Pushchair for newborn - On a tight budget!!!

[badcoverversion]

Hello y'all,

I'm almost 11 weeks gone so not in a massive rush at the minute but I AM attempting to get things sorted ASAP and on a rather tight budget to boot. We don't want to buy beyond our means for the sake of keeping up with the Joneses and we are looking SOLELY for something that functions as a pushchair. Not a pram-cum-pushcair-cum-carseat with a cup carrier and sat nav and a built in recording studio. JUST a common-or-garden baby transporting thingummy.

So anyway...we are looking to spend no more than £150 on this contraption (cloud cuckoo land?) and here are our key requirements;

*4 WHEELS PLEASE!
*Lightweight but not likely to topple over and propel DC onto the floor during a bumpy buss ride.
*Easy to manouvre (corners/steps etc) and fairly easy to collapse.
*Suitable from birth - so fully 'reclineable' - and hopefully up until 2 yrs or thereabouts.
*Reasonable amount of room for nappies, wipes, vodka, pies etc. underneath.
*Fairly unisex in appearance.

Any accoutrements such as rain cover, foot muff are a HUGE BONUS.

We have a basic £30 stroller for our 2yo DS but we rarely use it nowadays as he's a fucking nightmare fairly independent ...the Chicco Liteway we bought when he was born packed in after 2 years of almost constant use and that cost us £99.99 in early 2008 so we were more than happy with the amount of wear and tear we got out of that!

Thanks in advance kindly mumsnetters...all feedback in mucho appreciated.

[BertieBasset]

We have a Mothercare whizzi

here

Keep ours in the car, dd has been in it since about 8 months but it is from birth. Very easy to control and good height on the handles.

[RockBat]

Second hand iCandy cherry. It does the lot with minimal fuss.

[zombishambles]

Its a Mac Techno Xt in black surely?

[LovestheChaos]

graco mirage. They are much better than they used to be.

[RockBat]

I wouldn't put a newborn in an umbrella fold no matter how much the manufacturers say it's suitable.

[moshiecat]

I like the graco mirage too, folds flat, easy to push one handed, has a big basket and doesn't topple over.

[moshiecat]

That was meant to be lies flat- full recline, but it does fold flat too. Not umbrella fold.

[Wallace]

Chicco Winter London £44.99 in Argos :)

[withorwithoutyou]

Techno, try ebay or boots winter sale.

[5andahead]

Britax B-mobile

Mac techno XT

Mac Techno XLR comes with footmuff as well

You can get a decent 2nd hand pram off Ebay for £150 or less, depending on what you were looking for.

[badcoverversion]

The Graco Mirage is definitely looking like a hot contender based on the internet reviews and the price/appearance.

Keep the recommendations coming and thanks again.

[zombishambles]

rockbat - I think its fine - better than one which is basically a carseat all day imo.

[NothereisnobodylurkingbehindU]

This mutsy looks like a good buy but I'm not sure how easy they are to collapse? here You also need to be in the right area for collection!

[cleo78]

After buying all singing all dancing travel system...we went to the opposite extreme and bought an o-baby from mothercare. It's great! Suitable from birth, about 70 sterling, and from my pointof view, fits in the tiny tiny boot of my car! lots of people have commented on it! Not a huge amount of storage though to be honest...

[lee69]

check out your local NCT nearly new sales in your area? I went to one a few weeks ago and they had a whole Travel System for under £100, it had the whole shabang!! with it too

[JetLi]

Mamas & Papas factory shop here could be worth a trip & not just for pushchairs either. There's one in Stoke too here.

[suzie38]

Graco Metrosport is very good...But pretty sure you can only buy second hand these days...Many are sold with a car seat that clips onto the pushchair...Very light and easy to push, easy to fold, massive basket, attached tray for snacks/toys, huge hood, parents tray, often come with a footmuff...Mines for sale on eBay at the moment for 1/3 of price you want to spend as most of the others there are also.

[akatwinkle]

Obaby Edge www.cksshops.co.uk/best/product.php?id_product=1158

[KarenHughes]

The Zia 4 is a good bet..... and you can make it into a travel system if you buy a car seat and the adaptors! :)

www.nurseryvalue.com/pushchairs/petite-star-zia4-moonstone.aspx

[sickoftheholidays]

my best reccomendation for the pushchair you are looking for is BUY A SECOND HAND ONE.

I would look at the loola up or pliko second hand on ebay, for under £100 you will probably be able to pick up a pushchair/pramette with all the extras you want.
Reason I suggest the top two is they both fold down easily for the bus, are fairly lightweight, lie flat, and rear face. The pliko actually converts with a couple of zips and a liner to a lie flat rear facing pram.

I personally would not put a new baby in a standard umberella type stroller as they are not very comfortable and have no proper support that newborns need. Also, they will not be facing you, which while others may not be bothered, I think it a big thing.
I get very upset seeing babies round town screaming their heads off, only to have mum come round the front, shove dummy in, baby goes quiet as it can now see mum, mum disappears round back of pushchair again, cue baby spitting dummy out and screaming again.

[badcoverversion]

I personally found that my DS loved facing outward in his pushchair...all the colours and lights and the passers-by etc...and we never had the dummy problem because, well, he never had one.

Just so you know, I don't really plan on using the pushchair for great lengths of time until the DC is a few weeks at least. We used a sling/carrier for the majority of my DS's first weeks and he loved being close to the breast as new babies usually do.

I don't really fancy buying second hand because it seems like it's a bit more of a gamble to be honest...and I don't feel like I'm asking for a huge amount in the way of extras. I also thought my budget was pretty 'doable' really, but perhaps I am being overly optimistic.

The Graco Mirage is still my favourite of all the suggestions so far btw.

[lecohen]

Hiya,

Congrats! I think a pliko type would be perfect for your needs...I have a chipolino pooky which is a complete lookalike/copy for a fraction of the price and it does everything you mention and also doubles as a pramette for the early months... I will be parting with mine soon though when number 3 arrives to make way for the double.

[lecohen]

oh and I also have a combi flash which I would highly recommend and within your budget - they are very similar to the graco metrosport size wise (but has a lowish handle so not sure if that is good for you) but it is very compact, suitable from birth, completely washable, has never toppled and has a deceptively large basket.

I keep toying with selling mine but resale seems too low for me to justify it :-) I have had it for 4 years although have had LOTS during that time so has not been used all that time but I did use it daily for several months and holidays and was always happy with its performance.

Hope that helps

[SickOnMyShoulder]

this new with a carrycot off ebay will be in your budget, easy to use on public transport, and push whilst holding your toddler's hand, but a bit studier and comfier than an umbrella fold