3 in 1 travel system

dexterwolf

We are expecting our first child in June and I want to get a new travel system in the next few weeks. We have about 400/500 pound for this. Does anyone have any recommendations for one?

dizziblonde

It's hard to recommend out of the blue like that as you need to make sure that the folded buggy fits in your car boot (which will obviously vary), into wherever you're going to store it in your house or whatever (including through the door if you've got narrow doorways - we have) and the car seat will work in your car as sometimes there's a bit of a bother with certain car makes and certain car seats. Plus thinking about it if you're realistically going to use this all the way through to them being a walker, or swap to something more compact after 6 months or so?

If I had to buy again now I'd probably go for the Britax B-Smart though - I had a double Britax and it was the nicest I found for getting a car seat on and off the frame and a nice car seat as well... or a BabyJogger because their fold mechanism is fantastic - but it's a very personal thing really and you need to go and have a play with lots of 'em.

Gillyx

Basically what dizzi said. We had a mamas and papas mylo, and I adored it, used it from birth until 18months when he decided walking wish his thing :eek: I will use it again for another baby but if I had to buy from the beginning itd be the Uppababy vista for me, or the bugaboo bee if short on space.

sulphate

You need to work out what's suitable for you and your lifestyle because different travel systems will suit different people. Do some research on different ones and make a checklist of what you need, then find a few that fit this criteria and you can narrow it down to one based on less important things.

I'm due with our first in a week and bought the silver cross wayfarer because it ticked the following boxes:

- fits in my car boot
- compatible with car seat we wanted
- reasonable price (kiddicare sale!)
- fits through narrow doorways of our house
- adjustable handle, as I'm 5'2" and my husband is 6'6"
- easy to manoeuvre/good turning circle
- folds up easily
- forward and rear facing when baby is older

All of this might sound like features all travel systems should have but in reality they all have their pros and cons. We were going to go for the uppababy vista originally but decided against it because we couldn't get the knack of folding it down. It was also bigger and more expensive. However we live a mostly urban lifestyle, for another family who need slightly more substantial wheels and have a bit more space, it would be a great choice.

Northern78

Well one I don't recommend is the Quinny Buzz 3. We have one, got it when my DS was born. Was good while he was tiny and used the carrycot and frame for the car seat but as a pushchair I don't rate it. It's very heavy and cumbersome. We're using it at the min for my DD as she's only 12 weeks but will be getting a new pushchair when she outgrows the carrycot.

Mr_Toad

There's one thing that you can do and that's get a van!

When our first was born we swapped the wife's car for a decent sized estate car and we still seemed to have more stuff than space!

I worked out that the ideal vehicle for a family was a Transit :0)

bouicca21

And don't forget how easy it is to put up and down with one arm - the other arm is holding the baby - and what about getting it on and off buses?

onlyroz

I personally wouldn't go with a "travel system". The best buggy we ever had (and we bought several over the years) was the Mountain Buggy Urban. It went flat for a newborn and could be brought upright for an older child. It folded flat for the car boot, had a decent shopping basket, and big fat all-terrain wheels.

dizziblonde

Also try and try again folding it up and down in the store to make sure you can manage it without having to balance on one leg to flip levers while pulling catches and everything else (I swear some muppets design fold mechanisms on buggies), and put a heavy handbag on it to see how it handles pushing with a bit of weight on it as well - they all push nicely on smooth shop floors with no baby in them but when you factor in say an 18 month old lump of not-quite-toddler - some of them are a nightmare to push!

And one I'd suggest from bitter experience is spending a bit of time folding and unfolding it and clipping car seats on and off to free up the mechanisms a bit before the baby arrives - so you're not stuck in the maternity ward trying to google how to get the car seat you've got stuck on the chassis off when it's too stiff to do it because it's new! (Not that I did this.... ooooh no!) I'm currently using an ex display silver cross stroller (my youngest would be walking all the time if she had her way) and it's bliss because the fold mechanism wasn't stiff and awkward like new ones were!

I could manage to go away with two young kids for the weekend with a double pushchair, travel cot and all the kid related stuff (with two in nappies) in an A-Class though so it can still be done!

I've tended to change pushchair a lot though just as I get bored with them and fancy a change - but I've done so via second hand sales so one's never "cost" me more than about £10/20 when I've sold them on (or indeed I've had 6 months pushchair use and profited for the privilege on occasions) - some keep their resale value more than others though... may be worth considering if you're planning on selling it on once you're done with it.

Tigsteroonie

Six years ago, we spent £130 on a Graco travel system. It won over all the others because the car seat (which clipped onto the frame) had a single handed release, which meant that you could hold the handle of the car seat with one hand for stability whilst releasing it with the other.

So OP, my answer is - go to your nearest large store and try them out to see which suits you!

hawk30

bouicca21 wrote: »

And don't forget how easy it is to put up and down with one arm - the other arm is holding the baby - and what about getting it on and off buses?

I've never had to do this. Is this linked to using public transport?