The pram saga continues...

So we had decided on hiring the capsule and the pram. After our last appointment with the OB, hubby decided it may be best if we bring the hire date forward in case the (not so) little one came early. I felt that was a fair call.

Now, besides our initial phone call, I had received no further contact or confirmation from them at all. No letter or email to confirm my booking, just a reassurance that they would contact me a week before my booked date. So I felt it was best to send them an email at this point to start getting everything in writing (that's my admin side of my coming out!)

My email detailed my booking and asked questions like; "Will you install it on the day?" "Do you need extension straps for a station wagon?" "Does it come with rain cover?" etc. etc. I included my contact details so they could call me back and we could have a proper discussion.

I received a reply that simply said, "And again, one which might be better off with a phone call…."

I was stunned to say the least. I spiralled out of control and drowned my sorrows in a packet of M&Ms and Kettle Chips. I had no more energy to invest in this drama. There was no way I was dealing with them anymore if that was the response I was going to get from them. I felt pretty crap...defeated.

After a few days of mulling it over, I told hubby that we wouldn't be hiring anymore. When I explained to him what had happened...well, let's just say that they were lucky they weren't dealing with him. He can be quite intimidating when he has his angry eyes on, but much worse when he opens his mouth.

Hubby and I headed to Baby Bunting a few weeks later, and I showed him the pram I had my eye on. It's a Steelcraft Agile travel system. I was fixated on getting a pram that was lightweight, could fold easily and worked with a capsule. He chose the colour - Forest Green. 

It's at home now, waiting for the new arrival. It folds pretty small and is so light! I'm so happy it's the end of that saga.

31 weeks - The showering of gifts!

I drove up to Sydney for my baby shower which my friends had so generously organised for me. It was so well done and I left there feeling so loved and felt that I had the luckiest little baby in the world to have so many people who loved him too. It was such a delight to not have to worry about anything but turning up, and spending the weekend with so many loved ones.

I drove home with a car boot full of gifts and purchases (I did some shopping at IKEA while I was there of course) Poor hubby had to make a few trips to the car and back to bring everything inside.

All the food was made from scratch. Even the bunting and decorations were hand made. You'll see from my pics all the love they all put into it :)

Thank you guys!

The Great Pram Debacle

The bad luck charm on 3 wheels
(not our actual pram, but same model)

OK, so a long time ago, we were given a pram...

We were still in our first year of marriage and just starting our journey of (mis)conception. We were given a pram, a stroller and a car seat from my husband's mother. They were used by her partner's daughter back in 2004(?).  I wasn't overly pleased with the kind donation because it represented all the pressure from the in-laws to get on the reproduction wagon, and I found it quite invasive. But we kept them in the back shed for years, gathering dust, mice poo and snail trails.

At the beginning of this year, I convinced my husband to get rid of the car seat as mice had found some forgotten crumbs under the seat lining and eaten the stuffing under the seat. I was also concerned that it didn't meet current Australian Safety Standards. But I had this weird thing that it was like a bad luck charm because of the all the expectations it represented. And what do you know? Two weeks after we threw it in the bin, I found out I was pregnant. A coincidence? :)

But we still held on to the pram and stroller.

I don't have a problem with the stroller. It's easy to fold. It's light and it's simple to use. But the pram is heavy (more than 12kg), incredibly bulky and doesn't lock when it's folded down. It also isn't reversible, which is something I really wanted so the baby could face me when it was very young. The tyres were also flat.

I hated this pram!

I loathed the idea of having to lug this thing around to do the shopping or go out for coffee. Or even pushing it around the shops. I gave my husband an ultimatum, that he clean the mice poo and snail trails and fix the tyres, or I would just go out and buy a pram to suit myself.

Well, to his credit, he did just that. So now I have to eat my words and we're keeping the pram.

I have, however, booked a pram and capsule combination for hire. It's a Babylove Snap n Go Capsule and Aurora pram and it costs $200 to hire for 6 months. This will give us time to work out if the free pram is actually worth keeping. It also gives us time to work out what kind of long term pram/stroller we would need, if we do end up buying one.

After all the research I did on prams, I'm happy with this option. If we bought that option at retail it would be more than $400, and we could quite possibly want to get rid of it after 6 months to find something  more suitable anyway. Capsules are just ridiculously expensive!



All images used in this post are not my own. They have been taken from a google image search. Please contact me if you want them to be removed.

Choosing the all important pram

A few years ago, we were given a pram, which I'm not convinced is very useful to me. So I'm beginning the intimidating task of researching prams. There are so many brands with so many features, but more importantly, they're so expensive! So, it's not a decision I want to make lightly.

Here are some suggestions to help you with your pram choice.

Get some practical advice.

Talk to your friends or family who have recently had babies and ask them what they found useful and the purchases they regret. They are always helpful with advice for buying prams and what to look for in a pram.

Now, what next?
Start doing some research on the internet. Check out forums and product reviews. Try this website, it has a little selection guide where you can select the features that you're looking for in a pram. It then shows you the results with a table of features and the prices.

Also, check out pram tips, it helps you define what you need in a pram which then helps you decide on which features are most important to you and which features you don't need.

Prams can range from budget ($200 - $400), mid range ($600-$800) or razzle dazzle ( >$1000). One piece of advice I've taken on is, don't be fooled by the brand or price tag. Just because it looks fancy doesn't mean it has the features you need, and you may be paying more for features you don't want.

Once you've kind of worked out what you need in a pram, go into a store and ask the sales assistant to show you prams that meet your requirements and what features you think you need most. She'll give you invaluable advice and comparisons that websites can't really offer, like wheel traction and demonstrating how to collapse and open the frames. Simple things like that can make your decision in a snap.


How do I work this out?
OK, so I went to Baby Bunting yesterday, and the sales assistant was absolutely brilliant. Make sure you ask the assistant to demonstrate how to use the features, like swapping bassinets and seats, how to use the brakes, collapsing and opening the pram.

She gave me a lot to think about, so I've been researching pram brands all night. I created my own comparison table and used a grading system. I was able to determine which features were most important, which changed dramatically from what I initially wanted.

1. Budget - less than $800
2. Lightweight - less than 10kg, easy to lift in and out of car. Look for aluminium frames, not steel.
3. Suitable from birth
4. Reversible Seat - important for when bubs is very young.
5. Travel system compatible - Just clip the capsule from car to pram, not waking sleeping baby.
6. All terrain - to be used for walks around the neighbourhood and shopping centres
7. Compact when folded, small enough for shopping centres.

I'm ready to buy, now what?
Don't forget that you could be lucky enough to find a second hand pram on eBay or gumtree. I've found a couple of prams (good brands) that were only 3-6 months old, but they were a bit too far to pick up. If the price is really good, it may be worth organising a courier to pick it up for you.

Otherwise, find a good baby store like Baby Bunting and take advantage of their lay-by system, which is a massive bonus as you don't have to pay upfront like on the internet.

Will keep you posted on the pram purchase...