-systems/Graco-Quattro-Elite-Travel-System-in-Lemongrass%280028251%29 £229

We went for the second one.

I think there should be enough of the travel system bashing, each to their own, everyone has their own reasons for wanting one.

For me it ticks all the boxes, for just over £200 I have everything I now need, I have the car seat which I can clip baby onto the pram if he is asleep, or I can transfer him into the pram without the car seat on, and it will last till he is 3, perfect if you ask me.

I personally dont get people who spend a fortune on prams etc

Fitzio

Hi Bec,

Mammoth post alert....sorry in advance!

I think the best thing you can do is to go to a big pram shop, and play around with as many as you can. Any that you like, try folding, unfolding, lifting, changing the parts etc so you can see what is too heavy for you etc. And then look online for a good deal when you know what you want.

I have a Loola Up. I really like it, but it has its good points and bad points, the same as all prams/travel systems that I looked at. It is really easy to fold (umbrella style), easy to manoeuvre, can be parent facing or forward facing, has a separate carrycot attachment (although as a lie flat pushchair, you can use it from birth without the carrycot), and can take the Maxi Cosi Cabriofix seat with adaptors (this was important to us as it was the best rated for safety). It also takes the Creatis seat without adaptors which would be easier though. The pushchair cover is reversible, a lighter material for summer, and a warmer one for winter. The handle is a bar which makes it easier to control with 1 hand (the original Loola (different from Loola Up) is 2 handles.
However, it is a bit wider than some others, the harness in the pushchair doesn’t seem very long and is a struggle with the footmuff. I have only just switched to the pushchair so have just found this out. In my opinion, it doesn’t look as tidy and neat as other prams, but I do get a lot of compliments on it at baby groups, so maybe it’s just me. The basket underneath is not as big as some and is a bit awkward to get at as you need to access it from the front, but it’s ok. It is an improvement on the Loola which was harder to access.

It was recommended to me by a few people who had gone through several fancier prams and wished they had bought this in the first place.

We were keen on the Maxi Cosi Mura to start with, but it is very heavy. Also, we weren’t sure that the pushchair seat unit looked like it would last to a toddler’s age, and I don’t think it had been around long enough for people to comment on that.

I personally don’t like the prams where the carrycot sits on top of the pushchair unit as I think they look untidy, but everyone has different tastes. There are so many considerations though, and you need to decide what the important things are for you:

Do you want a separate carrycot?
Would you prefer it to have the option of being parent facing as a pushchair?
Is the size of the basket important to you?
Will it fit in your boot?
Do you need big all terrain wheels, or are you just using it on smooth pavements and shopping centres?
Does the car seat fit in your car?
Is the colour important to you?
Would you prefer a bar handle (easier to manoeuvre with 1 hand) or 2 separate handles (means you can hang light things from it)?
Do you want the pushchair to fold as one unit or are you happy to remove the body and put it in your boot separate from the chassis?

The I Candy Apple has a sort of loop on the hood of the pram body from which you can hang a toy for your baby to hit at which I thought was quite a nice touch, but then despite it being a lovely looking pram, I don’t think it’s good points were enough to justify the price compared to the Loola Up. I still prefer the fold of the Loola. It’s just little things like this that make each pram different and why one particular one does not suit everyone.

Be wary when reading reviews as I found a lot were from people who had bought a pram, and hadn’t yet given birth, or their baby was only a month old etc. Better if the child is slightly older and the parents have tried both the pram and the pushchair unit otherwise they can’t be sure that it’s as good a purchase as they initially thought.

And as for car seats, if I need to nip into a shop for 5 minutes and my baby is sleeping, I would prefer to attach the car seat to the pram rather than disturb my baby. I have very rarely done this, but I don’t have a problem with it and it is handy to have the option. It’s not good to have them in a car seat (in or out of the car) for regular prolonged period, but even a few hours on the odd occasion would not be enough to do the baby harm. You would have to be leaving them lying in it for hours on end regularly. And I would like to think that most people are sensible with it.

Not sure if this helps you any – much longer than I intended though!

smartie12

Anyone else think most of the travel systems look ugly??

And I'm shocked to see just how many different prams, pushchairs, travel systems etc there are nowadays!!:eek::rotfl:

When I had DS nearly 14 years ago it was so much easier picking one;) I'm starting to panic by it all and I've still got MONTHS to go:o

jinky67

smartie12 wrote: »

I'm starting to panic by it all and I've still got MONTHS to go:o

You never told us this:mad::mad::j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j

smartie12

Jinky... if you had been stalking me then you would know;);):D

I announced it on the trying for a baby thread but nowhere else yet as it's early days

I suppose now you know everyone will know now:rolleyes::rotfl:

Better go put it on my sig now:D

jinky67

smartie12 wrote: »

Jinky... if you had been stalking me then you would know;);):D

I announced it on the trying for a baby thread but nowhere else yet as it's early days

I suppose now you know everyone will know now:rolleyes::rotfl:

Better go put it on my sig now:D

hey my lips are sealed:kisses3:
but whooooooooooooooooooooooo hooooooooooooooooooooooooo :T

csh_2

kindofagilr wrote: »

I personally dont get people who spend a fortune on prams etc

Whats not to get?!
You get what you pay for. I fully expect my pram*, to last 2 children and get a fairly decent resale after.

Being :money: isn't always buying the cheapest thing.
Buy cheap, buy twice IMO

*
http://www.silvercross.co.uk/our-range/pram-systems/linear-sleepover/