Key Post: Parents - recommend a buggy/pram?

Can any parents recommend what to look for when buying a buggy/pram for a newborn baby, or even a particular buggy/pram they're happy with? We're looking preferably at one which operates as both a pram (flat) and a stroller. I saw one on a website - a Peg Perego Pramette which looks good and seems to be exactly what we need - has anyone got one of these or something similar? Thanks in advance.

Re: Parents - recommend a buggy/pram?

We just bought the mamas and papas 3-in-1 pliko buggy. This was in 2002 and it has lasted for 2 babies and is going strong. It folds down umbrella style and is easy to carry so have not needed to buy a lighter stroller. However would NOT recommend the carseat that came with it as it came with a base and felt this was unsafe. If you could get it without the carseat then it is a good buy. THe best caseat for a newborn I found was the britax one. Try on the www.rollercoaster.ie or www.eumom.com which are both parenting websites that might give you loads of other recommendations. Also Which magazine does a survey regularly on the safest carseats so you could check this out too.

Re: Parents - recommend a buggy/pram?

Once baby gets a bit older, save all the shopping around a get a McLaren, very very sturdy, compact and easy to lift and insert into cars. Cant really recommend a newborn on as we bought ours abroad!

Re: Parents - recommend a buggy/pram?

I can heartily recommend the Mamas and Papas Pliko P3 stroller as posted earlier. It's strudy, light, transportable and comfortable for baby, it even looks good. I'd also recommend you try Baby Boom in Kilkenny, we bought ours there last year and got a good price on last seasons colour. It's not as fancy as some of the bigger stores but the owner knows his stuff and wont try to sell you stuff you hadn't even thought of. Everyone admires the buggy because it is so well put together and baby loves going out and about in it! I found the car seat fine, only suitable up to about 6 months or so I'd say and it is very handy for new parents who are just getting the hang of the whole business. We also bought the pram/ moses basket type cot that also sits into the pram. We didn't use it that much but the whole lot set us back about €650 (i think) and was the best money ever spent. Be sure to get your rain covers as well and dont bother with the foot muff thing that's in the catalogues. Best of luck.

Re: Parents - recommend a buggy/pram?

After trying four out generally I'd say go for lighweight one, good quality and makes sure it fits easily into the car boot. The big pram types are too bulky unless you do a lot of walking out from the house. The very light cheap ones are great for travel/flying with but don't last. A cheap meadium size buggy will look compact but probably be heavy. We ended up with a McClaren which offers the best of all properties, quality, light weight, compact when folded but costs that bit more.
Give it a test drive before buying, push the child around in it, hang a few bags off the handles, fold it up and down and see how it fits in the car.

best of luck.

Re: Parents - recommend a buggy/pram?

Thansk for all your tips folks - it seems that Peg Perego and Mamas and Papas are the one and the same - must be just trading under a different name in different countries! The Pliko P3 sounds like the one to go for!

Re: Parents - recommend a buggy/pram?

Wise choice! Enjoy the journey.......

Re: Parents - recommend a buggy/pram?

btw, when your little jewel gets a bit older, be sure to get a buggy with big wheels, like a3 wheeler. This is not to be trendy, but the difference between pushing the standard foldaway mclaren (which I have in the car) and our robust 3 wheeler, when the ground is rough, must be experienced to be believed.

Re: Parents - recommend a buggy/pram?

Just an update on this. We popped in to Baby Boom over the weekend and Carpenter must say we were not impressed at all. From the start they were pushy and they tried to sell us the combined pramette and car seat together before even asking if we wanted the seat. When we then said we didn't want the seat they started trying to push it on us (like saying we strongly recommend you get it, or even at one point saying that it is illegal to leave the hospital with the child unless you have a car seat - complete pressure!!) so we ended up leaving as we didn't like their sales strategy! Ended up this morning ordering one online through welcomemrbaby - an Italian website, at a total saving over over €100 on the pramette! We saw a Britax car seat which looks the best of the lot so will put our savings towards buying this!

Re: Parents - recommend a buggy/pram?

I would agree with your choice of the Britax carseat as they are VERy reliable and safe. If you check on the Britax website you can put the make/model/year of your car and it will let you know what model is most compatible to your car.

Re: Parents - recommend a buggy/pram?

fobs said:

VERy reliable.

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You mean they don't break down??????

Re: Parents - recommend a buggy/pram?

You mean they don't break down??????

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I meant to put the word safe! They have performed very well in the WHICH safety testes!

Re: Parents - recommend a buggy/pram?

Ceist Beag said:

like saying we strongly recommend you get it, or even at one point saying that it is illegal to leave the hospital with the child unless you have a car seat - complete pressure!!

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Regardless of their pushiness, I believe this is largely correct. Not sure about the legality issue, but the maternity hospitals won't let you leave by car unless you have a seat.

Re: Parents - recommend a buggy/pram?

Yeah, I wasn't arguing the correctness of it rainyday, but when I hear a saleswoman using lines like this to try and pressurise you into buying a product it really gets my back up ... and there's no chance I would buy off them after this!

Re: Parents - recommend a buggy/pram?

On the trawl for travel system. I found the Britax Excel to best suit our needs. It was variously priced from €360 to €389 (some of these were special offers). I tried a couple of UK websites and the same system works out at €305 including the £25 delivery. €84 saved based on the highest price.


www.kiddicare.com

Re: Parents - recommend a buggy/pram?

Ceist Beag

Sorry to hear about your experience in Kilkenny, we visited the store twice and dealt with the lady you refer to on the first occasion. She was certainly a little pushy and a little bit "manic" or "hyper" for my liking. We called again a couple of weeks later and dealt directly with the proprietor and found him good to deal with and not a bit pushy. She was probably trying to make the point that it's better value to buy a complete travel system than buy separate components by different manufacturers. The main thing is you got what you needed in the end, even if it was elsewhere. We're still very happy with the Pliko P3.