Pram/Pushchair advice

[littletwix]

There's probably been a million of these threads in the past and apologies for posting looking for very similar advice again but I'm completely overwhelmed by the enormity of the information out there and the sheer cost of some of the travel systems!

We had thought that we were going to get the use of my sister's bugaboo but it turns out she's pregnant now and will be needing it herself which means we now need to go out and get one ourselves. It's a bit of a pain but what can you do?

First things first, our requirements/needs:

we live in an apartment and space is pretty tight. Ideally I'd like a pushchair that doesn't take up as much room as a combine harvester! Some of them seem ginormous. I'm also pretty short and would like one that isn't too heavy to get in and out of the car.

I imagine it won't get a huge amount of wear, I'll use it to walk to the shops occasionally or around town but it won't get much heavy duty/off road use.

I'm not so sure I need a pram/lie down flat function. Does everyone go for these? I saw this Quinny Zapp Xtra 2 and it seems that it's either car seat on top or pushchair mode - would this be enough? http://www.pramworld.co.uk/quinny-zapp-xtra-2-novel-nile#.Va-mWRNViko

I like the price of it but wonder if it'd be sturdy enough and the amount of space underneath doesn't look great.

other ones I've come across are the Babystyle Oyster 2
http://www.motherandbaby.co.uk/2015/04/baby-style-oyster-2-travel-system-review#.Va-msRNViko

and the Joie Chrome Plus
http://www.toysrus.co.uk/babiesrus/joie-chrome-plus-pushchair-chassis-in-black-carbon/0140892

and maybe this Britax one
http://www.pramworld.co.uk/britax-b-motion-3-neon-black#.Va-nWBNViko

Are there any I'm missing in a similar price bracket? Anyone out there opt not to get a pram/lie down accessory?

thanks in advance!

 

[katherine6476]

One thing to think about is are u planning anymore children soon? Wish we'd thought about that!
We had the joie chrome. It's very light and easy to manoeuvre. We bought the full system, carrycot, car seat and pram seat. We hardly used the carrycot. However we now need a twin with baby number 2 on the way. We only used the joie until Lo was 11 months, now we just use a buggy. We've ordered a twin and need to sell our joie system.

 

[JJ Mum]

Out of those links you attached - i think the joiee Crome may be best for your needs. Fab basket, parent and world facing, lie back from birth without need of carrycot etc
The first pushchair looks shocking, but thats my personal view, no basket really at all!
Oysters are good, and three wheelers more off roady ( watch straps are suitable when little, I had an off roady from my sister and you had to use the carseat for first 6 mths, ( didn't read spec of this one you listed)

 

[littletwix]

Thanks girls! Really appreciate your feedback.

As it happens, I've totally gone off the quinny since I posted yesterday, I had a look at the one in mothercare and it looked really flimsy, plus as you say JJ there's no room underneath. I'm a bag lady at the best of times, I dread to think what I'm going to be like with a little one in tow!

As for having other kids we'll probably just sell the one we have if we have another and then go for a double. I know many two year olds who refuse to get into pushchairs and a buggy board might do us instead...?

Going to have a look at a few on the weekend anyway - I feel I'm very late in my pregnancy to be researching prams...gah!

 

[kumber]

I don't recommend the Oyster for a flat - I live in a first floor flat and have to leave the buggy out in the car even if I'm going for a walk, and carry ds up and down the stairs. The Oyster is not suitable for stairs st all, the balance is all forward on it, to the point where ds plus buggy almost went headfirst down the stairs! It's also quite heavy, I am 5ft and have to lift it with both hands to get the chassis in.

Despite that, I LOVE it, it's a great buggy. The basket is huge when you have 1 and we don't do much walking unless we've driven first as where we live isn't particularly cosmopolitan, so leaving the buggy out in the csr isn't a massive inconvenience.

A lying down function really is better for baby's safety, it's quite dangerous for them to be in any seated position for some time when they're small as the can't hold themselves up properly which reduces their airways quite significantly. I would say pay the extra for safety and get one that lies down or get a bassinet.

 

[CharlotteH24]

We've got the Oyster 2, we needed the bigger wheels and versatility as I spend a lot of time around horses and live in a small town surrounded my country lanes. It was really the only one we really liked. If you plan on having any more children before this one will be out of the pushchair and you like the Oyster then consider getting the Oyster Max which doubles up as a tandem.
We haven't got a carrycot for ours, we'll just use the lie flat feature. What I will say is that if you're going to go for the Oyster 2 (particularly if you want the chrome chassis rather than the plastic black) then you need to order it ASAP, I tried to order mine a few weeks ago to be told that there were no chrome chassis' left anywhere and that the next shipment wasn't until the end of July and there was a huge amount of demand for them. The woman in the shop phoned BabyStyle's head office to ask if they knew of anywhere with some left, apparently everywhere that they know of has been waiting for the shipment and just having to reserve them in the meantime as they're so popular.

 

[littletwix]

Decisions, decisions! Thanks for all your replies. Based on what you're saying jumper, I'm thinking the oyster might take up too much space in our apartment...does sound good from the point of view of upgrading if no. 2 comes along!

I had a look at the Joie Chrome this morning and wasn't mad keen on it. I thought perhaps the quality wasn't fantastic?

I've now been toying with the Baby Jogger City Mini Gt. My mumhas offered to get us a stroller and my OH's parents want to get us something too so we might ask them to get us a car seat and base. I really like the one fold mechanism, it's very neat! Anyone have a baby jogger?

 

[cas2015]

Hiya,
Glad your not getting the Quinny, I had one and didn't find them great for newborns but they pretty light. Cant comment on baby jogger. Have you tried out prams in the shop yet? I keep googling and really cant decide this time round x

 

[littletwix]

Did you really find it light? The girl folded it up in mothercare for me and I thought it weighed it a tonne! I've a dodgy back and think maybe a lighter one might be better for me...

Will you be getting a double cas?

 

[cas2015]

Light to push when you have other children to look after, a pain to fold as you need to take the seat off, I think I'm going be very picky this time.

My youngest is 3, so probably use a buggy board-last time I had a double stroller and the quinny. I'm thinking of having a look at the icandy strawberry 2 and raspberry, armadillo flip x

 

[KHTW]

A friend of mine has a baby jogger and loves it. It's fairly light to lift but size wise it is not the smallest... x

 

[littletwix]

Yeah I noticed that about the quinny, I can see that getting awkward :-/

Thanks karolina, OH and I are going to head to mothercare after dinner to check out the size of the baby jogger, maybe if we don't get the carry cot for wouldn't take up too much space...