Travel Systems - Advice or preference please!

Plek Trum

Hello all,

due our first baby this December - all excited and totally new to the world of buggies, car seats etc etc. Visited a showrooms in Cork the weekend just for a browse, felt more complicated than choosing a new car :rolleyes:

So, for those of you experienced, I would really appreciate any info or advice you have. Our criteria is:

Travel system - car seat, to buggy / pram etc.

Pumped 3 wheeler preferably - we live in very rural area. Need something suitable for stoney / potholed roads and beaches that will keep the baby comfortable and not rattle us all to pieces.

Car seat and two car bases (one for each car) that is compatible with buggy.

Compact (as far as possible) and convenient to fold / store away.


Any help in narrowing down the search and personal preferences would be appreciated. I know its early days yet but its good to get SOME of the issues resolved ha!

Many thanks in advance

Chattastrophe!

Would foam not be better than pumped for a rural area?

We have the Uppababy Vista, finding it great so far. The basket is huuuuge, so handy for shopping and for carrying all his bits and pieces. It folds up very quickly and easily. And I love that I don't have to worry about tyre flats/punctures. I'm told it's great for running, even on uneven surfaces, as it has really good suspension.

It is SO light to push - I can very easily carry a full shopping basket in one hand, while pushing buggy with the other. And, as it folds standing upright, it takes up very little storage space.

donegal.

this is what i have and i've been very happy with it.
I got them 6 years ago and they've lasted really well, they're like new after 4 babys out growing them.

My only advise would be to make sure you can easily remove your car seat and fit it to your buggy base. So you dont wake up the baby moving him into or out of the car.

car seat

isofix base get 2 these. If your car(s) isn't isofix compatible get the easyfix base.

quinny buzz

Plek Trum

Thanks for that - would the foam not wear very fast? I presume its easy enough to get replacements though if needed? Had a very quick google of it there, does it have a car seat option?

For the roads and beaches down here we were thinking that a 3 wheeler would be much better than 4, make hiking around the place some bit easier (we may be way over estimating the time we think we will be spending outdoors !!)

Plek Trum

Thanks for that Donegal - it was a quinny buzz that caught our eye yesterday too. Is there anyway online of checking if your car is compatible with the isofix base? (We have a 2007 Peugeot 307 and 2008 Ford Mondeo) Thanks for post!

Chattastrophe!

I have a MaxiCosi car seat, we got that and the base and adaptors as part of the package.

My own thinking would be that a three-wheeler might be more convenient for shops, but four wheels is much sturdier and more stable on an uneven surface, also if it's being used a lot, better to spread weight over four wheels rather than three?

donegal.

i think all cars since 2006 have isofix fitted as standard.
if you feel in the gap in your seats you should feel two metal hoops.

Plek Trum

Thanks guys, will definitely check all that out - I don't think I put this much effort into buying a new car, the whole world of baby transport is a bit daunting (especially walking into a baby showroom for the first time!)

Lisha

Hi I had the quinny buzz but I would not rate it at all as a rough terrain walking buggy. I think front wheel needs to be bigger just IMHO

My sister in law has the quinny speedi and she walked a lot at high speed daily and it was great. She found replacement wheels easy to get. (She walked approx 6-7miles every day and literally tyres would be bald after 18months)

I got the phil and Ted when I had my second and I loved it. It is fantastic both as a single or a double buggy. Excellent on rough terrain.

If I has my time back again I would have bought phil and Ted for first. Great to have option to use a either single or double.

An essential for me would be that travel system is compatible with maxi Cosi car seat they are really worth the money.
The base is a god send. Very simple to install .

The uppababy vista is a great buggy friends of mine love it and the foam wheels are easy as no fear of punctures.

Best if luck op

donegal.

buying this could cost about €800. I don't know your financial situation but this one of the few areas i'd consider buying 2nd hand. Group 0 isn't used for very long.

iwillhtfu

Plek Trum wrote: »

Thanks for that Donegal - it was a quinny buzz that caught our eye yesterday too. Is there anyway online of checking if your car is compatible with the isofix base? (We have a 2007 Peugeot 307 and 2008 Ford Mondeo) Thanks for post!

http://www.maxi-cosi.com/service/car-fitting-list.aspx

Moonbeam

The out n about nipper is the only one that I can think of that is light , folds well and is good on rough terrain .
The maxi cosi mura is excellent too but not light .

