3 Wheeler Pram Help Pls

[Candy Jay]

I need some assistance with a pram as it's basically the last thing I need to get.

We want a 3 wheeler pram really only because we live up a grassy hill & like the idea of the one tyre at the front, but I seem to read & see all conflicting reports on the prams.

We were choosing between:
Mountain Buggy Elite
Phil & Ted's
AB Adventure Buggy

All of which are over $700, has anyone got any recommendations? or any con's. I really want to be able to fit through the supermarket aisles if possible.

Or if anyone has a 4 wheeler that can get up tricky tracks, would love to hear

[2girlz]

hello,
We had a three wheeler bought from target so not expensive and it was really really great for zooming around the shopping centre and in crowded places but it was very easy to tip over, we also had a bit of trouble getting it to fit into the boot of our car as the guard on the front wheel stuck out a bit (we have a corolla so not the biggest boot)
Gooodluck with your pram hunt

[Beach Mama]

We had the Strider for Iz and are now getting the P & T which I wish we had gotten in the first place! DH in his infinite wisdom, replied that "We won't need to worry about a toddler for ages !!
Anyway, I love the fact that both can lay back quite a way if they need to nap and it is really narrow. A few girls at MG said they never have trouble in aisles, and I have a Maclaren stroller which is fab that I compared it to, and it is only marginally wider so that is our choice.
JMO - Hope that helps!

[LuluHB]

I've got the MB Elite. You have to go through the wheelchair checkout aisles, but I've never found it to be a problem. Brilliant because you have unlimited seat positions - which I found a huge advantage over the P&T because they are very limited, and with a reflux baby it would have been a nightmare for me. (Tan knows I hate the P&Ts so I can pick them to pieces without offending her ). The toddler seat option of the P&Ts while some people obviously love and would be convenient to have a narrowish pram, I hate - can't stand the thought of my newborn being in a little cave underneath her sister and I have friends that have had problems with hitting the bottom baby seated baby's head on steps, or kicking them. Also have a friend whose son got his fingers caught in the wheel, but that is supposed to be fixed now. (I've bought a double and tandem prams for when my DD#2 is born). The P&Ts definitely seems to be a pram that you either love or hate - and plenty love them.

Anyway, back to the MB. Soooo easy to open/close, brilliant to push, nicely balanced (never felt like it would tip). Also, of the ones you've listed the MB is the only one that Choice recommended in its last round of surveys. Finally, check out Ebay - they have brilliant resale.

[JordieC]

Well I don't have the prams you mentioned but we do have the Beema Q 3 wheeler which we're very happy with. It may not be as flash as the expensive ones but it is sturdy and VERY easy to move. It fits through aisles and doors easily and also folds down into the car quite well. The colours are okay -not a big fan of the green trim but oh well!! It doesn't haven a toddler connection so that could be an issue for you too. It's much cheaper too - $400 approx. We use our friends bassinette for it cause you only use that for a bit anyway.

The reason we didn't choose the Phil and Ted's (and I am suprised I haven't heard this from other people) is that when the baby is lying down (well we imagined it!), it would be quite possible to know the back of the pram when trying to put the brake on. I really felt like it sat too low to the ground. In saying that, my g'friend has it and is very happy.

OOOps - just realised that Lulu HB agrees with me!!!

[Curly]

I have the Adventure Buggy and highly recommend it. I love how the toddler seat fits on top of the pram rather than at the front, so both kids can see. I always feel sorry for the smaller child having their view blocked by the older sibling.

We bought the AB and the toddler seat at the same time and just put the toddler seat away until Number 2 was coming along. However, we have gotten out the toddler seat already from time to time, for instance when we went to the zoo so DS could sit up high and see the animals. He also went through a phase when he didn't want to stay in the pram so if I put him the toddler seat I got some peace while at the shops.

Now that Number Two is on his/her way, I've had so many comments from the other girls in mother's group about how smart we were to think ahead to buy a pram that would cope with a toddler and a baby. So many of them have gone out and bought a second pram.

I have never had any problems with tipping. It steers easily and fits through narrow checkouts. I used to take DS for long walks at the local reserve with a gravel track (a great way to get him to sleep) and it coped very well. It is very easy to collapse and put up again. It is a bit long when it is folded down so I have to put it in the boot of my Mazda 6 hatch on a diagonal so the front wheel fits in nicely. If you have a small boot in your car this may be an issue.

