break the bank prams- showboating or necessity?

[tallybee]

just looked up the Stokke Xplory that people have mentioned.. that looks like the most uncomfortable pram i've ever seen! both the bassinette part and the pram part look like flimsy bits of plastic with a sash of material stuck on an office chair base..? am i missing something?!

TBH I dont see what benefits the Stokke range has, its the highest top of the range goods you can buy commercially, so do people who do have money to burn buy it for the hell of it (maybe??)
The highchair also looks uncomfortable. Is it a smart marketing gimmick by the manufacturers I wonder - soon as the hype machine is running, people will buy one regardless thinking its expensive so it must be good when in fact they just want to boast to their peers that they have something that is maybe unobtainable by them? e.g a celebrity buying something out of Joe Publics price range just so they can be different.

Its like an item of designer clothing imo, I guess all well made prams and pushchairs do the same at the end of the day cheap or expensive, LO couldnt care less about materialistic value as long as she/he is safe comfortable, warm and dry. Its ridulous to think extra money can buy that. Its more likely making the parent feel better about themselves in some way

 

[cleckner04]

I'm in the US so stroller brands don't really matter here. At least not where I'm from! Most people have the typical graco travel systems. I started out with a graco and it is seriously a good sturdy stroller and it only cost me like $150 for the stroller and carseat plus carseat base! I can guarantee that stroller would last through several kids.

BUT, I recently bought the baby jogger city select because I am doing tons of walking and I just wanted something 'nicer'. This stroller is SO amazing. It pushes easier, climbs up curbs much easier, it is more comfortable for Emma. Emma never once fell asleep in her graco stroller. The first day walking with the new one, she was out like a light. And has fallen asleep in it several times since. Now I wish I never would've spent the money on the graco! The more expensive one really is much nicer!

 

[MrsBandEgglet]

I'm in the US so stroller brands don't really matter here. At least not where I'm from! Most people have the typical graco travel systems. I started out with a graco and it is seriously a good sturdy stroller and it only cost me like $150 for the stroller and carseat plus carseat base! I can guarantee that stroller would last through several kids.

BUT, I recently bought the baby jogger city select because I am doing tons of walking and I just wanted something 'nicer'. This stroller is SO amazing. It pushes easier, climbs up curbs much easier, it is more comfortable for Emma. Emma never once fell asleep in her graco stroller. The first day walking with the new one, she was out like a light. And has fallen asleep in it several times since. Now I wish I never would've spent the money on the graco! The more expensive one really is much nicer!

Excellent! Can't wait to get mine. My LO very rarely sleeps in his little stroller now too so I hope getting this new pram will make a difference xx

 

[indy and lara]

It is all relative isn't it? Our travel system was the one we bought for our son but were never able to use. It is not top of the range but we liked it, the 3 wheeler was what we wanted as we go off road a lot and it was sturdy. When Emma was born we didn't want to get another one so we used what someone kindly told me was a pram with last season's fabric.....Really who cares?

We could easily have afforded to buy a 'trendy' pram but didn't see the point. If you can afford it and want it then that is fine. What I don't like though is the number of people who seem to feel pressured into buying these £800+ travel systems when they really can't afford them. While celebrities may be pushing them it is always worth remembering that they earn a lot more money than us too!!!

 

[Nic1107]

I don't get the pram obsession honestly, it's just not a 'thing' over here! I have the Graco travel system too; I swapped out the car seat part for a larger one but the stroller part is fine for going out shopping and such. We don't do a whole lot of walking outdoors so didn't need anything fancy, and Carmen prefers to walk/be carried anyway. This is the kind we have:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/public/rauYI7FzyqzJ7ZslyAhPJxz_jBcPe480qLJ0q0wrtrRA5gNF45Ijq0soOXVwNaCfCuXbTYCoITRnOH43OaFjjtOmjEC67e5LT50oslh8Hj1VVY5LGyiMsZj3f3GWsEEQcEXwXWc-v4Vat_eBtRrMQEKTvQtHdGd7l9RvgMiisTEM3Qi16Hg

The travel system costs $150, so all of about £94.

 

[Laura2919]

Buggies tend to be a big thing over here.

 

[AP]

Tbh I would just pay for what suits our babies needs and our lifestyle, sod price.

