Pram - How much to Spend?!

Dietsquirt

This is proving quite an arduous task. Myself and my wife are expecting our first child in November. We're slowly buying the smaller supplies we'll need. I've seen some prams for €150-€300 and some for over €1000 (these include 3/4 different parts).

If money was no object i'd obviously splash out on the expensive one; Stokke i've noticed is particularly a good brand. I do have the money, per se, but i'm not sure i want to spend a 1000quid on a pram where i can spend that money elsewhere.

I imagine the more expensive prams might last you for 5/6 years (2 babies) and the cheaper ones maybe not so much - i'm only guessing so someone correct me.

The wife is leaning more towards the expensive ones - of course she bloody would! :P

Advice please?

Also, i live in Dublin, so if anyone know of good pram shops; i've been to Mamas, Smyths, Littlewoods and Mothercare.

Moonbeam

kiddicare.com is where we got ours and amazon is also good.

It really depends what you want..a petit zia is about £100 a Stokke about 1000 but there is loads of middle ground.

deisemum

I'd recommend a pram that would suit your needs rather than just thinking the more expensive it is the better it is, it's usually just marketing that has people going towards the more expensive ones and nothing better for sales people to try and sell to than a first time parent.

Most parents that I know that spent a lot of money on an expensive brand pram ended up getting a lightweight buggy for in the car.

Things to take into account are will you or your wife be doing a lot of walking with the baby in the pram or will you be driving to where you need to go and then putting baby in the pram.

With my first child I walked to most places I needed to go especially the shops so used the pram and it had a big tray underneath that I could put the shopping in. 2nd time round I drove to the shops so didn't use the pram near as much as I did with the first lad so had a lightweight buggy that is still used a lot over 18 years later, I'm a childminder and it's had a lot of children use it.

JohnFalstaff

We're out of the buggy years now and one good piece of advice I can offer is not to think that one buggy system will do you all the way through.

The all-in-one systems are good for the first year or so. Great not to have to wake the baby when moving them to the car etc. We had a Beep system and it worked great.

Something like this:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Travel-System-Pushchair-Accessories-Flowers/dp/B0095WKPIG/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1402566945&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=beep+pram

http://www.toys.ie/Baby-Elegance-Beep-Twist-Travel-System-!127241-prd.aspx

Then when the baby is able to sit up you'll need something for strolling about in where they can look out. The Maclaren stroller is great for this - lightweight and easy to raise and lower one-handed. Perfect for travelling etc.

We also went through the same process of thinking the same buggy would work for baby number 2... but then where does baby number 1 go?? So now you need a double buggy - which are pricey.

So we ended up buying a Phil n' Teds double buggy second-hand on adverts for a great price. They are very durable and we even sold ours on again when we were done with it.

So my advice would be to buy the buggy system that suits your needs for the first year or so and then look for second hand buggies. The good ones are snapped up quickly so you have to be patient, but you will save a fortune.

ash23

I don't know of anyone, no matter how expensive their original travel system, who didn't end up purchasing something like a Maclaren stroller when the child reached about one year.

Fact is that the novelty of a big fancy pram wears off the millionth time you dismantle it to put it in the boot. Strollers are so much handier. A friend of mine recently had her 5th and had given away all her baby stuff so needed to buy a pram.
She bought a lightweight reclining stroller for about 80e and it's done just fine.

Chattastrophe!

ash23 wrote: »

I don't know of anyone, no matter how expensive their original travel system, who didn't end up purchasing something like a Maclaren stroller when the child reached about one year.

Fact is that the novelty of a big fancy pram wears off the millionth time you dismantle it to put it in the boot. Strollers are so much handier. A friend of mine recently had her 5th and had given away all her baby stuff so needed to buy a pram.
She bought a lightweight reclining stroller for about 80e and it's done just fine.

Yes I would be inclined to agree with this.

We got given an Uppababy Vista travel system as a gift - my mum picked it out, even though I'd have been happier with a far cheaper one. And it's great. Very sturdy, easy to fold, lots of nifty little features. But at the end of the day ... it's just a buggy. One that had cost a fraction of the price would have done the job just as well.

The carrycot part of it wasn't essential at all. We used it for a couple of months, but really he could have been in the buggy from the start, as it reclines flat. He's very comfy in the buggy part now, and sleeps away in it.

