What features to look for???? (first-timer!)

Senior Member Joined: Oct 27 2011 Posts: 186

We are starting to look into baby equipment, and really don't know where to start. Ok, I know we need a stroller, carseat, and crib. I think that's the basics for now, but what kind of features are important in each of them? I've started minimal research, but am not sure what I should be looking for. So far I know the citi mini has been recommended on here- why? and I've also come across the Graco Mirage travel system- seems too good of a price for both stroller and carseat together- any comments?
If anyone lives in the UK, and can give more specific info about UK products, that would be a great plus!
TIA

Silver Member Joined: Jul 26 2011 Posts: 798

when I was researching strollers I did it very methodically, with a checklist, but in the end I was unhappy with my choice. I recommend getting popular brands, they are usually the best

Diamond Member Joined: Nov 30 2009 Posts: 4600

I would recommend starting with a car seat and snap n go. then try out some diff strollers you will have about 5-6 months till you need one. You will also be able to decide what is important to you. (ease of push, storage space, recline, weight of stroller, ease of fold, size of stroller open and closed, car seat adaptable, handle height, etc are all considerations. you need to decide what will be most needed for you based on your planned usage)

cribs- just make sure its safe. small enough holes between slates. safe drop side. type of mattress is all based on preference.

car seat- first make sure its safe. second make sure it fits in your car. third make sure you get a compatible snap n go. then things like the handle shape can make a diff in how it feels when you carry it. diff people like diff things.

Platinum Member Joined: Oct 14 2009 Posts: 5870

Here are some questions you want to consider:
~ Will you be mostly keeping the stroller at home/around town, or will you need to pop it in and out of a car or bus often? If you will want to take it in the car or on the bus a lot, you will look for something lightweight and easy to fold. If not then you might choose other nice features in a heavier stroller. If you live in a walkup apartment and won't have a place to park the stroller at ground level, that's another reason to consider a lighter choice.
~ If you'll be using it with the car a lot (or even a medium, anything more than a little) consider looking for one that can be used with an infant car seat. Many people forgo this, but it's an option to consider whether or not you'd want it.
~ Going to use it for a lot of errands around town, like grocery shopping? You might want to look for one with a roomy basket underneat. And whether you're looking for an extra-roomy basket or just a regular one, check to make sure you can reach the basket with the seat reclined.
~ Seat recline. That's another feature to consider. You probably want one that can go almost flat so your baby can comfortably fall asleep in it when needed. Also check the suitability for young babies, especially if you're not going to use the car-seat-compatible type mentioned above - a few stroller seats are only for babies 6 months and older, or for younger babies you need to use a separate attachment (bassinet or carseat)
~ Take a look at the hood. Most are fine but a few strollers have annoyingly small hoods that are not very useful in the sun.
~ Many people never think of or care about this, but consider whether it's important to you to have your baby face you either full time or as a switchable option. A lot of people don't care at all but I think it deserves to at least be considered because I happen to love facing the baby and feel so distant when she faces out, if she says anything I can't hear it without stopping and leaning over/around.
~ Some more high-end strollers have options to add a second seat to make it into a double or kinda-like-a-double (e.g. various Phil & Teds, UppaBaby Vista, Britax B-ready) so if you plan/hope to have children close in age, you might want to start considering that now so you don't have to do this all over again in another year or two. But only if you were thinking of buying that type of stroller anyway (I.e. expensive and not light/small)

That's just food for thought to get you started.

And about the travel system, I think you can probably do better purchasing the car seat and stroller separately because then you can choose a stroller you really like. It will only be useful with the car seat for a year at MOST, usually less, and then you'll want to keep using the stroller for another year or two. I don't know about the specific one you're considering, but generally if the price seems too good to be true it's probably not the best stroller.

Active Poster Joined: May 17 2012 Posts: 50

Platinum Member Joined: Oct 14 2009 Posts: 5870

I think my kid would be ok with it, but I would miss it terribly. Also I think it's the best thing in the world for their language and concept development, there have even been studies that prove (though common sense is enough for me, it seems obvious enough) that when baby and pusher face each other, there's more talking and interaction. More talking and interaction are CLEARLY proven (besides the common sense thing) to be the best thing for child development.

