Andy Tang

iTrader: (3)

My wife is pregnant and baby Tang is due April.

We had a look at pushchairs and there are so many options!!

Is it worth going for 'travel system' with a combined pushchair and car seat?

We know what we want:

Relatively light
Not too wide (such as a three wheeler)
Solid wheels (not pnuematic tyres)
Folds easily to a relatively small size

As a bonus, through work I can get Maclaren and Mapas & Papas pushchairs cheaply!

Any recommendations? Things we should be looking out for?

Thanks
Andy, Caroline and Baby Tang!

Diesel

Congrats Andy!

We got a Jané (**** it in Spanish - its not a birds name!) Matrix. It does -

• CarCot
• PramCot
• Carseat
• Pram

I wouldnt really recommend it as it is too cumbersome and heavy in the car seat mode. So it does only three functions well - CarCot, Cotpram and proper pram. Pneumatic tyres though - comfy compared to solid wheels. It has a disk brake you know

Once baby was out of carcot we got a light £40 baby car seat and just left that in the car - MUCH easier, but only suitable up till 10 months.

So now we also have a Maxicosy car seat (for over 10m olds) and a Mclaren Techno XT pram. Bloody hell! [reason is the XT is light and folds up to go on the bus/tube - the Matrix is just too big & heavy for a laydeee. Matrix still good for walks with the dog as it is more rugged and has pneumatic tyres.

Complex mate

Tiggs

we use mamas and papas stuff as it sells on so easily.

the car seat that clips staright into the chair is a must have.

Markus

Congrats to you and Caroline!

catherine666

Brilliant news andy Damian and i were wondering when you and caroline would have a little bundle of joy. We got a pram/pushchair from mothercare-a Riga 2 in 1.But unfortunately it's a little big i no caroline has the same car as me and i have to fold down one of the back seats to get it in my car and its quite heavy. We looked at a mclaren pushchair the seat folds down for newborns and they are really light. Quite a few people have the car seat travel option but i was put off by my health visitor as she said that the car seat was ok for 2 hours or so but because of the angle of the baby's head whilst sitting in it its bad for the back apparently but they are pretty versatile. Tell caroline if she needs anything i'll be more than happy to help. Congratulations again.
Cat.

Andy Tang

iTrader: (3)

Thanks Diesel - Currently the Maclaren Techno XT and a Britax Roc-a-Tot (sp?) car seat is top of the list (I think).

We don't have a dog and we're not really 'country folk/walkers'!!

Thanks Tiggs - Not something I've considered, but worth bearing in mind.

Thanks Markus!

Thanks Cat, but I'm sure Damian told you earlier! The car seat thing is something we have heard before from a doctor friend and I'm sure I mentioned it to Damian. Also if it's only used for car journeys with a pushchair/pram/cot at the other end I'm sure it's not a major problem, as long as it's not every day! Also it seems handy to just take the car seat out, strap it to a trolley, do your shopping and then stick the seat back in the car.

ScoobywagonGl

if your gonna get one of these combined travel systems then make sure the seatbelt goes around the car seat i had one when i was pregnant and had to take it back cos the seatbelt wasnt wide enough.

The only other things i can reccommend is wobbly wheels and also large wheels so they dont get stuck in gravel/mud as easy

congratulations

Andy Tang

iTrader: (3)

ScoobywagonGL, thanks for the pointer. I've heard stories about seat belts not being long enough, etc!!

We don't do a lot of walking in the gravelly/muddy conditions, so not a major issue. It's more important that it's good around town in a more 'urban/suburban' environment!! That's why the trendy 3-wheels have been ruled out as they are too wide and too big when folded!!

Manda_po

I would say you definitely need a car seat that fits into pushchair. Bear in mind all that's been said, but make sure you get one that fits the bill. Imagine the baby waking up everytime you put her/him in the car, then waking up again, everytime you took her/him out of the car.

ScoobywagonGl

Andy your best option is to go somewhere like toys r us or mothercare and actually see how they fold flat etc as some are so big now that you cant do anything with them. I had to get a britax rock a tot car seat in the end and while it was hassle waking up the baby to put him in and out of the car he soon settled again and at least the seatbelt fitted properly ... however i had the base of the pram in the boot and the top bit on the back seat pain in the bum but it had to be done!

these travellers are ok but after a while i found that they didnt feel very strong and i was always worried it would collapse with my baby in it ... not that it ever happened but first chance i got i bought a stroller ... he is 2 now and very rarely uses a pushchair
another tip is dont buy your first pushchair from toys r us as they only have a 28 day guarentee and after that your buts'd if it breaks ... mothercare normally do at least a 1 year guarentee although many times its a lot more and will always repair or replace leaving you with a hire pushchair so your not stuck.
Tams

Andy Tang

iTrader: (3)

We have been to Toys R Us and Mothercare World to have a good look round.

