Pram Advice/Deals

Cartman78

Hi all,

Wasn't able to find a recent thread on this so apologies in advance if my search skills were shoddy and there's a million other pram threads lurking somewhere else

Went for our first look at prams/travel systems etc. last weekend and got a fair shock at the prices tbh. (The shop we went to only seemed to have Uppababy Vista and the Quinny range - liked the Vista best but the price was exorbitant)

Have done a wee bit of research online and quizzing people at work and it seems that there is value out there if you know where to look (?)

Would be extremely grateful for any recommendations or tips - have heard whisperings of a great value baby shop in Tralee but can't find it online.

Thanks in advance, cm

cyning

The baby shop in Tralee is www.traleenurserysupplies.com

I cannot reccomend them highly enough: they are great

I got the baby elegance beep, but that seems to have been replaced by the beep twist and regardless mine is still sitting in the shop untill baby actually gets here so someone else should be better with that

January

Have a look on adverts too because people only use a travel system for a few months before swapping for a stroller at about 6/7 months. You could buy a barely used system for probably half the price you'd pay in shops.

feest

January wrote: »

Have a look on adverts too because people only use a travel system for a few months before swapping for a stroller at about 6/7 months. You could buy a barely used system for probably half the price you'd pay in shops.

I second this, but with the caveat that unless you are buying from someone that you know and trust, *always* buy a new car seat and base (if you plan to use a base) if you buy a used travel system. Even one minor accident compromises the safety of the car seat, and the risk is too great!

Mink

The Baby Elegance systems are great value and I feel they are great quality and easy to use & light (bear in mind this is just test running it around my house, I've yet to actually put a baby in it as he's not arrived yet!) I think it's in and around 400 to 500 euros new.

Failing that, yep 2nd hand is way to go to save on money. Adverts.ie is good for this. We got a whole Baby Elegance Beep travel system for 200 euros, it had only been used for a few months and was in immaculate condition. But you could get a system from one of the higher end brands for a decent enough price

theLuggage

Also consider buying a buggy thats easily converted to a double if needed later. I totally ignored that advice, would never have two so close etc, etc and here I am looking for double buggy.

We bought Quinny Buzz at the time and loved it, and still do. Thought I would never use the carry cot - used it constantly! We got and are getting great value out of it, only problem is it's not convertible to double :-(

Cartman78

theLuggage wrote: »

Also consider buying a buggy thats easily converted to a double if needed later. I totally ignored that advice, would never have two so close etc, etc and here I am looking for double buggy.

We bought Quinny Buzz at the time and loved it, and still do. Thought I would never use the carry cot - used it constantly! We got and are getting great value out of it, only problem is it's not convertible to double :-(

Yep...that was the advantage of the Uppababy Vista one we were looking at..........but it was ridiculously expensive in the shop we looked in (c. €1,000 :eek: ).

It's a bit of a conundrum either way....spend a lot on a convertible buggy now or buy a single now and then end up having to fork out for a double at a later stage if you maybe/hopefully/possibly have the need for one

theLuggage

Sorry not familiar with that buggy - didn't realize it was convertible! All I can say is I was sorry to spend the money we did on the Quinny and now have to fork out again! If you do opt for a single, don't get an expensive all frills one like I did - just in case!

TwoMums2Be

The buggy decision is probably the hardest decision you will make as there are so many systems, budgets & opinions

We went for the uppababy as we needed a buggy that could handle lots of dog walking. It has suspension on all wheels & seems to be an all round great system (it's the current top rated buggy by which? ), the basket is a great size and comes as standard with rain covers, mozzy nets (for both buggy & pram) & adapters for your car seat (maxi cosi or BeSafe). The uppababy is €709 so the price you were quoted prob includes a car seat & base If not go elsewhere.

The easiest way to decide on a system is to think about your needs and rule out systems based on that

Will you spend your time pushing a buggy on paths etc - if so you don't need to worry as much about suspension.

Are you willing to have pumped wheels - if not that rules out a good section.

As you mentioned how likely is it that you need a conversion to a second & do you like the bucket type seat? There are some buggies that are more suitable to this than others....a lot of parents with more than one swear by Phil & Teds.

Will you be out doing shopping - some of the baskets are tiny & lots of bags hanging off your handle bars messes with stability

How tall/short are you - some systems are more suited to either taller or shorter people

Will you be taking public transport - folding with one hand would be important in this case & I would prob have ruled out most travel systems if I was on & off buses a lot!

If you can figure out your personal needs it really will rule out enough systems to make the choice more manageable friends of ours who are path/shopping centre users have the e-go (same brands as the beep) & love it!

Best of luck - it really is one of the harder decisions

Moonbeam

Kiddicare.com usually have excellent prices .
I do not really like strollers but love big proper buggies that have suspension and can handle sand and kerbs .
Everyone's requirements are different .
A lot of people have the baby jogger buggies and love them so definitely worth a look .
Make a list of your requirements and it makes it easier

messynessie

www.hugzbabystore.ie have some good deals as do kiddicare.com

I got ours from donedeal, the Obaby Zezu for only €120 and it's like new hardly used as was a second pram for childminder.
There are some really good deals on there to be had but like others have said get your car seat new. I'll be getting mine from hugzbabystore.ie and including delivery it's €80 whereas the whole system new would have cost me over €300

A lot of people sell travel systems on adverts.ie and donedeal so you could pick up the one you want for far less and it'd still be in great condition.

notsobusy

I got a Mothercare own brand, it's a 3 wheeler so perfect for pushing around the fields as we live on a farm. It cost 350 new and came with a car seat. Chuffed to bits with it.

