Rear (parent)-facing pushchairs

[ladyruskin]

I hadn't really given much thought to slings/carriers but I think that they may be easier for us in the early days as they take up much less room that a pushchair!

[newcomer]

Another perspective - we had our buggy in parent-facing mode at the start (useful when baby is tiny as you can see when they are sleeping). However Baby Newcomer quickly became far too inquisitive to stay facing 'backwards' and practically gave himself whiplash trying to turn his head around to see what was 'out there'. By 5.5 months he tolerated the buggy much better when I turned the seat round so he could see where he was going. At 9 months, he gets very excited and babbles the most when he sees a dog, which I guess I wouldn't have known if I'd kept him parent-facing.

Therefore, before you commit to a purchase, you might want to borrow a parent-facing pushchair for the first few months. Then see what sort of personality your baby has. If he's very nosey about the outside world, his development might be better served with a forward-facing pushchair anyhow. If he's more of a one-to-one communicator, then stay with the parent-facing.

It'll also give you a chance to find out how practical the buggy is to get up several flights of stairs...

Edited to say: just read the read of the chain properly and your follow-on question about slings. Yep, can absolutely use this instead for the first few months. Your back might get tired though at the start. I still use the BabyBjorn when I'm out and about (easier than faffing about with a pram if I'm going to be going through narrow streets or up and down stairs) and Baby Newcomer is 9 months and 91st-98th centile. It's actually easier now than it was at the beginning - I think your strength builds as the baby gets heavier or something.

[karter]

Keef i was thinking the same that the people in this section are really nice, chilled and helpful but you know how it goes on this forum and how wires get crossed, new to this section but liking it.:)-D

[Ruth_Baldock]

Sorry Keef, I am quite angry and jumpy. It's the pregnancy hormones. I'll probably be crying over a Hollyoaks advert in ten minutes, you know how it is (or I am assuming you remember if Mrs Keef was like me when preggers with Keefette.)

[womanofdulwich]

(tu).

[Moos]

karter Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Thanks for showing me the xlr your baby is

> beautiful.

>

you're most welcome, and thank you! Everyone says he looks just like his father, drat!

[Ruth_Baldock]

I'm intrigued now, I want to see what Mini Moos (twosling?) looks like. I am way too nosey, sorry.

In fact, ignore this whole message.

[Moos]

Both of my boys are beautiful, in rather different ways. Moosling looks like a slightly thuggish Little Lord Fauntleroy (sp.?). Twosling looks like an elf baby.

I find it rather reassuring that all mothers genuinely believe their babies are gorgeous. It's a very appealing motherly trait. I have no wish ever to remove my rosy specs!

[The Nappy Lady]

Tee hee I to look back a pictures of my now quite pretty 6 year old as a bald buddah baby & wonder quite how she seemed so totally gorgeous at the time!!!!

You're right though, it's an endearing trait!

[Ruth_Baldock]

Well I think that Seb is THE MOST BEAAAUUUUTIFUL BABA IN THE WORLD! (said thrice daily). Husband said "What if the next one isn't cute????"

Genuinely worried now.

[Helen GV]

I was also worried that bubba number two would not be as beautiful as her big brother! Luckily she's lovely (in my totally unbiased opinion of course..) And I'm sure you have nothing to worry about Ruth :))

[karter]

Stay on topic please, just kidding i'm not admin. Just wondering if the xlr has a good rain cover in newborn setup? Thanks

[Moos]

With the bassinet, you mean?

Have only used it a couple of times so far, but the standard rain cover designed for the xlr in buggy mode does fit over the bassinet. It doesn't clip up over the end (ie the front) as it would around the child's feet in buggy mode but I never bothered with that anyway, and Moosling always stayed dry.

Rainy days are the days one might like to be a baby... Wrapped up warm and trundling along in a dry bubble!

[snowboarder]

Moos Wrote:

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> Rainy days are the days one might like to be a

> baby... Wrapped up warm and trundling along in a

> dry bubble!

