Versa: teeny tiny carrycot warning

[caramelgirl]

So, I bought the versa following recommendations here and generally I love it, v easy steering, collapses super fast, big storage basket. BUT my 91%ile 3 month old is busting out of it. Turns out only the "compact carrycot" fits on the frame.
So I am going to have to revert to my much hated Britax vigour until 6 months (as versa has bucket seat rather than lie flat).
So disappointed, wanted to warn people, perfect pram really doesn't exist!

[Ihateparties]

Can you do us a favour and measure it please, for future reference?

You could wedge the main seat, the stokke one is good, the silver cross one also. I have had both, not in a versa but generally and they are pretty good for 3-4 month olds not just for the flat position but for allowing them to see out a bit better.

[caramelgirl]

Okay, baby squashed into it at the moment so couldny fiddle around too much but I make it 73cm long by 32cm wide on the outside.
Will investigate wedges, thanks!

[Ihateparties]

I suspect it's on the narrow side rather than particularly short. 70cm long inside is pretty average. Width though i have no benchmark in my head. The stokke wedge would be my preference for a largeish 3m old, or a britax carseat wedge support thing (as come with their 0+/1 carseat). I have thd silver cross one in the cupboard still if i could unearth it.. it provides a firmer flatter environment to either of the other two but as a result the baby looks very exposed lying on the top of the seat unit. Esp in summer with no footmuff or cocoon.

[caramelgirl]

Hmm, I have alot of britax car seats. Will have a look for a wedge in one of them. Thanks for tip- agree he will look v exposed on top of wedge tho' I fear.
Am still hoping someone wikl tell me that a mega big carrycot will also fit on and that Winstanleys pram world were talking rubbish.

[Ihateparties]

I fear not. However if you like it otherwise then this is a short period of time. I remember feeling like this when i got an icandy peach blossom 1 when dc3 was 3.5 months. The carrycot was out of stock and also teeny. At least try a britax wedge to see how he looks. I might still have a pic on my profile of the stokke one in the pb1, will check.

[Tiggywunkle]

To be honest, I think you have an unrealistic expectation of the size of a carrycot. My 2 year old was quite happy laid in the Versa carrycot. Yes he filled the Versa carrycot, but he snuggled himself in.

I have a few carrycot measurements here in front of me and the biggest I have is 80cms long. I have measurements for width of 32-37cms wide for the random selection I have, and I know many are smaller than these I have here.

[caramelgirl]

Guess you are right Ihateparties, not that long to put up with a compromise.
Tiggy, I get what you are saying, it's just I have a hot and sweaty little boy and I keep looking enviously at giant cameleon carrycots with friends babies sprawled out. And even the britax vigour one, which I used on holiday because I wanted to keep my versa safe, looked to have much more room for him. Maybe it's because the versa is both narrow and short on the measurement spectrum?
i shall hunt out the wedge and see if that works better.
Thanks for replies

[Laquila]

Hi OP, I'm picking up my Versa in a couple of days, complete with carrycot! I just wanted to flag up that the standard Versa carrycot is 50cm wide, which I think is fairly standard (or even generous?) - but according to the website, the width of the compact carrycot is indeed 36cm. I don't know if it's an option for you to maybe trade in the compact one and get the standard one?...

[Tiggywunkle]

50cms wide is very generous for a carrycot. It is the Versa one which I put my son in. The new Bugaboo Buffalo carrycot is 40cms wide at the widest point (the head & shoulders) but 37 wide in the mid point for example.
I wonder why you were sold the compact carrycot for the Versa? I am actually intrigued as to how the compact carrycot fits onto the Versa - I can't see how the connectors would work.

[Tiggywunkle]

Sorry, I have just come back to this, because the carrycot can't be 50cms wide. The whole pushchair is only 59cms wide and the wheels overhang the chassis. But the seat unit is 31cms wide at the front edge, and the carrycot fills the full width of the chassis (the seat unit leaves a gap) so 40cms sounds about right for the carrycot width. I would love someone to get measuring though!