Mothercare do another one that is 4 wheeler and is cheaper than the major brands. Just as good if you ask me.

pwurple

I never got a pram or travel system. We went for a decent buggy and a seperate carseat. Way cheaper, takes up less room, and meant we didn't need to buy another stroller in a few months. Baby just loved it, always napped so well in it, and still loves it at 15 months old.

We got the Nipper 360 which goes completely flat for newborns (so is effectively a pram). It's a great buggy. Very manuverable. It is light, strong and foldable. Can be thrown in the boot of a car. We have the original one, but there is a new version out which has carseat clips, so you can fit a maxicosi on top of it. It was just over 300 euro new, but can be gotten for half that price second hand.

Cartman78

Cheers for all the replies - this pram buying project is more compllicated than buying a car!

I think we gave ourselves a bit of a shock with the first place we went to a couple of weeks ago. To use a car analogy - it would be like going looking for a car and going straight to the nearest Porshe/Ferrari dealership.

The place we went to yesterday had a much better range - we're keen now on the Mama's and Papa's zoom model but will do some more browsing before settling on anything.

What's the consensus on the car seat base??? To me, this seems to be something that would be handy to have in terms of popping the carry seat into, but in all reality it's probably unneccessary?? (Assuming you have a bit of patience and take time to practice installing using the seat belt)

seamus

The car seat base makes life a whole lot easier really. Strapping them in is something that a lot of people may not find very easy and some people worry about doing it right. With the base you just click it in and it works.

Safety is also a factor - in most cases the seat is more stable and safer when it's in a base than when strapped in. Of course they've all been rigorously tested, so the best brands will still be "safe".

My wife has a bad back (and she's not very tall), so having to lean across the seat to strap it in presents difficulties for her.

It's not essential by any means, but if you're getting a travel system-type pram/stroller, then you usually get a deal which includes the car seat base, so you may as well take it.

We got a great deal on the Uppababy Vista in Murphy's Rathcoole over the weekend, I'd highly recommend going into them to have a look.

Cartman78

The Uppababy Vista was one of the one's we were looking at in the Ferrari Pram Dealership, for all the bits & pieces it would have ended up costing us €950-€1,000. Still like that system though so might do some online browsing for a deal too.

Don't live near Dublin unfortunately so can't take you up on that recommendation

Ginny

We went for the baby elegance beep, ticked all the boxes, is nice and sturdy but not too heavy. It also can use an isofix base so it's handy enough.

The Magpie

We went with a graco travel system.
There are several different options, between a pram/buggy combo, or buggy that lies flat and then can be sat up as baby gets older, and all come with foot muff, rain cover, car seat and car base for around the 350-380 mark.
Smyths had a lovely pram version, and then Tony Kealy's had 3 or 4 variations of pram and buggy options.
They are very sturdy, very good value, and I also found the staff at kealy's to be extremely helpful and vigilant about car safety.
The only down side is that some models are very heavy and bulky, and we couldn't go with our first choice as it didn't fit in the car, but budget wise we could not beat it for value.

Cartman78

Just another question on a related topic - neither of our cars (04 Fiesta and 08 Focus) have the ISO Fix connections installed.

One of the people in the shop y'day mentioned that you can get these installed at a dealership for around €60 - anyone heard of this/done this?

Cheers again for all the replies, will hopefully settle on one of these Baby-Travel-Systems soon - God knows how we survived without all this stuff in the 1980's

seamus

Cartman78 wrote: »

One of the people in the shop y'day mentioned that you can get these installed at a dealership for around €60 - anyone heard of this/done this?

Yep, I've heard of this being done on a Focus for a very reasonable price, my brother's sister-in-law had it done.

Only thing to check is that your insurer will continue to cover this "modification" to the vehicle. However, since it's done by the manufacturer/authorised dealer, I can't see why it would be an issue.

TwoMums2Be

As Seamus said it can be done but check re insurance! I'm very surprised at an 08 not having isofix!

Another thing to be aware of is that not all isofix bases will fit all isofix brackets. Maxi cosi doesn't fit a Honda jazz for instance so we went with the new car seat to the market...the BeSafe which gets great reviews.

A base isn't essential by any means but it's certainly handy & once installed you know the car seat is in properly everytime If you are going with a travel system and budget can stretch to it I would recommend one. If you can't afford one practice putting the car seat in & out of the car well before the baby arrives preferably with 7/8lbs of spuds sitting in it

hazeler

January wrote: »

Have a look on adverts too because people only use a travel system for a few months before swapping for a stroller at about 6/7 months. You could buy a barely used system for probably half the price you'd pay in shops.

We got an amazing deal on a Casatto travel system "cabi" on donedeal. It was €640 new (car seat, pram, stroller, changing bag and buggy frame) and the lady was selling it all for €200. She used the car seat 4 times and the pram part about the same amount. Her baby was premature and they couldn't go outside the door with her, by the time she was strong enough, they needed a double buggy and the cabi got put up in the spare room.

We took the plastic off the changing bag and mat, the stroller attachment and cosy toes have never been used. She still had all the tags and papers! It was a smashing deal and worth trawling through adverts or donedeal to find something similar. You'd be very suprised what you'd pick up!