Following on from my last thread regarding a side by side stroller versus a pram and a toddler seat arrangment. I have almost come to the decision to get the pram and toddler seat only because I am concerned that the side by side strollers won't fit through some of the doors/gates that I have to go through.
Please tell me why you like or dislike your pram and todder seat?
As you can see it takes a bit of research for me to make a purchase..some would say I am a PIA!!!
I have a Phil & Teds E3 (bought 2006) which was fantastic for both girls until DD2 turned 12 months old. Then I couldn't get either to go in the seat underneath - it was a real fight and struggle and i ended up getting a side by side (Adventure buggy).
I loved the ease of use with the P&T. lightweight, easy to collapse, great for newborn to be lying flat and toddler up in normal seat position not perched.
But when DD1 got to about 2 yrs or so, her feet resting in the footwell actually rested on the front wheel making pushing tricky sometimes . I don't know if this has been addressed with later models.
I couldn't live without my side by side now, but it's heavy and more cumbersome that what you're looking for. I never need to put mine in a car as we walk a lot and it fits through my gate fine. It doesn't fit through my house door but it is very easy to slightly fold and bring inside (there are demo movies on YouTube).
If you do end up with a side by side, make sure it's suitable for 2 toddlers. I found personally when i tested the Maclaren in the shop, it was too small for my girls when they would be 2 yrs and 3.5 yrs say.
I bought mine on eBay after a lot of waiting (ABCs don't come up regularly) and am really pleased as it suits my needs perfectly. There's a compromise with every pram i think so it depends what you're willing to give up (size, basket, weight etc)
dislike
myn a valco i think it is because when child in rear is sitting up there's not much room to face and not much room to look round just back of toddler chair.
Likes Great to push very easy on turning and light to push but hate pumping wheels up!
I have a phil and teds pram brought last year and it is brilliant. It is easy to drive gets through every gate or doorway I have had to go through. The toddler seat is easy to pull on and off and the hole pram is easy to fold away. I have a 3.10 year old and he is very tall for his age and he has stacks of room and my youngest who now sits in the toddler seat at the back also has stacks of room.
I suppose the only thing is storage space but really what pram does?
Good luck finding a pram I know I did alot of research first to but found my eldest just had no room in the side by side and they were all so heavy!
We have a P&T Dash with toddler seat and I am loving it. Last stroller we had was a big cumbersome 4-wheel-steer Bertini Shuttle and the P&T is sooooo much easier to maneuver and get through narrow passages and pack up. To unpack it is dead easy too - can just lift it out and flick the front wheel out til it clicks in - love it.
Admittedly, I have only tried it with the newborn & toddler arrangement (so the toddler seat sticking on the front, not the back) but we really like it. Natty likes being up high. We go walking several times a week.
The only thing I don't like about it is the 3-wheel issue of it not being as stable over bumps and uneven ground. Particularly with the toddler seat on - over some rough ground if you didn't have a firm grip on it it would topple for sure.
We didn't want a side-by-side cause we were sick of having a big heavy stroller that didn't fit through any doors, but the other option we looked at was a skateboard attachment. Decided on the toddler seat though because we figured Natty would only ride on the skateboard if she wanted to, whereas I can keep her strapped in the toddler seat if needs be.
GL with your decision!
This is my 2nd pram with todd seat. Had one when i had DD#2 (cheapy Mothers Choice one...still a good pram overall). So in the two instances ive used prams with todd. seats, the disadvantages are:
Todd. cannot sleep.
Todd. exposed to hot sun/no shade - hat or no hat.
My DD#3 sometimes tries to stand up in the todd seat. She is 23 months, and not a big girl, but it worries me when we're out and she does this.
Its awkward putting newborn in pram after a feed, or when they're aslepp. with the todd. seat there......i feel like im going to brake his legs.....
When H hits 6-8 months i KNOW its going to be a PITA for him coz he will want to look around...but cant, coz theres a todd. seat in the way.
YOu would wonder why i bought another one like these really from reading my response. Prams w todd. seats works for us coz of the ease of pushing around the shops and getting thru walkways, and when DD#3 no longer wants to go in todd. seat, ive still got a useable pram.
