One for the Mums and Dads!

We're now doing our research into a 'baby travel system' (push chair car seat etc etc) Looks like it's going to be harder than buying a car!

Can anyone recommend a make/model I'd like to get it folded flat in the back of the A2 which measures about 95cm (L) x 63cm (W). I also like the idea of being able to take the car seat out, connecting it to the push chair frame - and off you go to the shops! Can it be that easy?

Musm and Dads

HI

I suggest you take a trip down to Mamas and Papas. Our wee one is 10months now and we did a bit of research on this, examining boot space, rear leg room in theA2 and then testing out different pushcair combinations.

The best one we could find is the following

Primo Viaggio SIP Infant Carrier
Primio Viaggio Infant Base
Pliko Pramette. (2 in 1) Pram, Pushchair,

The infant carrier is not the very best for folding the handles, they are quite stiff but it is quite sturdy overall. If this is a problem, then go for something from the MaxiCosi range, and ignore the last two items

The infant base stays in the car. You just take the car seat out and click it in and hook the seatbelt over and thats it,

The Pliok pramette pram/pushchair has small wheels therefore it fits easily into the back if the A2,

You can take your car to Mamas and Papas and get this all done before you buy. If you need pics let me know.

The whole thing cost us around 500 quid, but the pram is a three year or so investment so over this time period its not to bad

Imran

In the netherlands, the bugaboo is popular, and you can fix your maxi cosi carbio to it, which is also the reverse facing car seat for the first 9 months,
a bit steep on pricing though.

Currently doing the pram shop rounds whilst planning for our December arrival. We tried the Pliko pramette as recommended on this thread, however we have opted for the 'Loola Up' travel system by Bebe Confort. This stylish travel system is lightweight yet sturdy and has an amazingly compact chassis when folded. It measures only 92cm compared to the Pliko which is 104cm. It really looks like it was made for the A2! We will probably remove the upper floor and space saver wheel for optimum space when baby arrives, and in this configuration, the chassis scarcely puts a dent in the boot. Only negative point is that there is no Isofix base for the Creatis infant seat. However the seat has very good safety features and the surefix base which uses the seat belt to secure is easy to use, and you still have the convenience of the seat clicking on and off the base. Summing up, I would highly recommend the Loola Up to any Mums and Dads to be, or anyone struggling with a larger system and considering changing their beloved A2 for a bigger car. (If I could have heard myself talking like this a year ago - I'd probably have given myself a slap! )

Hi,

We have a little one due in December and have done a lot of research into the best pushchair/carseat combo.
We initally bought a Mamas and Papas ozone from Argos in the sale but was not at all impressed. It was flimsy and fiddly to use and not very good quality. After researching it on the net and finding it had very poor reviews we decided to return it(A lot of people wern't impressed Mama+Papas customer service or build quality). Saying that it was light and fitted easily into the A2.
We eventually opted for the 'Britax Voyaga Ultra' travel system. We found it extremely well made, easy to fold and a really nice high quality item. Its dimensions are H96cmxD39cmxW60cm which means it fits snuggly into th A2 boot. It comes also with a britax car seat (Britax cosy tot premium) which i'm told comes out top in crash test results for safety. This seat can also clip onto an isofix base(avaliable separately for around £80) which attaches directly onto the isofix clips on the A2 rear seats making it extemely safe.
The seat will also lift out and clip directly on to the pram chassis as you wanted.
This pram is also very good value at around £230 when we were looking through Boots the chemist. We actually managed to get ours brand new through the dreaded Ebay for £120! (It was Tescos old stock).

Hope this helps as there is so much choice and its bit of a mine field. The main issue you will find when looking is the pram length as most are 100cm+. There are only a handful around 95cm, but we would definatly recommend the Britax Voyaga Ultra.

Regards James

We bought a Bugaboo Chameleon 2 1/2 years ago, absolutely fantastic to be honest - and yes it does fit in the back of an A2. You can fit the Maxi-Cosi carseat directly onto the chassis should you wish. Excellent "pram" mode for baby for first 6months so can lie flat, sit up and generally move about in the bed mode, then switch to seat mode when they get older. It'll carry a huge amount of clutter on it too - excellent for shopping/trips out when you need nappy bag/changing bag/spare clothes/food/ kitchen sink etc.

Great advantage for the Chameleon is that the handle is adjustable with about a 9" range -which for me was a big issue as I'm 6ft 3 and believe me you don't want to be stooping over pushing these things.

The Bugaboos 'aint cheap, but when you consider your baby is in these things for hours a day and you're pushing them about in them for 3 years or so, you want something that'll do the job well. It's very easy to push around and will go over rough ground very nicely too.

Originally we were thinking of the Loola but for me it was too small (lack of height adjustable handle) to be comfortable.

As stated above though it's a total minefield out there with a bewildering range of choices. One brand I was hugely disappointed with was Phil & Teds - really heavy, very difficult to manoevre and really surprisingly small seats for the kids.

I'm currently "enjoying" looking for double buggies now though, which is a whole different minefield to negotiate!

