Travel systems (yes again, I'm sorry!)

mirrorwall14 · 13-09-2014 9:11pm #1

Hi everyone, I'm halfway there with my first and we're starting to look at travel systems and are a bit bamboozled.

Budget wise we are trying to keep under 500 for the main system (paying extra for a second base is fine)
We have one isofix car and one without and would like to get a base for both for whatever system we get.
I'm not a big walker/runner but will take it to the shops etc

We've had a look at baby elegance, Quattro and some others online. Can anyone recommend somewhere to go and see reasonably priced ones? Like we had tony Keally's recommended but they only seem to have one system in our price range and i would really like to go somewhere there are a few? We can't afford to be spending 800+ on a travel system so I'm afraid I'd fall in love with one!

nikpmup · 13-09-2014 9:24pm

Maxi cosi cabriofix seats fit a lot of systems and you can get a base that is both isofix and seatbelt fastened, I think it's called the Easifix http://www.mothercare.ie/maxi-cosi-easyfix-semi-universal-isofix-base.html

Millem · 13-09-2014 9:45pm

I think that baby elegance beep twist is amazing value. We have a very expensive bugaboo but we do a lot of walking. I would say the probability is that majority of people ditch the travel system very early on and get a maclaren quest type stroller as it is soooo handy! I was not one for having baby in car seat on buggy as I was OTT on how long he stayed in it!

If you weren't going to go for a baby elegance I would go for a baby jogger city mini, they are FAB. It takes a carrycot and you won't need to buy a maclaren quest type stoller after. I don't think it takes a car seat but am open to correction.

I also wouldn't get too bogged down in car seats as my big buster only got 7 months out of the infant one

hindsight is a great thing and if I were to do it all again I would get a car seat that is 0-18kg not 0-13kg. If you have isofix I would recommend the britax max fix 2 or dualfix. If you are going maxi cosi route I would get buy the new 2way isofix base and buy the pebble so it can be used for the pearl.

Honestly though that baby elegance is amazing value and doesn't require car seat adapters, can be folded on with buggy seat, you can buy different covers to mix and match, the base of carrycot can be raised if baby has reflux/colic, it's suitable for overnight sleeps (with additional mattress). The price is €399 in store but I have seen it for €299 in symths in carrickmines which includes everything but isofix. My friend doesn't have isofix and just uses seat belt with her baby elegance car seat.
I would get the baby elegance and get a maclaren, if you have a huge baby like mine I would then get the britax 2way elite is a fab second stage car seat (it's not isofix) 9-25kg.

Did you try eurobaby I think they do the baby elegance and baby jogger. If you are near Dundrum baby elegance have a stunning new store (beside bake my cake) in new Dundrum shopping centre. It looks unreal

margo321 · 13-09-2014 9:53pm

I'm expecting my first and went with city select jogger, I liked it and it concerts easily to a twin as we're hoping to have a second baby close after the first so didn't want to have to go buy a new buggy then. We got it half price in Bella baby as a new model is coming out and I saw it in mother care half price too so it might pay you to look around. I have no personal experience yet but have asked people they're opionin a if it. Good luck

Millem wrote: »

I think that baby elegance beep twist is amazing value. We have a very expensive bugaboo but we do a lot of walking. I would say the probability is that majority of people ditch the travel system very early on and get a maclaren quest type stroller as it is soooo handy! I was not one for having baby in car seat on buggy as I was OTT on how long he stayed in it!

If you weren't going to go for a baby elegance I would go for a baby jogger city mini, they are FAB.

I also wouldn't get too bogged down in car seats as my big buster only got 7 months out of the infant one hindsight is a great thing and if I were to do it all again I would get a car seat that is 0-18kg not 0-13kg. If you have isofix I would recommend the britax max fix 2 or dualfix. If you are going maxi cosi route I would get buy the new 2way isofix base and buy the pebble so it can be used for the pearl.

