In the final hours before giving birth and what do we do? We go buggy shopping - long story!
I want to tell you all the reasons we just opted for Mothercare's The Orb.
But first of all let me introduce you to our runners ups... In the frame were the Cosatto Giggle 2 Toodle Pip just LOOK at the long list of things you get for £450 - it's amazing and includes the carrycot and car seat, when some travel systems only include one or the other. I would have bought it in a heartbeat but both Daddy and Grandma hated the flowers and the 3 of us were shopping together.
So next up was The Mothercare The Orb, which I fell in love with for so many reasons and then promptly fell out of love with the second I found out it did NOT include a car seat, but still loved the fact that it currently has a £150 off promotion, as shown by the ticketing below (so it's £279 instead of £429) only till tomorrow though apparently:
Top left above you see that when it is in the buggy mode it comes with a gorgeous cosytoe much nicer than a mere footmuff.
Once I discovered the lack of car seat we moved onto the Joie travel system, which again like the Cosatto includes a carrycot AND car seat. It's £399 till tomorrow, meaning it currently has a £100 off but it just had a cheap and tacky look about it, which means it only got a cursory glance if I am completely honest.
Next up was the Graco Evo Avant, which was my favourite (after or on a par with the Cosatto Giggle) and again includes the carrycot and car seat. It's only £299.99 until tomorrow. The current offer is:
Get a FREE Graco Snugfix 0+ Baby Car Seat in Ink Classic worth £129.99 when you buy the Graco Evo Avant Pushchair and the Graco Evo Carry Cot in Ink Classic .
Your free car seat will automatically be added to your basket once you have added the pushchairs & carrycot. Offer ends 20th January 2016. Terms & Conditions apply. I loved the big basket. I loved the feel of pushing the Graco Evo Avant around the Mothercare showroom. The only let down was the handle bar is not height adjustable as with The Orb and also to be fair didn't feel nearly as nice as The Orb's leatherette handlebar.
Your free car seat will automatically be added to your basket once you have added the pushchairs & carrycot. Offer ends 20th January 2016. Terms & Conditions apply. I loved the big basket. I loved the feel of pushing the Graco Evo Avant around the Mothercare showroom. The only let down was the handle bar is not height adjustable as with The Orb and also to be fair didn't feel nearly as nice as The Orb's leatherette handlebar.
Then we were in a stand-off. Hubby wanted The Orb and I wanted the Graco Evo Avant. I wouldn't back down and neither would he, so here's how we got round it...
I said, "we can't get The Orb as it doesn't come with a car seat" to which, hubby gained the brain of our AMAZING sales assistant Lauren G and ascertained we could buy the Joie - I Gemm baby car seat in colour: pavement which with adaptors would be compatable. The car seat is £130. Knocking the £279 price of The Orb up to £409, which takes it well out of the range of the Graco, but hubby was sold on the Orb. He loved that it was black and loved the bling bling chrome on it, which I hated.
But, once I realised we were at a checkmate I established that I loved the Graco because it was grey and realised I could compromise by getting The Orb in grey (even though hubby will get a shock when he collects it in 48 hours LOL). Getting it in grey means it'll better match the Pavement colour of the car seat anyway. BUT to be honest I ONLY used Aaron's car seat as in 2010 I had a cheap Mothercare forward facing only Mothercare Curv travel system, so the ONLY way I could have Aaron facing me was to wheel him in the car seat or wear him in my Moby Wrap. I'll have no such problem with The Orb as it faces back AND forth. Which is going to be such a huge novelty. I walk 30 miles a week, so to have her facing me and to have a carrycot will be just wonderful.
I am expecting a BIG baby. Aaron was 9lbs 10oz and my bump is looking AND measuring bigger this time. So, although I love that the Giggle and the Graco both have standalone carrycots, I think it is probably more practical that the Orb has a carrycot which is effectively a transformation of the buggy, because at least then I don't have another object cluttering up the place once she no longer wants to lay flat often. But do have the advantage I can use it for those all important newborn weeks and can leave her napping when we get in from somewhere, which I couldn't do in a car seat which is just too curved etc. I can just wheel the buggy in after the school run and she can continue to snooze in the carrycot whilst I wash up or have 3 Weetabix :-)
In an ideal world, I'd be wearing her LOADS, but in the first few weeks I will be post-op after a C-section and I can't remember how soon I was able to wear Aaron, although I don't remember it taking long.
Anyway, EVERYONE on the school run seems to have a carrycot, so although I didn't have one last time, I was looking forward to it this time, so am glad we've got the option. Also having Aaron lying on the lowest recline in my stroller travel system in 2010 was a completely different proposition to now as he was a SUMMER BABY, so there were no drafts etc to be considered. Currently we are on our second week of frost. It's a new thing de-icing the car in the mornings, but it means on the days Daddy is at work and Aaron and I walk to school, she'll be a LOT more snug as a bug in a carrycot, which surrounds them more and is way more cosy for January weather. Plus, often, February can be even colder!
So there was an awful lot to consider today and I haven't even told you the half of it, i.e. I could go on and on about the reasons we CANNOT re-use Aaron's car seat, but suffice to say we were in Mothercare for HOURS and our sales assistant Lauren G literally deserves a medal and a big drink of something....
I did the only thing I could do and completed the mylocalMothercare.co.uk survery to ensure she gets the recognition she wholly deserves. Suffice to say we went in there intending to spend £74 and she had us spending £409 and walking away happy about it too.
Oh gosh, I haven't told you the BEST bit. In 2010 I bought the Mothercare Spin at the Baby Show when I was pregnant with Aaron. I think it was £580. My Mum told me off for spending that much so I got a refund and bought the Mothercare Curv (made by Graco) travel system for £179 (really it was £259 but on special offer when I bought it). It included a car seat but not a carry cot. It performed brilliantly and lasted us the full 2-3 years. We never up or down graded to a lighter stroller as both I and Aaron were entirely happy with it. It was practical, but not at all stylish or glamorous. But it never bothered me to be honest. But back then I wasn't doing school runs. This time, that and the fact that I am having a GIRL made having something special seem more important. Which is why I changed our Orb order today to grey, because getting the black version would have reminded me too much of 2010 when I listened to my Mum and settled for second best.
But anyhow, Lauren today was able to tell me, when I saw The Orb spin (when you change it from rear to forward facing) that effectively it IS the spin, just revamped and updated. She also has enough experience as a Mum and Mothercare assistant that she remembers my Mothercare Curv too as well as The Spin. I felt in very safe hands with her today as she freely told me all the positives and negatives that I needed to hear/know about each and every option. Great customer experience!
So, anyway, I need some sleep now.
Night night, Liska xxx
