How to choose the right travel system for you. A mums guide

Having a baby is one of the most exciting and expensive life-changing moments that can happen to you! There is so much to buy.

Everyone is offering their advice and every brand is telling you their product is the one you need! And, the prices can be eye-watering. With, generally, the largest expense being the travel system/pushchair.

When we had Evan, I had no idea what we wanted or needed from a travel system, so I didn’t put much thought into it. That offered me invaluable insights into what works for my family this time around and, in most cases, what didn’t. And, oh my, I made some right mistakes along the way. We actually went through three with Evan and it was more of settling with the third than it being the dream set of wheels for him or me!

So this time around for the new baby I felt a lot more equipped with this awareness of what we needed to look for to get just what our family needed, which now what we have. I’m already excited to be able to get it out and use it once the baby is here.

Luckily for you, I’m going to share this insight – so grab a decaf coffee and let’s run through the thought process.

You might think, well it’s obviously the price! But, actually, there are multiple other factors to consider before this…I will explain why, a little later on.

But why is it so important to get the ‘right’ one

Like, I did the first time around, you may think well it’s a pushchair there isn’t much to consider. But once you have one and are using it daily you realise there is so much more to it than that. So, the first thing you need to consider is your family’s needs. What do you tend to do? What terrain will the pushchair need to combat? Will it need to fit in your car? Will you be using on buses? Do you need to carry it into your house?

Once, you start thinking about your needs it will automatically reduce the number of options available. And, you’re now on the right track to getting one that will make having a new baby easier for you. Remember, a lot of these are designed to support your child until they are a confident walker, so it is worth getting one that enhances your life.

Applying the considerations

The great news is, now we know what we need. This is a good starting point. I knew this time around that I needed something all-terrain as we tend to not only use the pushchair for city living but also woodland and beach walks. I also, had to consider that I will have a toddler in tow this time around, so I need to ensure I always have one hand free to grab him if he makes a runner when we are getting in and out of the car.

So with that in mind, I set to research one-hand folding pushchairs. As let’s be honest the new baby won’t be in the bassinet for that long. Then from those results, I looked for all-terrain. Great. I now have a few to research further. There was still a fair number of them suitable but I have ruled hundreds out.

Local to me there are no ‘all-round’ baby shops that stock a variety of pushchairs to compare so instead of buying blind I took to YouTube and watched demo videos and vlog reviews. You may prefer researching in other ways and that is fine too, but must research. Do not rush this, this item should last you years!

When you look at the reviews you should see straight away which ones you like. I got down to two. At that point, I made the drive to the nearest shop to see it ‘in person’ and take it for a test spin in the shop.

Budget

Hopefully, by now, you know the pushchair you want. You know why you need it and how it will benefit you. So only at this point should you look at the cost. Ans, I say that because there are so many ways to get the dream pushchair within your budget.

The one I ‘needed’ was quite pricey and in truth out of my budget. But, I got one, so it is doable for you too! There are so many ways to support this:

1. People love to help – I know my parents and Dennis’ both splashed out to help us with purchasing items we needed for the baby. You may also, be this lucky.
2. Keep shopping around. sales and discounts can pop up at different times of the year. Black Friday, Boxing Day sales and baby events are usually good places to start, as that (in my experience) is when you’ll get the best bargs and biggest saving.
3. Compromise on colour – I have found that certain colour combos and materials cost more – if you are willing to compromise on this you’ll likely find the price drops accordingly.
4. Pre-loved. I know not everyone is a fan of second hand – or pre-loved as I prefer to call them – but I love them! This is how we purchased ours and we picked it up for 10% of the ‘new’ cost. My advice is shop around – search all places and continue to do this regularly. Set up alerts on eBay, Facebook market place, Shpock etc. This will allow you to maximise your budget and find one in the best condition within your price range.

So now you’ve got all the tools you need. It’s time for shopping! Let me know how you got on. I’d love to hear all about what you ended up buying and what considerations were made.