Pram Research!

[peabean]

I'm sorry to x-post this, but I want to get as much info as possible!!

I'm researching prams, and it seems to be an absolute minefield out there, so I need as much help as I can get!!

So I'd love to know, what kind of prams you were thinking of, or have bought already (with the links would be really helpful!!) and the reasons why you picked them!!

Thanks so much in advance!

 

[baby.love]

I have a Quinny Buzz 3 in Strawberry. https://www.pramworld.co.uk/product/4831/Quinny_Buzz_3_2009_Package_Deal_1_Strawberry

This is why i picked it

(a)I love the look of it
(b) the chassis folds so small it fits in a KA
(c)With the XL seat its everything you need from birth to 3-4 years.
(d)The car seat fits directly on chassis.
(e)Forward and rear facing seat unit
(f) Isofix base for car seat so just pop it in and out with no fuss

I have always liked Quinny's and just knew it was the one for me, which is why it is sat in my spare room

 

[Vici]

Main things i was told to consider were....

*Price
*Travel system or seperate items
*Which way you want LO to be facing
*How long you intend to use it for
*Foldable size
*Ability to use it for what you need (chunky and more sturdy in country and small and easy to use in city)
*ISOFIX or not

We chose the Graco Vivo in Butterscotch travel system And I love it It was extremly good value for money (found extra cheap on ebay!!) is just a smaller version of the quattro deluxe, it looks swanky in real life, good suspension and folds nice and small We got the buggy, the car seat, a matching changing bag and a rain cover for £139.99 (plus £20 courier).

Here it is

https://s7ondemand6.scene7.com/is/image/MothercareASE/ld6263_is

 

[duffers]

Great thread! I have no idea where to start. However a friend of mine has been raving about Phil and Ted Viva system. Does anyone have one?

 

[Cazza89]

i wanted the silver cross freeway. We paid for it, never recieved it and lost £380! That came with carseat and extras. Well, was meant to.
Now i want the silver cross 3d one.
I just like them as they will go up to age 3 or so, rear and fowards facing. Matching carseat (needs to be brought separately and need to check it will fit in the new car that we don't have yet! Lol.) x

 

[haaza123]

We brought the Silvercross 3d pram system in cargo. We managed to get a deal from www.babys-mart.co.uk which included the carseat free.

We looked at other pushchairs but i've always liked this one.

My reasons are:

1) the baby faces the parent, i wanted my baby to face me then as it gets older to face the other way.
2) i liked the shape and style.
3) the weight of it, so when you add shopping bags to the handle it wont tip over.
4) Plus its easy to fold.
5) the footmuff and changing bag comes free with it, some of the pushchairs we've seen you have to buy it seperate and i wanted everything to match.

xxx

 

[Mary Jo]

I've ordered the Bugaboo Bee in dark khaki - https://www.bugaboobee.co.uk/khaki.php

because:
- it's forward and parent facing
- suitable from birth to about 3 years
- it's extremely compact, both when up and folded
- it's light (7.7kg)
- can have the car seat fitted to the chassis
- ISOFIX (even though our car doesn't have this)
- four wheels (not keen on three-wheelers)
- it's ideal for using in the city (I'm in London and use public transport when I'm on my own as I don't drive)
- it's pretty popular/in demand so I hope to be able to sell it/its accessories on eBay once we're done for an ok price

However - it's not cheap (I got a newborn package, which includes the babynest, car seat and adaptors to fit car seat on pram) for £495, saving almost £100 on the RRP. We were given some ££ to buy a pushchair so I got the one that suited our needs best. We live in a second floor flat with very little storage space, and I will be the one often carting it up and down stairs with tight corners, so it had to be light and compact, as I'm not very big and I'm aware that babies get big and heavy, not to mention the shopping... It's what put me off some great, cheaper prams that were 11 or 12kg in weight.

