Is a travel system really necessary?

alibride

I was just wondering does everyone think they need a travel system when they have a baby?
Personally i think its a thing that really took off in the boom, when alot of people spent nearly a thousand a buggy!! I think if you live in the city its a waste of time if your out walking all the time. A regular buggy that reclines fully is perfect for getting on and off the bus, etc

I met a first time mum today whe said her little one is getting too big for the car seat at 5 months and i said why dont you put her into the normal part of the buggy!! well the look of shock on her face said it all!

I mean it is what it says "a car seat". I also left my car seat in the car and put them in fully reclined buggy from day 1 - no harm done, but now even in the recession people think they "HAVE" to spend hundreds!!
I think its crazy Its such a marketing ploy

Gee_G

alibride wrote: »

I was just wondering does everyone think they need a travel system when they have a baby?
Personally i think its a thing that really took off in the boom, when alot of people spent nearly a thousand a buggy!! I think if you live in the city its a waste of time if your out walking all the time. A regular buggy that reclines fully is perfect for getting on and off the bus, etc

I met a first time mum today whe said her little one is getting too big for the car seat at 5 months and i said why dont you put her into the normal part of the buggy!! well the look of shock on her face said it all!

I mean it is what it says "a car seat". I also left my car seat in the car and put them in fully reclined buggy from day 1 - no harm done, but now even in the recession people think they "HAVE" to spend hundreds!!
I think its crazy Its such a marketing ploy

No,I don't think it's necessary but extremely handy to be able to take the car seat out when baby is asleep and just pop it onto the buggy! No disturbing the baby and handy for Mammy

January

I know most "normal" buggies can take a car seat now with adapters. My petite star zia could take a car seat. It could recline fully also.

Ginny

We got a fully integrated baby elegance system. Nowhere near thousands of euros. The little man is nearly 9 months and we still use it. The car seat fitting the frame was great when he fell asleep in the car, so we didn't have to wake him. I think all in all the car seat, buggy, carrycot, frame and carseat base was €359. Well worth the money, used the carrycot as a place for naps when he was younger downstairs so we never bought a Moses basket.
I think spending thousands is ridiculous, I know a good few people who bought stokkes and bugaboos then had to buy separate carseats and bases.
You're actually not supposed to use the carseat bit as an everyday buggy, there's a time limit that it can be used for if it doesn't recline.
Although in fairness these days while out shopping I use my carrier instead, so I have my hands free.

alibride

hey ginny - i agree its so handy to move a sleeping baby into a travel system. i have borrowed one in the past. But mainly i use the fully reclined buggy and have done from day 1 and the look i get from alot of mothers is gas! they think if its not in a carrycot or car seat then it shouldnt be in a fully reclined buggy even with a head hugger and cosy toes!! and i blame marketing for that

Gee_G

Ginny wrote: »

We got a fully integrated baby elegance system. Nowhere near thousands of euros. The little man is nearly 9 months and we still use it. The car seat fitting the frame was great when he fell asleep in the car, so we didn't have to wake him. I think all in all the car seat, buggy, carrycot, frame and carseat base was €359. Well worth the money, used the carrycot as a place for naps when he was younger downstairs so we never bought a Moses basket.
I think spending thousands is ridiculous, I know a good few people who bought stokkes and bugaboos then had to buy separate carseats and bases.
You're actually not supposed to use the carseat bit as an everyday buggy, there's a time limit that it can be used for if it doesn't recline.
Although in fairness these days while out shopping I use my carrier instead, so I have my hands free.

I only used the carseat bit flying into shops or something I didn't get much use out Of the carrycot part because my little man is very long!

Moonbeam

My double buggy does not take the car seat but I wish it did.(out n about nipper).
My single one did and it was brilliant being able to take the sleeping baby out and run around the shops now I just stick him in a trolley or put him in the reclined buggy.
It is amazing how stuff changes when you have a few:)

uck51js9zml2yt

Babies shouldn't be kept in car seats for long as being bent effects their ability to breathe. It amazes me the number of car seats I see sitting on top of pram chassis every time im out.
The best position for a young baby is lying flat until they can sit up.

