Top of the range travel system vs 400/500 system

Cokezero

Hi all first time parent to be here.

We've been researching all the buggies and travel systems etc. One particular model is 1150 euro but it gets great reviews by my friends and anyone that owns it. I was surprised to hear that some of these people also bought strollers for country walks etc. If we go with the high end option we know we will use it for our other children (all going to plan). We also know we can sell again when finished.

I've seen other cheaper travel sets for about 400/500 euro and these include the car seat! When I add on car seat to the high end model it works out at about 1300/1400 euro. We are in a very comfortable position financially for this baby and setting up our nursery etc. I'm wondering if we would be as well off buying the 400 model and buying a good quality stroller at 6 months again? If people think that the premium product is worth it we would definitely invest. We are happy to spend the money but only if users of the premium product think it's worth it. Wed be planning on another child with an 18 month/2 year gap if possible.

Would love to hear recommendations. We live in an estate near town and would be on footpaths and Country roads.

SweetSand

Which brand are you considering? I would say best thing to do is to try out few buggies you like, even in the shop, see how they fold and how smooth they ride. With the first one we had Bugaboo bee, which is essentially a stroller but suitable for newborn. We were very happy with it, light, easy to fold, option of car seat on the frame and etc. Our second one was born 21 months later, so we wanted a double buggy, went to the shop after reading loads of reviews to look specifically at city mini double, ended up buying Bugaboo donkey, it was expensive but absolutely amazing, the quality and details are outstanding. We loved all the options it gave, bassinet and seat, seat and car seat and etc. A bit bulky to fold but brought it with us on holidays no problem. Once second one got bigger - we ended up selling Donkey and getting a step for original Bee, worked out great.
I wouldn’t bother with Stokke but I know people who love it. Uppababy - I think it’s good, my friend has the original one and she has her second baby now who is 1 year old, she hardly ever uses it, too bulky but I know newer models are better. Silver cross - the models that look like old buggies - definitely wouldn’t bother Fact is, most parents do end up buying strollers at some stage for the convenience. Look up yoyo, I always wanted to try it, I liked the idea of being able to bring it on the plane into the cabin but kids grew up too fast
For us bugaboo worked out great. Did end up selling Donkey for a very good price afterwards.
We did have Maclaren stroller for holidays, hated it but my best friend swore by it. Did buy double Maclaren on donedeal, sold it again week later, absolutely could not push it
My husband’s friends had Icandy - they hated it, too heavy and awkward.
I had some other buggies in between, was a bit obsessed I guess )) No buggies for us anymore, but it was fun trying them out
Best of luck with your choice and new arrival!

Sesame

I avoided anything chrome or too blingy. Not my style. I wanted practical, good off road but would do the city pavements and shop doors too. And mainly wanted to avoid having to buy lighter buggies in a years time. I ended up with a mountain buggy with cot attachment. It has a forward facing seat and a larger world facing seat too. Its a three wheeler, very light and suits us. I've even jogged with it as its light weight.

GreeBo

I would personally look at the second hand market, you can get lots of nearly new systems for easy cheaper than new office and after 1 month of use they all look the same anyway.

heldel00

I bought a top of range system and all the accessories on baby no.1. Hated it. Pushed like a dream but was big, heavy amd took up a lot of space in boot.
I bought a Joie stroller in Argos for €100 and love it. Baby no.3 due here in Nov and i actually don't even know where the other expensive buggy is!!

shesty

Whereas we are the opposite, an Uppababy was bought for no 1 and it is still going strong (no.3 is age 2 now).It has served as a double and a single, and a single with buggy board.Part of the reason we bought it was that we wanted something that would convert to a double easily.

Go try as many as you can, it's the only way really.

Millem

Shesty we were the same. Bugaboo chameleon (bought 2014) and city mini (bought (2017) still going strong and will be used for number 3 in a few weeks. Also have the bugaboo seat board on it.
The same thing with car seats all still going strong except I sold my first infant carrier a be safe. I bought a cabriofix for number 2. Still perfect.

My sister on the other hand balked at the cost but has probably spent more on her all cheaper buggies etc. I reckon she must be on at least her 6th buggy now!! She has 2 kids.