It's important enough to me that I'm prepared to spend quite a bundle more to get a facing double when #2 comes, because none of the less expensive doubles seem to face the pusher. I'm just still debating whether one seat facing is enough (e.g. Britax B-ready) or if I should insist on both (e.g. the more expensive and very huge City Select, where it seems even if you face them both towards you your view of the second one is blocked. Or the wider and also very expensive side-by-side doubles that face, though I was hoping a convertible could work because #1 will very likely outgrow the double before #2 has anyone to share with... but I will stop hijacking op's thread now)

Platinum Member Joined: Oct 14 2009 Posts: 5870

Ewa-jo, thanks for the suggestion, I think you mentioned it on a different thread too... but it runs around $800 and not much of a used market o_O City Select also runs about that high once you factor in all the extras but I am hoping that if I decide to go that route maybe I can find a used one because it's American and popular. I see them around $500 on Craigslist, still a little more than I was hoping to spend... but then maybe I'm not being entirely realistic... Britax B-Ready I see used around $300 which is more feasible for me but the second seat is under your feet facing out, Confused

Senior Member Joined: Oct 27 2011 Posts: 186

Platinum Member Joined: Oct 14 2009 Posts: 5870

Yeah, it looks looooong and it doesn't get much love but I guess you get what you pay for... I'm soooo undecided on this whole thing! Especially since DD is already going to be almost 2 IY"H and she's a good walker. It's way easier to keep her in a stroller but still, I don't think she'll be interested for more than a year or so, though it's so hard to predict. So I don't want to have a miserable year with a crummy stroller situation, but I also don't want to invest too deeply in something with such limited use. Getting a dedicated double and then reselling to buy a new single only a year later seems like such a hassle but might be the smartest move... OTOH man plans and G-d laughs so who knows, maybe I will yet find another use for a double.... yikes!

Chalomatok, I would strongly suggest the Uppababy Vista - it's getting more and more popular here in the UK. It's got everything you're looking for: easy fold, big basket, reversible seat, car seat adapters, bassinet, easy steering, solid break, and it fits through all the doors on the high street! I take it on the tube and buses all the time. Best of all, it comes with all the extras (bassinet, rain covers, insect nets, car seat adapters) included in a price that already beats out similar models like Bugaboo and iCandy.

Seriously, between the basket and a couple buggy hooks, I can head to the high street, do my entire shabbos shop, and steer back home one handed without having to carry anything. DS loves the snack tray that we got as an add-on when he was 9 months old. You can buy a travel bag extra that insures the buggy for all airline travel.

Also, living in the UK, I was worried about getting an American brand, but Uppababy has a UK help centre, and they are AMAZING! Last week I broke the basket (my bad). I called on Monday, they sent a courier to pick it up on Tuesday, and I had it back (fixed) for shabbos! They are incredibly accommodating and understanding. And, let me tell you, after using a MacLaren for a week, I was SO happy to get my Uppababy back!

Two downsides: 1) It's not good if you live in a walk up and you can't store the buggy on the ground floor. I think that is true of most buggies, and it's just as true of the Uppababy.
2) John Lewis doesn't carry it, so it's hard to track down a floor model. The closest I found to NW London was at Huggle on Finchley Rd in Swiss Cottage. (There are also some in Manc, if you're there).

PM me for more - I can answer every question about this buggy - I am so happy with it!

When I lived in Har Nof and visited NY, I needed a stroller to bring back to EY. The salesman asked me what features I wanted. I said that all I wanted was a stroller that bounced up stairs really well. He asked me if there were any other features I was looking for. I said that it would also help if it bounced "down" stairs really well. He was like, "Where DO you live?" Laughing

I got back to my parents' house, and my uncle called and said, "Congratulations on your new stroller." How did he know?! After I'd left the store, he'd walked in and said that he was looking for a gift for his niece who was visiting from Jerusalem. The salesman said, "I'm sure I just met your niece! She bought a stroller!"

Silver Member Joined: May 24 2010 Posts: 597

Platinum Member Joined: Apr 12 2010 Posts: 5773

I researched into TONS of strollers (in the UK more) before I finally bought one.

I wouldn't suggest going with a snap n go for the simple reason that most people just stick with this and never end up buying a stroller but get frustrated with the snap n go because it is not so sturdy etc.