Ms2011

I bought my travel system unused second hand for just €100 so I always advise anyone who feels they have to have a travel system to go down this route, there are plenty out there. My son only got 5 months out of the travel system but I didn't feel to bad as I hadn't paid full whack for it.
That said if I were having another I would just invest in one of those carseats from birth+ & a light buggy which is much easier to get in & out of the car & takes up alot less room in shops, cafes, resturants etc.

lazygal

Joe Immense Gas wrote: »

Babies shouldn't be kept in car seats for long as being bent effects their ability to breathe. It amazes me the number of car seats I see sitting on top of pram chassis every time im out.
The best position for a young baby is lying flat until they can sit up.

+1. I hated leaving baby in the car seat after driving somewhere - we always put her lying flat in the pram. I actually don't think its an attractive feature. I was out waking yesterday, a cool enough day, and saw several small babies being walked in car seats on chassis. They didn't seem very comfy or cosy, never mind keeping the baby in one position not only during a car journey but a walk. When buying a buggy it wasn't a feature I was bothered about.

movingsucks

My carseat lay flat I bought and loved it for that reason as I do long walks and long drives.

Suucee

I bought a travel system with carry cot and hated it, it was 2 big for shops and the boot. I sold it on fairly quickly when lo was about 3 months and got a graco mosaic, it lies fairly flat and I loved that it is an umbrella fold stroller but car seat also has a base and can attach to the pram while baby was sleeping. If she was awake I would take her out and put her in stroller or if I was going for a walk but saying that it was so handy when popping in to a shop to just detach the seat from the base and on to the pram, baby not disturbed.

MintyDoris

We researched it and decided not to buy one. It made no sense for us and as the young babies cannot be in the seat for too long it was a no brainer. We bought a lay flat buggy and a baby seat for the car that uses the seat belt to strap in. Now she's a little older a cheap stroller will be fine to keep in the car and the buggy for walking

I'm certainly not saying it applies to everyone but a lot of expensive purchases I have seen people spend their money on is more about keeping up with the Jones rather than what they actually need

iguana

I decided not to get one either as I wanted to get a very particular car seat and it's not part of a travel system that would suit my walking needs. ( I wanted an extended rear facing seat that was suitable from birth and an very lightweight all terrain buggy.) As well as that the only time we've ever taken the pram in the car is when we'd be out for a very long time and that it much too long for a baby to be confined to a car seat.

That said I did make sure to get a pram that also had a carrycot attachment. I go for long walks every day with my dogs and with a November baby I wanted to ensure that he had the least exposure to the bad weather (and messy wet springers) when we were out. I have used the pram in buggy mode once when I was taking an intercity bus journey and I didn't want to have to reattach the carrycot while holding a baby and my luggage. He wasn't as protected from the wind as he is in the carrycot and I had to lug the rain cover about with us as I need it for even light showers, whereas with the carrycot I only need the raincover if the rain is very heavy. The carrycot is also better for him for daytime naps as it functions as a moses basket downstairs or when we're visiting. He's 5 months now and really big but we still use it everyday. Once the weather gets better I'll swap him over permanently but the carrycot was worth every penny (of the €100 I paid for the whole thing secondhand).

ameee

It depends on your needs really. I've used one and Will be purchasing one in November all going well. I need one as im in and out of the car a lots on school runs and the children's different clubs and stuff. They are great because i don't have to disturb a sleeping baby a few times a day that being said if i was using the buggy for walking more then a few minutes id put the baby in reclined buggy. The ones i have been looking at are about 250 which i think is reasonable for a buggy and car seat they also come with a carry cot part.

Mink

I got a second hand system for 200 and I found the carry cot part great to use as for day naps downstairs, I never got a moses basket, just got a new mattress for it.

Marketing for baby stuff is mad and people do spend mad money on it, but there are the occasional purchases that seem unimportant but a lot of mothers wouldn't be without them and a cheaper version wouldn't have been the same - a good sling is an example

Hobbitfeet

I think a carrycot is definitely needed for a newborn or a pushchair that goes flat and is facing towards you.
When I bought our car seat I was told that a baby shouldn't be in it for longer than an hour as its bad for spine development and as it can restrict breathing due to the position the baby is in

pwurple

No, they are not needed. A buggy that goes flat for sleeping is plenty in a city. If you have a car, get a carseat. Woot, you just saved yourself 700 quid for the same functionality.