Gawd...i hope i havent confused you more. Sometimes we think too much about these things....its best just to bite the bullet, spend what you can afford, and make it work for you...good luck
I have the adventure buggy with toddler seat.
Pros- The toddler is sitting up at handle bars and bubs inside so no one is blocking each other.
I also liked the look of the P&T but this one was alot cheaper esp on e-bay I got a good price.
Cons- I don't know how big your car is but I have to take the toddler seat off to fit into the boot and it can be a PITA, now I'm alot quicker but at first took me awhile to fit it on then have to take it apart again.
Thanks MBear I was hoping you'd reply!!! Yes I really do need to bite the bullet
Basically all I want a pram/stroller for is to restrain DD2 when we are going short distances from the car into playgroup, doctors and quick shopping trips. She won't walk besides the pram yet without taking off so maybe a cheap o twin would be better. She tries to get up out of shopping trolly now so I am worried that she would try and stand up in the toddler seat too.
We have the Baby Jogger City Elite. We're still waiting for the birth of our first bubs but I'm a bit like you and did LOTS of research before buying our pram so here are the pros and cons of our pram:
Pros:
- the pram folds SO easily! It has a soft, material handle in the base of the seat which you literall pull and it folds in half. You can do it one handed! Foolproof for anyone using your pram. Some prams require a degree to fold them! I love it that our family and friends can easily do it without a demo! Check out the Baby Jogger website for a demo of their quick fold technology (the American site).
- the brake is super easy to use and has been designed for girls to easily apply and release while wearing flip flops, sandles and high heels! I found with several prams we looked at, I had to get down on the floor and use my hands to apply and release the brakes!
- it has the biggest sunshade on the market. It has three settings so you can have a small, medium or super sized shade It's so good that you don't really need any other shade over the pram
- the main pram seat is bigger than most on the market so it seats tall toddlers easily. The big sunshade is also designed to fit big kids easily in this pram
- you can buy a sunshade for the toddler seat too
- toddler seat clips onto the front of the pram
- toddler seat is VERY easily clipped in and removed. I struggled to fit and remove the toddler seats in some of the prams by myself.
- it looks big but is still narrow (only a few cms wider than a P&T) and weighs about 10kg so the same as P&T
Cons:
- pricey. $1000 full price but often on sale for $900. I have seen them available online for around $800 too and include free shipping on the east coast
- toddler seat is approx $130 extra and it's extra for the sunshade for the toddler seat too
- toddler seat does not recline. Not an issue if your toddler isn't much of a sleeper anyway though.
As you can see, although it's expensive, the pros far outweigh the cons. It's a brilliant pram.
Just in response to a couple of posts - not sure how relevant it is to you, but thought I'd share - the P&T toddler seat has 5-point harness so there's no getting out. DD falls asleep regularly on our walks and her seat reclines. I have bought a pram cover that fits over the whole pram so both girls are protected from UV rays but still allows some light and of course air through.
HTH.
We went middle of the road and got the Dash. I liked the lighter weight of the Vibe (the top one) and the breaking mechanism, but didn't think those things were worth the extra money (about $150 extra). We found the brakes on the sport (base model) too awkward. We like the way the dash folds up and it has a handle which is good for lifting it in and out of the car.
Best thing I reckon is to go into a shop and try out a few and see what you like about each model. Only bummer is that they are pretty expensive. The dash cost us about $650 I think? And the toddler seat was an extra $100 or $120 (?) - my folks gave that to us as a gift when P was born. And the UV/Bug cover was an extra $70. So it all adds up. But I am still glad we spent the dough.
We got a Valco Double Delight. It cost $250 from a baby shop. It fits through standard doorways, it folds pretty flat when put down, weighs 12 kg, seats adjusts to any position between upright and fully layback, has 2 storage baskets, large protective hood, Newborn to 18kgs each side.
I've only pushed it around the house with Harrison in it so far. It seems good so far. Harrison seems to like it, he goes into the baby room and sits in it pretty much everyday. At lease I shouldn't have anymore trouble getting him in the pram once bubs born, he hates his single pram.
For those who have a pram and toddler seat?
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