You have to decide which features are most important to you:
how easy to fold
how light
how easy to push with one hand
basket size
how hard to change from bassinet to seat or to turn the seat around
if you want facing you or facing out
if you want just a stroller (like maclaren) or a bassinet too
if you want a car seat attachment
how high you want it (stokke high or bugaboo looowww)
whether you want adjustable handles or not
if you want a specific color or a choice of colors
how cheap/expensive it is

I tried out tons as I said.
Each one had different pluses and minuses and its very hard to find a stroller with EVERYTHING you want on it.

My priorities were that it must be light to shlep up stairs and it must be high, large basket and easy fold and not too expensive.

I looked at the silver cross surf but the basket was hard to access and it was very low to the ground.
The Joolz is a nice size basket and light but it has side pieces that stick out and can get in the way/annoying to some people.
The bugaboo was too low, hard to access basket and not great size either, and quite heavy too.
The stokke was perfect height for me but crappy basket and also really hard to fold and kinda heavy too.
The uppababy vista is also great height for me and huge basket but REALLY heavy to push with one hand and to shlep up stairs (yup I tried that in store too!)
Icandy apple is really heavy and bulky.

I ended up really wanting the Icandy Peach. From all the ones I tried it was the lightest (after the joolz) but one thing bugged me it was really really low bassinet.
I decided that for height, I prefer a higher up bassinet than seat because its better to pick up a toddler not so high and not have to bend with a newborn.

So I ended up with the Oyster Plush from babystyle. Its a UK stroller and also has its pluses and minuses.
What I love about it is that it is EXTREMELY light. Lightest from every one that I tried. Its really really easy to fold and a walkover to push with one hand I can even shlep it up and down stairs with one hand! The basket is a fabulous size and really easy to access with seat or bassinet attachment.
It is a great price for the package (bassinet, chassis, seat, diaper bag, rain covers and foot muffs). The regular oyster has a choice of 25color inserts that you can change however the material is quite flimsy and cheapish. I chose the oyster plush because it is a better thicker material (red, black or grey). The seat has a mosquito net inside that you can zip out and the handle is adjustable.
The best thing is that the bassinet and car seat can be used with a height adaptor that makes it higher up. The major minus for me is that you cannot use the seat with this so the seat is quite low down (lower than the vista, joolz, icandy and stokke but higher than the bugaboo bee). But on the other hand my toddler is heavy so its easier to lift him a short distance.
Of course as I use it there are tiny other cons I see such as the hood can get in the way sometimes but I deal with it because I am so happy with everything else.

Sorry this is so long, I hope it makes sense and it makes it easier for you to choose. I cannot remember other ones I tried out but if you want to pm me a list of those you have seen (specifically UK ones) I don't mind to let you know my thoughts on them. Again, I shopped for 4 weeks straight and went to 5 different stroller stores as well as researching and shopping online.
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Platinum Member Joined: Oct 14 2009 Posts: 5870

A snap-n-go can be nice but not that useful past 6 months or so, so you'll still need to do the stroller shopping thing, so you may as well do it sooner and have the full stroller option for when you're not popping in and out of a car. Around here you can get a good used snap-n-go pretty easily for $20-30 so I'd just go for both. Once a kid can sit up they're not interested in being confined to the infant seat leaning back as they are in the snap-n-go.

Gold Member Joined: Mar 05 2007 Posts: 1605

As for a stroller, my most important concirn is the weight it can carry. Many of the fad strollers like bugaboo and strokee can hold a kid up to about 30 pounds. For me that is a big downside! I don't want to buy a new stroller when my kid is age 2.
the second most important is that it folds easy in one time. Nothing to take apart. Therefore can be used for travel and regular.

I did a lot of research and ended up with the Britex be Ready stroller. Looks pretty and has amazing features. I have yet to come across a bad customer review on it. It has bassinet, toddler seat, can hold a kid of about 55 pounds, huge basket for convenient shopping and a solid sturdy stroller. Folds in one snap and was very easy to set up. The best best best feature that I love is that it conveniently turns into a double stroller by attaching a seat in back. That second seat can hold more weight than the original seat in the bugaboo or such. No more wide double stroller trucks for me. I have an all in one and the price was very descent and worth it.

Plus it easily attaches to any car seat.
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Platinum Member Joined: Jun 22 2008 Posts: 6419

weight limits in carriages aren't really true. there was one company that raised the weight limit on their latest model and asked what improvements where made in order that should happen and they said all they had to do was put the safety straps a bit higher up.