Opinions please - iCandy Peach, Egg, Jules Day3, Bugaboo Fox

willitallbeok

Hi all,

Have our first coming this summer so thought my question was best suited to the experienced folks here.
We're looking at compact travel systems to use in the city, one handed steering and compact size (length and width, not just when folded),being some of our top needs (we think).
Am wondering if anyone could give their honest opinion on any of the above travel systems?
I think I've short listed it to these, but am open to any other suggestions.
Would also like to know if you're small how you got on?
I've already ruled out the vista as its lowest handle height is too high.

What did you like/dislike about them?
Which of the features did you actually use day to day?
Which of the features did you think sounded great, but you actually never bothered with?
Any other thoughts welcome.

Thanks in advance.

Cakerbaker

I know you said you’ve ruled out the vista but I’m 5ft 3 and have used it no bother for nearly 4 years. It’s a great buggy, a bit on the wide side for narrow spots but I’ve never had any issues and the huge basket is great. It’s also certified for over night sleeping which was a benefit for us as we have family all over the country so was easy for visiting. It also worked great for me as a double / single combo as it meant I only needed one buggy and didn’t have to get another buggy when we had no 2.

jlm29

I don’t have any of the above, but what I do have is an uppababy minu. It’s a stroller, but has car seat adaptors for a newborn, and there’s a newborn bassinette thingy you can get from 0-6months. It’s fierce light and compact, wouldn’t be great for walks on country roads, but would be great in the city. One handed fold and easy to carry Again though, the handle height could be an issue.
I would also advise to consider your family planning, and whether you may at some point need a double. There’s 4 years between my first and second babies, so it wasn’t an issue for a long time, but when I had my third, I had to go and buy a double buggy.

Millem

willitallbeok wrote: »

Hi all,

Have our first coming this summer so thought my question was best suited to the experienced folks here.
We're looking at compact travel systems to use in the city, one handed steering and compact size (length and width, not just when folded),being some of our top needs (we think).
Am wondering if anyone could give their honest opinion on any of the above travel systems?
I think I've short listed it to these, but am open to any other suggestions.
Would also like to know if you're small how you got on?
I've already ruled out the vista as its lowest handle height is too high.

What did you like/dislike about them?
Which of the features did you actually use day to day?
Which of the features did you think sounded great, but you actually never bothered with?
Any other thoughts welcome.

Thanks in advance.

If you are going to use it in the city would you not look at the more compact ones....babyzen yoyo, bugaboo bee, uppababy have a new small too.

willitallbeok

Cakerbaker wrote: »

I know you said you’ve ruled out the vista but I’m 5ft 3 and have used it no bother for nearly 4 years. It’s a great buggy, a bit on the wide side for narrow spots but I’ve never had any issues and the huge basket is great. It’s also certified for over night sleeping which was a benefit for us as we have family all over the country so was easy for visiting. It also worked great for me as a double / single combo as it meant I only needed one buggy and didn’t have to get another buggy when we had no 2.

Thanks Cakerbaker, am trying to future proof by looking at the double options of peach and egg, haven't seen the fox or jules in person yet, so not sure how they fare on that front.
To be honest, herself is very petite, so that's why I ruled out the vista, other than handle height it was a very strong contender.
The width, as you mentioned, is another minus towards it too.

willitallbeok

jlm29 wrote: »

I don’t have any of the above, but what I do have is an uppababy minu. It’s a stroller, but has car seat adaptors for a newborn, and there’s a newborn bassinette thingy you can get from 0-6months. It’s fierce light and compact, wouldn’t be great for walks on country roads, but would be great in the city. One handed fold and easy to carry Again though, the handle height could be an issue.
I would also advise to consider your family planning, and whether you may at some point need a double. There’s 4 years between my first and second babies, so it wasn’t an issue for a long time, but when I had my third, I had to go and buy a double buggy.

Thanks jlm29
Will definitely take a look at the minu and see how it compares. As I said above, we're trying to future proof by getting one that can expand to two, so will see whether or not the minu can do that.

jlm29

willitallbeok wrote: »

Thanks jlm29
Will definitely take a look at the minu and see how it compares. As I said above, we're trying to future proof by getting one that can expand to two, so will see whether or not the minu can do that.

It can’t. It’s considerably cheaper, but it doesn’t convert to a double

karlitob

willitallbeok wrote: »

Hi all,

Have our first coming this summer so thought my question was best suited to the experienced folks here.
We're looking at compact travel systems to use in the city, one handed steering and compact size (length and width, not just when folded),being some of our top needs (we think).
Am wondering if anyone could give their honest opinion on any of the above travel systems?
I think I've short listed it to these, but am open to any other suggestions.
Would also like to know if you're small how you got on?
I've already ruled out the vista as its lowest handle height is too high.