The fact that I'm conscious that it was so expensive makes me very "precious" about it, for example I'd never be comfortable leaving it in the car overnight (or even for any length of time during the day). In fact I only just bought a cheap secondhand stroller the other day to use for bringing him to and from creche, as it'll be left in an outdoor shed with all the other buggies and I'd be afraid of it getting damaged or stolen. Seems so silly buying a second buggy when the first one cost so much. As ash23 said above though, it seems to happen most parents at some stage.

It's handy being able to stick the carseat onto the buggy frame, however it's really not essential. I find - with my baby anyways - once he's asleep, he doesn't mind being moved around, so there'd be no problem moving him between carseat and buggy. In fact (I'm carless at the moment) but I always found it a complete pain in the ass hoisting the carseat on and off the frame, and remembering to bring around the adaptors etc, it would have been far handier just to leave the carseat in the car all the time and stick him into a buggy that would fold up and down quickly and easily. I also found it all quite heavy and awkward to fit in and out of the boot.

Rather than the travel system, I'd say buy a good carseat with a base, and buy a lightweight stroller that reclines fully so is suitable from birth, along with a good warm footmuff (it's called a footmuff, but actually ours goes right up to his chest, and he's lovely and cosy in it!) Don't spend too much money, and if you do end up having to replace it along the way, at least it won't be a big deal.

They money you'd save would probably cover everything else you need - cot, bouncer, etc! I know you're willing to spend the money if necessary, but in my opinion, it's really definitely not necessary and you'll feel a bit annoyed if - like me - you end up having to buy a second buggy anyways!

As for what shop to buy it from, I've never been to Tony Kealys but from what I've heard they're the best place to go.

pwurple

I must be the exception to the multi buggy! We've had one from the get-go, got it 3 1/2 years ago, two children, both of them love it. Never needed another one since.

We got it in Tony Kealy's. That's the best shop we found. The buggy we got was the Out and About Nipper. It was around 300 at the time. It's done us years, come on holiday with us, i jog with it. It has must have thousands of miles on it at this stage. It goes completely flat for newborns, so they can sleep in it. The new model comes with clips to attach teh maxi cosi carseat to it as well. Mine didn't have that... Boo.
Oh, and i got a second hand lascal buggy board for 30 euro for the toddler to ride on now that the baby is in there. She loves that.

Moonbeam

I loved our buggy and used it all the time but after 2 years we were in double buggy territory.I don't really like strollers but have one now for grandparents to use with the 1 year old or if only 1 baby is going somewhere.

detoxkid

our daughter is 2 weeks old and we have an uppw baby vista. for us the investment was well worth it, dd loves her pram. it is safe for her to sleep in there which she does. she hates her crib. i also justified the price because i love to walk and have great intensions of getting out every day with it. its a nice pram to push..but right now im so freakin tired im.not pushing as much as i though i would! lastly i find it easy to put up and down. i regularly carry it up and down the stairs and find it very portable. it totally depends on your own circumstances and lifestyle but already it is one of our best purchases. we live in galway and bought in.bellababy eho were brill

detoxkid

our daughter is 2 weeks old and we have an uppw baby vista. for us the investment was well worth it, dd loves her pram. it is safe for her to sleep in there which she does. she hates her crib. i also justified the price because i love to walk and have great intensions of getting out every day with it. its a nice pram to push..but right now im so freakin tired im.not pushing as much as i though i would! lastly i find it easy to put up and down. i regularly carry it up and down the stairs and find it very portable. it totally depends on your own circumstances and lifestyle but already it is one of our best purchases. we live in galway and bought in.bellababy eho were brill

galah

It really depends on your needs. I knew I wanted two kids at least, so we bought a double buggy that could be used initially asa single (baby jogger city select). It came with adapters for the car seat, an absolute life saver for us as both our kids can't be moved when asleep, they wake up.

Also a big shopping net was essential, and while our first is almost too big now for the pram, he still uses it sometimes; it's nice to have the option of a seat for him. Yeah it's fairly heavy and bulky, and we also do have a lightweight stroller for travelling (as I really didn't want the expensive buggy knocked around) but in my opinion our buggy was worth the money...

Test drive them all if you can though, I had my heart set on a phil and teds first, and hated the way it handled when I tried it!

yellow hen

ash23 wrote: »

I don't know of anyone, no matter how expensive their original travel system, who didn't end up purchasing something like a Maclaren stroller when the child reached about one year.

Fact is that the novelty of a big fancy pram wears off the millionth time you dismantle it to put it in the boot. Strollers are so much handier. A friend of mine recently had her 5th and had given away all her baby stuff so needed to buy a pram.
She bought a lightweight reclining stroller for about 80e and it's done just fine.

