Before V was born, I did a lot of research on which pushchair to get.  I know I’ve written about this whole pushchair thing before – but this has a different point.  I promise.  Bear with me!

The one I really wanted to buy was the Bugaboo Bee.  But after discussing with LagosDad (read after LagosDad said ‘no’), he we decided that it was too expensive.  If we lived in London, or somewhere else where we’d get regular use out of it, then it would have been fine, but alas…

Anyway, so we bought the Mamas & Papas Urbo.

It looks great, doesn’t it?  There are a number of irritating things about it though.

1. It can be rear or forward facing, which is a real plus point.  However, to fold it down, it needs to be forward facing.  That means taking the baby out, turning the seat round and then using BOTH hands to collapse it.  What to do with the baby?

2. As mentioned above, you need two hands to fold it down, which is inconvenient.

3. It’s heavy.

4. It’s quite wide when folded.

Anyway – so that’s the one we bought.  And it was used very regularly until we came back to Lagos when V was twelve weeks old.  After that it wasn’t used again until he was six months old and we went to India and then London.  And after that, it wasn’t used until he was eleven months old (for one week) and then at fifteen months.

When V was 27 months, we went to Dubai for the Christmas holiday.  I didn’t take the pushchair with us.  I figured he was old enough to walk.  I, stupidly, didn’t take into account how much walking there is to do in the malls.  I also, stupidly, didn’t realise that we don’t really walk anywhere here.  Everywhere we go is by car.  So he wasn’t (and still isn’t) used to walking for long periods of time.

After having to carry him every five minutes, I went out and bought a cheap, lightweight buggy from Mothercare.  I left it in Dubai and we’ve used it each time we’ve gone back.

Now – here’s the important bit.  As I wrote before, we’ll be spending the summer and some of autumn in London.

My mum asked me if she should send the buggy (with my sister).  I told her I wouldn’t need it, as I have the Urbo (which I’d like to sell so I can buy a new one.  So if you know anyone….?).  I’d misunderstood her.  She was asking if she should send it for V.

I told her not to send it.  He won’t need it, will he?  He’ll be four in September.  Do nearly-four-year-olds use buggies?  I’m hoping we’ll be within walking distance of the park/playground.  And we’ll be taking the bus or Tube everywhere we go…

Is it frowned upon to have a four-year-old in a buggy?  Does it matter if it is?  I’ve never seen ‘big children’ in buggies.

Maybe I should get hold of it anyway, in case?  For long days out like the zoo?

What do you think?