buggy help

rjh090384

HELP!! i am going to be a mum in may and having pushchair problems!! there are so many and i dont know where to start!!!

having read up a bit, i have decided i dont want one of the travelsystem things where the baby from birth to 6 months sits in a car seat.

i like the idea of the silver cross 3d but the child would be stuck in a carrycot until they are 6 months old which i dont like. the loola was an option until i read bad reviews online.

i drive a tiny micra so boot space is a premium.

i would like a pushchair suitable from birth (ie has a lie flat position) but i want it facing toward me but option to change it to forward facing. i also dont want to pay £500 for the privelage of seeing my child!! The budge is £350 max.

any ideas guys?

thanks
xox

Pookle

Can I ask why you don't want a travel system?

Ophie

can I just say that micra's and pushchairs don't mix. I should know I have one for now... looking to get a bigger car though for that very reason not enough space for child, and shopping and anything else that I may require.

I have a Petite Star Zia and it gives me some boot space, but its still big in the boot, but just enough room in there as well for a weekly Tesco shop. As long as you stack properly!"!

sunshinegirl_3

I had a micra when we had our LO, it was a nightmare finding a pram that would fit. We bought the Loola with the Windoo carrycot as one of the few that fitted well. I personally don't have any complaints with it although the straps on the seat unit were a little on the short side - we now use a M&P Ziko. (we also have a bigger car now!!)

The only other prams that fitted (and we tried many) were the Jane Carrera and the M&P Pramette.

Good luck, try and find an independant shop who don't mind you carrying stuff out to try in the car, then be cheeky and find the one you like best on line and usually cheaper!

heather38

i had a travel system and baby doesn't just sit in the car seat. she was only in that when we were nipping somewhere quickly like the paper shop or what ever. i used to put her in the pram bit if we were off out for the day and left the car seat in the car.
i did swap it for a buggy when she turned 12 months as they are a lot lighter than prams. so that is something else to consider.

Pookle

Yes, my travel system had the car seat and also a carrycot so they could lie flat and when they were older they could forward face. It was perfect but I did also buy a lighter stroller later.

Lillys_mum

rjh090384 wrote: »

the loola was an option until i read bad reviews online.

I don't understand. I have had 2 Loolas now, I only changed because I wanted a different colour.
I have nothing but praise for them - they are easy to use have a lovely smooth ride for baby and also have the added bonus of being able to face in both directions. You can also buy the carry cot and or car seat depending on your needs.
Incidently the creatis car seat is ergonomicaly designed so that it supports the baby better than most infant car seats and has support cushions which you can adapt to the size of your baby.

Just my opinion - don't discount it on a bad review, not everyone likes everything. You didn't say whether it was a safety review or an individuals opinion.

Hope you find something to suit.

LM
xx

Justie

the loola may be a good option if you're short - I'm 5'6" but if I wear heels the loola was too low and hurt my back and it was impossible for my OH. I don't know whether it'd fit in a micra boot but we have an old almera and the only system we found that fitted most of our requirements was an icandy cherry http://www.icandyuk.com/cherry.htm The frame is still quite big so it takes up all the boot but as far as I can tell most of them do until you get down to an umbrella fold stroller. (we've also worked out that if the front passenger seat is pulled forwards the frame will stand up in the rear seat footwell and the car seat (a maxi cosi) still fits in the seat - not sure if that would work in a micra though.

We got the carry cot, pushchair bit and the extras all for around £350 but you won't be able to get many deals as they're only sold by approved sellers. Once he was about 8 weeks I put him in the pushchair bit laid back as far as it'll go as he could then lie flat or be put up at an angle as his feet didn't reach the bend for the bum yet so the carry cot didn't get much use but I'm not sure if I'd have wanted to put a newborn straight into the pushchair bit. I'd say it's a pretty good town pushchair and is ok off road as long as it's reasonable ground but if you live in a village and have to do a lot of unpaved areas it'd be no good.

Ishtar

I had a Jane travel system - Carerra wheels and Matrix car seat, which was a lie-flat seat with the option to be a rear-facing, standard style car seat when baby was older. I can completely understand where you're coming from when you say you don't want a travel system. In my opinion it was the heaviest, most cumbersome thing I think I've ever had the misfortune to use. Honestly, it was a good job I didn't have a c-section as I'd never have managed it. It's only saving grace was its easy manoeuverability when being pushed around.

I have a Peugeot 206 and when the wheels were in the boot there was no room for anything else.

Baby No. 2 is on the way and we are looking to buy another pushchair and a separate car seat, so will watch this thread with interest.

Cheers
D.

Bun

With ds I had a Mothercare Cossatto thing which was a carrycot that then could be transferred to forward or backward facing pushchair. Did a lot of research, and it seemed a good deal (we actually got it with some vouchers we won so effectively it was free). We didn't drive at the time so not a problem there, although it was great for me walking. However ds hated every minute in it. He hated lying exactly flat (was a venteouse and forceps bub), hated that he couldn't see anything, and when he was upright a bit hated staring at me all the time. And it wasn't hugebut didn't collapse well, but we were in a bigger flat so not a problem keeping it up. Now we are in a maisonette and it has to go in the space that my battered maclaren stroller folds up into. I've done a fair amount of research based on how ds reacted, and we've gone for the Gracco Mosaic travel system.Effectively it's just a sturdy buggy with a car seat included. It's £20 off (online £159,)in Babies R US, so although we need to buy the base for the car seat you get the footmuff and changing bag free and it works out the same for me to get a carseat and the pushchair. IIt is also half price on Boots.com in purple, without the extras.This is an end of line and partly why I'm not going near it, in case it needs anything replacing.
The good thing about this is I've actaully tested it in the shop, measured it against my front door and the buggy I already use, and it folds up to umbrella stroller size. I need it to be used for at least 3 years so know it will be big enough but yet easy enough to do this.(a lot of the buggies like Quinny seem to be too small very early and the child has its feet squashed together) It is forward facing but I only really do small trips out to nearby places so a little time in a carseat is not a problem, but it lies flat from birth if that is what the baby likes. Also, it has a bar to hold the child in, which I would have liked during tantrums, and when my son was too big for the straps, but could get out of the buggy himself (3 plus).
Personally I think that for the use they get a carrycot is not used for that long (depends on your baby obviously, if mine had been lovely and placid it may have been more mse!) but if you want to increase your options you could decide use a sling and carseat now (depending on how you travel etc) and choose at three months when you know the baby and it doesn't have to lie flat.

thatgirlsam

you can't beat a maclaren techno imo! small, lightweight lies flat so used from birth and no need to buy a buggy later! good luck x