Prams

[DaisieBee]

Hi, I have started thinking about getting a pram but find the choice re brands and styles so overwhelming. I have strong ideas about certain things I want but just dont know where to start looking. I was just wondering, if I said what my must haves are, if some of the more experienced ladies could point me in the right direction.

I really like the traditional style prams, less keen on travel systems and would want seperate car seat anyway.
I want a bar across rather than handles to push
I want the baby to be facing me
Budget of no more than £300 really...

Any ideas?? Thanks

 

[Lisalovesbean]

Babystyle.co.uk

 

[jellyk]

Britax vigour 3+ or 4+

I got mine and put it up for a play today - it's fab!

We got ours for £250 for the pushchair and carry cot from a seller on ebay - you have to shop around as someplaces will want that for just the pushchair.

 

[angelcake89]

.

 

[maridunn]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/HAUCK-TRAVEL-SYST ... m153.l1262

this is what we have but in "steel". the stroller seat can be seated both ways, the carrycot can be used in the backseat of a car, the handles are height adjustable and everything is really easy to use! and you get the carseat, huge changing bag, parasol and raincover for the stroller in that price.

am wishing i had got this colour, but ours is nice and funky (just like me - not!!!!!!!! )

 

[sueken]

Try kiddicare.com,they have a huge collection.My last pram was a hauck infinity about £299 maybe less for trolley,pram top,and car seat,plus all the rain covers.Its very nice,simalar to the buggaboo put not as dear.
Remember to make sure that any pram will fit in your house and your car,on my 3rd i had to change my car to fit my pram,i could get the wheels in the boot (damn BMW).
Hope this helps

 

[Kelly G]

we have also gone for the britax vigour 3, we got the matching carrycot and carseat but there is a new version out now and its is suitable from birth so there is no need for a car seat.

I got mine and put it up for a play today - it's fab!

Jellyk I remember you saying you was going for this, did you go for the 3 or 4 wheel? Did you get the new version in the end? What are ur first impressions of it? Sorry for all the questions but we couldnt test drive ours as there was no where aroond here that have them in stock, we decided to risk it and put it on layby as we really liked it but there is part of me thinking what if it is naff

 

[Frog99]

Two people have recommended Quinny's to me.

I've read a couple of reviews on Gracco and from what I've read it sounds like the wheels wear out really quickly so maybe not a good option if you're planning on walking a lot.

I've decided I want a STOKKE - it's great but costs £700 so I doubt that'll turn into a reality...

 

[yummy-mummy]

So far I've:

Seen a Mama's & Papa's stripped apart and put back together very quickly. Very easy to use but at £575 for the pram, car seat and buggy I think that's a bit dear. Heard bad reports about trying to claim against the warranty but that came from Motehrcare who don't stock M&P's.

Mothercare: Tried out a Quinny but the carrycot seemed to sit on top of a folded down buggy bit so wasn't impressed.
Couldn't manoeuvre the Silver Cross very well.
Maxi Cosi Mura is new out - don't do it. I could barely lift the wheels off the ground let alone collapse it and get it in a car.

I think we have it down to 2 at the minute but I'm pregnant and allowed to change my mind at any time without reason. First choice is Bebe Confort Loola Up which has a bar as I too don't like having 2 handles.
Second choice is Mothercare's own which is made by *drum roll* Quinny! If you put them side by side you can see there is very little difference.

The reasons for these two are cost and the fact that my 4 year old step-daughter had no problems pushing them around the shop. I can highly recommend borrowing a small child to test drive prams - if they can't get the pram around tight corners then how will you when you have stitches god knows where!

I know that a girl I went to school with has gotten the Britax 3+ one but I haven't seen it myself to comment.

 

[Sugarhigh]

So far I've:

Seen a Mama's & Papa's stripped apart and put back together very quickly. Very easy to use but at £575 for the pram, car seat and buggy I think that's a bit dear. Heard bad reports about trying to claim against the warranty but that came from Motehrcare who don't stock M&P's.

