Lost in the Maze of Buggies/Car Seats etc

Kintarō Hattori

Hey Folks,

Just looking for some advice. We're expecting our first in June and are now looking for a car seat/buggy. It's overwhelming and confusing to say the least but we're thinking about the below as her car has isofix but mine doesnt:

http://www.mothercare.ie/mothercare-journey-black-travel-system-teal.html

Any advice?

jlm29

I haven't looked at that travel system, so I know nothing about it, but I wouldn't buy it if the car seat doesn't have a base, if baby will be going in and out of the car a lot. Some of the bases can be fitted with either seat belt or isofix, and it's much handier to be able to just click the seat into the base, especially if you're rushing or it's raining or something!
With regard to the buggy, I know it might sound like I'm nuts, but if you plan on having another child anyway soon, I'd buy one that can convert to a double.

rainbow kirby

Mothercare travel systems are pure muck. We had the Roam, replaced the buggy after 4 weeks because I hated it so much and the car seat was so narrow my rail thin but tall son's shoulders were wedged in at 8 months when he only weighed 8.5kg.

Anne_cordelia

I would go for a maxi cosi baby car seat. They seem to have the best reputation for comfort and they last until the baby is 13.5kg which is longer than some other seats. They are very safe too.

Anne_cordelia

Anne_cordelia wrote: »

I would go for a maxi cosi baby car seat. They seem to have the best reputation for comfort and they last until the baby is 13.5kg which is longer than some other seats. They are very safe too.

Just to add get the isofix base. My husband's car doesn't have isofix but he rarely had the baby in his car until I went back to work at 12 months old as we always used my car. You can secure the base into your car with a seatbelt too.

Moonbeam

Make a list of where it is going to be used ..
Train ,parks ,shops ,buses ,hiking ,every day for everything etc

I find once this list is made that the decision becomes much easier .
I walked alot and over rough terrain so air tyres were a necessity ,other people rarely walk so fitting in the boot is a priority .

Kiddicare.com and Amazon are great .

Neyite

My advice would be to buy the buggy/ frame secondhand as you'll save a fortune. (buy the car seat new)

Better yet, borrow a buggy frame for the first few months from a friend if you can. That way you'll get to see what suits your lifestyle, your baby, your home and car. You only really get to find out what you hate about a buggy when using it, trying to fold /unfold it one handed, how the baby settles in it (or not!) accessories, how it stores in your house, how heavy it is to lift into your car, what else you can fit in with it and so on.

Then once you've narrowed down your choices, get the one you want second hand and save yourself a fortune.

cutehoore

Uppababy Vista and a maxi cosi car seat.

We have our vista a little over two years used daily and still going great with a toddler who is very tall

mirrorwall14

Maxi cosi car seat and multi fix base (can be belted or isofix), I can't remember the exact name.

Travel system borrow if you can at all until you know what you need.

I hated my travel system buggy, then bought a light single hand fold joie mirrus which is still be used today. And recently got an out and about nipper 360 for jogging with which I totally adore

pwurple

Skip the travel system entirely.... A buggy and a carseat is all you need. Buggies can go flat for newborns (Out n About nipper was ours), and can have carseat clips or not. 

Maxi cosi carseat  was what we had as well. Safe, easy to clip in and out and it's the most popular one (so loads of buggies / travel systems have clips for it)

Everyone's life is different, so we don't how you'll get around, and how much driving you will do. Our carseats were barely used as we live in a city, so can walk to shops, parks, family etc. Didn't use the car much at all. A fully reclining buggy though was a godsend with all the walking. Baby loved napping in it. 

Consider a sling/carrier maybe. I found mine great.

rainbow kirby

pwurple wrote: »

Consider a sling/carrier maybe. I found mine great.

+1, we use ours more often than the buggy at this stage. Taking a buggy on public transport is such a bloody grind when there's an alternative.

I have a standard Connecta with petite straps and my husband has a Manduca.

borderlinemeath

Everybody has different needs, so a buggy or travel system that suits a poster on here might not suit you. It really is a lifestyle choice and what you need your buggy to do for you. I walk on the beach a good bit so got the Uppababy Vista and a maxi cosi pebble infant carrier and 2 way isofix base. So since the baby grew out of the infant carrier, the pearl car seat fits on the base both rearward and forward facing. Very handy if you have a big or tall baby as they have to sit rearward until at least 15 months but they can grow out of the infant carrier before then.

