by Hannah Lazarus
LOOKING FOR A LOW COST BUGGY?
Check out Ely NCT's Nearly New Sale on Saturday 19th October, 10.30am-12.30pm, Ely College
Buying a buggy was undoubtedly the most daunting bit of baby shopping for me. There is so much choice and they can cost an absolute fortune. So how do you go about choosing one?
Stupidly, I did zero research on buggies before heading to a
big baby store to buy one. I remember standing in front of a huge row of
buggies feeling totally overwhelmed! The only requirement for me was that it
folded small to fit in the boot of my Ford Ka – and luckily that really
narrowed the choice!
It was just down the shop assistant then to do her sales
pitch, do a test run on a few round the shop, and part with a stack load of
cash – feeling relieved to have got it over and done with, whilst wondering if
I’d rushed into it and spent my money wisely!
Feeling a bit more experienced now, I thought it would be
useful to put an article together to help parents-to-be think about what they
want from a buggy and to make this shopping experience a bit less of a
minefield!
Pram/Pushchair/Travel
System?
So, what do I mean by the term ‘buggy’? Well, this can
encompass a whole range of different types of ‘things on wheels’ to get your
baby/child from A to B! It must’ve been a lot easier in the ‘good old days’
when the beautiful-but-bulky upright prams were the only option! Now you can find two-in-one systems (a pram
which converts into a pushchair), three-in-one systems (a pram/pushchair with a
detachable carrycot) or a complete travel system (as above, but which also
connects to your baby’s car seat).
Already mind-boggled? Here are a few of the things you might
want to consider when buggy shopping.
Size
This was my top requirement. I had a very small car, so
needed something that folded up small. Size may also be a consideration if you
travel a lot and need to fold down for bus, train or plane journeys, or if you're short of storage space at home.
Moving a sleeping
baby
At some point, you will probably be pushing around a
sleeping baby and not want to disturb them when you get in/out of the car or
get back home. This is where detachable car seats and carrycots come into their
own. With a detachable car seat, you can take a sleeping baby in or out of the car without
worrying about waking them up. The same with a carrycot if baby falls asleep
when out for a walk and you don’t want to wheel a dirty pram into the house!
Front/rear facing
Some buggies enable you to have your baby facing you or
facing forwards when in pushchair mode. I think it’s really nice to have babies
and small children facing you so you can see each other and have a chat/give
them a drink or snack/check that they’re comfortable!
Weight
This is important if you travel around a lot, especially on
public transport. You will need something that’s lightweight and easy to
manoeuvre.
Durability
Prams and pushchairs need to be extremely sturdy to
withstand all the bashing about they get – in and out of vehicles, up and down
the curbs, etc. It’s definitely worth taking them for a test drive to check
they feel sturdy, are easy to move, and have simple, user-friendly mechanisms.
If you’re planning on having more than one child, could it withstand a few
years of use?
Storage
If you want to use your buggy when you’re out shopping, you’ll
need somewhere to put your bags. Most buggies come with a storage basket
underneath – you will just need to check the size!
Terrain
Where you will take your buggy will be an important
consideration in choosing the right one for you. As above, a lightweight buggy
will be suitable if you’ll be taking it around town, in and out of shops, or on
public transport. If you will be doing a lot of walking off-road in the countryside,
an all-terrain buggy, which is designed for use on rough ground, may be more
apt. The downside to these is that they are large and more cumbersome than other
versions.
Of course these are just a few considerations. When it comes
to buying a new pram/pushchair, doing some research and getting recommendations
from others are key. So, as a start, we’ve asked people for reviews of their
buggies. These barely scratch the surface of the buggy market but should give
you an idea of what features other people have found useful.
Mothercare Spin
(Hannah)
Connects to car seat, folds small, back and forward facing, light, easy
to steer
Since buying this buggy, it’s been discontinued, but I think
Mothercare have brought out a newer, updated model – and the pros and cons
could give you a good idea of things to look for in a buggy.
As above, the reason I went for this buggy is that it folds
up small. The pram top is collapsible and the back wheels can be removed, so it
can fit in very small cars! The downside to having a collapsible pram top is
that you can’t use it as a carrycot.
The buggy itself isn’t a travel system – just a pram that
converts to a pushchair. But you could buy adapters to fit a Maxi-Cosi car seat
on. I wouldn’t have been without this! It was so convenient when we were out
and about and meant I didn’t have to disturb my sleeping baby. And I used the
car seat on the base as a pushchair for quite a while as the pushchair itself
was too big.
The reason this model is called a ‘Spin’ is that you can use
the pushchair with baby/child facing you or facing forwards. It is really quick and easy
to spin round, and the whole thing is really light and easy to steer.
Other good points were removable covers that you can wash,
the cosy toes and raincover, and adjustable handle height.
There are a few downsides to this buggy. One was that the
folding mechanism broke – so I was left in a car park wondering how I was going
to get it in the car! The company was very good, though, and gave us a
replacement while it was being fixed – but not what you expect from something
that was only a few months old! The foot brake is also a bit sticky and the
storage basket is small. I’ve also not used the buggy in pushchair mode much. I
also have a stroller, which is much more convenient to travel with and lighter
to move, so I tend to use this – unless it’s really cold.
