how did you choose your pram?

[Strawbs]

Hi

As a first time expectant mum I had (naive) visions of walking around mothercare with lovely soft music in the background and just knowing which pram did what, what I needed and bingo bango the decisions was made.. WELL... It?s a minefield out there!!! I didn?t even know what a travel system was let alone if I needed one!

Anyways.. So after about 3 trips to different mothercares and trawling over their brochure to the point where my other half is tempted to hide it from me, we are now looking at a bugaboo bee or a type of silver cross. Not for any particular scientific reasoning other than we both quite like the look and feel of the BB and my other half was pushed around in a silver cross as a baby..

How did you choose which pram / travel system / pushchair / buggie you were going to get? Any tips would be gratefully received!

:))

[Helen GV]

For us it was trial and error, we have been through a few!

I don't think you can go wrong with a bugaboo bee though I have not had one myself, they seem good for cities! I have a frog and a phil and teds vibe at the moment, both good for different things, the bugaboo because it can be parent facing which I like plus with the buggy board can transport mytoddler too, the p&t because I can get both kids into it, or one kid plus all my shopping!

[kittysailing]

Think carefully about the lifestyle you lead. If your mainly in town then the bugaboo bee is great. If your out and about in the countryside/beaches/snow then the chameleon is a really good option. It can handle long walks on roughish terrain. Good allrounder. If your in and out of cars you really want one that pops up and down easily. The chameleon would be a hassle to go in and out of a car on a daily basis. The car issue leads us to the pram issue's inevitable final destination.. The Maclaran! Would say most people end up there! They are great from around the time baby is sitting up (6 months) but you can get the more expensive version which lies totally flat so good from birth. Basically the baby lies flat for first six months which is why people like the ones with bassinet snuggly type affairs - they are only really in that for first 4/5 months then they get cross and want to see out! Good luck!

[srisky]

It definitely is a complete minefield!!

Issues to consider are:

i) cost - do you want to spend loads on an expensive 'all-rounder' if you are going to end up buying a Maclaran after 6 months? There are a few pushchair style prams that are suitable from birth and are much cheaper than the bugaboo/icandy range but your baby will be forward facing (only an issue for the first 4-6months, when they mostly sleep anyway)

ii) size of your car boot

iii) how you will store your pram at home - i.e if space is an issue then a pram that will fold easily is important

iv) do you need to climb stairs e.g. to your front door/flat - a lightweight pram/one that folds easily is important

v) will you be using public transport frequently - a compact/lightweight pram will be useful

Good luck!

p.s I wouldn't worry too much about getting a pram with a good suspension, as from my (limited) experience babies love the jiggling about caused by the pot holes of East Dulwich - it helps them fall asleep!

[Otta]

Main thing for us was to have rear facing option, so we could chat to the little one. Definitely consider weight, we've had a couple of tank like things, and they're a killer on hills, and a pain in the arse on buses!

[Mathilda]

Hi Strawbs, I have the Bugaboo Bee, its really light and nippy which makes it easy to get around and to use the bus/train. I also think its good value because the baby can lie flat in it from birth, facing you, whereas for a lot of prams you have to buy a separate carrycot attachment for this. But, if you are going to use the car a lot you might want a travel system instead where you can take the car seat out of the car and clip it onto the pram

[bumpy]

Totally agree with all the above. I had/have a Bugaboo Bee for my now 17 month old and the only thing I didn't like (in hindsight) was that he had to have straps and be clipped in each and everytime, whereas friends had prams that doubled up as Moses baskets which not only saved money but just seemed nicer to me when they were so small. Good luck with whatever you decide.

[vez]

Hi, we have had the Bugaboo Cameleon from birth and recently bought the Maclaren Techno XT for our now nearly 1 year old. The Maclaren is definitely very practical and easy to use on public transport and for travelling. Also, our boy sits quite nicely in it.

But I have to say I still love the manoevrability of the Cameleon! It's so easy to push and steer, just a lot smoother than the Maclaren. When our boy was tiny he slept mostly in the pram and the Cameleon was a godsend.

So, if you intend to go for long walks it's definitely the pram to go for (if you don't mind shelling out the cash). They also have fantastic resale value.

I don't think there is a single pram out there that does everything you want. Most people end up buying at least two prams/buggies for their kids. One for the first 0-12 months or so and then a buggy when they are bigger. Agree with above post that proper prams are just much nicer for babies when they are really small.

From my own experience it makes sense to buy a high quality pram/buggy. We thought about skimping on the buggy but now that we are using the Maclaren so often we are glad to have spend the extra ?100 or so that it cost over a cheaper brand.