Toastytoes

Same as the previous 2 posters, we have the uppababy vista and still use it. Only ever used a stroller when on holiday. Love how sturdy the buggy is and the giant basket on the vista is amazing. There’s no way I’d have managed without it for taking baby shopping etc. I honestly hate using the stroller, would use the vista any day over it.

rainbow kirby

If I'm honest, I absolutely swear by the Out n About Nipper and am not a fan of travel system type buggies. My kids are 4 and 2.5 and I've only just sold the double as my older son (the height of a 6 year old) doesn't fit any more. Still have the single and the younger lad is very comfortable in it with room to spare. It is sturdy as hell too, before the pandemic I was flying back to Ireland from the UK with the kids 6-10 times a year and no issues with the single, I also did parkrun with it (though mostly used the double for that).

Cakerbaker

Another uppababy fan here. I bought a stroller when we had no.2 for our our older kid to use at his grandparents and i hate it in comparison to the uppababy.

For me i loved the big basket and the fact that the bassinet was certified for overnight sleeping as we have family around the country. The fact that I could use it in different combinations when I had number 2 was great too. I dont have space for a few buggies so could use as a single for baby or toddler as needed or as a double just by swapping / adding seats. We’ve the buggyboard now which is great when needed.

lazygal

Loved loved loved our Bugaboo donkey. The cheap travel system we bought for our first was a false economy. The more expensive one has seen us through three kids and has a new home.
We also bought a cheaper umbrella stroller which I hate. It's awkward to push. But it's handy now we're almost past the buggy stage. So it really is a varied answer. Second hand is definitely worth a look.

McCloskey_A

Bought an infababy Ultimo travel system for our first , along with isofix for the car
Found it great and used it until about 20 months then started Finding it heavy as expecting our second
Bought a joiei stroller and love it , very light with a good basket
In my mind I just couldn’t justify the price for some of the travel systems
Will be back using the travel system and the stroller with buggy board/ sling come October

Only thing I could fault was the baby carrier seat part - our little one never settled great in it , so we upgraded around 5 months to a 360 spin, little one had some neck issues so this may have explained it

honerbright

We got a baby elegance venti travel system, I love it. Saying that though, we actually ended up not using the pushchair as much as I expected. I also got a "stylish" baby carrier and we use that half of the time for walks and handy if we need to save space in the car if we're going somewhere.

bee06

We got the Joie Chrome DLX travel system with our first. It’s mid range price wise and we got the car seat and isofix base as well. I think all in it cost 700 euro ish.

Downside is that it’s quite heavy to lift in and out of the boot. But delighted I didn’t spend more because now on my 2nd and the 2.5 year old wouldn’t sit in a buggy for love not money so being able to convert to a double would be wasted and I much prefer to carry the baby in a carrier because it’s so much easier to hold the toddlers hand and run after him etc. We used it with the me carry cot for the first few weeks but I’ve used it once since then and it reminded me why I prefer the carrier.

Basically OP you ask 10 different people this question and you’ll get 9 different answers because everyone has different needs and considerations. And you might find that what you think your needs are now will change when the baby is born. I remember saying when I was pregnant with my first that I wouldn’t bother with one of those carriers because they looked really uncomfortable. Little did I know I’d have two Velcro babies and the carrier was the only way they’d settle.

jlm29

I’d agreee with spending a decent amount and getting something that will last. Otherwise there is a good chance you’ll spend more buying multiple buggies.
I will say though, It’s not €1400 or €400, there’s plenty options in the middle too. I spent a good bit on a silvercross travel system and it’s still going strong on baby number 4. It didn’t convert to a double though, so I ended up buying a double out n about along the way. I also have a stroller for the car, because at this stage I can’t fit a double and single in my boot, and I need both sometimes. So everyone is different, nobody knows exactly what suits you!

shesty

Sorry, I will chip in here and say the Uppababy is heavy enough but that is absolutely minor compared to it's usefulness.When you are lugging kids around, especially more than 1, the heaviness of the buggy tends to pale in comparison to how well you can manage with the kids and their gear in all situations with your buggy.A stroller would not have cut it here at all, kids, bags, boots, coats, so much stuff, and all terrains - literally beach to shopping centre.It took all combinations of car seat, pram basket, forward and rear-facing buggy seats, including a lie-flat set up - wouldn't be without it.

