Rush Hour

My youngest is still at an age where she, or rather me, requires her to use a buggy.  She is capable of walking, but she is at the stage where every leaf, flower and front garden holds endless fascination and we never get anywhere fast.  We use the bus every day to take the older children to school and the journey itself is a short, mostly pleasurable one.  What turns it into an unbearable one is a certain type of pram user.  All Londoners know that the space provided for prams is small, only two can fit side by side.  My pet peeve are those people who insist on using giant sized prams, with pumped up wheels, clearly intended for off roading. You know the ones ?  Bugaboos, iCandy and Phil & Teds to name but a few.

Bugaboo

iCandy Jogger

These are beautiful prams but not for London buses.  Now, I am not having  pop at anyone using these as a one off, but if you get the bus regularly you know that it takes Houdini like abilities to cram two of these beasts into the allocated space.  All the other passengers have to wait whilst you pull off contortionist moves and others with prams have to wait for the next bus as you can't fit yours in next to it .  You don't even have the option of folding it down as unlike other smaller models these are too large and heavy to fold down on a bus. Why not make life easy and invest in a pram or buggy designed for city living ? One that is light, slim but most of all small.
I too was seduced by having a beautiful pram that is the equivalent of a Rolls Royce (and almost costs as much), but after a few months I realised that they aren't terribly practical in a busy city.

McLaren XT from birth

McLaren

All of my children have spent their baby and toddler years in various McLaren models.  They may not be the latest or most fashionable brand on the market, but in my opinion they are among the best.  They are robust and I have never had to repair a wheel.  I have folded down one whilst holding a baby in one arm but most  impressive of all, I have seen three of these fit onto a bus.  What better recommendation is there than that ?