how did you choose your pram?

[Audrey]

Thanks for your comments, and apologies for the hijack Strawbs!

Just goes to prove its highly personal and greatly depends on how you live. Its an expensive trial and error game though!

[Strawbs]

wow thanks everyone! Some great advice in here.. I keep hearing very favourable responses for the bee which makes me happy! I will take a look on ebay and see what's around..

As for the lifestyle I need to consider I have no stairs, narrow entrance to the flat (live in a conversion) and first part of the hall, cant store it easily without having to fold it down, wont be going off road, potentially bus some times but am intending to avoid it like the plague, car boot defo but we have a hatch back type boot so v large and also I have a dog.. Now my question is if the bee is as light as I think it is would it be suitable for attaching a dog to i.e. on a lead? (small king charles so no risk of her running off and taking the pram etc) or will I need something more sturdy?

Thanks again!

xx :))

[supergolden88]

I would NOT attach a dog to a Bee... strong wind has moved it so unless you have a very docile dog I would not risk it!

edit to say how funny it reads attaching a dog to a bee... Wrong in many many ways...

[DaveR]

Before splurging a whole load of cash on a new bugaboo, ask yourself a couple of questions:

how man kids suffer any sort of harm, however minor, from being pushed around in a cheap pushchair?

what tangible practical benefits can a ?600+ pushchair offer over a ?200 one?

The answer to both questions is as close to none as makes no difference, so now you can ask yourself the real questions:

How much am I willing to pay to be 'on trend'?

Do I really want to view my pushchair as a capital investment, i.e. factoring in depreciation at point of purchase?

Do I care if a certain type of mum sneers at me? (bearing in mind that type of mum will inevitably find something about you to sneer at any way)

I guarantee that you can find a pushchair that will suit your lifestyle (in practical terms) every bit as well as a bugaboo for less than 50% of the price. Mothercare own brand are supposed to be pretty good.

PS. We spent ?50 on a second hand travel system and then less than ?100 on a Maclaren. The travel system catered for two kids, we had to get another Maclaren for the second one.

[Otta]

I have to agree. I wasn't brave enough to say earlier, but I think that splashing out on a bugaboo is a waste of money. I'm sure they're good, but I'm also sure that they're not any better than a load of other buggies, and any small advantages that may be unique to them, are not worth spending an extra ?300 on.

Basically, bugaboo have managed to convince people that because they are the most expensive, they must be the best for your child. It's a nonsense.

[Ruth_Baldock]

I'd kind of be inclined to agree, Otta. Their version of the double pram ('donkey' I believe it's called) is about ?1200. I DO think they're pretty though- and was definitely swayed by all the nice design and ting on the bee. TBH we borrowed an OBaby which reclined flat and, whilst didn't do parent facing, did the job just as well...!

[Otta]

?1200?!?!?!?!?!?!? For real?

[Ruth_Baldock]

I think so, was in JL in Bluewater. You have to buy lots of 'bits' for it, I think.

[Ruth_Baldock]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1376544/Bugaboo-Donkey-Would-YOU-fork-1-200-pushchair.html

[Otta]

Well I'll be...

I don't even think it looks very nice to be honest. But then, I am a bloke, so what do I know? Even if it was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen though, there is no way in hell I'd spend anywhere near that sort of money on a buggy!

[Belle]

I've never wanted to spend much on a buggy, and was pleased when we got our first one half price in the sale. But I do think those who choose more expensive ones aren't simply trying to look 'cool', and I know from pushing some of the pricier ones friends have that they do feel v different to my clunky mamas and papas or even my rattly maclaren. Of all the baby stuff, maybe aside from the cot, the buggy does get used the most so guess it's worth making sure you get something you're happy with, esp if it's going to be costly.

Agree donkey looks hideous and is crazy money. I hate how some manufacturers charge for all the extras too, even stuff like raincover which should just be included.

[Mellors]

I've just bought a second hand Bugaboo Bee from Ebay for ?180 including delivery, so they don't have to be mega expensive. I'm sure we will get some of that back when we sell on as well.

[supergolden88]

There's something to be said for spending a little money. With first baby I did not have a clue what to buy, did not have any mum friends and so ended up buying Graco travel system because it was cheap and would do the job. It included car seat, pushchair and some extras. A few months later I had to buy a new pushchair (a Maclaren this time) as the Graco one was incredibly hard to push, the wheels squeaked and rattled and got stuck and car seat was outgrown in no time. So in the end I probably spend as much as I would have done on a more expensive pushchair.

