Can someone give me some basic pram/stroller advice?

Question

We are TTC and my partners sister is due in August. We have been researching prams pushchairs etc and it's just mind boggling!! Is it best to get ones that change from a pram to buggy and have a car seat or buy seperately?

What about the strollers that say suitable from birth? Are they really suitable from birth? because i thought a newborn baby had to lie completely flat as with a pram?

Also is it best to have a car seat which attaches to the buggy so as to not have to disturb the baby if it's asleep or is it best to buy a car seat that is just a car seat but last from birth right through to toddler than have to use the car seat that comes with the buggy and then need to replace it in just a few months?

We are trying to work out what is best both economically and for convenience and come to some sort of a balance between the two!! so any advice would be much appreciated. Also i would imagine we would use the car more as a mode of transport than buses/trains if this helps

Answer 1

I've spoken with friends who have small children who said if they could do it again they would get the traveling system (infant car seat that attaches to the stroller so you don't have to wake the baby up, as you've mentioned).  This is the route we are going to go.  The one major drawback is that the baby will outgrow that car seat within the first year since the one we are looking at getting (Chico Brand) only goes up to 30 pounds.  It is about $300US.  The other ones we saw only go up to 22 pounds.

Answer 2

The best one to get is one that you can clip the car seat onto.  Also they do fold down flat if you want to use them without the seat, and most of them are smaller now and can fit in cars better.

Answer 3

Just speaking from experience, I have the silver cross 3d travel system and have found it brilliant. It is a pram to begin with, then as the baby gets more interested in what is around him it easily turns into a forward facing pushchair but you can recline the seat in lots of different positions so for example, my baby is 6 months now and is forward facing but I still recloine the seat a fair bit so he can drift off to sleep in it still. My travel system came with a car seat that was suitable from birth to 9kg (about 6-9months) that was very easy to use and great to get out of the car and just clip on the pushchair frame with no distrubances. The travel systems are a lot of money to start off with (mine was about £200 on ebay) but they do pay off in the long run as it'll last until your little one is walking (apart from buying another car seat later on you won't have to buy anything else) whereas if not a travel system you'd need a rear facing car seat, front facing car seat, pram and pushchair which would probably end up costing more and be more hassle too.

Answer 4

it is best to have them as flat as possible for the first wee while, buy a travel system which you can attach a lie flat carry cot or your car seat and then it will become a buggy aswell. they are great.