Honestly though that baby elegance is amazing value and doesn't require car seat adapters, can be folded on with buggy seat, you can buy different covers to mix and match, the base of carrycot can be raised if baby has reflux/colic, it's suitable for overnight sleeps (with additional mattress). The price is €399 in store but I have seen it for €299 in symths in carrickmines which includes everything but isofix. My friend doesn't have isofix and just uses seat belt with her baby elegance car seat.
I would get the baby elegance and get a maclaren, if you have a huge baby like mine I would then get the britax 2way elite is a fab second stage car seat (it's not isofix) 9-25kg.

Did you try eurobaby I think they do the baby elegance and baby jogger. If you are near Dundrum baby elegance have a stunning new store (beside bake my cake) in new Dundrum shopping centre. It looks unreal

Millem · 13-09-2014 10:03pm

margo321 wrote: »

I'm expecting my first and went with city select jogger, I liked it and it concerts easily to a twin as we're hoping to have a second baby close after the first so didn't want to have to go buy a new buggy then. We got it half price in Bella baby as a new model is coming out and I saw it in mother care half price too so it might pay you to look around. I have no personal experience yet but have asked people they're opionin a if it. Good luck

My friend has that one but I found it heavier than my bugaboo to be honest. Bella baby told me the single ones that can be converted need to be heavier in order to carry two children! If I needed a double I would get a side by side one like the baby joggy city mini double but that is a whole new thread!

Bella baby is dear but it is worth a look as they have all the big brands under one roof, then check out baby elegance!

OP if you happen to fall in love with a big brand check out adverts as with the majority of them every part is washable and you can just buy a new pram mattress for less than€20.

pwurple · 13-09-2014 10:25pm

Maxi cosi 139 euro brand new.

Out and about nipper which the maxi cosi can clip onto... Goes flat for newborn to sleep in. Brand new model 300 euro.

Get the maxi cosi isofix base secondhand.

Easy peasy, Done for less than 500.

That's what we got for ours nearly 4 years ago and it has gone really well. Never needed another system or buggy with it, and I do a Lot of walking/jogging. Added a buggy board for 40 euro when second baby came along.

Don't confine yourself to travel systems, there are other options.

Ginny · 13-09-2014 10:35pm

http://www.babyelegance.org/collections/out-about/products/beep-twist-travel-system#.VBS4Fdq9KSM
http://www.babyelegance.org/collections/out-about/products/isofix#.VBS4Mdq9KSM
I wouldn't look past the beep system. My sister had one, I used it, then she used it again and it was perfect. I'm sure if you tried you'd get a discount for the system and the car seat base. Plus price wise it was a fraction of what some other systems are.

mirrorwall14 · 13-09-2014 10:59pm

Thanks for all the info guys. We're going to try a couple of places tomorrow (assuming my chest stays in one piece-asthma still acting up!) so we can get a feel for things

Millem · 14-09-2014 7:15am

Ginny wrote: »

http://www.babyelegance.org/collections/out-about/products/beep-twist-travel-system#.VBS4Fdq9KSM
http://www.babyelegance.org/collections/out-about/products/isofix#.VBS4Mdq9KSM
I wouldn't look past the beep system. My sister had one, I used it, then she used it again and it was perfect. I'm sure if you tried you'd get a discount for the system and the car seat base. Plus price wise it was a fraction of what some other systems are.

The staff are fab and can do up packages (you will get a good discount). On a unrelated note If you skip the Moses basket and get a crib, baby elegance habe the biggest crib on the market. It's called the glider crib. They also have lovely (solid) cotbed at a fraction of the cost in tony kealys or mamas and papas. Plus they are Irish. (Ps I don't work for them) hahaha

SmokeyEyes · 14-09-2014 8:09am

Another +1 on the Baby Elegance, it's great!!

Moonbeam · 14-09-2014 8:50am

Look at the baby jogger buggies , they get so much praise and are so neat and are not too expensive .

Sligo1 · 14-09-2014 9:27am

Totally agree with Millem and Pwurple! I prefer the baby jogger city mini. The single does actually take the carseat. Te double doesn't.

You can get them on sale €279 in mothercare. Adapters for carseat are about €25. If u want a basinette they are about €100 (but not necessary). We have the double and the single!