What did you like/dislike about them?
Which of the features did you actually use day to day?
Which of the features did you think sounded great, but you actually never bothered with?
Any other thoughts welcome.

Thanks in advance.

They’re all the same. Buy the cheapest one. We did. No problems at all.

I thought the shopping assistant was having a laugh when she said ‘all-terrain’ tyres. You don’t need all terrain tyres for for dundrum shopping centre.

willitallbeok

Millem wrote: »

If you are going to use it in the city would you not look at the more compact ones....babyzen yoyo, bugaboo bee, uppababy have a new small too.

Thanks Millem, had briefly looked at those online, but they all have smaller wheels, I think we prefer the chunkier ones.
The peach and egg certainly feel very sturdy when pushing them, but I'll check out your suggestions in person to see if it's just a notion in my head about the sturdiness of the smaller wheels.

willitallbeok

karlitob wrote: »

They’re all the same. Buy the cheapest one. We did. No problems at all.

I thought the shopping assistant was having a laugh when she said ‘all-terrain’ tyres. You don’t need all terrain tyres for for dundrum shopping centre.

I get what you're saying about the all-terrain, but I'm in one of the smaller cities, so let's just say that the state of the footpaths would lean me towards something that can handle more than just the smooth shop floors.

shesty

Vista user here....I love it but I wouldn't be mad on it for city only use, as it is a bit wide.
If you are looking for something converts to a double but has chunkier wheels, you are confining yourself a bit.Think about your car boot width also (if you have one), and door widths in your house.You may also need to take them into consideration.

karlitob

willitallbeok wrote: »

I get what you're saying about the all-terrain, but I'm in one of the smaller cities, so let's just say that the state of the footpaths would lean me towards something that can handle more than just the smooth shop floors.

Well - the footpaths are the same around the whole country, to be fair. The point was about expense. I’ll leave it to you. You obviously want to justify buying a more expensive product and need to justify it somehow.

Best of luck.

Lizardlegz

Hi OP,

U have owned a million buggies at this stage! If you live in the country don’t go for the smaller stroller like the bee or the yo-yo. They’re a nightmare on country roads and tracks. I have owned all the bugaboos. I currently have a bugaboo buffalo and a fox. I had a cameleon before and found it a bit blah! The fox is ok... but I adore my buffalo! They are discontinued now but you can pick fabulous like new ones up second hand. They are amazing for walking! Only issue is they would be pretty heavy compared to the fox and Cameleon and other buggies. So if you’re wife is very petit that may not suit her. I keep my buffalo on the house as I adore walking it on long walks... and I keep the fox in the car for shopping centres etc. Now obviously you could just keep a smaller stroller in the car when baby’s bigger!

If you are looking for a double buggy travel system have a look at the bugaboo donkey. I have never owned one but the wheels would be like the buffalo so similar for all terrains and lots of waking. They convert from a mono to a double also. I remember thinking the seats were a bit smaller the the other Cameleons so may only last till little one is about 3 yo.

My friend has the uppababy vista and I don’t think she’s too keen on it. I also have a baby jogger city mini double! Great easy buggies to push and load in car. It’s a side by side double. You can get all terrain GT ones also which would be easier for pushing on country roads.

Best of luck with your decision!

willitallbeok

Had a look at the Joolz Geo2 in person at lunch. It has the option of extending to a double and has a huge basket and plenty of nice features.
Has a low handle on it too, and the folding is simple though it's quite sizable when folded.

It looks like it's in the mix, as I found out the Day doesn't extend to two, and the basket in it is quite small.
Also checked out the Bugaboo Fox, didn't like the look, and folding was a bit tricky - it's also a single only.
Thanks to everyone who's replied so far, any more opinions welcome.

bee06

My advice whatever you end up getting is to get your partner to lift it in and out of the boot. I didn’t do this with the one we bought and ended up hating it because it was so heavy. Moved onto a lightweight stroller as soon as possible.

Millem

willitallbeok wrote: »

Had a look at the Joolz Geo2 in person at lunch. It has the option of extending to a double and has a huge basket and plenty of nice features.
Has a low handle on it too, and the folding is simple though it's quite sizable when folded.

It looks like it's in the mix, as I found out the Day doesn't extend to two, and the basket in it is quite small.
Also checked out the Bugaboo Fox, didn't like the look, and folding was a bit tricky - it's also a single only.
Thanks to everyone who's replied so far, any more opinions welcome.

