What to look out for in a pram & car seat?

Hi!



Am a first time MTB with EDD in mid Jan 2010.



With the current GSS, have been out looking at bb stuffs which i can stock up. However, i'm so confused by the ranges of prams available, as well as the huge difference in prices!



Is 3 wheels better or 2 wheels better? Should I go for a lighter weight or a heavier weight will be more stable? What should i look out if i want a pram that value added enough to use from newborn to say 3 years?



Can any current moms enlighted on what to look out for in a good pram, as well as a good car seat.



Thanks!

 


Hi audrey,



I can understand what u r facing. When I was pregnant last year, I too like u, cracking head which items to buy..



I went online to read about baby items, which to buy n which items to avoid etc.



Therefore, i will be happy to share with u my experience.



Personally I think its important to choose a pram which is slightly heavier. The heavier the pram is, the more stable n steadt it is. I once saw a mummy at NTUC pushing a pram with the baby sitting in it. As she was shopping, she happily hang many things on the handle of the pram, shortly the pram topple backwards n the baby fell!! The poor baby was crying loudly..



That was why I got mine at 8kg plus.. its really stable. But of course, its important not to hang too many things around the handle.. if not the same thing will happen to the above mentioned.



The next important factor to consider is the seat belt. It is better to get a pram with 5 points instead of 3 points. Its much safer especially when pushing downslopes... n also safer if baby tends to lean forward.



Another factor is if the pram is user friendly. To me, the pram must be easy to operate. There are quite a number of prams in the market which u can just operate with one hand. They call it the one hand system, whereby u can open or close with just one hand.



Next factor is, its better to get a pram which is less bulky.. The more bulky it is, the more space it takes up. For 3 wheelers prams, they tend to be more bulky compared to 4 wheelers prams.



Another factor factor is the basket at the bottom of the pram. Its good to have a big basket rather than small basket as u can have more storage for bb things.



Last but not least is the Price... $200 to $300plus to me is reasonable.. anything above it is far too expensive. U should start to source for one on the above factors that I mentioned and picked one which is of your budget.



Alternatively, u may want to delay in buying a pram. This is so as on bb's full month celebrations, friends or relatives might give u one as a gift. I received one from my friend but it was too bulky n in the end i bought another one.. My friend bought it before she delivered n on her bb's full month celebration, she received 3 prams as gifts. HAHA!!

 
Oh.. u can make a trip down to baby hyperstore to check the prams out...



They have a wide range of prams there.



Hope what I have mentioned, helps!!!

 
Hi qiqi,



Thanks so much for your reply.



Yeah, it's so confusing out there! I had surfed some websites example askbaby, but it's pretty generic advice eg, advise to check on whether it's easy to manoeuvre, whether handle is comfortable etc.



I needed some practical advice from mothers out there who had experience using prams and know the practical and little things which should look out for, just like your reply [IMG=http://www.singaporemotherhood.com/forumboard/clipart/happy.gif]



Gosh! The poor baby must be so shocked! And even more for the mom. Must be feeling very worried that her baby may have gotten hurt...[IMG=http://www.singaporemotherhood.com/forumboard/clipart/sad.gif]



Yup..heard different opinions on the 3 wheeled prams. Some ppl said its very stable especially for going around rough terrains. However, on the other hand, it's really bulky. I saw some parents having difficulty when manoeuvering between aiseles when shopping.



Btw, what is your opinion on those prams with detachable seats which can function as car seats cum rockers? Those seems quite interesting to me! very handy and multi purpose. =D

 
Hi audrey,



for my opinion, if u have the budget, its better to get the pram which comes together with a detachable baby seat which can be used as a car seat or a rocker.. I had wanted to get the above mentioned but budget was tight.



Those that comes with the detachable seats are usually above $600plus, which is too off my budget. Also, hubby and I dont own a car so we have no use for the car seat. Btw, we got a rocker for bb.. that was why in then end i got my pram without the detachable seat.

 
If u are looking for a pram with car seat, u can try graco...



My friend bought that and she finds the pram user friendly n good, though price is alittle steep.

 
I find car seat by Maxi Cosi very good and durable. It's comfortable and the bb will not squirm too much when in seat, even for a long time. As for prams with detachable bb seat, not only expensive but i find that not so convenient when parents want to use pram. I like to leave the car seat in the car, no need to adjust so much, just plonk the bb in. Maid and parents can use the pram anytime to wheel the bb around.

 
Hi Audrey,

Here are some pts for u to consider:



Will ur newborn be using e pram immediately?



If yes, ur pram seat should allow u to put it down flat (i.e. not inclined). Even so, seriously with cushions, my poor ger still does not seem comfortable. My recommendation is to buy an infant car seat that can fit ur pram! Ur new born baby will surely be more comfortable in it. [IMG=http://www.singaporemotherhood.com/forumboard/clipart/happy.gif]



The infant car seat which I bot was Capella. The infant car seat itself cost abt $149 (I bot something like tis: http://www.alibaba.com/product-free/217130254/Capella_Baby_Stroller.html from Robinson's when there was a sale). U can look out at Robinson sometimes they have good deals.