I would give a second vote also to the Out and About, we had the Nipper double of that too for a bit (long story).Lovely buggy, but for a combination of reasons I went back to my Uppababy after a while.However it would definitely be worth considering too.

Cokezero

Thank you all so much for feedback. It looks like the uppa baby comes highly recommended. We can't tell the future but ideally we will be planning a 22 month gap. Users of the uppa baby did you find the older baby stayed long in the buggy?

Cakerbaker

Cokezero wrote: »

Thank you all so much for feedback. It looks like the uppa baby comes highly recommended. We can't tell the future but ideally we will be planning a 22 month gap. Users of the uppa baby did you find the older baby stayed long in the buggy?

We had a 2.5 year age gap. My guy used it till then and stayed in the seat when I had it as a double with the baby in the bassinet. When baby grew out of the bassinet and was moving into the seat I decided against the rumble seat as the older guy was nearly 3 at that stage and I figured he wouldn’t get much use out of it. I went with the buggy board instead and that has gotten great use.

kollegeknight

Bought a bugaboo buffalo. Costed a small fortune. Rarely/never used for the first child as oh preferred a harness. Used a little bit with second child but never mistreated (we used it so little, we’d forget to bring it with us on trips) Used on the 3rd child for 5 months and it started collapsing. Googled problem, can happen. Emailed the company we bought it off of and they said the buffalo was a nightmare to service/repair and they couldn’t help us. I said it was disappointing considering the cost, the only reply was yeah we can only imagine. Bugaboo themselves never replied.

I was fairly annoyed, spent nearly 2k with the shop buying the system and no comeback 4 years later.

If it were me again, second hand or mid range. Spent good money (€150ish) on a harness and it has paid for itself 20fold.

Foweva Awone

We got the Uppababy Vista system, my son is an only child but it has been passed down to younger nieces and nephews and is still going strong, despite all the miles on it at this stage! Has never needed any repairs or replacements whatsoever.

At the time we bought it, it was the only one with a mattress approved for overnight sleeping as far as I remember. Handy for if you'll be spending any nights away with family etc in the early months.

The massive basket isn't essential for everyone, but we didn't have a car at the time so it was extremely useful. The basket is also very accessible -some buggies have huge baskets but very little room for maneuvering things in and out of the basket.

It's quite heavy, whether this will be an issue will depend on your lifestyle. E.g. I wouldn't recommend it if you're in an apartment with lots of stairs. And you need both hands to fold/unfold it, so you can't just hold the baby in one arm and manage the folding with the other (so for example if you use buses regularly, a lighter buggy with a one-hand fold would be much better.)

I'd say it's well worth the money to invest in a good travel system, you'll most likely be using it almost every day and you want something that's comfortable and functional.

karlitob

Foweva Awone wrote: »

We got the Uppababy Vista system

I'd say it's well worth the money to invest in a good travel system, you'll most likely be using it almost every day and you want something that's comfortable and functional.

Well clearly you can’t know that if you didn’t purchase the cheaper one.

Look, they’re all safe and functional - or else they couldn’t be sold here. If you want the extras (all terrain tyres - didn’t know Dundrum town centre needed all terrain) and you want the expensive one, then you’ll justify it to yourself.

If you want the best value for money then get the cheapest one. We did, no problems. Still going strong.

karlitob

kollegeknight wrote: »

Bought a bugaboo buffalo. Costed a small fortune. Rarely/never used for the first child as oh preferred a harness. Used a little bit with second child but never mistreated (we used it so little, we’d forget to bring it with us on trips) Used on the 3rd child for 5 months and it started collapsing. Googled problem, can happen. Emailed the company we bought it off of and they said the buffalo was a nightmare to service/repair and they couldn’t help us. I said it was disappointing considering the cost, the only reply was yeah we can only imagine. Bugaboo themselves never replied.

I was fairly annoyed, spent nearly 2k with the shop buying the system and no comeback 4 years later.

If it were me again, second hand or mid range. Spent good money (€150ish) on a harness and it has paid for itself 20fold.

2k!!!!! Sure they saw you coming. What do you expect?

Hazelnut Button

Another uppababy vista user here. It is a great buggy & we got great use out of it. We are about to use it again with number 2. However, number 1 is now 4 so won't be using as a double.

As others have said, bassinet is great as approved for sleeping. We used it everyday for daytime naps downstairs. The seat is really decent in size. We used it until our daughter was just over 3. And basket underneath is huge. Great for when you're out & about.