I've had an expensive bugaboo, a handy maclaren and also the single and double baby jogger city minis. I'd go for the baby jogger every single time if I had to go back.

Millem · 14-09-2014 10:05am

Sligo1 wrote: »

Totally agree with Millem and Pwurple! I prefer the baby jogger city mini. The single does actually take the carseat. Te double doesn't.

You can get them on sale €279 in mothercare. Adapters for carseat are about €25. If u want a basinette they are about €100 (but not necessary). We have the double and the single!

I've had an expensive bugaboo, a handy maclaren and also the single and double baby jogger city minis. I'd go for the baby jogger every single time if I had to go back.

Omg that's amazing that it takes a car seat for some reason I thought they didn't? I must be confusing them with a double. They are fab and loads of head space in buggy even for the biggest toddler. I have seen little tiny babies in them too lying flat with no carry cot.

Sligo1 · 14-09-2014 11:22am

Millem wrote: »

Omg that's amazing that it takes a car seat for some reason I thought they didn't? I must be confusing them with a double. They are fab and loads of head space in buggy even for the biggest toddler. I have seen little tiny babies in them too lying flat with no carry cot.

Yea that's what we did with number 2. We didnt bother with a basinette. Just got a nice baby jogger footmuff for €30 and put it in the stroller. She was fine and nice and cozy

fro9etb8j5qsl2 · 14-09-2014 3:46pm

Another baby jogger mini fan here, I use the single with my fella and have bought the double for our impending arrival

It is so light and compact and easy to fold! Like Milem, I wouldn't be dead set on a system with a maxi cosi car seat, our fella isn't a buster at all, he's just very long and skinny and he outgrew the car seat in length by 6 months :eek:

Slightly off topic but has anyone used the carrycot with the babyjogger mini double? I'm half tempted to buy one but not sure if I'd get the use out of it. How long will a newborn fit/stay in it?

bovril · 14-09-2014 3:56pm

If you're thinking of buying in Mothercare, they do a talk once a month on a Sunday morning. If you go to it you get a 10% off voucher which you can use for a week. If you buy pram/buggy + car seat you'll get 10% off the lot. You need to put your name down for the talk so give your nearest shop a call to get your name on the list.

mirrorwall14 · 14-09-2014 4:08pm

Can I ask is anyone using a car seat without a base? I don't have isofix and the beep twist only has the isofix base

Millem · 14-09-2014 4:28pm

mirrorwall14 wrote: »

Can I ask is anyone using a car seat without a base? I don't have isofix and the beep twist only has the isofix base

My friend does and she said it's grand and super handy for dropping him off at minder! She never had an isofix seat though so knows no different. I was one of those people who thought I HAD to have isofix and got it for baby seat, in fact we were going to buy an extra base and thank god tony kealy told us not to bother! Anyway my 8 Month old has a fab two way elite in my car that is installed with the sestbelt, his minder has a max fix 2 installed with isofix. I prefer the two way elite

as long as you know how to install a car seat properly they are both equally as safe (if that makes sense!!)
Also just to add if your car has isofix and underfloor storage you can't use the isofix base.

Ginny · 14-09-2014 4:50pm

They didn't have the isofix base when we had it' just the belted base and it was grand.

bovril · 14-09-2014 5:10pm

mirrorwall14 wrote: »

Can I ask is anyone using a car seat without a base? I don't have isofix and the beep twist only has the isofix base

We've bought one of the maxi cosi seats and won't be using it with a base as our car doesn't have ISOFIX. Most of the car seats can be fitted without a base using the seat belt. It's not *as* convenient as clicking into the base but it's not a major pain. Just make sure you check in the shop if can you fit with a seat belt only and get them to show you too. There is a statistic that says that car seats used without the base are more likely to be fitted incorrectly but any good shop will have assistants who can show you the correct way to fit it.

I can't see the model of the car seat with the beep twist but I looked up the car seats individually on the baby elegance website and both baby car seats they have look like they fit without a base and with a seatbelt only. The arrows on the side are a direction for the seatbelt I think. Double check with a retailer though to be sure. I'm just looking at the photos on the internet.