And if costs are an issue - have a look at second hand prams/buggies. You can often find used prams in very good condition.

[Audrey]

Can anyone let me know why they felt the need to buy a new buggy after 12 mths? I have just bought a BB Cameleon, which I had intended (afetr shelling out a small fortune) that the little person would be in it for as long as possible. Having both a seat and carry cot, both of which face both ways I thought it was really versatile, and would therefore have staying power. I certainly hadn't anticipated needing another one next summer!

[Pickle]

It's not essential Audrey - we used our Chameleon for as long as possible (2nd baby forced me to sell it and buy a dreaded double buggy!), however we did also have a MacLaren which we used for plane journeys etc. Sometimes I found it easier to use the more compact MacLaren, but in general I far preferred the Chameleon.

[Otta]

I think most people will tend to get a stroller when baby is a bit bigger, as they're a lot lighter, and easier in a lot of ways. We still use, and very much like out buggy, but it is quite heavy and big, and if I just want to jump on a bus, or run round to the shops, a stroller is a whole lot easier.

You don't need to spend a fortune on a top stroller though.

In fact, we've just ordered One of these which currently has ?50 off.

[snowboarder]

AH prams!! Just on baby no. 2 and have had 6 prams so far (this is a bit shameful but they have all been/are very useful!!). With baby 1 we had an icandy apple (like chameleon) from birth and agree with others that it's nice to have the carrycot when they are little and forward/rear facing seat options, and airfilled tyres. Was super comfy for me and baby and a big shopping basket underneath. We later got a maclaren quest (lovely and light) and also had a babyjogger city mini - we travelled to Australia when baby was quite small and didn't want to take the icandy, but needed sthg more than a maclaren. The sunshade on the babyjogger is amazing but it is forward facing only. Had a brief flirtation with the micralite but it didn't fit in our car boot and husband kept kicking the back wheels when walking. We now have a phil and teds for toddler plus baby 2, and a bugaboo bee for solo trips with new baby and keep it in the car - you can clip the car seat onto the frame which is useful for me atm as seem to be whizzing toddler all over the place.

I coveted the bee for ages - had pram envy - and wished that was what I had got originally. But...now I have it - it is great almost in every way but it is REALLY clattery/rickety I think - compared to the p&t and icandy which have airfilled tyres - was in dulwich pk with it the other day and it was just so noisy. But I do think that is the only negative - it's lovely and light, folds easily, forward and rear facing, takes a car seat and takes a buggy board.

Phew. I had a life once....

[bumpy]

Audrey - 17 months on we still very much use our original buggy (Bugaboo Bee) but we did buy a MacLaren Sport from eBay for the grand price of ?30 which we use for holidays

[crystal7]

Audrey we started of the the Cameleon which was a great buy, comfy for baby and great to push compared to rickety strollers so really worked for me as I did loads of walking. Bought a Maclaren Quest when E was 11 months though as I went back to work and commuted part of the way with baby. Although Camelon is fine on the bus I thought the samller the better on busy buses. We also use it for holidays as it takes up much less room in the boot. However we have just bought an Ergo sling and I think with something like that you could do without a buggy on holiday/public transport?! We'll see. Got to sell Bugaboo anyway as baby no.2 due in October.

Good luck Strawbs it is a minefield. By the way I really like the Bee!

[reren]

Strongly recommend a trip to john lewis 4th floor! They will spend ages w you talking through all the options and have no particular axe to grind - happy to advise what they think is the best option for your budget and lifestyle - found it incredibly useful! Gave me a really good sense of what the differences between all the different prams are. Ended up w a bugaboo bee which has been great and worth every penny i think ... It is ridiculous to spend so much on a pram, but i have used it every single day for last 6 months (and expect to keep using it for a while)so in many ways one of the most cost effective items we bought!

[chantelle]

i'm all for starting and finishing with a Maclaren. (one that can be used from birth). Ours has been all over the world and can be folded up easily. We started out with stairs and a communal hallway so that was crucial. Now we're in a house but can stash it out of the way when it's not in use.

i hate massive buggies that look like you're carrying a troop of babies and which can't fit properly down aisles or on buses. i do like the looks of the Bugaboo Bee but the price is outrageous!

[srisky]

Agree with chantelle - bugaboos are pretty but the price is ridiculous and it preys on the wish of parents to get the best for their babies even though there is no real difference in comfort for the little one. Having seen a variety of prams (those with carry cots & those forward facing but fully reclining), one thing I have noticed is that all the babies using them seem very comfy and have no problem falling asleep. If you do decide to get a pram without a cot maybe buy a sheepskin liner or something similar if you think it could be more comfy and put the extra money into a savings account for your child - just a thought...

