How on earth do you choose a pram?!

glimmerofhope

I have a surf and the chassis and main body have to be seperated to fold. It takes up alot of room. Saying that I still love it and will be using it again. However I also brought a second hand Maclaren mac3 3 wheeler which folds as one as ds outgrew the surf.

It is a big purchase and as others have said I would go try some out as handle heights vary, may not fit in car boot, may not have big enough basket, you may not like the feel of it etc.

EllanVannin

I have a SilverCross 3d. My little one is now a toddler and as a pushchair when he is in it is very very heavy to push. The Pram itself is hard wearing, durable, well made. I cant fault the mechanics of it. It is easy to manover but can sometimes feel bulky when out shopping in a small shop. I find the system easy to fold and unfold and haven't caught any fingers yet!

I found the actual carry cot of the pram to be a little bit flimsy. Being made of just material and having no real rigid sides. When the system was folded for transport the carry cot would crease badly and take a while with baby in it to straighten out. We never used the Car Seat on the frame as we always wanted to keep him flat as much as possible. The car seat was always left set up in the car.

The 3d does not have the option for the child to be parent facing which if I were to buy again is an option I would go for. Also the shopping basket at the bottom can be a pain. You cant get at it from the back of the pram and it is very small, dont plan a big shopping trip with it.

NoAngel

I have the silvercross linear freeway. Baby could lie flat for the first few months and then it converts into a pushchair all without having to store a bulky carrycot afterwards. It's quite bulky but LO looks extremely comfortable. It JUST fits into the boot of my small car but can't fit anything else in. I'd recommend it but I doubt it's to everyone's requirements.

toniq

I had the silver corss surf, Loved it totally, I got all the accessories and spent over £900 in total.

Def a head turner, I had it in chilli red and was often stopped and asked about it.

Awful baskets underneath, I have a people carrier so taking seat off chasis was no problem. The baby snug was very plush, as was the baby head rest and apron.

Beautiful pram and was a plush ride my for my girl, sadly she is the size of a 4 year old at 2 so is in a silver cross stroller now.

I sold it within a few hours of listing it and have to admit I had a little cry as it was a lovely pram.

The_fog_has_lifted

i would google what cars your car seat will fit in before deciding on the whole pram as seats need to fit correctly in car and not all are compatable, before having the car, take the dimensions of all the folded prams and see which ones you will be able to get in/out the boot of the car you have chosen and go from there.
hope this helps at all.
foggy

GlamGirlie

Thanks everyone!

Air_Cooled_75

I have an old (1975) beetle so it was size that was always going to be the deciding factor.

Never wanted a travel system, got a Maclaren XT, lasted until LO didn't want to be in it anymore.

Without exception, everyone I knew who bought a travel system ended up buying a stroller.

brazilianwax

Air_Cooled_75 wrote: »

Without exception, everyone I knew who bought a travel system ended up buying a stroller.

I didn't!

(I did borrow one last year for a holiday when DD was 3, but only because I didn't want baggage handlers throwing my gorgeous Stokke around! (DD hadn't been in it for quite a while by that point mind - she ran everywhere once she gave up her naps!))

brazilianwax

peachyprice wrote: »

Proper lie flat carry cot - absolute must have, not negotiable
Fold small enough for car
Easy to push and steer
Easy to fold and put up
Easy to lie flat after the carrycot stage without waking a child
Suitable all through toddlerhood
Car seat fixes to chassis - was never to bothered by this because I used the carry cot as much as possible.
Large basket underneath

Mine was:

Tall as possible
Proper lie flat carry cot
Parent facing for as long as needed
Use with car seat
Can be pushed easily one handed

My best friend had wanted the Stokke, but couldn't justify the spend. She has 2 children and bought 5 cheap prams and strollers when they were small. She spent far more on them than she would have spent on the Stokke. I didn't look at anything else. Bought it during an offer, used it from day 1 (DD had every nap in it for 2 years). Bought a new car to fit it in (it filled the boot of my other car!) There were a couple of minor downsides, but I LOVED that pram!

dizziblonde

brazilianwax wrote: »

I didn't!

(I did borrow one last year for a holiday when DD was 3, but only because I didn't want baggage handlers throwing my gorgeous Stokke around! (DD hadn't been in it for quite a while by that point mind - she ran everywhere once she gave up her naps!))

I very very very rarely use a stroller-type buggy. We have a single and a double one - but the only time I use it is if we're taking the dogs out as well because we lose the boot space then (and the stroller can slide along the rear passenger footwell). I find that with a larger child in (both of mine are very tall - 90% line and off the charts in terms of height) they're simply too damned heavy to push comfortably... perhaps I've been spoilt by using lots of pushchairs with air tyres or something - but the double one in particular I haven't used for months.