Buggies for Dummies

Went into Smyth to check out the buggies as I'd been reading the post about the sale that's on. And realised, that I am a total buggy virgin. Not a clue. Nada. All I know is that I insisted on having isofix in the car when we changed it recently. And that's it. I have isofix... yipppeeee... but all it is is a word to me! So I left Smyths with my tail between my legs. So questions... What do you need for a new born? Can you get a buggy, come pram, come car seat? Does isofix system come with buggy or do you buy this separately? Are all systems compatible with isofix fixings or only certain ones? How soon before car seat (that fits in buggy) has to be changed for a bigger one due to baby growing? Do you just replace the car seat/carrier thing and it fits in buggy or does whole buggy have to be replaced? If you were to recommend one system what would you recommend to me for... 1 fresh from the oven new baby Light weight buggy/pram/car seat system Large boot space to store Living in suburbs Easy fold Isofix 3 wheels or 4... what's the difference Power steering Thankyou, thankyou, thankyou! Might be brave enough to venture back over tomorrow if I'm armed with more information.

Hi Had to reply as when I started looking for buggies it was so daunting as there were so many to choose from. What do you need for a new born? Newborns should lie flat so a pram is great, but newborns can lie flat in buggies that recline also. I have a Mamas & Pappas Pliko Pramette that converts from a pram to a buggy (that also reclines flat). Can you get a buggy, come pram, come car seat? Yes, there are a few buggies that convert from pram to buggy and also can attach a car seat to the buggy. Mine can, and the Silvercross 3D does. You can also get buggies that have separate pram and buggy tops (e.g. Bugaboo and Quinny), that you can attach a Maxi-Cosi Cabriofix car seat to. Does isofix system come with buggy or do you buy this separately? Depends on the deal the shop has on. Are all systems compatible with isofix fixings or only certain ones? If you have isofix in the car, you will get a base for your car seat that attaches to the isofix. Your car seat then clips on to the base. When you buy your car seat you should get the shop to try it in the car first to check it is compatible. Recommend Tony Kealys for this. If you buy a Maxi-Cosi car seat you can check their web site to see if your car is compatible with certain seats. How soon before car seat (that fits in buggy) has to be changed for a bigger one due to baby growing? Do you just replace the car seat/carrier thing and it fits in buggy or does whole buggy have to be replaced? Depends on the weight of the baby, I think my car seat is up to 13kg. The next car seats up do not fit on to buggies. They live permenantly fastened in to the car. Only the first car seats fit on to buggies. If you were to recommend one system what would you recommend to me for... 1 fresh from the oven new baby Light weight buggy/pram/car seat system Large boot space to store Living in suburbs Easy fold Isofix 3 wheels or 4... what's the difference Power steering I love my Pliko Pramette. Only downside I have come across is the wheels aren't good if you want to walk cross country on tracks. Is perfect for shopping, walking on tarmac paths, really easy and quick to fold and put up, and is the lightest pramette on the market. Hope this helps!!!

Well..............I think you should decide on what make of carseat you want first & go from there. Great that you have isofix as it's sooooo safe. The Maxi-Cosi Cabriofix with isofix base is the safest on the market according to the Which report. You should get 9-12 months out of it depending on the size of your baby. The baby will then move into a forward facing carseat. Alot of travel systems are compatible with the Maxi Cosi seat ie Quinny, Bugaboo, Phil & Ted's, etc. Other carseats are only compatible with their own brand of buggy ie Mamas & Papas, Britax, Graco, Chicco. When you have decided on the car seat, then you can have a look at the compatible travel systems. Tony Kealys & Mothercare are very good at giving demonstrations. Have a look at the Mothercare website for dates of the demo evenings they do in different stores. It's really good, they give demos of most of the buggies they stock & pros & cons of each. Also think about when you would like to have your next baby! It may be worth your while to think about something that you can convert to a twin buggy ie Phil & Ted's if you think you'll be going for no 2 quite quickly!!!! HTH xxxx

Missuy & Thumbelina thanks so much for taking the time to give me all that info. It's a wealth of knowledge and very useful to me. Good to know that isofix car seat can be a different make to buggy, didn't know that and also that when baby gets bigger the next car seat up stays in the car. I think I will go to the next mothercare night to get some demos. I'll just have to forsake the sale in Smyths! Which will lead to the next question... where to get the best price! I'd imagine online or up north? Thanks again girls. Really appreciate it.

The Mothercare evenings are really helpful. You get an info pack at the end of the evening & in it is a 10% off discount card!!! You get to use it 10 times so the discounts can really add up if you use them for the big purchases. There's a lot of sales on at the moment so you could get an idea of different shop's prices down here & then compare them to online prices & shops up the North. www.babydaysdirect.co.uk has some really good deals. The other thing to do is to stalk Mums & their buggies!! Dundrum is a great place to buggy stalk! You'll see every make & model of buggy there & most Mums won't mind you stopping them to ask them a few questions about their model. HTH x

[quote="Sybil Fawlty":60gsm8vq] I'll just have to forsake the sale in Smyths! Which will lead to the next question... where to get the best price! I'd imagine online or up north? Thanks again girls. Really appreciate it.[/quote:60gsm8vq] Mothercares top 5 sellers are no cheaper up the north...they havea big poster on the door to show the southern/northern prices...Mamas and Papas sale is on until 2nd Aug i think, i loved the Pliko Pramette and its at great value! We went for the silvercross 3D coz of price...i think the smyths sale is on until 17th July as is Mothercare....i missed the Mothercare evening in Drogheda last week but hop to go to the one in July i believe they are great...