Good bargain for a Stroller and a carseat

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  geek001 on 23/05/2013 - 13:07

  1. We have gone through 2 baby boys now, car seats wise, we weren't too fussed which brand we went with, but we did go and try it out before buying the car seat to make sure that the baby likes the seat or feels comfortable in the seat. The last thing you want is to buy the seat and have the baby cry constantly whenever you are travelling with the baby, especially if you are the only adult in the car and cannot comfort the baby because you are driving.

  2. We went through quite a few strollers, from $45 stroller to $550 stroller. My opinion is that you probably will go through a few and definitely have more than one at any time for different purposes. Again, check for comfort level with the baby. First, we were given a Bertini stroller built like a tank, very safe but unfortunately very heavy as well. Folding and unfolding the stroller was causing my wife to have issues with her back. Then we bought the Phil and Ted stroller, which was $550 at the time, nice but the baby didn't like the stroller much, constantly fidgeting and asking to be held, which beats the purpose of having a stroller in the first place. Then we bought a smaller Chicco stroller which can be folded down flat for travelling, that was a good sized stroller, not too heavy and has enough padding, but not as sturdy and we found that if you have problems with the stroller, don't expect any support from the brand.

  Then our baby boy number 2 came along and we bought a Baby Love tandem stroller, which worked really well too despite being on the cheap end. With regards to design, I think it is good to have one where the left and the right handle are not joined together, just so that you can hang things on the handle while you are moving around. If you like coffee, remember to get one with a cup holder at the handle end. :)

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  battler on 23/05/2013 - 13:33

  i know we all like to get our firstborns some new, top quality stuff, but can I suggest….
  find ones you like in store, then check ebay/gumtree for clean used ones.
  you should be able to pick one up for 1/3 to 1/2 of new price.

  you'll save heaps, and have spare coin for alternative strollers eg, small one for travel, larger one for day trips, etc.

  • 

    geek001 on 23/05/2013 - 13:41

    Yep, totally agree with that.

    Although, if you are buying pre-owned stuff, make sure it is not too old, because the foam that makes up the cushioning for our car seat started disintegrating after about 5 years of use. Replacement cover can cost about 1/2 the cost of a new one, so if you are paying for that, you might as well get a new one. Lucky for us, it was time for us to move on to a booster seat. :)

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    ESEMCE on 23/05/2013 - 14:33

    +1

    +1
    Even better, ask friends/family/colleagues that have kids who are growing out or have grown out of things.
    A Colleague gave me a cot, portacot, linen, and 3 boxes of toys all brand name and all in good condition and then thanked me the following day for freeing up so much space in his shed!

  • 

    Geewhizz on 24/05/2013 - 07:10

    +1

    Buying second-hand does come with some risks though. If the seat was installed in a vehicle that was involved in a collision, the seat's structural integrity may have been compromised, yet the damage may not be visible. For this reason, if you're buying second-hand it's best to know the people you're getting it from.

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  YTW on 23/05/2013 - 14:41

  +2

  I use http://www.crep.com.au to chose my carseats - the difference in some of the ratings is quite substantial. I usually pick the top three or so (depending on how close all the safety results are) and then shop around to see how much they all are etc. Ironically price isn't always linked in with safety rating - one of the cheapest boosters for 4 year olds has one of the highest ratings.

  I have a Peg Perego Aria stroller which I love, but the newer model is missing some of my favourite features (one hand opening, brake kick bar) so I wouldn't recommend it unless you could get an older model in good condition.

  I've read a lot of rave reviews about Combi's but have never tried one - they seem quite similar to the Aria actually.

  I'd look up review.com.au as there are a lot of detailed accounts off people on there as to what they love and hate about their strollers and prams.

  When it comes to them, you'll probably find you end up going through a couple finding the right fit for you. So don't put price ahead of wants/needs as you'll just end up frustrated and buying what you wanted in the first place later on. Once you start using a stroller/pram a lot you really start forming opinions on what you like/hate etc. Go to a baby shop and push a few around to start things off…also try to open and shut any you think you like - some are really annoying and difficult or heavy/awkward which can be a deal-breaker (and back breaker) if you are getting it in and out of the car multiple times a day.

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  battler on 23/05/2013 - 15:43

  and, in general for baby (not so much prams though), check out some of the baby markets:
  http://babykidsmarket.com.au/markets/mrktbkw2.php?job=ww&s=n

  People queue at these things for some reason, and there are some bargains to be had…. but for us we went later to get the 'clearance' items…. for example we picked up about 50 items of very good clean condition baby clothes for about $20-odd dollars (can't remember exact cos it was a few years ago, but approx 50c-$1 per item).
  Clothes are DIRT-CHEAP at these markets, but go late to get the benefit of a motivated vendor.

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  Taita on 23/05/2013 - 23:45

  +1

  For my kids, we picked the 3 top rated carseats http://www.crep.com.au/crep-results.php and then went to see them in the shops, decided on which we preferred and went online to get the best price for it. got the SnS compact deluxe convertable but that was a long time ago.

  For strollers, tried n tested a few over the years. The one that was our and kids fav was Maclaren Techno XT (or XLR). Worked well for babies and then when they were older (much heavier kids). things like rain cover and winter blanket all included. Was also lightweight (took it on overseas travel), folds like an umbrella stroller (a more compact fold) to takes less space in teh car (plus good to take on bus and train as well.) And unless both parents are the same average height, do not under estimate the importance of longer adjustable handles. Plus customer service was great from the company: a long time after purchase, they replaced a lost strap for free!

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  tonester on 24/05/2013 - 03:27

  Carseat

  http://www.crep.com.au/crep-results.php

  The stand-out product is the new Luxi Crown (Infa-Secure), rated:

  0-6mths: ***** (5-stars)
  6mths-4yrs: *** (3-stars)
  4-7yrs: **** (4-stars)

  fyi Hipod is made by Britax/Safe-N-Sound

  Stroller

  http://www.choice.com.au/reviews-and-tests/babies-and-kids/t…
  http://strollersandprams.com/reviews.html

  http://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/73388#comment-923435