We actually bought a second hand maclaren for €50 for going to and from crèche but otherwise we still use the bugaboo and I love the comfort it gives our little man. He's far more inclined to take a good sleep in the bugaboo rather than the maclaren. Having said that we bought our bugaboo second hand too as there no way I wanted to spend €900 on a buggy. He only lasted 5 weeks in the pram part as he was very refluxy, after which I just sat him in the buggy section propped by blankies.

runawaybishop

Dietsquirt wrote: »

This is proving quite an arduous task. Myself and my wife are expecting our first child in November. We're slowly buying the smaller supplies we'll need. I've seen some prams for €150-€300 and some for over €1000 (these include 3/4 different parts).

If money was no object i'd obviously splash out on the expensive one; Stokke i've noticed is particularly a good brand. I do have the money, per se, but i'm not sure i want to spend a 1000quid on a pram where i can spend that money elsewhere.

I imagine the more expensive prams might last you for 5/6 years (2 babies) and the cheaper ones maybe not so much - i'm only guessing so someone correct me.

The wife is leaning more towards the expensive ones - of course she bloody would! :P

Advice please?

Also, i live in Dublin, so if anyone know of good pram shops; i've been to Mamas, Smyths, Littlewoods and Mothercare.

Prams and buggies are madly overpriced and the cost is often completely unrelated to how practical or useful they are. Get a buggy you can take down and fold with one hand, steer with one and and easily pop into the boot along with a small carry car seat. No need to buy a new pram/buggy either, only the car seat should be new.

Baby stuff is like wedding stuff, mad premium added onto it.

lazygal

We bought a fairly expensive double buggy. We went for a bugaboo donkey as it was the most flexible and comfortable of the doubles we looked at. Its been well worth the money. I have no plans to get a light stroller as I'm willing to put up with the space it takes up and putting it together, it takes less than 30 seconds. For us it has been money well spent and we'll get a lot of use out of it. I bought a cheapish system first time but I probably should've just spent the money on the donkey as it's so convertible I'll never need a different one.

Queen-Mise

Go for what you need rather than price. Get them to fold it down also in the shop and see how large it is to fit in the boot.

We had a three wheeler from the beginning through to them being out of buggies. The back wheels had quick release so could fit in a smaller space. The front wheel can be clipped from off-road to on-road use [it was really handy for walks, beaches, etc.]. Only about that 200-300 mark.

Also check to see can you wheel it one-handed. Some of them can't be steered one-handed. It means you can't drink a coffee, phone, or hold a child's hand whilst wheeling the buggy.

And also if there is space to hang bags, or space to hold stuff.

implausible

I'd agree that it's really worthwhile sitting down and figuring out what your needs are - are you going to be driving a lot? Will it be used for going for long walks? Are you planning on having another baby within two years?

I saw the bother friends of mine had with complicated travel systems and having to buy another one when number 2 came along, so I bought a Phil & Teds. It handles very well when you're out walking, but can be heavy and awkward if you're lifting it in and out of a car boot several times a day. When number 2 came along, all I had to do was clip in the second seat.

I bought a light stroller when number 1 was 1, just for going to the shops, as he didn't need the big support any more and was getting in and out fairly often. It came in handy then when he didn't need any buggy any more and the wee girl used it.

The only thing is, if you don't chose the 'best' one, there is a good second-hand market for buggies.

Mr Moxie

Has anyone heard of a company called top-stroller.com?
I'm suspicious of handing over my money because they say that the only way International sales can proceed is via a bank transfer...
I have mentioned using an esgrow account to transfer the funds as I would offer me more security but they ignored my request and spoke about honesty being important...
Any thoughts appreciated...

runawaybishop

Mr Moxie wrote: »

Has anyone heard of a company called top-stroller.com?
I'm suspicious of handing over my money because they say that the only way International sales can proceed is via a bank transfer...
I have mentioned using an esgrow account to transfer the funds as I would offer me more security but they ignored my request and spoke about honesty being important...
Any thoughts appreciated...

No comeback with a bank transfer at all, avoid completely.

ShaShaBear

We bought a second hand Britax travel system that had barely been used. Original owners got rid of it after 4 months because it was too bulky and they went for a light umbrella stroller! We intend on doing the same (main reason we bought it was for the carry-cot as we can't have a Moses Basket with our bulky bulldozer of a dog :rolleyes: ).

My OH wanted to let his mother spend almost 900 bucks on an iCandy travel system and I had to refuse, he's glad now when he sees how many people switch to €50 strollers before the first year is out!