[Yak]

We got a second hand maclaren suitable from birth (oh forum, how I love you) then bought a car seat that you can attach for forward facing time. Seems to work for us!

[Ruth_Baldock]

Like Snowboarder, we have had many, MANY buggies... Started off with a Jane slalom. The frame weighs nothing but the carrycot was so heavy, I couldn't use it at all :/ then we got a bugaboo bee which I loved in huge amounts and wad all set to use forever and ever until I found out we were expecting again, with an 18mo age gap. Sold the bee, have a Phil and teds which I am not a big fan of at all; quite bulky and we have loads of stairs to lug the folded thing up. We just bought a maclaren triumph and honestly, we should have just bought one that fully reclines and used that from the offset! Nice and light, folds easily, fits on the bus/train, fab fab fab. Wish we hadn't waste over ?1400 on buggies now...

[zeban]

My Mum used a Maclaren for all of us. Good old Maclarens ;-)

[Indiana]

I agree with Vez. Bugaboo Chameleon is just fab - great for newborn, then buggy style and so easy to push and go on long walks or running with. Definitely buy second hand though (from the forum?)

I then bought a Maclaren XT as our 'travelling buggy'. I.e it stays in the boot of the car so I always have it if I am visiting friends and end up parking a way from their house, it has been on various plane journeys and survived and is easily collapsable (unlike the Bugaboo Chameleon). Again - I bought this second hand for about 60 quid (including raincover and footmuff) on ebay but locally (do a search 'within 10 miles').

I like the fact my Chameleon is always in the house and Maclaren in the car - don't have to faff with getting buggues in and out of the car etc.

Oh - and now I have a Phil & Teds for our nannyshare (100 quid second hand) which is great for two....!

[denny]

I love the phil and ted single to double but I also have a good old maclaren, there not as trendy but you just can't beat them for value for money!

[oldnewromantic]

Always take the potential resale value into account when comparing prices!!

I had a Stokke which I absolutely loved. Here are the pros and cons

Pros

The child is facing you and at your height.

(brilliant for interaction and chatting, not so good when you want to eat a donut without them seeing)

The bag underneath holds absolutely tons

It's incredibly easy to push and steer, even one handed

You can now get a buggy board for it

I sold mine for ?365 (with footmuff and raincover)so it really holds its value

Cons

It doesn't really fold up small so not easy to store

You have to take the seat off to fold it (but don't think that's different to bugaboo)

You have to buy the stokke footmuff cos it needs to divide in the middle but it gets tight on children aged 2

The raincover is a bit fiddly to fit.

Hold onto it on the bus. Mine did once nearly tip.

I also had a Maclaren for holidays.

The only reason I sold the Stokke, was because at the time you couldn't get a buggy board for it, and as there was only 2 years between my two, I went for a Phil and Ted.

The first buggy we bought was an Inglesina. Seemed to have all the functionality without the price of the Bugaboo. I regretted not buying a bugaboo. The inglesina sold for about ?30 in the end.

[supergolden88]

I love the Bugaboo Bee which I got for second baby but it does have a couple of drawbacks. The rain cover is fiddly and not easy to fold up or store when not in use. And I find the straps really short for some reason perhaps I haven't figured out how to use them properly!

I also find the cost of some of the accessories completely outrageous - but don't feel you have to buy them if you go for one. I got a John Lewis footmuff for instance which was a third or more less than the Bugaboo branded muff and nicer too I think.

The wheels are said to be rickety by many but seem fine to me. Sure they make some noise on uneven terain but nothing terrible. I love the fact I can push and turn it etc one handed it is so easy to handle.

One more plus point is that the Bugaboos tend to retain their value if you want to sell it on.

After browsing the internet for weeks dithering about whether to buy it we went to Mothercare on Old Kent Rd with our 3 day old baby and they demonstrated the Bee for us. They also gave us at least 10% off on the Bee and everything else we bought that day (bouncy chair, clothes etc). So sometimes it pays to go to a shop.

[jennyh]

Agree with positive comments about the bee. We live in a flat with a small hallway so the fact it is narrow is great. I find it easy to put up and down and attaching the carseat is handy and easy. Nice and light so I can carry up and down stairs with the babe still in. My only negatives...so lightweight and responsive that it tends to lean when on any slight slope, plus my girl lies a bit low for my liking!

We didn't have space to store all the bits of the travel system so we needed something that carried us through the months.

Good luck!