I Candy Cherry
(Nancy)
Back and forward facing, easy to move, big shopping basket
I got this for Juno so it’s almost four years old now and
still going strong for Cadel. I found
that the baby cot part of it I used until they were around 4-5 months old, by
then they wanted to be more upright and be able to see more. Not sure it would have been worth the money
for just one child, but has definitely had its money worth for two. The pushchair part of it is fine for Caddy
and will probably last at least another 6-9 months, until he is around 2 and a
half but he is quite small. I love the
fact it can be back as well as forward facing as I like chatting away to them
while walking. It has great
manoeuvrability, and fits in shops etc fine.
The shopping basket bit is nice and big too.
Disadvantages – its quite bulky, but still fits in the boot
of our fiesta, just! We travel to
Ireland by plane a lot and it’s a bit of a pain for that. As it comes in two parts you have to get both
labelled up, and then dismantling it at the steps of the plane isn’t as
straightforward as if you had a folding one.
But then you wouldn’t get the benefits of it being suitable for newborns
as well as toddlers so a small price to play.
Overall, when I first
bought it I was horrified at the cost (think its was around £550 including all
accessories), but by the time we get rid of it, it will be almost 5 years old,
I think its been excellent value for money.
Bugaboo Chameleon
(Tiff)
Easy to move, sturdy wheels, all terrain, big shopping basket,
overnight sleeping
I have a Bugaboo Chameleon - we had a choice of two as my
husband is so tall and it was lighter than the Apple iCandy. It's not the
cheapest of prams or the smallest (it took up most of the boot in my Saab when
in carrycot mode!) but I am so pleased with my choice and still use it loads
over 2yrs later (have just got the buggyboard and Twoo seat ready for when #2
arrives in Jan). This pram is easy to steer (even one-handed) and doesn't get
punctures like other prams. It takes a bit of practice to put it up and down
(my mum still doesn't get it) but you have to learn with any pram. You can swap
which wheels are at the front by clicking the handle over the top of the frame
so good for bumpier terrain too and you can also do this to go into snow mode.
Ample basket space underneath for shopping and the carrycot is approved for
baby to sleep in overnight as a travel cot. The raincover needs a good stretch
to make it fit and once in pushchair mode it is never completely flat but I
never got a smaller buggy (like many mums)as I love it so much.
Silver Cross Pop (Maxine)
Easy to fold up and down, light, easy to steer and carry, reclines
We first bought the Silver Cross Pop stroller 3 years ago
just before my eldest’s first birthday. We had just bought a new car which had
a smaller boot, so needed a pushchair that would fit into it easily. Having
spent some time trying out different models, we choose the Silver Cross Pop.
The features that we liked were: liked the ease of putting it up and down (can
be done one-handed using a strap attached to the back of the stroller) and
light-weight and easy to manoeuvre and carry – there’s a shoulder-strap if you
need to carry it and have your hands free. Also, the seat reclines to almost
flat and has a reasonably-sized storage area underneath. Whilst not the
cheapest stroller, we felt it was best value for money and you can find offers
if you shop around. The Silver Cross Pop is suitable from birth and we put our
son in it when he was around 4 weeks old. The fact that it is light-weight
proved a bonus with 2 children as I was able to push it with one hand whilst
holding my toddler’s hand.The following reviews are all by Rebecca, who has worked her way through quite a few buggies in the past couple of years!
Petite star Zia-
Front facing pushchair
Pros
+ Very easy to push and collapse
+ Comes in different colours
Cons
- However but I found the seating position too reclined even
at its highest setting
- Very small basket
Petite star Bubble -
reversible facing pushchair
Pros
+ Very easy to push and collapse
+ Unique reversible seat means you can change direction in
seconds
+ Foot rest can be ‘down’ or ‘up’
Cons
- Basket hard to reach
- Looks a little odd compared to other pushchairs because of
the seating position options
Bebe Confort Loola -
reversible facing pushchair
Pros
+ Lovely seating position for baby, very upright
+ Large flat shopping basket
Cons
- Extremely heavy and cumbersome to push
- Quite faffy to change from one direction to another
Hauck Malibu travel
system
Pros
+ Car seat and carry cot very light and easy to place in and
out of frame
+ Easy to push and collapse
+ Very competitive price
Cons
- Car seat started to get unsuitable for baby before the age
recommendation (i.e. the heavier she became the more the seat tilted forward
until eventually it seemed unsafe)
- The pushchair part seemed much flimsier than the seat and
the carry cot and the buttons attaching it to the frame unclipped a few times!!
Quinny Speedi travel
system (all terrain 3 wheeler)
Pros
+ Carry cot easy to attach to frame
+ Very light and easy to steer
+ Excellent over rough ground
Cons
- Even though light, quite bulky to get in and out of car
- In pushchair mode, recline too far back even at highest
setting
Microlight fast fold
pushchair (all terrain)
Pros
+ Looks quite nifty
+ Nice upright position
+ Very easy to push and fold
+ Very compact
Cons
- Basket almost inaccessible due to frame
- Not suitable for all rough terrain