The only system that impressed me was the M&P Pliko P3 Travel system, it was a 3-in-1 system, very light despite while feeling very sturdy and strong. Only problem was the £350 price tag!!

The only Maclaren that takes a car seat is the Mac 3, but we didn't like the fact it was a three wheeler and as wide as a normal Maclaren double buggy!!

We might have to get two pushchairs which seems to be the norm for most of my friends with kids. A sturdy one with all the toys and a lightweight one!

Maclaren are release a new range soon, so we may wait until the new year, just in case they have something worth looking at. We'll probably go to the M&P store next weekend to have a poke about!

mart360

good start....

but on arrival of sprog 1.. it all goes to ratsh*t

you know what you want, but new mother syndrome takes over, and everything has to be shiney and new, and unique..

Oh and half of it wont be used after the first week!!!!

we bought a all in one pod thing carrycot, / pushchair car thing..

i advised against (had one last time round) totally overulled..

it was in the loft within 6 months...!!!!!!

wifey then admits she should have listened to me!!!

women!!

congrats... oh kiss goodbye to a tidy scooby!!

Kiwi

We use two.

M&P for use at home going to shops etc.

Maclaren techno XP which stays in the car and goes on holiday, aircraft etc

Diesel

LOL and aint that the truth MOTHERS!!!!!

Chrisgr31

We had a baby 12 days and my wife is a midwife, hence knows all about positioning of the baby etc.

We have the Jane Pushchair with the carry cot and rebel car seat. Both the car seat and carry cot clip onto the pushchair frame, and it is easy to use. Today we had to go up a flight of steps and the large wheels make it easy to dragg us backwards. However the frame fills the boot on my scoob, and I have to remove a wheel to get it in, although thats easy to do.

Carrycot and car seat both attach to the car seatbelts easily, although I can see that a fixed car seat has real benefits.

As has been pointed out young babys should travel flat where possible. hence car seats shouldn't be used, except for short journeys.

No need to go to Supermarkets, do the shopping online!

Our Jane system is fantasic, but its expensive, fortunately was a gift. Very easy to push, but bulky. Mind you when I see the Silver Cloud pram my mum used to push me around in I appreciate how small current prams are!

damian666

Buy what you need to get you home from the hospital. For us, this was a car seat. We had a pram for ages and it really just cluttered the place up until about 3 weeks after he was born we got round to using it!

You might even consider a cheaper car seat until you want to splash out. Our Britax rock-a-tot was cheap on eBay, and it seems like a good buy - We will have to replace it soon enough though as he is growing fast!

Remember, baby stuff is expensive new and dirt cheap second hand.

ScoobywagonGl

I dont reccommend buying a second hand car seat no matter what anyone advises! unless it is off a relative and you know the history of the car seat etc. sorry but deffinately a you never know if the car seat has been in an impact or anything! The first time out in my car after having my baby i was driving and was shunted from the rear this completely shook me up and i refused to use that car seat ever again! however i do reccomend waiting til closer to the due date for things like pushchairs specially if its a first child .... remember it has grandparents who normally offer to buy the pushchair or something else just as expensive!!! this was the case with my parents but i wanted to buy my own pushchair.
You will always be given so much stuff when you have a baby and as has been said before you will be given clothes money vouchers everything you could possibly imagine and half of it will never be used not straight away.

Remember you need to have a car seat or they will not allow you to bring the baby away from the hospital after the birth. this is standard rules in every hospital even if you are not getting into a vehicle the midwife will normally escort you out of the hospital aswell.

imlach

That is one advantage of the Jane Matrix system. The car seat can go completely flat and has anchorage points on the seat which means it can go across the back seat lengthways & totally flat for longer journeys....

The other advantage of this is that it doubles as a lie-flat bed when out visiting. I believe this is the only car seat/travel system that can do this?

The Jane Matrix system is not cheap - around £350-400, but does the job well. Oh, and it helps if you have an estate car as the frame is not the most compact....given the large-ish wheels on the 3-wheeler.