I think I will have some issues with my boot if I want to keep the toddler seat permanently attached but I must say I haven't really tried to figure this out yet, I'm only 13 weeks so plenty of time yet to perfect my technique.

[Visitor7]

I have the P & T, and love it. They now have guards over the wheels, preventing little fingers playing with the wheels. It's narrow enough to fit through shop doors, checkouts etc. It's lightweight enough, compared to many, only weighing around 11kg. A friend of mine bought a 3 wheel pram very similar (not sure of the name) and it weighs 18kg!!
It compacts really well, and fits in my boot nicely. No complaints here. But like someone else said, you'll either love it or hate it.

[Candy Jay]

Thanks all for your comments, can't say I've managed to figure out which one I want yet, but I do love all the feedback you have given me, DH & I will sit down & review what you have all said & hopefully come up with a choice.

Who would of thought this would be the hardest part... thanks again

[Hoody]

I hada Beema Q for DD1 and loved it but no toddler attachment so this time around i got a Phil and Ted and i love it and have had no probs at all. There is a guard over back wheels on the new ones so no fingers can get caught etc and i love the fact that the toddler seat is so versatile but as others have said you love it or hate it i love it.

[Nelle]

Just checking in, we've got a P&T, but not the toddler attachment (so far just worn the newie in a baby carrier) BUT I was working at Myer when doing pram research, and stopped every person with a pram, especially those with P&T's once I got curious about them - and the general consensus was that the toddler in the backseat doesn't mind having someone in front of them because they can still see quite a bit out the sides. In fact, one lady said her kids fought over the back seat! So, her kids could be weirdos, or it might not be the problem that adults think it is from a kid's point of view.

Also wanted to add, that I don't know what the other prams are like, but the P&T has an awesomely small turning circle, it turns on the spot pretty much, which is handy when navigating small spots like cafes.

All the best deciding!

[kitty]

Another one for the mountain buggy. I love it... so easy to put up and down, easy to manouvure, nice and easy to push.

[~breeze~]

I love my P & T's

If you're looking for a sturdy 4 wheeler I also have an Emmaljunga, so sturdy & great over gravel, grass etc. They are quite a bit more expensive than the P&T (mine was $1200 on sale) but I think its "the 4WD" of 4 wheeler prams. It takes up alot of your boot space, I should say ALL of your boot space, which is a downside.

But I recommend the P&T

Good luck!

[belfie]

I just finished my exhaustive stroller research & shopping! I bought the P&T sports on Sunday... for the following reasons (and after the following research):

I checked the choice article, bit disappointed to see their price cut-off was $449, when the more commonly used brands seemed to be dearer. The cheaper ones, while meeting safety standards (most of them) seemed to be heaver, didn't fold as small, and also had wider rear wheels (up to 70cm, where the P&T Sport is 62cm).
P&T Sports did cop some bad reviews on Choice a few years back, but I'm happy the changes to the Sports model have countered the safety issues.
Other reasons for buying (or not buying):

• didn't like the price tag for the MB - seemed a lot dearer to me, and can't add toddler
• looked at the Beema Q - but didn't fold very small, more padding to contend with
• only con with the P&T Sp, the low height of newborn position (and limited seat height positions, but not a big enough factor to make me go dearer model)
• pros with P&T sport, being able to add doubles kit for toddler
• good low centre of gravity for trail walking (some toddler seats are very high)

Interestingly when I looked on ebay, while i found heaps of MB's for sale 2nd hand, I couldn't see nearly as many P&T sports (or the previous model, e3) - which I took to be a good sign. ALso hearing from a number of friends that their MB did for their first but then needed to be changed... OR they put up with a dodgy combination of not quite right strollers when they wish they'd just switched to the P&T sports. Also heard that it's very good for fitting through supermarket aisles... all except Big W, but then I don't think any of the 3 wheelers would in that case.

So as you can see, I'm a thorough convert!
Also, didn't look at the AB Adventure Buggy earlier but looking at the pics, the centre of gravity with a toddler on it is too high for my liking (but then i'm planning to walk on some reasonably 'tilty' kinda trails).

Happy shopping!
P.S. best price I found was at Baby Gallery in Clayton, PM me if you want any more details.

[Macca79]

I bought a brand new three wheeler off ebay for $60 and only paid $50 in postage (I live in Darwin and the pram came from Sydney in 7 days). It's plain black has a great basket underneath, cup holder, sun hood, peek a boo cover in the hood so you can see bub, different sitting positions. It was my best baby but. From what I saw there are offten such deals on ebay.