Hi Ladies,

I hope you don't mind me gate-crashing from due in November, but I need your help! I have spent the majority of the afternoon scouring the internet & the "which" website to try and find my dream pram - and I am now quite simply very confused. At the moment, I like the look & feel of the silver cross linear freeway that hubby & I saw in Mothercare. I know it's a heavy one & bulky when folded etc, but it seemed sturdy and looked llike it was very comfy for the little one. I think I am aiming for something quite sturdy for when I am out and about. I won't have a car while on mat leave, but am thinking about buying an additional easy to fold/lighter stroller for when I'm ready to brave public transport etc!

I was wondering which prams you have & how you've found them or if there are any recommendations you would make.

Your advice will be gratefully received!

Thank you,

Dx
17+6

Well I've had a few prams & currently have a Phil & Teds for my two boys which I love!
Main things you need to consider are: Will it fit in the boot of your car? Where will you be pushing it? - so if you're in the country you'll be better off with big bouncy wheels. Shopping basket - will it hold lots? I can't remember life without a buggy to dump my shopping in, how did I manage before?! lol!
What's your budget? Do you want them to face you? Do you want to be able to put a car seat on it? Will it fit where it will be stored in the house?
Some pushchairs I couldn't have as at the time they wouldn't fit in my car boot or my hall! If you are using public transport you'll want one that is light/collapses small & stands on it own is a bonus!

My P&T's pushchair came last in the Which? tests but I think it is the best double & would buy it again - you need to check what they base their scores on to see if that's important to you.
xxx

ive had 3 prams!! i had a mamas and papas 03 sport which was a really nice pusher but heavy and difficult to manourve in shops as its quite long and had a big metal foot rest which tends to hit ppls heels!! i had a silver cross 3d which i loved!! my oh didnt like it because he liked the o3 sport, but its a really good pram, easy to use and not too heavy. i also have a silver cross pop buggy which is brilliant!! i fancy a linear freeway for my next LO, they are lovely!! and silver cross prams are excellent!! i cant think of a fault with them!! and they arent too pricey! just one word of wisdomk, do not get a mamas and papas pliko, my friend had 4 (kept returning them) as the wheels just kept locking up and she eventually swapped it for a nipi and it does the same. in my experience, the standard type wheels of mamas and papas are crap!! which is why the o3 sport was good, because its 3 wheels and inflatable. hope this helps. xx

i have a bugaboo bee and absolutely love it lola-mae is 7 weeks old on monday and sleeps so contently whilst out i wouldnt swap it for anything it can face you or away from you you can attatch a carseat its lightweight like a stroller you can buy the cocoon so its more like a pramette i have that and its snug for baby i just take the cover off so its not too hot. the basket is big enough for shopping a bit awkward to get the shopping in when the pushchair seat is flat but it can be done i have it in hot pink and its lush
claire and lola mae
xx

I have the linear freeway and I do like it, but if I was choosing now I might go for something different - I quite like the look of the i-candy range.

I like the fact that LO can face me or away from me, and I really like that the pram body lies flat, and is so easy to adjust between lying flat and sitting up. I think a lot of lie-flat buggies have a carry cot and separate buggy seat part, and I like that this is just one piece. We have done a fair bit of off-road walking with it, and although it's not designed for it so not brilliant, it has coped. The seat is quite high up which is good for Lo to look around - we took it to a farm last week and were glad we had as LO could peer over the fences into the pens, which he couldn't have done in the stroller.

It does take up the entire boot of my car though, and is a bit of a performance to put up and down. To put it into the car, I have to lie the pram body flat, then take it off and put it on the floor, then collpase the frame and put that in the car, then lie the pram body on top. I'm used to this now, but my one-hand fold stroller is so much easier! Like you say, it is quite bulky so probably not the best for public transport. Do you have space to store it at home? It's not very compact when collapsed, so it's just as easy to keep it up in the house - we don't really have room so it tends to live in the car boot or the garage. And it's not the easiest thing toi steer in small spaces, I'm forever bashing shelves and displays in shops - but that might just be me!

I'm not trying to put you off, just telling you the things I wish were different about it really, but they might not bother you! And it does have its good points.

But do have a play in the shops - it's good fun apart from anything else!

i had a chicco travel system and it was great at first but in the end i was soooo fed up of its size and weight that we bought an obaby atlas stroller which only cost us ??80 and i LOVE it, we'll definately be keeping it for "next time" or buying an identical one as it is suitable from birth x

I had a bebe confort loola, and HATED it! It was heavy, a pig to unfold (you have to pull on the handles till they click, but mine never did unless you practically threw the bloomin thing) it felt wobbly and flimsy and was front heavy so really hard to get up kerbs etc. I then went on ebay and bought an i'coo targo, and i love it! Its one of the ones with big tyres at the back and little ones at the front which makes it fab to push, it came with a carrycot attachment which is really cosy looking, and the seat unit can face either way. It folds up quite small if you take the seat unit off (it takes half a second so no hardship) its very sturdy and comfy looking too. The only place i've actually seen them is on ebay. I got mine on there brand new for ??318 with delivery, and for that i got the carrycot and seat unit, cosytoes, change bag, parasol and raincover! It actually reminds me a lot of the i candy but without the hefty price tag. The only thing i dont like is that the instructions that came with it were awful! But if you go on youtube there are demos on there which were very helpful. My favourite thing about it is that you can make the seat higher to either give you more space in the shopping basket, or to use as a highchair if you are out and about! Beats waiting for ages for a sticky horrible one! I also love the fact that it comes in so many colours. Mine is called rebel princess and is a dusky pink/lilac and purple. I get lots of compliments when i'm out! xx

hi, i have had 5 kids and have had numerous prams.

For my last baby I had the Pliko Pramette which I bloody loved. I have had silver cross, graco, urban detours etc etc etc.... The pram part is so lovely for when they are little and the pushchair is a nice comfy well padded one too,. It folds and opens so easy and it stores quite small too. I have had no problems with it. My wheels have been great.. it is now 18 months old and looks brand new. I got the car seat and the isofix base too. I loved it all, however, the car seat only clips on the pram if you hve it in pushchair mode which is silly. I am wondering if you could use the attachments for the luna etc.. to put car seat on when it is in pram mode.
I now have the silver cross pop for out and about which is fab too.

The phil and teds would be a good investment if you were going to have more kids and you could buy the baby attachment for it. However, in my experience when you have a new baby you always want a new pram.

TBH this post will probably confuse you even more as everyone has their own fav/opinion.

Go to a large Mothercare/toys r us/mamas and papas and just push the prams around. practise opeening/folding, puttting car seats on and off, carrying it and a baby if you need to get on a bus etc...

Good luck

d xxx

Hi everyone,

Thankyou so much for your replies. Yes, this seems so confusing, but your experiences are really helpful. I will be popping back to our mothercare branch soon to try out the silver cross again and also to try out others, particularly your recommendations.

Thank you so much for your help!

Dx
18+1