The style is a bit love-or-hate - I happen to love it

 

[Armywife]

I too have gone for the Quinny Buzz 3 for all the same reasons as baby.love - even down to it having to fit into my KA! (although sadly the KA has recently gone and i now have an equally small Yaris!) I have loved the Quinny from day 1 and its so light and easy to move/adapt that its the best option for my bad back! I LOVE LOVE LOVE IT! x x x

 

[peabean]

Thanks for all your responses so far girls!! Let's see how many we can get on here, I'm actually more confused than I was when I started now, but you've given me lots to think about! I figure this thread will be helpful for anyone else who hasn't got a pram yet too.

So *BUMP*!!

 

[Rachel_C]

I haven't got it yet but I've chosen the Mothercare Mychoice 4 wheeler (https://www.mothercare.com/mychoice-Other-pages/b/195504031) because:

• The seat unit converts from a pram to a pushchair. I don't have space for a separate carrycot.
• You can have the seat unit facing either way.
• I wanted one with the kind of handle that goes across the back, rather than two separate 'horns' (couldn't think how to explain that properly, sorry!)
• It fits the Maxi Cosi car seat and comes with adaptors (somebody gave us the car seat already).
• When you put a car seat on it, you take the normal seat unit off so it's nice and light.
• It comes with most of the things you need and the accessories seem really nice e.g. the cosytoes is lovely.
• You can have it in three or four wheels. I don't like three wheels cos it looks a bit unstable to me, but the four wheeler's front wheels are a bit closer together so you get best of both worlds.
• It's super easy to push and fold up and change the seat around etc. I went to look at it with my sister and there was nobody around to show it to us. We took it off the stand ourselves and had it all figured out in 2 minutes. I don't think I'd manage anything complicated!
• It folds up to a decent size, although you do have to take the seat unit off first but that's really easy.
• It's £350 (not including a car seat) which seems very reasonable.
• It's from Mothercare so I can go into a shop and play with it, and speak to someone face to face if I have any problems.
• It only comes in black, grey, red or cream but they're all really nice. I'm going for black cos it has a nice pattern to it.
• And my last reason may seem silly but I love my shoes... the brake won't scuff my shoes like some would!!!

Other close contenders were the Mamas and Papas Pliko Pramette (https://www.mamasandpapas.co.uk/range/pliko/2412/) but that doesn't fit the Maxi Cosi car seat. I loved the Mamas and Papas Ultima (https://www.mamasandpapas.co.uk/range/ultima/2921/) but just don't have space to keep all the stuff you get with it! I also considered the iCandy Apple or Cherry (https://www.icandyuk.com/) but reading bad reviews put me off and I went to see one in a shop and they had signs up telling you to push it down kerbs a particular way. Reviews told me this is so the wheels don't fall off - not encouraging!!!

Wow I've gone on for ages, sorry. I just love looking at prams!

 

[aries5486]

Well we went for the Bebe Confort Loola! It was between that and the Quinny Buzz!

Why we picked it-

Folds very small and as we have a Fiat Punto we needed something compact!
Liked the idea of a 3 in one but didnt like the bulkyness of most other ones
Love the idea the car seat is more in a laying postion so if you do use this out and about you can keep baby in it for up to 4 hours!
Price was reasonable from our local pram shop for the actually buggy, carrycot, carseat, footmuff, changing bag and rain cover we got all that for £400!!

heres the link (We got it in oxygen black!!) - https://www.bebeconfort.com/collection-2009/UK/prom_poussette_loola.htm

 

[K477uk]

We brought the Silvercross 3d pram system in cargo. We managed to get a deal from www.babys-mart.co.uk which included the carseat free.

We looked at other pushchairs but i've always liked this one.

My reasons are:

1) the baby faces the parent, i wanted my baby to face me then as it gets older to face the other way.
2) i liked the shape and style.
3) the weight of it, so when you add shopping bags to the handle it wont tip over.
4) Plus its easy to fold.
5) the footmuff and changing bag comes free with it, some of the pushchairs we've seen you have to buy it seperate and i wanted everything to match.

xxx

Oh.. I'm thinking of getting the Linear one from them.. what where they like??

