Spec me .... a pram/pushchair

Cuchulain

Cuchulain

Cuchulain

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I know I probably won't get many replies to this but, I'm after what retailers now call a "travel system", i.e. Pram/pushchair/car seat etc all in one.

It needs to do the following (a lot of them do anyway)

Car seat needs a base that fits into the car so you can just click in and out without having to strap it in constantly.

Needs to have a carrycot

Needs to convert to a buggy for when he/she get's a bit older

Fold down/up easily and will fit in the wifes boot (car boot that is, 106)

I've looked around all over the internet and found a Graco "Quattro Tour Deluxe" which fits the bill but some of the reviews I've read say it's too big and the parents ended up buying a buggy after 6 months.

Anyone have any (first hand preferably) recommendations?

TIA
 
Yes. Great idea but don't get a travel system. Very few baby car seats have actually performed well in crash tests, especially side impacts, and ones from travel systems are included in these select few.
Research which car seat performs the best and get that for the car. Decent newboard ones take seconds to fit and remove.

When we had our son I was convinced by the whole travel system thing.
Ended up with a pram/pushchair and a seperate car seat, after research.

Other problem of travel systems is weight and size.

If you plan to have more kids then consider the Phil and Teds E3 or Sport as they very adaptable for a mix of newborn and toddler.
 
Perplexed said:
Yes. Great idea but don't get a travel system. Very few baby car seats have actually performed well in crash tests, especially side impacts, and ones from travel systems are included in these select few.
Research which car seat performs the best and get that for the car. Decent newboard ones take seconds to fit and remove.

When we had our son I was convinced by the whole travel system thing.
Ended up with a pram/pushchair and a seperate car seat, after research.

Other problem of travel systems is weight and size.

If you plan to have more kids then consider the Phil and Teds E3 or Sport as they very adaptable for a mix of newborn and toddler.
Click to expand...

Thanks, what pram/pushchair did you go for? She's not keen on the E3 unfortunately :(
 
my only advice is get one with swivel feet.

our first was a babystyle lux which was really well built but quite big and a ******* to turn in a tight circle.

the difference when we changed to a dedicated pushchair (maclaren something or other) was massive

have you considered the bugaboo ones?

regarding base fix ones for the car, the strap in ones aren't that much of an ordeal and you can easily put them in different cars. Just a thought.

NO SWEARING.

ZEFAN.
 
We have been using a Mamas & Papas (Dont think they are competitors yet!) Pramette along with the matching car seat. It has worked really well for us. The seat mounts into the pram when the baby is tiny and then the pram also folds down flat for cot style use.

I think the newer model also has a dismountable cot option if you need it removable.

Picked ours up in the sale last year at a 50% reduction for less than £300
 
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As it turned out the Mamas and Papas pram/pushchair we got was not my choice and has not lasted well. I wasn't impressed with the build quality when we bought it and it now shows.

Recommending a pram/pushchair is very hard. There isn't a single one out there that does everything you want and is lightweight and small. Something has to compromise somewhere. My suggestion would be to tour around the major department stores/baby shops and spend many hours just trying them out. Check that your wife can lift it unaided upto car boot level etc.

The following car seat has a good safety rating -
Maxi-Cosi CabrioFix Infant Carrier, cost is approx £100.

This can actually be fitted into some of the more expensive pram/pushchairs, like the Bugaboo Gecko and Quinny Buzz. But be prepared to part with around £500 in total for either of them. So this would in effect be a travel system.

Although you shouldn't keep newborns in a non-flat position (like a car seat) for prolonged periods (1.5 hours), so a travel system has limited use.
 
prams/pushchairs are all very complicated :(

i'm in the market too, and am leaning towards a pushchair i can clip a carsest onto.

the mais reasons are that i what to be able to move the baby in and out of the car an onto a pushchair easily, with the option to turn the seat outwards facing after a few months and then remove the car seat after a while.

still not sure what to go for yet though...:(
 
I would say you need to test the car seat part first in your car as that is the only component that you might have incompatibility issues with (apart from the buggy maybe not fitting in the boot) and take it from there.
 
we went with the quattro tour delux and i cant fault it.

the car seat easil slips into the pram bit
the pram bit is nice and big so has pleanty room for little one to grow
the carrycot bit was ace in winter, (shame sprog doesnt fit it anymore)
it is quite big but should fit a 106 easily, and bigger gets folk out your way in shops well :D
plenty pace underneath for shopping






N.B the only moan the wife has(well about the travel system!!!:D ) is it is of a solid handle design rather than 2 seperate, she likes to hang her shopping on the handles
 
we spent 750 euro on a bugaboo now trying desperately to flog it for 450.

Hardly ever used it past the 5 month stage. Soon as they can sit up they are ready for a buggy.

I suggest you look away from the quinny. While they look fashionable they don't recline which means if you are out and about your kid will have to sleep sitting up with it's head lolling around not really very comfortable for the child.

After many trips to all the shops we went for mcClaren they have a wide choice are cheap and are great for throwing around, also came with hood and rain cover (don't get one without unless you live in Oz or somewhere with permasun.)

For car seats my kid is 27 months and we are on our third so good luck with that. As for which is best? Safety ratings don't mean squat and after loads of reading up there weren't any that failed EU safety guidelines and it seemed to me the winner was the one that coughed up the most cash.

The differences between them are ever so slight so get one that suits your car is best advice.
 
loola do a good one, we bought ours over 2 years ago. its still used :]
the buggy itself is very hard wearing, the baby unit is very strong and secure and sits in a car seat very well.

as for car seats for toddlers, our maxi cosy is again fantastic, both in build and comfort :]
 
We used the Mamas & Papas travel system, it's the prammette with the infant carrier/car seat & it's done us well. At 8 months he's too big for the car seat but the pramette changes into a push chair and that'll do him for quite a while yet.

When I was getting him a larger car seat I didn't go for a Mamas & Papas one as I noticed they done really poorly in tests.

Edit: Forgot to add the reason we got the Mamas & Papas travel system was because it had performed well in tests and had got awards etc.. It seems to meet all your requirements as well.
 
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oh, weirdly, the loola is now very common, where as when we bought it people were buying the more 'fashionable' type prams / travel systems.
 
we have a HERQULES TWIN RAPTOR found here and its fantastic. (cannot find the proper site atm)

As said before dont get a travel system buy the car seat separate and you will have a much safer baby!
 
We have one of the graco travel systems and cannot fault it

had to have 2 kids one after the other to make full use of it and get some value from it :)

its big its heavy and its damn good quality.

as you already know its heavy its fine for bobbing around in a car but my wife struggled with stuff like buses etc but thats cos she had 2 children to deal with at the same time.

i would recommend it highly though its great and so is the car seat contraption. which i felt was incredibly secure and well fitted and is suitable for a fairly long period too.
 
We have a Bebe Confort Loola travel system.

The car seat doesn't have a base, and it's a bit fiddly to put in the car, but it rated very well in crash tests and it seems very well made.

The pram itself is great although my girlfriend finds it a bit heavy getting in and out of the car boot.

My daughter is almost 1 year old so we now use a Maclaren light weight pram that is much easier to get around shops.

The Loola is still like new and will come out again if we have another child.
 
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