Help needed for pram choice - Joolz, City Select, iCandy, Strider? What else?

I had my heart set on a stokke but the damn money tree out the back was stolen so I've had to accept we just can't afford one. So, please hit me with your recommendations for a great alternative.

I don't need/want:

1. any kind of ability to cater for a second child.
2. small fold - I have a big car so space not an issue
3. a stroller type pram

I would like:

1. Narrow - after years of double prams I want to be able to wizz everywhere
2. Rear facing
3. I do lots of walking so something with decent suspension

Thanks. Appreciate any recommendations

Oh, before I read your post, I was going to suggest a Stokke :p I have one and it is amazing, so worth the cost. But, I won't rave on about it as your money tree has been nicked :rofl: I will say though that it is definitely worth the price tag if you can muster it.

I have a strider and it is def NOT narrow, I find it very heavy, though it is great for the storage basket and I like the bassinett attachment and it is very sturdy.

PZ - I KNOW!!! I so want one and the problem is that now I've had good long plays with them nothing else comes close. Bit like going out to buy a car knowing you've got $20K to spend but test driving the Porsche anyway! I'm really glad you're enjoying yours.

Razzberry - do you find the width painful, or just that its not narrow ITMS? I struggled to even get into some shops (not to mention some baby care rooms!!) with my double pram and it drove me nuts.

I have a City Select and am really impressed with it. You certainly can use it rearfacing as just a single, just pick up the seat and turn it around. I don't know how much wider it is compared to other prams but I've never gotten stuck anywhere! I love it's 'boot' as I call it - yesterday I fitted a large Tonka Truck in a box, my nappy bag as well as about 4 other shopping bags in it with room to spare :D Suspension is fantastic, as proved this arvo by DH running down a dirt road pushing Moo in ours, was hilarious!

:ROFL: I was going to say STOKKE!!!! I know how much you love it - can you sell your pram collection to help pay for it? How about a second hand one?

I'll definitely be selling the two double prams I have left - hung onto them in case this one turned out to be twins but need to get off my bum and sell them. Trouble is that side by side doubles just aren't worth anything anymore. There are so many prams on the market now that take two like the city select, iCandy etc. I've looked at second hand stokkes but they hold their value so well that a "cheap" one is still around $1,000.

Poor R feels really bad now that we've finally agreed we can't afford one - poor bugger has been working quite a bit extra to try and get more dollars but we've just been slammed with so many huge bills lately. Maybe I can send him out onto the streets to sell other skills????

*other* skills? ;)

It's worth it for a Stokke :rofl:

I did find the width painful as some narrow doorways made it very difficult if I didn't go in at the right angle.

Thanks Razzberry. Did wonder if that could be a problem - it does look very wide.

PZ - I'm happy to share his "skills" if it gets me a Stokke ;-)

Hun there are a heap of brilliant prams out there. Go shopping and test drive them and see what grabs you - your options are endless.

Have fun shopping.

I have a bugaboo bee plus and LOVE it. It's narrow, light, great suspension, comfy seat, rear and forward facing, easy fold, good sized basket.

Drawbacks I would say are 1. no bassinet for newborn (not sure how I will go with this as I got it when DS was 12 months old and I'm worried it will be an issue for number 2) but you can get a cocoon insert or use it with a car capsule. If bassinet is essential I have heard that you can fit a dreami quinny bassinet with maxi cosi adaptors but have never seen a picture.

2. It's pretty low to the ground. I am 5'2'' so I actually love this about it, some of the prams I tried felt like I was pushing a bus around, but I can see why a less vertically challenged person might find it a bit dinky. Having said that though DH uses it with no issues. The handle bar is adjustable.

I love my Bee!! Happy shopping.

i love my bugaboo. and they are now getting pretty good on ebay price wise (now that everyone wants the new bugaboo donkey the other models are being sold left and right to pay for the new one :rofl:).

have you checked out how much it would be for a stokke sent from the US? they are considerably cheaper...maybe maybe?? i know how much a good pram changes everything.

I believe phil and teds have a new pram out called the Promenade, don't know anything about it but I know it does the rear facing, and Phil and Teds are always a narrower pram.

I have the strider Plus and I can't recommend it more highly. Only problem is it is DEFINITELY NOT narrow.

If you are going to be doing a lot of walking my biggest recommendation is to make sure you don't bang your shins on it. My DH is a bit taller and his biggest problem with a lot of the prams we looked at was when he was walking (he takes fairly big strides) he's hit his shins on the undercarriage and it drove him insane.

Didn't have that problem with the strider. It's also really good for off roading. We have a property so are on dirt a lot and it's quite easy to push. And the tires are puncture proof. My DH (much to my horror) even got a screw out in the middle of the shops and tried his best to pop it through the tire.

I LOVE the capsule attachment as well. Nothing better then taking my sleeping baby out of the car, and locking him into the pram, no fus….no waking baby and no toting around an incredibly heavy and cumbersome capsule on my arm.

As for selling other skills, I recently had a dream (gotta love preggie dreams) where DH became a stripper for geriatric old ladies in retirement homes….made a heap of money off it in my dreams…..maybe your DH could try that ;)

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i love my bugaboo. and they are now getting pretty good on ebay price wise (now that everyone wants the new bugaboo donkey the other models are being sold left and right to pay for the new one :rofl:).

have you checked out how much it would be for a stokke sent from the US? they are considerably cheaper...maybe maybe?? i know how much a good pram changes everything.