 

[Mumof42009]

Im thinking of getting the bugaboo bee or cameleon if i dont change my mind again! i do like the buzz but lack of shopping basket puts me off and when you add one that doesnt hold much. I did think about the 3d and pliko pramette but read bad reviews about the 3d and the pliko pramette the only colour i like is polka which is ok for a girl but not a boy! Its so hard with last dd i had over 40 prams!

 

[Vici]

Another thing to consider is whether you are more traditional or more modern. This can also help you decide. Personal taste is ALOT, for example, i personally would never have a quninny or a bee as I think that they just look odd however, looooads of people have them now

 

[haaza123]

We brought the Silvercross 3d pram system in cargo. We managed to get a deal from www.babys-mart.co.uk which included the carseat free.

We looked at other pushchairs but i've always liked this one.

My reasons are:

1) the baby faces the parent, i wanted my baby to face me then as it gets older to face the other way.
2) i liked the shape and style.
3) the weight of it, so when you add shopping bags to the handle it wont tip over.
4) Plus its easy to fold.
5) the footmuff and changing bag comes free with it, some of the pushchairs we've seen you have to buy it seperate and i wanted everything to match.

xxx

Oh.. I'm thinking of getting the Linear one from them.. what where they like??

We looked at the linear one too, practicially the same but cost slightly more. 3d pram system weighs more then the linear and the designs a tiny bit different. With the linear the pushchair can face you.
xxx

 

[elainegee]

https://www.bebecar.co.uk/products/prams/grand_style_plus/index.htm

I have this pram already from my previous child (she will be 3 in August) I love the chrome chassie and its navy blue and cream so suits boy and girl. It came with the buggy also and optional car seat. All in all we paid just over 400 pounds for it that included the extras ie rain cover and canape. I only used the carry cot part for 4 months so it is is great condition. Only Cons with this pram is the size of the chassie. If you have small boot/trunk i would advise again this as you really dont have room for anything else! xx

 

[SianMA]

I was considering the Quinny Buzz, Bugaboo and Mura 3or4, however in the end I think we'll get the iCandy Apple travel system. Our main requirements were:
- must have forward and rear facing seat, must connect to a car seat and have a pram body, must fold quite easily, must cope with off-road, must be adjustable enough for my really tall DH!

Basically I love the bugaboo as they are so easy to manouver, fold and lift but didn't have much shopping space and felt quite flimsy and easy to tip over in the shop (also quite expensive).
The Quinny buzz had no space for bags etc. and didn't fold as easily as the bugaboo, also a few of my friends had them and had a lot of trouble with dodgy wheels or sticky folding mechanisms. Also felt a bit flimsy.
The Mura 3 and 4 felt lovely and sturdy but again were harder to fold than the bugaboo and the seat size was much smaller. It also sisn't fold very flat and was quite heavy to lift and manouver.

In the end we chose the iCandy Apple as it felt sturdy, folded really easily and wasn't too heavy to lift. The shopping space is good and has all the features of the bugaboo at less cost. You can also buy a converter kit so you can swap between 3 adn 4 wheels and also there is an optional 'pip' kit incase I get pregnant again while No.1 is still in the pram. Oh and it's a british made pram.

My main recommendation would be to get to a few shops and try them out, you really don't know how the folding mechanism suits you or how sturdy they are until you have a go yourself - its a very personal choice. You can normally buy them cheaper online but will get a full demo and good advice in a shop. Also there will always be great and terrible reviews for whichever pram you choose so don't decide purely on other people opinions.

Happy pram-hunting.

 

[cs22]

Ive got the silver cross 3D in pistachio, I love the sturdiness of the pram. Everything matches eg changing bag, footmuff etc... It looks gorgeous. I love it.