Infant Carriers & Prams

[Blondie]

Hi All,

So I am looking at Prams to purchase and there are a few that look pretty good to me for the money:
These are

1. Bebe Care Rverse 2 in 1 Stroller and Bassinett (yes spelling is weird)
2. Steelcraft Orion Travel System
3. Steelcraft Cruiser Travel System
4. Steelcraft Strider Travel System

We were hoping to keep it under the $500-$600 mark.

Ideally I was looking at the Travel Systems because its convenient clicking baby in and out of the Stroller and not having to disturb them.

So I have a few questions:

How long do babies stay in the Infant Carrier?
Once they are out of the infant Carrier would you still like to have the option of keeping them facing you rather than facing out? (I have found that a lot of the Prams that have attachable infant Carriers do not have reversable handles or the ability to take the seat out and move it around.)

I like the idea of the Bebe Care Rverse 2 in 1 Stroller and Bassinett its just the one pram that coverts into 2 types of pram but then I would need to get an infant carrier for the Car.

Ah decisions, decisions! I just want to make the right choice!!

Thanks for reading and any help would be appreciated!

Blondie xx

[Babybino]

Hey Blondie, I am going through the same thing at the moment. I have been and looked at quite a few (I wrote details on all the ones we liked & disliked, but have misplaced it lol) but I really liked the Buggaboo Chameleon (quite expensive though). Ac lose friend of ours has a 11month old, and has been through 3 prams already, because they have all had their faults. Her advice was, make sure you can pack/unpack it with one hand, and make sure it is light, also that it folds up nicely to fit into any car boot (you just never know when you might have to put it in a car boot that has a smaller boot than yours. Also she said if you can get one that, say you are walking and facing away from the sun, and as you turn the corner you are now facing the sun (sun in Baby's eyes) then all you need to do is flip the handle over, rather than having to unclip the actual Baby carrier/Bassinette section, as this could be hard with Bubs in it. I am hoping there is some that are cheaper than the Bugaboo that are just as good. Good Luck xx

[Amaunet]

I have the Steelcraft Cruiser (from Target) We have been really happy with it overall (and I got it on sale so awesome value) and the travel system with the capsule/carrier was the best thing we bought for when DS was small. I think I used it for about 5 months - my DS was a fatty tho I like the pram with the seat on too - I mostly use it for walking and if we are going to be out for the whole day. (I also have an umbrella type stroller for quick trips or if space in the car is tight) I bought the bassinet but only used it twice. It doesn't fold particularly small cos it "pulls up flat" rather than folds in half - I always take the seat off to put in the car - but this is easy and takes two secs.

I plan to upgrade to the strider plus for #2 (hopefully soon ) but the upside for me is that my cruiser capsule will fit - I tried it on a friends (and the bassinette should too) so I don't have to repurchase these!

I also have a pram with a flip over handle that I bought on ebay for my parents - I hate it in reverse mode - the steering is crap even with the wheels locked - I like the reversible seat better and I can turn it around easily with DS strapped in.

[Ella]

Being through this already I would love to save you some money hun. We got lent a capsule by a friend which we used until we got our car seat. I was going to get a capsule but after talking to alot of mum's was advised that it really is the more cost efficient way to just get a very good reversible seat. Target has some really good ones. I know that's the way we'll be going this time, there not much point bothering for such a short period of time. DS was chubby at that stage and was to big for that capsule by 5 months.

As for the pram, again we did alot of talking and investigating and asking. We got a really good three wheeler and a four wheeler and made sure we got the ones that came with the little cover/boot thing that covers the bottom. THis proved to be sooooo much easier than having to pull anything apart and if you get a good one it really is a one handed task.

Whatever you choose though don't be shy to go to the store and fill the pram with 6kgs of stuff and walk round in circles / fold it up and down until your hearts content. Its alot of money so you want to be sure!

[Blondie]

Thanks so much Ladies for all your responses!

Well I went grocery shopping last night and came home with a Pram!

I bought the Steelcraft Cruiser from Target. I made the lady unpack the whole thing and then I wheeled it around for a bit and then decided I liked it.
I just bought the stoller though as the instruction manual said that it would take from Newborn to 17kg's. Having said that I still haven't decided on whether or not to get the infant carrier as I have heard that newborns are OK to go straight into Strollers as long as they have something underneath them like a sheepskin and also one of those things that goes around their neck to keep it nice and supported. Also for a saftey thing DH and I were going to get the Ambulance Serivce to come and install capsules into both the cars so that way there is no stuffing around.

So i'm going to see how that goes!

xox

[Amaunet]

Congrats Blondie! It is a great pram - we've been happy with it. If you can get the capsule on sale I think its worth it!