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I was going to post today about this. I have just paid for a beautiful brand new Stokke with bassinet to come from the UK. Its ridiculous - $1,000 Aus with $40 for delivery. More than we can really afford to spend but like you say, a good pram is just so important - for our lifestyle anyway.

Thanks for all the suggestions ladies. I'm soooooooooo excited about my Stokke. Now I just have to wait patiently for it to arrive . . .

Awesome buy hun!! Fingers crossed it arrives quickly so you don't have to wait too long. What colour did you end up getting? Can't wait to see a picture!!!

You WILL LOVE it! We have one too. Be prepared for lots of looks and 'WOW! That's such a funky/space age pram'!

Its the beige one. R keeps teasing me with that old joke of "beige, I think I'll paint the ceiling beige". As much as I would have loved to go one of the funkier colours I'm really more of a blend into the background kind of girl so beige is a better choice. It was such a bargain - part of me is worried about it being too good to be true!! R is jokingly suggesting we buy two and sell one of them when it gets here. It really is seriously ridiculous that I can buy the same product from the other side of the world for less than half the price I would have to pay here

Omg I'm so excited for you!!!!!!!! :leap: You will adore it. And yes, EVERYONE says it looks space age/like a spaceship lol. Very excited to hear how you love it!

Lol PZ ... It's true

The baby jogger city select a awesome- I think their is a more compact version called city mini. Better priced than a bugaboo and more adaptable too.

Great work Lulu!!

I loved my Stokke - really, really loved it! I gave it away 2 weeks ago to a good friends sister, a) because they were really struggling to pull things together financially for their new baby and b) because I'm having twins. The first thing I thought when I found out I was having twins was - now I can't use my Stokke!

Lulu can you offer any advice on how I would check out buying a Bugaboo Donkey online overseas? I read the comment about side by sides being not so great? Any feedback girls? I just don't like the idea of stacking two babies of the same age on top of each other? The Donkey seems quite ugly when it has bassinets side by side - but when you use the seconday seat when they're a bit older it doesn't look so bad?

I'd really appreciate any advice. I'm just getting my head around being a 6 car seat family!!, twins plus an almost 3 years old x 2 cars (one for me and one for DH).

Thanks! X

I had side by side double prams for my DDs and TBH I loved them. Yes, they can be a monumental pain in the bum in some shops - don't even get me started on how I feel about Dymocks at Morley at Christmas time!! - but IMO so much better space and visibility for the kids and much better manoueverability. I hated the P&T's I tried out with my two and while I'm happy to believe the newer ideas are improved, I still think I would go a side by side if I had to do it all again - so much so I am only just now selling my doubles now that I'm sure I'm only having one this time.

I found a great shop in the US that was really helpful and had great prices for the Stokke, which was then beaten only in delivery amount by the UK place. Google baby on the run. The guy that runs it is fantastic and really helpful with any queries you have. On the website it has a price for the Donkey of uS$1,199 - not sure how that compares to here.

I got my Stokke through a UK buyer on eBay (hence part of my concern about it being too good to be true!) - just did a search of stokke xplory and ticked the little bit in the advanced search search about looking for items available to Australia and she had listings of stokkes. The only checking I've done is ebay reputation and comments so fingers crossed it will be all good. All of the actual "proper" stores in the UK say they don't do deliver to Aus, although maybe they could arrange something if you contacted them direct? There is an online store - google pram centre online uk - that sells Donkeys but it doesn't give the price. They had very good prices for stokke so might be worth an email to see if (A) they'll ship to Aus and (B) what price it is.

If there's anything else I can think of I'll let you know. Likewise if you've got any other queries hit me with them. I looooooove pram shopping!

Quinny Buzz.

Lulu you might just be my new best friend:)

A wealth of information on Prams AND hospitals:) you've talked me into the Donkey - I'm thinking if it's girls - the cream covers with black bottom and it's boys - well the red is cool - not what I'd normally do as it's pretty in your face - but my two sons have lived in navy, red, blue, white, grey and black their entire lives. Poor DS 10 is desperate for some other colours in his wardrobe! Hehehe.

I might have to consult you re strollers as well. I love my Maclaren I'm tempted just to have two single strollers for use when I'm with someone else - eg DH or my mum or when traveling? And Donkey for when I'm alone with them - what do you reckon - you have lots of experience!!,

X

Glad I can help ;-)

I would still go a double stroller, even if most of the time you're out with someone. You can be guaranteed that one of your babies will want to be carried while the other is happy in the stroller, so I found it was so much easier even with my Mum or DH around to just have one pram to deal with and then a person with free hands for a munchkin.

I tried a steelcraft umbrella stroller and it was fine for when the girls were smaller, but once they both got some decent weight (and by that I really don't mean too much weight at all - my almost 4yr still only weighs 13kgs) I found it much more difficult to steer. The city mini double was my "stroller" - really light weight, easy to push and soooooo easy to fold. I could push it one handed and still carry a child. TBH though (and don't tell my DH I've ever said anything so sensible!) I would wait until your twins are here and you're using the donkey. You might find it is just so easy to use in every situation that you don't need a stroller set up.