 

[ttc_lolly]

It's strange how different it is over the pond But in all fairness us Brits probably do use our prams/buggies/pushcairs a lot more than a typical American (unless they live in a city I guess?) Everything is pretty much in walking distance here, or there's lots of public transport i.e. buses, trains, to use so thats probably why it is such a big thing over here x

 

[annawrigley]

Ahh I'm yet to find the perfect pushchair! I got given the M&P Aria pushchair and Primo Viaggo car seat by FOB's cousin.
https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41up9h6stWL._SL500_AA300_.jpghttps://images.buzzillions.com/images_products/00/47/peg_perego_primo_viaggio_sip_car_seat_reviews_289383_300.jpg
We used the car seat a bit but Noah went over the weight restriction pretty quickly, and I only ever used the pushchair twice (once when I had to leave in a rush and couldnt figure out how to put up the other one I had - he was newborn so used the car seat in it, and once when I had sold one and was waiting for a new one to arrive - he was 5 months ish so used the pushchair) I HATED it! It felt soo rickety to push, especially over cobbles (which there are alot of in York) and I felt like he was getting rattled about all over the place. I didnt like the harness either, it was a pain to put on. And a tiny hood which at the time (the 2nd use - around August last year) was a nightmare because Noah HATED the sun in his eyes.

Second was a M&P Pliko Pramette which I bought from saml1(?) off here Hi if you're reading! I think I bought it for £100/£150 with footmuff and universal raincover
https://static.letsbuyit.com/filer/images/uk/products/original/72/20/mamas-and-papas-pliko-pramette-pushchair-polka.jpeg
I LOVED it in pram mode, it was lovely to push, best one to push that I've had, LO slept in it all the time, he was a newborn but hey And looked pretty! Pushchair mode... Not so much... The harness was really fiddly, footmuff kept slipping down and it just generally looked uncomfortable. He went into it when he was around 3 months old and was busting out of it within a couple of weeks. He was a big baby but still a 3 month old should fit in a pushchair designed for a toddler! It just seemed tiny, his shoulders were pressed right up against the edges. I could've took the footmuff out but the sides of the seat section seemed really bony.
https://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s91/annalolipoplol/P6210028.jpghttps://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s91/annalolipoplol/P7070033-1.jpg
One thing I did like was the hood came down really far in both pram and pushchair mode, it shaded him from the sun completely

So pushchair 3 was the Hauck Malibu which was I think £82 from Kiddicare
https://www.baby99.co.uk/f-5/739459855/Hauck-Malibu-Pushchair-Navy.jpg
I still have it if anyone wants to buy it off me Theres a thread in Buy & Sell. It was quite a nice pushchair really, nice to push. Easy to push with one hand. What I didn't like was the hood was really short so didn't cover his eyes properly and he REALLY hated sun in his eyes so I had to peg a sheet to the hood Got some funny looks for that one!
https://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s91/annalolipoplol/P7130046.jpg
I did get an Outlook Shade-a-Babe (I'm selling that too LOL) but it seemed to fit kinda weird and kept riding up. Maybe I did it wrong.

Then when Noah was 6 months I was due to start college and I wanted a parent-facing pushchair as I didnt like the idea of him being at nursery all day then sitting on a bus facing the wall. I know I could have turned him round but I also wanted it for walking places too so he could see me. So I got the Babystyle Oyster for £300 inc a £50 colour pack (Plum I've never used it cos it arrived and I decided it was too girly. I'm selling that too!!)
https://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s91/annalolipoplol/IMG_0002.jpg
Hmm, I do like it but there are a few things I don't like about it. It's bulky, which is abit annoying when trying to squeeze onto a crowded bus which I have to do twice a day. The suspension It seems to do more trouble than good in my case, I just find it really annoying when going up kerbs cos you have to really lug it to get up (and if the kerb is any higher than like 2 inches it doesnt 'glide' up as its meant to). It doesnt fold up very small really and is hard to get into a boot. Luckily I dont have to do this often cos I dont drive but it is a pain getting it into other peoples cars.

Soooooo thats it, I'm now kinda wanting to get a lightweight, non-bulky inexpensive parent-facing pram. Anyone know of any? Don't ask for much do I?