I wouldn’t get bogged down on converting to a double tbh. I don’t like the tandem doubles....much prefer the side by side ones.
I have a bugaboo board with a seat and my younger boy goes crazy when he is tired and another child is on the board!

Look at the price of the double kits...they are probably the guts of €250-300. For maybe €400-€450 you could get a side by side out n about brand new. Much less flaffing putting it together etc.

Cakerbaker

Millem wrote: »

I wouldn’t get bogged down on converting to a double tbh. I don’t like the tandem doubles....much prefer the side by side ones.
I have a bugaboo board with a seat and my younger boy goes crazy when he is tired and another child is on the board!

Look at the price of the double kits...they are probably the guts of €250-300. For maybe €400-€450 you could get a side by side out n about brand new. Much less flaffing putting it together etc.

My vista only cost €50 to convert as I only needed the adapters. I didn’t buy the rumble seat as I knew my son wouldn’t go in that much when the baby needed to go into the main seat so got the buggy board instead.

We’ve a small enough house so for me the vista was great in that it could be used as a double or single as needed so when baby arrived I didn’t need to have a double and a single in the house as I would need a single on occasion when I wouldn’t have the 2 of them out with me.

Millem

Cakerbaker wrote: »

My vista only cost €50 to convert as I only needed the adapters. I didn’t buy the rumble seat as I knew my son wouldn’t go in that much when the baby needed to go into the main seat so got the buggy board instead.

We’ve a small enough house so for me the vista was great in that it could be used as a double or single as needed so when baby arrived I didn’t need to have a double and a single in the house as I would need a single on occasion when I wouldn’t have the 2 of them out with me.

If you want to convert to a seat they are 250-300. I presume the donkey costs more.

I bought a board myself €100.

willitallbeok

Just to clarify, trying to future proof by getting one with the potential to extend to double.
A side by side type just wouldn't fit in our front door (city terraced house), so that's where I'm coming from.

Buggy board certainly worth considering as option, so could look at a single buggy.
At what age generally do kids like to use buggy boards? Do they tire of the standing after a while, and need a seat of their own?

Cakerbaker

My son was almost 3 when we got the buggy board. He’d look to go into the seat the odd time if he was tired but generally was fine on the board. You can get some boards that have seats too.

Another option for down the line is a single buggy for the older child and have the baby in a sling.

I suppose a certain amount will depend on the age difference between the children. If they’re very close together then a buggy board probably wouldn’t work in the early days and you would need a buggy that converts to a double. I had a nearly 2.5 year age gap so only needed the double for 5/6 months really as we could move on to the buggy board then. That saved me having to buy the second seat for the vista as I was able to just use the existing bassinet and seat.

mirrorwall14

I wouldn’t get too bogged down about the conversion. We had planned on having two close together. Nature didn’t. I miscarried my second and then unexpectedly had difficulties conceive with almost a full year trying. We ended up with almost a 3.5 year gap and a buggy board was all we needed. I had an out n about nipper single. Picked up a travel cot on adverts for it and a second hand buggy board for big days out travelling to the zoo etc. For day to day I had the baby in a sling as much as possible anyways so I was hands free for trolleys/three year old etc.

My sister bought convertible and also ended up having to change anyways due to weight limits as her 2 year old was very tall

There’s a lot that can happen between now and then!

Lift all buggies. Check they fit in the boot with the minimum of collapsing (it’s incredibly annoying if the wheels need to come off). Push the buggy up and down an incline and small step with a weight in it if you can at all. One of mine was just waaaay too heavy once you put the baby in. Up and down footsteps edges was horrendous and I ended up switching

Also I’d totally disagree with the all terrain wheels being unnecessary. I’m in the commuter belt. The out n about nipper wheels are amazing. From parks to footpaths they’re excellent. And no matter the weight in the buggy (added shopping basket to mine) and the three year old say on the front kick board the odd time. I never felt much difference due to the wheels

jaja321

Have the egg here. Very sturdy, easy to use, and easily converts to double without additional expense. That's something to watch out for with those that convert..often it requires a significant other purchase. Other thing is which way baby faces when you convert..in some they face away while toddler faces you and that was a deal breaker for me. I'm 5 foot 1 and find it super easy to use. It's narrow too which is handy, including for storing it. Only downside is cost. It's expensive. We had a voucher at the time and I'm not sure would we have paid the full whack for it ourselves. In saying that..No.2 on it's way now and we don't have to think about getting anything else. Best of luck with your decision.

kodirl

Icandy peach or Bugaboo Cameleon 3 are very good. We bought ours second hand on adverts.ie and they were in almost new condition and saved approximately 500euro on the new shop prices.