lazygal

I wouldn't have the car seat fitting onto the buggy/pram as a top priority. From my experience its not a major feature. Newborns aren't supposed to be in car seats for long periods anyway, and the car seat isn't really cosy enough for walks in it. And as they get older the car seat gets very, very heavy with the baby in it. From about three or four months I'd say I put the seat on a chassis a handful of times for both children. I don't see why people have it as a must have, because its not a long term feature, so if you're planning on a system doing you for a few years I wouldn't base my decision on a car seat being able to go on it for a couple of months.
For our first we had a mother care my4, which was great for walking and as a pram which converted to a buggy. It didn't cost the earth and the only reason we're not using it now was because we needed a double. It fitted a maxi cosi seat on with no adaptors needed too. It is not recommended to buy car seats and bases secondhand as you've no way of knowing 100% if a child which was too heavy was in it, if it was in an accident etc. I'd have no issue buying a second hand travel system but I'd always go for a brand new seat and base.

sillysocks

I'd have to disagree on using the car seat attached to the buggy. Our second baby is almost one and I still use that almost every day. Find it great when I'm just dropping into the shops not having to move him from one seat to another and then back again (and especially when they're smaller and almost always fall asleep in the car!)

But with regards getting two bases I'd say get one and see if you need the second. We were going go get two and the girl in the baby shop put us off because she said you probably will only use one car with the baby most of the time. The base is easy to move if you need to the odd time. You only get max one year from the base/car seat anyway. We did get two car seats at the next stage from one year though.

pwurple

+1 for the out and about nipper. Is a 3 Wheeler. Has the pumped wheels, goes flat for newborn, carseat maxicosi fits it. Light, fits in boot, stores well, cover washes easily.

My 3 year old still fits in it, and we use it for our newborn. Good jogging buggy too. I use it running.

pwurple

+1 for the out and about nipper. Is a 3 Wheeler. Has the pumped wheels, goes flat for newborn, carseat maxicosi fits it. Light, fits in boot, stores well, cover washes easily.

My 3 year old still fits in it, and we use it for our newborn. Good jogging buggy too. I use it running.

deecee1

+2 for the nipper out'n about my friend lives in a pretty rural area and swear by it on bumpy roads, has used on the beach etc. The newer model has better wheels now as well. Her kids actually fight about who's getting into it!!

mdwexford

Think we are going to go with the nipper 360 as well.

Going to get the maxi cosi pebble car seat to go with it and possibly the out and about carrycot as well, anyone have this and is it worth getting?

Sligo1

Check out the baby jogger city mini. It's great. Very versatile, light and easy to fold. Will take a carseat and also a basinette. But also reclines flat on its own for newborn. We have the double of this and have just bought the single aswell.

pwurple

mdwexford wrote: »

Think we are going to go with the nipper 360 as well.

Going to get the maxi cosi pebble car seat to go with it and possibly the out and about carrycot as well, anyone have this and is it worth getting?

Are you thinking of using the carrycot as a bassinet for inside? The buggy itself goes flat, so they can sleep in it without the carrycot.

newtoboards

The bugaboo buffalo is made for rough terrain and can be switched to two wheel mode for mud or snow. I loved it when I tried it but ended up with iCandy peach.
ICandy Peach is great (the front wheels can be locked for rougher terrain) and switches to a double too.
Mountain buggy is also a good option.

mdwexford

pwurple wrote: »

Are you thinking of using the carrycot as a bassinet for inside? The buggy itself goes flat, so they can sleep in it without the carrycot.

Yeah pretty much and also maybe to sleep in for the first while because we aren't planning on a Moses basket.

Just like the idea of it all being interchangeable.

Didn't know it went flat, that's handy.

Plek Trum

Thanks a million guys - went for a browse to local store today for a few testdrives (!)

Narrowed it down to Nipper Out'n'About (single) OR the Baby Jogger City Elite.
About 110euros in the difference, which isn't much over the lifetime of the buggy I guess.

Any preference and why??

newtoboards

There's a website that reviews buggys that might help you:
http://www.bestbuggy.co.uk

FurBabyMomma

As someone who walks a hell of a lot in the city and countryside we've done lot bof research and are getting the Uppababy Vista. The carrycot is suitable for overnight sleeping so that will save on buying a moses basket. It's been getting great reviews and holds its value so pretty happy with our choice. Just trying to decide between the maxi cosi and izi go carseat now, we won't be using an isofix base.

silly

we have the uppa baby vista and its a great buggy - very light and the foam tyres are handy - no puntures etc.
Your Ford car will not have the isofix - it can be put in by your local ford dealer for about 90 euro.

donegal.

silly wrote: »

we have the uppa baby vista and its a great buggy - very light and the foam tyres are handy - no puntures etc.
Your Ford car will not have the isofix - it can be put in by your local ford dealer for about 90 euro.

if you can't use isofix then just use easyfix.