 

[summer rain]

I had a cosatto travel system that cost about £500 originally but I got it for £70 as it was an end of line one, this was 7 years ago now so the original price would have been about £700 these days. It was so cheap, plasticky and went wobbly so quickly that I even regretted spending £70 on it, and the car seat was awful too, upholstery faded in the sun and went bobbled within a few weeks. With my second eldest I got a chicco stroller suitable from birth and it was excellent, really nice quality upholstery, decently padded, superb suspension, very sturdy, lightweight, fitted on the bus easily and it lasted 4 years, would have lasted longer if I hadn't have massively overloaded it on a regular basis. This time I got a hauck travel system and while the car seat and carrycot are great the pushchair is shoddy, the first time I unfolded it it seemed so sturdy but it's made out of cheap plastic components that don't even fit together well and is just really poorly designed. I wish now I would have got another chicco stroller or the mothecare xoob and the cheapest car seat with side impact protection and q cheap Moses basket.

 

[flubdub]

Im not sure really. with ds1 I had a cheap graco travel system worth about £200. It was fab, and the only thing it didnt do that i wanted, was have him facing me.
With ds2 we spent £500 on a travel system that was shit and went back to be fixed twice. It wasnt comfortable either.
This times weve spdent £600 and love it. Its great.
That being said, I still keep eyeballing Bugaboo's and wouldnt say No to an Xplory.
Its a status thing, and a comfort/needs thing too i think.

 

[Rhi_Rhi1]

personally i have never found a budget pram that even comes close to the quality of a fancy branded one ... maybe i haven't looked hard anuff,
but my friend has one of them craco things, i have never had such a hard time with a pram i don't even know how she manages to shop with it :/ i literally struggled to turn it etc .... maybe hers is broke lol! but i feel you get what you pay for with prams x also i find with those cheaper branded systems they use a car-seat as means to have the baby facing forward! .. but don't they say you shouldn't have a newborn sat like that for a prolonged amount of time ? baby always looks so squashed
also if you could afford it you wouldn't want to drive an ugly car or wear ugly shoes, so i don't know why parents should feel that they are trying to be "posh" or making it a "status" thing by wanting a buggy/pram that looks attractive ! ....

 

[katrina1987]

Mine was suppose to be £399.99 travel system with car seat, so we struck lucky and lady had a brand new one excatly the same on ebay, all she had done was assemble it. But she ended up with two and that was the reason she was selling this one and we bought it £75.00 plus P+P and we were so chuffed and I love it, it works like a dream and LO is very coomfy init. Originally I did want a silvercross but could not afford it. Plus glad I didnt because he is getting a stroller next year and would have been a lot aswell as a waste of money just for 1year, pointless money spent that we can spend on other stuff for LO

 

[AriannasMama]

I think this must be more of a UK thing, we are just now starting to get prams like you guys have. My stroller/car seat cost $200 and it works just fine, its a bit bulky but most baby things are in the first place (giant things for small people....makes no sense!)

 

[Tasha]

I have so many pushchairs, all various price ranges, none for showing boating but just fitted our needs at the time.

This time I want a two handle, separate carry cot, parent and forward facing, possibly with a car seat, if I can find something that fits my exact requirements (it is harder than it sounds ) then it wont matter if it is £200 or £700 cos it will be what we need/want.

 

[blueX4]

Im a pramaholic, I love them. I think you get what you pay for but I dont think it is a necessity to have a top of the range one. It certainly makes a difference when pushing a nice pram and a cheap flimsy one. I think if the baby is comfortable, lays flat and can face the parent then that is all that is necessary. The main struggle is for whoever is pushing it and folding it, etc.

 

[blueX4]

I have so many pushchairs, all various price ranges, none for showing boating but just fitted our needs at the time.

This time I want a two handle, separate carry cot, parent and forward facing, possibly with a car seat, if I can find something that fits my exact requirements (it is harder than it sounds ) then it wont matter if it is £200 or £700 cos it will be what we need/want.

Pliko Switch

 

[Nic1107]

Jeez... no need to call the Graco system "cheap", "ugly" or "you get what you pay for". My kid isn't squashed and uncomfortable or deprived from sitting in what we could afford, and it's not that hard to handle.

 

[Eve]

I think if you have the money to spend, then who cares, but if you go out and buy a 700.00 pram/stroller thing and then can't afford other things more important for your baby long term it's ridiculous!

 

[Mummyplus3]

I think alot of it is a status symbol even if its sub-concious.

we've got a Luna Mix got for £170 during the jan sales when I was pregnant and I love it, its confy but light, small but not tiny and easy to use, lovely to steer and was a really good price.