You'll see what I mean about the lie-flat thing in this piccy (top right piccy shows baby seat in lie-flat position in back of car) :

damian666

ScoobywagonGl my point is that Andy should buy an expensive car seat after the baby is born, not before, as the one he buys now could be useless.

mattstant

Jane Stuff is Mega.
We bought a crappy mclaren "travel system" (yeah if your a weightlifter)and the carrycot is strong but **** me its heavy i blame it for a bad back i had for a while.
We were in spain feb of this year wandering round the massive court ingles in Marbella when we came across a tandem double buggy by Jane it takes up less room in the boot (when folded) than the mclaren (which is a single) and is aluminium tubing so its light a more importantly looks quite high tech and v cool.

trouble is it was best part of 400 quid but still think it was the a bargain compared to any double buggy i have seen anywhere

Jay m A

iTrader: (2)

Andy

We've got the Mamas and Papas Pliko3 (I think its called that)

As mentioned before its got the car seat that clips straight into the buggy, as well as a base thats permanently in the car. If you have 2 cars that baby will share its best to get another base. This way baby just clips in and out from car to buggy in seconds, handy in the rain.

Also the buggy is very light and folds down to a small size, which when we were choosing our buggy - it wasn't a primary concern, but we now realise its a godsend, especially its light weight.

you can pop round anytime and have a look, although I'm sure you've seen the whole range in John Lewis

One other thing about the Pliko is that you can get a travelcot that clips into the buggy - basically making a pram that Tango Jnr can lay flat in in the early months if he/shes out in the buggy for long periods of time. It seconds as a moses basket, our one used it for the first month as her main cot, well worth it IMO.

Congrats

Jay m A

iTrader: (2)

Andy, just reread all the posts, if you do decide to go with the P3, then I have a spare base and travelcot you can borrow - I very much doubt I'll be needing them next April !!

hail-hail

We have the Mamas and Papas Venezia. This was ideal as it doubles as a pram and a push chair. i.e you can push it with the baby facing you when they are new born, you can then reverse the handle and use it as a push chair when the baby is older.

Also, some advice, ALWAYS travel with the baby seat in the rear of the car, my friend is an surgeon and has done some extensive research in this area.
There are loads of variables:
If the baby is in the back then the driver is more distracted
If the baby is in the front then the chance of injury in an impact is greater..........etc
But he basically told me, the cold hard facts are babies do not survive major impacts when strapped into the front seat.

food for thought

Andy Tang

iTrader: (3)

Thanks for the advice!

I know I'm been a little keen as none of this will get bought until April, but at the end of the how much does the technology change?

No harm in being prepared.

messiah

We got a Graco model from Baby's R Us.

Comprises Pushchair with a car seat that fits on top and plugs into a base which you can leave in the car. Doesn't fold into the smallest size as its a bit of a squeeze getting it into the back of the scoob and needs a bit of gentle persuasion.

Was a bargain at £199 though - loads of extras came with it like raincover etc.

gregh

Personally, I'd go back to basics, we spent ages looking at prams etc then narrowed it down to a choice of one as that was the only one that would fit in my wife's boot!

so this is what I'd do! Goto mothercare or somesuch and see how they fold down and how easier it is to lift into the boot.

does it actually fit in the boot?
Imagine/try you/your wife trying to get the baby into the car seat, folding the pram up and getting it into the boot when it's lashing down, our pram you could fold down with one foot/arm and then get it into the boot easily.

We went with a seperate Britax Rock a tot car seat that you could carry them into the pub etc with. A friend who had a baby at the same time had the system where you clip in/out and she admitted ours was much easier, her's was hassle.

If it's windy/cold/raining we could get the pram all set up, then simply lift the baby straight into the pram. With the click in systems she had to get it all setup, lift the baby out in the car seat and then try and click it in.

HTH!

Greg

Andy Tang

iTrader: (3)

Thanks Greg!

As a side issue for the people with the Jane Matrix system, have you encountered any of these issues?

stevem2k

andy you need to go down to nippers ( through surbiton golf club ) and try a few for size. The owner is very knowledgable ... if a bit 'jolly hockey sticks'

Steve

mattstant

havent got the matrix one Andy jane do a traditional lightweight one which goes with our 2 seater "power twin" and we have no complaints at all.

I did see a review somewhere about these moses basket type ones that are strapped in at the back and they are nothing short of leathal in a crash apparently