[forevergreek]

The cameleon is only 74cm long yet our 2 year old could also fit if squeezed. We used to actually sit 18 month at bottom with newborn at top ( probably not the best safety recommendation). So surely 73cm is basically the same
Size?

They can touch the bottom and sides without it being too small

[Laquila]

Hmmm confused!

According to the Baby Jogger catalogue, they do a compact and compact plus carrycot (the Versa is not mentioned in the catalogue as actually being compatible with either of these - it doesn't say it isn't, but it just isn't on the list. There is no other specific Versa carrycot displayed in the catalogue, though.)

However, best buggy.co.uk says that the Versa carrycot is the same dimensions as the compact plus carrycot, which the BJ catalogue says is 37cm wide (as opposed to the 34cm wide of the compact carrycot). So God knows what the 50cm wide one shown on the John Lewis website as the "Versa carrycot" is!

[caramelgirl]

Hmm, will give JL a call. Wouldn't even mind buying another carrycot as poor soul really is wedged in already- struggles to be able to suck thumb etc.
and he is smaller than pfb who was a winter baby and really did have more space in the vigour. I mean I hated that buggy, but carrycot size was never an issue.
Thanks for information!

[caramelgirl]

Right, well JL's versa carrycot is just a compact carrycot. Exactly the same dimensions as my original one (obviously). No idea where their weirdy measurements online have come from.
Still not seen a compact plus, interesting that JL and Winstanleys (where I ordered carrycot from) both sell compact as the compatible carrycot.
Anyway, posted in the hope it might help someone?

[SailorVie]

Doesn't the baby jogger deluxe carry cot fit on the versa? That is why I used on my city mini. That had wonderful airy proportions, looked an awful lot nicer than the compact which looked weeny!

[Tiggywunkle]

The sockets which the compact (and plus) carrycot fits into on the City Mini is very different to the sockets which the Versa carrycot fits into. Thus they have to be different carrycots (and I know that they are). The deluxe carrycot only fits onto the City Mini / GT / Elite series.

[caramelgirl]

Deluxe carrycot sounds good (in an "only the best for my little poppet" kind of way). Shame it is also a no go.
Bah. That said, I am at my parents' this week and he has not had to nap anywhere but in his grandparents'/aunt's/uncle's arms so carrycot life will be a rude shock next week either way.

[Laquila]

Just when you thought this thread was over...

I've just opened up my recently delivered Versa GT, and the supplied carrycot (which was sold to me as the Versa carrycot and is referred to on the box as the "City Versa Pram" is...31cms wide.

Inside the carrycot there is a sewn-in label which says "Baby Jogger Compact Carrycot".

On the underside of the mattress it says "Only to be used with the Baby Jogger Compact Pram Plus or City Versa Pram". It came with its own connectors.

Soooo, not sure if this really gets us any further but it sounds as though if there is technically a Vera carrycot, it is the same dimensions, and maybe even the same item, as the Compact carrycot.

Tiggy, is there any chance you could please measure yours to compare?

[caramelgirl]

Interesting. Where did you order yours from laquila ?

[Laquila]

Ladybugs in Poynton, Cheshire (great shop)

[caramelgirl]

Aargh re faulty versa laquila . Hope that you get it back before baby arrives. And that you are surviving stinking hot weather.
Wonder if the compact carrycots with different adaptors in JL were the compact plus? Keep meaning to email them re dodgy measurements/labelling for carrycot on their website, but failed to do so so far.

[Laquila]

Ooh Caramel it came back today and is working fine, thank you! Such a relief. I can see it's the same chassis I sent back and am pretty sure it's the same seat unit but it works, that's the main thing, and technically they're not under an obligation to give us a brand new replacement. Yes I keep meaning to do the same re JL! Race you to it ;)

[Tiggywunkle]

Strange about the label. However I did know that the compact and Versa carrycots were the same size. I dont have the BJ carrycots here to measure.

[caramelgirl]

Hurrah! Good to hear you have it back.
At my current rate of efficiency (3y11m old and 4m old "helping"), JL will be waiting some time for my input...