That said the Bugaboo (and some others) are very expensive but seeing as you will use them daily for a couple of years at least it works out at less than a pound per day. And you can sell them on or buy them second hand to begin with.

[crystal7]

Agree with Belle and others. I walked miles with my pram, used it every day on different surfaces etc and so much nicer to push than the Maclaren we use now which gives me back ache and is heavy to get up and down curbs when loaded with bags etc...Depends what kind of lifestyle you have but if I had to choose to splash out on one bit of baby equipment it would be the pram as it's undergone the heaviest use.

[Ruth_Baldock]

I think if you're genuinely going to use ONE pram, use it for everything and every day, then a huge price-tag isn't so bad. As I am yet to find a 'one size fits all (occasions)' one for myself, I get a bit bitter about how much they all are. Bloody, BLOODY phil and teds. Agree you have to be totally happy with your choice, too, as you're going to use it everyday (unless you babywear, which is another ballgame entirely). I remember refusing to use our non-household name umbrella buggy because I was convinced everyone would smirk at me. Hindsight proves that everyone was probably too tired to notice whether my baby was in a Stokke or a wheelbarrow at that point...

I have actually given the Donkey a test drive (with Cheeky S and a borrowed 7wk old...) and my GOD it was a monster. I don't think it even looked nice?!

Saying all that, I am now going to undermine myself completley by saying I've always loved the look of the Chameleon, and having tried one out with Cheeky S in, he loved it too :/ totally ridicolous for our flat/lifestyle and price-range though.

[snowboarder]

You probably all think I'm mad having had so many 'expensive' prams. Thing is, I used to buy handbags and clothes. Now not so much (at all) so I have prams. I have used 2 of my prams already today, same almost every day. I think it's a bit mean to be sneery about people spending money on them - god it's sometimes a bit of a lonely/stressful job being a mum - whatever cheers you up!! Also - people like me mean that others can snap up bargains on the forum....:-)

[Ruth_Baldock]

god it's sometimes a bit of a lonely/stressful job being a mum - whatever cheers you up!! Also - people like me mean that others can snap up bargains on the forum....:-)

Couldn't agree more, actually. Now that I think about it, our Bee arriving BANG in the middle of Seb's 4mo sleep regression/my husband working 17hr days was the highlight of my year, possibly...

[leons]

Great thread. Heres my opinion or buggy history. I love the bugaboo, think it looks fab, etc. But wasnt prepared to pay hefty price for it. So in an attempt to avoid buying the on trend buggy, I bought a mclaren esque for baby number1(cant rem brand, but looked exactly like a mclaren, similar price too - paid about 180). At 8 months, the buggy collapsed with my baby in it, the frame or axle just buckled, and I didnt abuse it by carrying lots of shopping etc. I did use it every day, walked lots etc. It was unrepairable, but also because (here's another lesson) I had bought it when I was about 4 months pregnant,the years warranty was up. So bought second buggy, similar type again. it lasted about 8 months. So I bought a 3rd buggy. Throughout my buggy history, I always had buggy envy. The bugaboos, the philteds, quinnys, etc. BUt I was determined to stick by my principals and not succumb to trend. But in the end I paid out over 400 in 2 years. Baby number 2, and I have a phil & teds and I love it. I dont want to go through 3 or 4 buggys again. 1 of them even gave me bad shoulder pain because it was lobsided after a couple of months.

So maybe it is worth investing in the beginning. Or thinking about how you get about. If you walk a lot, like I do, get a strong durable buggy (for number 2 I did some research, p&t always came up as a strong durable buggy). Maybe McLarens are great if you walk some/drive some/bus some.

Re the Bee..I think it looks fab too, but always wondered about big babies in it or toddlers? It just looks so small, I know my first child would have grown out of it within a year.

[kittysailing]

I didn't even know what was on trend when I had my baby - inwent to dulwich park when i was seven months pregnant and knackered and stopped eight different women with eight different prams and babies and asked if could push them around! There was no contest - the only one that didn't seem like a rickety bone shaker was the chameleon. I remember asking the lady to spell it and i wrote it on my hand! Once a year bugaboo do a warehouse sale in vauxhall it's all last seasons colours etc (god forbid) up to 70 per cent off - worth looking out for!