HELP! Wise heads of seabreeze - I need help

I am trying to work out what kind of pram, stroller, wheelbarrow or shoppng trolley I should buy for a baby... This is so bloody complicated - particualarly compared to shopping for windsurfing kit!

or

Choice's reviews:


www.choice.com.au/babies-and-kids/baby-transport/strollers-and-tricycles/review-and-compare/prams-and-strollers

Pugwash said...

HELP! Wise heads of seabreeze - I need help

I am trying to work out what kind of pram, stroller, wheelbarrow or shoppng trolley I should buy for a baby... This is so bloody complicated - particualarly compared to shopping for windsurfing kit!

Ours were in a capsule (ECLIPSE UNITY BABY CARRIER) for the first 6-8 months - really easy to transport, leave them in it when asleep (rather than waking them when you get home/shops). We got a 3 wheel pram (lge wheels) that the capsule drops into and a stroller (little wheels) that we can clip the capsule into... having said that we've never done it for the stroller and only once for the pram. At the shops the capsule sits nicely on the shopping trolley, with the older one on the front section or hanging off it or running off to the lolly section.

Gumtree/markets are the go for kids stuff... they are only in them for a short time.

Essential Baby might be a better forum for this question, if you dare.....
Basically - if you have heaps of money and image is important to you then get a Bugaboo or a Stokke (allow $1,000 plus accessories).
The midrange prams all honestly seem much of a muchness - they all work, they all fold quite easily blah blah blah. They generally have good reviews.
Main differences are size / weight / ease of steering.
And 3 wheeler (better for off road type stuff) vs 4 wheeler (perceived as more stable and generally can carry more stuff in the tray underneath, also generally a bit easier to fold).
Then there are solid wheels (bumpy) vs proper tyres (will need pumping and may get flats).
Some people get really hung up on something where the baby can face you - some babies get distressed if they can't see Mum / Dad, others don't care.
You can get prams that take 'capsule' attachments - ie you can move the whole capsule plus (hopefully) sleeping baby into the car / house whatever without waking bub - these sound like they're great for about 6 months then as the baby gets heavier get really difficult to carry and manoeuvre.
Cheap prams might be a massive pain in the arse. You (or your partner) are probably going to be using this thing a LOT for about 2 years. Better to get a second hand pram on gum tree than a super budget model. That said though - a lot of people seem to dump the big heavy pram and switch to a small, light stroller type thing later on.
Check that it will actually fit into the boot of any car you plan on taking it in.

FTR we go a mountain buggy swift - because it's quite light and manoeuvrable and should be ok on rough surfaces. We don't get the baby till Feb so I can't tell you whether it's any good or not though. But I've done the research!

Have a look at the mclaren strollers. They Are compact, light, and easy to fold and get in the car. These are the 3 biggest considerations you'll find. Around $500 from memory.

We've had both a double and single Mountain Buggy Terrain (fixed front wheel) and they've been great for the beach and rougher terrain but not the most manoueverable if in confined spaces i.e. you have to lift front wheel off ground to turn tightly although I never really had any issues. We got both ours second hand too as I would have had to sell a kidney to buy one new. They collapse flat but yet again I think there are more compact ones on the market if tight for boot space etc.

EDIT - I've just noticed they don't seem to produce a fixed wheel front anymore so manoueverability may no longer be an issue http://mountainbuggy.com/en/buggies/our-range

Seriously "Bugaboo"
What about a name like "The Adventurer"

gibberjoe said...
2-3 metre strap from the pram to the pram controller.

Sounds good to me..and what about a harness for the really littlies when going to the Xmas pageant...to loose a littlie in a crowd like that would do my head in..

tmurray said...

FTR we go a mountain buggy swift - because it's quite light and manoeuvrable and should be ok on rough surfaces.

Been using a Mountain Buggy Swift for 3 months, it's great.

Had one flat, easy to fix with normal bike tube repair kit.

I go jogging behind it a couple of times a week, it's easy to steer (well I had to loosen the steering nut slightly but then it was OK).

We got the baby capsule thing for it secondhand but mini-nebbian grew out of that in 2 months so it's worth not paying too much for it.

If you do go the swift then get the sun shade as well, $40 well spent especially if you use it a lot.