Millem · 14-09-2014 5:41pm

bovril wrote: »

We've bought one of the maxi cosi seats and won't be using it with a base as our car doesn't have ISOFIX. Most of the car seats can be fitted without a base using the seat belt. It's not *as* convenient as clicking into the base but it's not a major pain. Just make sure you check in the shop if can you fit with a seat belt only and get them to show you too. There is a statistic that says that car seats used without the base are more likely to be fitted incorrectly but any good shop will have assistants who can show you the correct way to fit it.

I can't see the model of the car seat with the beep twist but I looked up the car seats individually on the baby elegance website and both baby car seats they have look like they fit without a base and with a seatbelt only. The arrows on the side are a direction for the seatbelt I think. Double check with a retailer though to be sure. I'm just looking at the photos on the internet.

Baby elegance seat can be fitted with belt or isofix base. In their package you buy the base separately.

I always laugh at that statistic as for the first two weeks of our babies life he was not fitted into his car seat correctly which is isofix!! Yes we had all the green indicators on but the seat was in too tightly???? This is according to kealys who then reinstalled it and his harness was far far too loose! Which is how the midwives did it on him when leaving the hospital!! I was completely clueless in the whole thing!! Now he wasn't as bad as Prince George leaving the hospital as his arms were actually going through harness

Sligo1 · 14-09-2014 7:43pm

I know nothing about this system but seems like a bargain if you want to go cheap!

http://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/1026492/c_1/1|category_root|Nursery|14417537/c_2/3|cat_15701337|Clearance+Nursery|14520914.htm

mirrorwall14 · 14-09-2014 7:48pm

Thanks for the feedback guys. We're kinda torn still but have two we're thinking about.

Either the Baby elegance beep twist with the isofix base for security (I know it isn't necessary but I think I'd prefer it) or the Maxi Cosi Loola All in One deal. We'd have to make a decision on the maxi cosi system rapidly tho coz its way out of our price range if its not on sale.

The big advantage to the maxi cosi is that the base is suitable for both cars (we have one isofix/one not) which I really do like but the buggy frame seems heavier than the baby elegance so we're going to bring the car over to eurobaby if they have one in stock and ask can we try it in and out of the boot. It seems very easy to clip on and off everything. The baby elegance is a 60e odd cheaper (including isofix base) and a fraction lighter though actually not much and it is a little more fiddly to get on and off so I'm still up in the air

Millem · 14-09-2014 8:02pm

mirrorwall14 wrote: »

Thanks for the feedback guys. We're kinda torn still but have two we're thinking about.

Either the Baby elegance beep twist with the isofix base for security (I know it isn't necessary but I think I'd prefer it) or the Maxi Cosi Loola All in One deal. We'd have to make a decision on the maxi cosi system rapidly tho coz its way out of our price range if its not on sale.

The big advantage to the maxi cosi is that the base is suitable for both cars (we have one isofix/one not) which I really do like but the buggy frame seems heavier than the baby elegance so we're going to bring the car over to eurobaby if they have one in stock and ask can we try it in and out of the boot. It seems very easy to clip on and off everything. The baby elegance is a 60e odd cheaper (including isofix base) and a fraction lighter though actually not much and it is a little more fiddly to get on and off so I'm still up in the air

I have no experience of that package but be careful with those handle bars, it's way way easier to push a single bar than two handles

mirrorwall14 · 14-09-2014 8:07pm

Millem wrote: »

I have no experience of that package but be careful with those handle bars, it's way way easier to push a single bar than two handles

Good to know thanks!

Millem · 14-09-2014 8:10pm

mirrorwall14 wrote: »

Good to know thanks!

Basically you should look for something that you can push/manouver with 1 hand as your other hand will be more than likely be holding shopping bags, or be on your phone, or carrying a fussy baby etc etc

fro9etb8j5qsl2 · 14-09-2014 9:16pm

When are you due mirrorwall? If you can hang on til after xmas, there's always brilliant deals in the january sales. When we went into mothercare to buy our double buggy, the saleswoman advised us not to buy it outright, to put a deposit down and pay it off bit by bit and leave €100-€150 owing on it until after xmas. That way, when it goes down in the sale, you can get it at the sale price and also you don't have a big bulky travel system taking up space in the house.