We also have the Britax Voyaga Ultra system. It's almost an exact fit for the A2's boot (with the parcel shelf removed). There's literally no space for anything around it, but there's still the space under the false boot floor. We've been very happy with it. The pushchair/pram is a bit bulky and we'll probably get a more compact pushchair now that the little one is growing up but overall it's a good system.

We were very happy as it looked far too big to fit in the A2 boot, but it actually fits like a glove and is easier to put in the boot than it was in our previous Leon.

We have (finally) made a decision and ordered the Bugaboo Cameleon. Pricey but we got a deal with the Maxi Cosi car seat thrown in free (and the in laws are paying anyway - cheers mum and dad!!)
Looks like a nice all round package, although we will run the A2 without the upper floor level or spacesaver in the boot to maximise the available space. The fit of the chassis is fine for the A2 and its very snug if you take the wheels off which is easy to do.

i have to agree with murdo the bebe confort fits snug with the pram beneath cot, i know this cos ive got the full setup. although it did cost me over £600 for the full kit. my wife wanted the ultima mamas & papas range but did not fit and was more expensive but seeing the bebe confort and how easier it was to fold/open compared to the ultima was a breeze.

hope this helps

mr angry grrrrrrrr

@murdo - nice one, the Chameleon is a great piece of kit - bearing in mind you use the thing every day for the best part of 3 years it really stands up to the task. You soon get used to whipping the wheels off to get it into the A2 boot - but yes you do need to remove the false floor and not run around with a spare wheel if you want to fit anything else in there. We recently bought some roof rails so we can carry "stuff" when we're loaded up to the gunnells. Enjoy your new purchase (and the new baby of course!)

Been absent from the Forum for a while now - been very busy!
Baby girl Rowan born on 3/12, 9lb 9oz. A wee cutie, so must take after Fiona A2OC's new associate member! So now the fun begins as life is forever changed.

Congrats Murdo

Thanks Chris, yes - sleep is a snatched pleasure now though I wouldnt chnage it for the world. Ah - I've turned into an old softie

Congrats Murdo!

My little one (first!) is due in March 09. Still sixing up car seat / buggy options. I thought about getting one of those case seats that just attaches on to the frame of a buggy, and then hopefully get an ISOFIX base in the car to drop the car seat onto.

Its only until the baby gets a bit bigger, at which point the carrier becomes to small, and you have to get another child seat, which I have narrowed down to the Recaro Young Sport so far.

How are your A2's with the buggys in the back and all the other baby kit?
We have got the A2 and a BMW 3 Series which is a coupe, but im considering trading it in for 5 series for full family weekends away?

Does this make sense, or is there a baby travel system that doesnt take up most of the A2 bootspace?

The A2 is a tight squeeze for the full ensemble of kit, but it fits at a push! I dont think you need some of the kit that seems to be lugged around for little ones. My mate went for a weekend away with their toddler and filled an A6 Avant with tat! How did our parents/grandparents ever manage
As per earlier posts on this thread, we narrowed down to the Bugaboo or Bebe Confort Loola. The Loola is amazingly compact for the A2 with its scissor action, although it feels a little flimsy. The Bugaboo slots in fine on its side, and sits flat with wheels off which is an easy task. Then theres plenty room for the kitchen sink etc if you remove the false floor and spacesaver (if fitted to your A2)

Just to add that our Mutsy 4-rider pram/pushchair fits in the boot fine. I do know that some models are too large. My wife tried a few models before settling on the Mutsy as it fitted in the A2 boot just fine.

Iain

Now that the wee one is nearly 3, we also have a quinny buzz which is a really clever bit of kit as a daily stroller, folds up really compact and it lives in the boot of the A2 all the time. The bugaboo still in use, but this is kept for longer walks around town and when we go away anywhere.

Our A2 easily swallowed our Bugaboo Chameleon when we used that - quickly pop both wheels off and it then lays down flat in the boot with plenty of space to put shopping in there too. We then started to use a Out 'n About double buggy (a side-by-side 3-wheel job) when we needed two buggy seats and again that fitted in the boot easily enough without having to remove wheels and again there was still plenty of room for shopping/ bags/ gumph.

With our youngest now 3 we've stopped using pushchairs/ buggies completely so we're through the worst of the "kit and clutter" phase.

My daughter is now 16 months and we've changed to an umbrella style stroller instead. Not as nice to push but my daughter wouldn't sit in a buggie for too long anyway! Problem with umbrella ones like McLarens is they are too long to fit in the A2's boot lengthwise. But the Maxi Cozy Mila has this mechanism to shorten by 8cm when folded. It only takes up less than 1/2 of the lower boot floor space! Not seen anything that fits better yet having the simplicity of the umbrella mechanism. Even better, I can stand it upright(!) on one side of the boot, leaving the other side for my grocery shopping basket!

After a lot of research I bought the Bugaboo Bee and Maxi cosi cabrio fix (with iso-fix) base. The Bee is very small and suitable from birth until about 3 yrs.

That was 2 yrs ago and it was the best buy ever. Our little one loves the Bee, which is now converted into a pushchair. The Bee is so small you can pop it into the A2 and still have loads of room for shopping and stuff.

Never looked back. A2 + Bugaboo bee + Maxi cosi cabrio fix = happy family!

David