As others have said, it's a bit heavy. Other thing I would say is its quite a big frame so make sure it fits in the boot of your car before you buy it. I know friends who bought it and then it didn't fit in the car. They ended up changing the car to fit the buggy (madness).

I would recommend it but as other said it depends on your needs.

Foweva Awone

karlitob wrote: »

Well clearly you can’t know that if you didn’t purchase the cheaper one.

Look, they’re all safe and functional - or else they couldn’t be sold here. If you want the extras (all terrain tyres - didn’t know Dundrum town centre needed all terrain) and you want the expensive one, then you’ll justify it to yourself.

I never said anything about cheaper buggies being unsafe. I've often used other buggies for friends children or nieces and nephews, I found them less comfortable than the Uppababy, particular on longer walks and on beaches etc.

And I'm not from Dundrum. I'm from Sligo.

kollegeknight

karlitob wrote: »

2k!!!!! Sure they saw you coming. What do you expect?

I’d have to look for receipts but there wasn’t much change By the time the car seats etc were included. Twas definitely €1500. Twas cheaper than a divorce at the time. And in hindsight I should have put my foot down. But it a great I told you so now.

SweetSand

I am sorry you had trouble with bugaboo I think you got really unlucky with it. Buffalo never took off as a model, I think they only had it on the market for few years which is really unusual for bugaboo. If I remember correctly- they brought it out straight after donkey, which was a copy of it but a single only option, rather than donkey you can use as single/double. Bugaboos warranty is one of the best on the market, we had 3 years on both bee and donkey. I had to get small replacements 3 times for the bee and had great communications with bugaboo themselves and they posted replacements very quickly. Never had any problems with donkey. It’s such a pity you spent so much money and didn’t get a good product
As for Uppa baby - there is 3.1 years difference between my friend’s kids, older one is very tall, she struggled to use bassinet and seat at the same time, I think she ended up using bassinet and step. She has uppa baby stroller as well, she loves it, but uses BOB gear flex the most now, since the younger one is over 1 year old.

karlitob

Foweva Awone wrote: »

I never said anything about cheaper buggies being unsafe. I've often used other buggies for friends children or nieces and nephews, I found them less comfortable than the Uppababy, particular on longer walks and on beaches etc.

And I'm not from Dundrum. I'm from Sligo.

Point proved!

karlitob

kollegeknight wrote: »

I’d have to look for receipts but there wasn’t much change By the time the car seats etc were included. Twas definitely €1500. Twas cheaper than a divorce at the time. And in hindsight I should have put my foot down. But it a great I told you so now.

Ha. Worth it in the end!!!

screamer

You need to try and future proof a spend like that as in make sure you get more than one child’s use out of it. I tried a lot of them out as we had twins uppababy too heavy. Out n about double too wide. Phil and Teds- you’d wannabe a body builder to lift it. We settled on an i Candy, with removable seats it was really light and nifty even with 2 kids. I bought it second hand and we got great value. Could not and never would justify the 1800 euro spend to buy one. So future proof it, best as you can and also the market for second hand is weak as few people will buy something second hand.

Blingy

Just to give an example of spending the big bucks on a travel system - my sister bought a bugaboo cameleon nearly 12 years ago now and it’s still going strong. Has only needed the brakes replaced and one other small thing. It could do with a new basket too. It has been used for 7 kids in three different families and I’m still using it today. It is a great buggy and has really been put to the test. They also seem to hold their value if you wanted to sell it on.

annoyedgal

another uppababy fan here. Find it brilliant for the city as don't need to lift it in and out of the boot. It's heavy as others have said. Can get a weeks worth of shopping in the basket. It's a dream to push.
The brake on ours broke 4 years after purchase and the entire chassis was replaced for free. Also gets a yearly service, tyres replaced for free. Amazing after service.
I didn't like it as a double, too clunky and hard to manoeuvre up kerbs. Also didn't like the step up board and kept banging my knees off it.
Bought a second hand out and about nipper for 150 euro on adverts which has been a godsend. Still use the uppababy for toddler when on her own and will use it for baby no 3.
Great value in second hand, my friend bought a pristine one for about 400 euro. As others have said you won't know your needs yet. Just get what you need for now and worry about the rest when it happens.