Can i just poke my nose in to say something a wee sec, we have the M&P one your talking about and fair enough it is pricey but one of the main selling points for me is that in buying the package you are getting the pram, pushchair, car seat as well as the stand which enables you to then make a high chair and a moses basket/crib for baby just by adding a mattress which is only £11!

and also my aunt had this pram for my little cousin 10 years ago and then when their second was born 2 years ago the wheels etc were still looking like brand new and it looked like she had bought the system all over again so i think its worth the money if you consider that after 10 years of people borrowing it and it being bumped up and down stairs it still looks immaculate. and no she isnt one of these clean freaks who clean the wheels all the time (although i am mine came yesterday and had some hair on the wheels from the cat investigating what had come in and i HAD to give them a wipe lol)

so after my little story (which makes me sound like im a bloomin employee of M&P ) I'd say that if you have the money and are planning more kids then this would be a good investment to make as i know you can buy other covers etc so it doesnt look like the same one.

I've decided I want a STOKKE - it's great but costs £700 so I doubt that'll turn into a reality...

I wouldnt hun, my friends little sister fell face first out of this whilst strapped in the straps loosen very easily and she was only looking around to see where her daddy was.

 

[Tenshineko]

we bought this:

http://www.mothercare.com/gp/product/B0 ... 1&mcb=core

baby can face you, has a bar across and only £300. We went and pushed it round mothercare and iv totally in love with it!!

 

[yummy-mummy]

SugarHigh - good to hear someone elses opinion on the M&P stuff. Don't get me all wrong, I had myself talked into the Ultima on Saturday after seeing it in the shops. After speaking to mum who said "what on earth do you need a high chair for" and "you do realise you could buy a car for that kind of money" when I said everything we needed would top £700 and then looking at other prams in Mothercare, we decided that £440 for a pram/push chair/car seat was more than enough!

The Ultima is a great idea if you can afford it but I couldn't see how we'd use the moses basket or high chair option to warrent the extra money. Maybe I'll regret it but unless someone offers me a brand new Ultima system for half that money I'll stick with the ones on my list.

we bought this:

http://www.mothercare.com/gp/product/B0 ... 1&mcb=core

baby can face you, has a bar across and only £300. We went and pushed it round mothercare and iv totally in love with it!!

We didn't see this one in the shop but we did spot it in the catalogue and it looked great for the money.

 

[Kittykins]

we've bought the M&P Ziko Herbie (may the same one talked about further up, not sure).

I had a similar list, but I did want a compatible carseat (not quite sure what you mean by separate - the carseat is separate and you don't have to use it with the pram/pushchair, but if you want to, you can clip it onto the chassis). It works better for our lifestyle than having to take the baby out of the carseat and transfer to the pram. I also wanted an adjustable height handle. I was less bothered about the budget, I figured we'd compromise on the price rather than the features, especially since this is our first baby - I'd prefer to buy a more expensive pram/pushchair now and not to have to buy another one in 2-3 years' time.

Anyway, we bought the Herbie in the sale - down from £575 to £399, with the carseat down from £130 to £65. So we saved >£200 and got the carrycot (which can also be used as an overnight cot, with a moses basket stand), which converts to a pushchair, the chassis, the carseat and various accessories (parasol, footmuff, raincover, changing bag...) for just over £450.

My parents visited us at the weekend and popped to the local shops, incl TKMaxx - where my mother found a M&P quilted footmuff compatible with the Herbie discounted to £12. So we now have 2 footmuffs - one for use, one for the wash after baby has puked/pooed/weed/sticky-fingered it.

Have you checked out Gumtree and eBay? I've seen several expensive pushchairs/travel systems on Gumtree for around £150-200 recently. They're used, but some of them look to be in great condition still. You could always buy a new liner/footmuff, anyway.

 

[jellyk]

We got the 4 wheel one in the end as OH preferred it and it's lovely! We were going to wait but OH has just been made redundant so we have a bit of money and wanted to budget. We got the carry cot and pushchair for £250 new from a seller on ebay which was a bargain - another reason to get it now instead of waiting for the new one! I put it up last night for a play and it is lovely. I'm very excited!

 

[Kelly G]

We got the 4 wheel one in the end as OH preferred it and it's lovely! We were going to wait but OH has just been made redundant so we have a bit of money and wanted to budget. We got the carry cot and pushchair for £250 new from a seller on ebay which was a bargain - another reason to get it now instead of waiting for the new one! I put it up last night for a play and it is lovely. I'm very excited!

wow that as a bargin, ours will be delivered to the shop in march, seems like ages away. what colour did u go for? we went for the red

 

[jellyk]

i really liked the red but went for the black in the end! Are you getting the new style then? x

 

[Kelly G]

we have got the old style, we put it away before we new there was a new one coming out. i saw the new one in the next directory an tbh i prefer the seperate carrycot

 

[jellyk]

I like the old style too!