2xj3hplqgsbkym · 14-09-2014 9:27pm

Have you looked at reviews of both?
We bought the baby elegance beep system (not twist), 4 years ago.

At the time baby elegance buggys had a lot of bad reviews and this apparently was a new improved version, where all those problems had been fixed.

Well I would have hate to seen the previous versions if this was improved. It was so rubbish.
The frame of the pram /buggy, was so cheap and flimsy, it broke numerous times, as did the handle and breaks. It was so hard to push, and impossible to push on any bumpy surface or stones or grass.
It looked pretty, but that was it. (well actually the nappy bag was good too)

I ended up giving it away for free, as I would have felt bad actually selling it to anyone.

We got a Phil and teds double buggy instead, and I absolutely love it. Great working order 3 years and 2 children later. The cocoon is so handy for new borns. I wish we had bought it in the first place, as we only used the baby elegance car seat on the buggy about 10 times.

So I don't know if it is now new and improved again, but do your research first.

mirrorwall14 · 14-09-2014 10:05pm

Reviews of both are generally good though both have drawbacks which is to be expected I suppose, nearly every system has some downsides from what I can see.

Milem I'm due in January but as my mum went early on all of us and so did a lot of the family I'm a bit worried about leaving it too late. I'll be in Mayo for Christmas (live in Kildare) and I'd kinda like to have a car seat in the boot if not the car at that stage so I'm not caught on the hop if you get me? If we don't like the maxi cosi one we are definitely going to start watching prices and get it closer the time but I'm just not sure about waiting til January as I'll be 37 weeks odd!

nikpmup · 14-09-2014 10:12pm

I had a baby elegance pebble, and I'd have to agree with rosebush - it was cheap, flimsy, rattley and uncomfortable. I hated the thing. I ended up giving it to my mother (who minds my son while I'm in work) as a second/spare buggy.

Millem · 14-09-2014 10:13pm

Brendan Scruffy Gem wrote: »

Have you looked at reviews of both?
We bought the baby elegance beep system (not twist), 4 years ago.

At the time baby elegance buggys had a lot of bad reviews and this apparently was a new improved version, where all those problems had been fixed.

Well I would have hate to seen the previous versions if this was improved. It was so rubbish.
The frame of the pram /buggy, was so cheap and flimsy, it broke numerous times, as did the handle and breaks. It was so hard to push, and impossible to push on any bumpy surface or stones or grass.
It looked pretty, but that was it. (well actually the nappy bag was good too)

I ended up giving it away for free, as I would have felt bad actually selling it to anyone.

We got a Phil and teds double buggy instead, and I absolutely love it. Great working order 3 years and 2 children later. The cocoon is so handy for new borns. I wish we had bought it in the first place, as we only used the baby elegance car seat on the buggy about 10 times.

So I don't know if it is now new and improved again, but do your research first.

I have examined the new one side by side with my bugaboo loads of times. My friend has it and her baby is 2 weeks older than mine and her beep twist is still going strong! They have a brand new one out just now I think the chassis is black? and you get new colours. The differences I find between that and my bugaboo is that the car is smaller as is the carrycot but in fairness I think the bugaboo carrycot is the biggest on the market, the wheels are different for sure bugaboos are better but not 3 times the price better. I do feel that a lot of people who get travel systems like this will end up with a stroller after 6 months. I actually love to have a proper carrycot and used it for daytime naps, if that wasn't important I would go for the baby jogger city mini.
I just saw you can get a maxi cosi with the baby elegance, no idea what the crack is if it attaches or not.
https://www.traleenurserysupplies.com/product-view.php?id=551&c_id=18&sc_id=
OP you should ring this man, he is in business something like 20 or 40 years, he will tell you what he thinks is best and it is not always the dearest.

Travel systems (yes again, I'm sorry!)

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