I also bought a stroller for holiday use as I didn't want to be carting my good buggy on a plane. I thought I'd use the stroller more when I got it but TBH I still use the vista a lot and baby is 18m old. It has a massive shopping basket which is really handy, right now it's sitting here with loads of stuff in it - footmuff, raincover, wellies, hats/gloves, spare nappies/wipes, dog leads & poo bags a bucket and spade and a collection of shells from the beach and there's still room for stuff. The only downside for some people is that it's quite wide, so might have issues if you have narrow doors.

Millem

Tbh something one person would love another would hate!
I am not someone who ended up with loads of buggies! I bought a bugaboo cameleon which my mum still uses for my 3 year old. Its perfect and will be using it again with new baby. I have a MacLaren quest which I bring on holidays or leave in the car. I got it from a friend.

If I hadn't bought a cameleon we were buying an uppababy vista. Yes they are expensive but they will last you. Vista goes into a double and has much better basket but I found heavier to push. I wanted a proper pram part for newborn. If you are happy with a cocoon thingy I would look at a 360 nipper or a city mini. For me they would be fab from 6 months but people use them for newborns. Where we live we can walk everywhere.....to shop, montessori, park etc we also have two big dogs (had 3 big dogs) which I walked with buggy.
My sister on the other hand is on buggy 4! She had a graco thing that car seat stuck on (don't know the name) it was a disaster, then bought mama and papa stroller, then silvercross stroller, then when new baby came she bought the baby elegance one think it's called a beep twist? Baby elegance one is grand....it looks like similar to mine as in it has proper pram...it's not as easy to push and is slightly bulkier in boot but it is about a 1/3 or less of the price!!
Smyths have it very cheap at the mo 20% off

Toots

Not a recommendation for a buggy, but Smyths is having a 20% off offer on buggies and car seats between now and the 16th of March.

catrionanic

I too was overwhelmed by choice! Our priorities were something that wasn't too big or bulky as we have a small house (so that ruled out the Vista), but I wanted something that would be comfortable for baby to nap in during the day, not too heavy to lift in and out of the car (I'm fairly petite and super weak!), and I also wanted the travel system option of fixing the car seat onto the chassis.

We went for the silver cross pioneer and I've been happy with it so far. It's super easy to steer/turn/manoeuvre when in the shops or on the luas etc, and while it isn't a tiny buggy, it's not too big either for our small house and getting through narrow doors etc. The carrycot is so comfortable and our 9 week old naps in it very happily.

We have the silver cross car seat too, and it's okay.... but if I was to buy it again, I would probably go for a maxi cosi instead. It doesn't look as comfortable as the maxi cosi, and the handle on it is a bit awkward to click back and forth between positions, which you need to do every time you put it into the car and take it out of. We have the isofix base which is great. The seatbelt harness option, if you didn't have isofix, it pretty cumbersome. It would put me off getting a travel system altogether because it's so much hassle to unbelt and rebelt, so I doubt I'd ever take the seat out of the car - not worth the effort!

We've used our sling a lot too. We have the boba wrap, but will change to a harness soon as baby is getting a bit heavier. Usually his dad wears him in the sling rather than me, because due to my aforementioned lack of physical strength, I find him very heavy after 5 or 10 minutes!

Bunnyslippers

I spent ages looking into car seats as I wanted a lie flat car seat - the thought of my baby suffocating in the bucket seats terrified me, especially since you can only leave a baby in a normal seat for 20mins tops before the oxygen levels in their blood drop dangerously low, none of the journeys I do are that quick! So I went with the Kiddy Evo Lunafix, the others I looked at were the Aton Q and the Maxi cosy pebble plus, I think, as they seem to the the only ones which do lie flat! My Kiddy seat has been great and can happily leave him zonked out in it and then click the seat onto the buggy without having to transfer him to a pushchair/carry cot.
Buggy wise I looked at the Uppa baby vista but the reviews weren't great and after seeing it in the flesh I wasn't impressed at all, so went with the Uberchild and I was really surprised how good the quality is for half the price of the ones in the stores, I've taken it up the forest tracks and it's fine and as it's bright blue I get lots of people stopping me asking where i got it! I got maxi cost adaptors and the seat clicks onto it!:)