I did not use capella pram before but the price of the pram+stroller seems pretty reasonable. [IMG=http://www.singaporemotherhood.com/forumboard/clipart/happy.gif]



WEIGHT of pram:

It depends on how u are going to use it. If u are not going to handle it alone (i.e. closing it to take bus or load up the car), then weight is no concern as the heavier the more sturdy.



Size of pram:

Big is comfortable but clumsy as well. Esp if u are going to move the pram around in e shopping centre. [IMG=http://www.singaporemotherhood.com/forumboard/clipart/happy.gif]

 
Hello,



I agree with Qiqi that heavier prams are better as I have also witnessed same incident where the baby nearly topple over.



I also think that big wheelers are beta. My sis-in-law bought a combi stroller. Tho it is light and easy to use, I once witnessed that the stroller nearly topple over becos the road was uneven and the small wheels are not as stable.



My hubby always says that bigger and heavier strollers are the continental cars and those lighter ones are the jap car. haha



Anyway, I've bought the Gelite GoGo Pram which can be fitted with the maxi cosi car seat. Tho my EDD is this nov, I think I can imagine the convenience of detaching the car seat from the stroller to the car. No need to wake the baby nor need to spend time putting on seatbelt etc.



But of cos, such stroller are really quite bulky and it is quite inconvenient if you are using it alone. beta to have hubby around. Also, need to consider the car boot space.



Hope it helps

 
Hi mummies,



The baby carrier looks nice. Wanted to look 1 that looks like that. But how old the baby can sit in this carrier?

I heard in the internet that babies up till 2 years is better to sit rear faced. Is that true?

Will the baby have motion sickness?

 
Pram -

Forward facing or front facing? Forward facing means you can see your baby, front facing means you can't. Most toddler prefers forward facing, so if you plan to use it for baby-to-toddler, maybe a forward facing will do.



Weight - will you be carrying the pram a lot? Or using alot, then you'd like one that moves around easily, and you can manuever with one hand. I live in London, we take the pram up and down busses, trains, tube, etc ;-) Lightweight is best; especially when we sometimes have to fold up and carry. Combi is good.



Recline position - those that recline fully allows newborn to lie comfortably. Once they grow up, they can semi-sit; and fully sit.



Re car seats

Technically, yes, babies up till 2 years are best being placed rear-facing. Practically, though, I've not come across one that offers enough leg-room for the baby to face rear-ward - after a while, their legs gets longer and they need more legroom, so they need to face front anyway!





More questions feel free to PM. I've travelled a lot with my daughter - we've done car trips to Malaysia, and flights to Penang, Europe, etc - yes.. all these with the pram and/or with car seat. Half the time, ALONE with baby! Hopefully my humble experience will help to lighten another mommies worries ;-)

 
sharen,

e baby carrier is esp gd for newborns due to e shape... their necks are not strong so itcushions them comfortably. i upgraded to car seat type after my ger is 6mths as she prefers to sit up...



agree w frog tat non of the carseats will enable the baby to sit till 2yrs for rear facing... One thing is bcos the baby would have long legs by then... [IMG=http://www.singaporemotherhood.com/forumboard/clipart/happy.gif]

 
HI Snowger, I have bought a car seat similar to that but my bb cries violently when I placed her on that car seat. She wants me to carry her. Have you experienced that before?

 
HI Sharen, yes babies may cry when placed in a new environment (car seat in your case). Since it is something that the baby must get adjusted to, you might want to try distracting your baby (with her favourite toy, singing, playing, tickling)while placing her in the car seat.



Practice placing her in the car seat when she is generally in a good mood (after her feed) and get her accustommed to being in the car seat. Also sit next to her, so she feels that you are close by. Do this a few times and hopefully she will not resist when you need to place her in the car seat for your next trip in the car.



HTHs

 
Hi mommies to be...



I am letting go of my masi cosi car seat which can go on the ebuzz quinny. The car seat can go up to about 9 months and I have the stroller seat for the quinny as well which will take your baby beyond 9 months and into toddlerhood. Selling all 3 parts:car seat, stroller frame and stroller seat.



It's in good condition, because the brand is good, safe and made in Holland. I bought it about 3 years ago at close to $1k. Am willing to let go of it for less than half the price.



Please pm me if your interested.

 
hi all,



I have a safety fits car seat in very good condition, almost new letting go at $50



Safety Fits (Model: SF 700)

Colour : Red/Grey

4 in 1 Infant Car Seat Suitable from newborn to 13kg (12 months)

4 in 1: Infant car seat , carrier, rocker and feeding chair

Seat cushion can be remove for washing.



Pick up location can be arranged

[IMG=http://www.singaporemotherhood.com/forumboard/messages/2495852/5413231.jpg]

 

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