Until, of course, you reach 18m, when you declare war on cosy toes and raincovers etc and scream blue murder when you are put in the buggy.....but that's another diversion!

I liked seeing little sb. Meant I could keep my eye on him, watch when he fell asleep, try and keep walking at even pace when it looked like he might wake up, or chat if I didn't want him to sleep. I'm not sure I buy the early talking and emotional guilt factors. But all babies used to be parent facing in the old prams didn't they - it's not as is if its a new phenomena - and later used to sit propped up on cushions, with toddler balanced on top.

Actually particularly liked being able to swap my pushchair round at any point - good for sun shade - and I could do it with little one in the seat (prob not advised though!). And forward facing much the way forward with nosy toddlers. Apart from anything means I can scoff chocolate without him knowing!!

[Saffron]

Ever heard this saying? 'The perfect doesn't have to be the enemy of the good.'

If you can afford an all-singing, all-dancing pushchair that will make your child a super genius with the emotional fortitude of granite, while it automatically makes you latte at the busstop on rainy days, and folds itself away under your feet like a dog at pubs, then by all means take it!

However, if you can't get the perfect pushchair, just get something good with wheels and a seat that doesn't take up too much space but still meets some of your needs. You'll be glad you have it (fwd or bkwrd facing) on the afternoon that a long walk saves you from cabin fever so bad you want to throw your LO down the stairs. ;)

xx

[Moos]

Post of the year.

[karter]

*pours Saffron a much deserved glass of wine*

[Inkmaiden]

Just to resurrect this thread for a minute- you can also use a maclaren young profi plus car seat with the Techno XLR so you don't necessarily need to buy the soft cot as well. The car seat clips into the buggy facing you and comes with a separate rain cover- the clips used to come with the buggy but you might have to buy them separately now.

[Yak]

And just to totally hijack this thread, if anyone has an XLR they're thinking of selling, I'd be very interested!

[Sanne Panne]

I think it's lovely for a first child: good for bonding, good for peace of mind (is she choking on something, maybe air?) and so on. And undoubtedly studies show it's better for language development although I personally think the impact would only be measurable if you spent the majority of the baby's waking hours pushing the buggy around. If you spend lots of time talking to your baby at home and when in the park etc I'm sure s/he won't miss out on you saying "look a tree" while in the buggy (and you can still say it, I doubt the child will call cars trees for the rest of its life just because you weren't looking at the same thing that morning).

I did really love having a parent facing buggy for #1's first year but don't feel that #2 (only 7 months old so no comparative study yet) is missing out being in the P&T now (but of course I'm just one of those parents who want to justify their own situation). She'll learn lots from her big sister. And I talk to them all day long anyway. I think they wished I shut up (although my eldest comments on every single thing she does too).

NOT trying to know better than the studies but I just *think* the average child's language development doesn't mostly depend on the type of buggy you buy. Maybe parents who buy parent facing buggies are more focused on language development already so if the same parent ends up with a forward facing buggy the kid wil probably develop at the same rate thanks to the involvement of the parent. (Maybe).

Wow I'm really rambling now. All very subjective and not based on research clearly. But that's allowed here I hope ;)

[denny]

I think it all depends how much time your baby will spend in the buggy, I'm a nanny and a mummy and also I don't drive. My daughter used to spend ALOT of time in the buggy so parent facing was a must. I have a second hand bugaboo bee. My daughter is nearly 2 and walks alot of the time now although I still have it in the parent facing position it is just so much easier wiping runny noses etc etc!

[denny]

I think it all depends how much time your baby will spend in the buggy, I'm a nanny and a mummy and also I don't drive. My daughter used to spend ALOT of time in the buggy so parent facing was a must. I have a second hand bugaboo bee. My daughter is nearly 2 and walks alot of the time now although I still have it in the parent facing position it is just so much easier wiping runny noses etc etc!