What is the best (or good) stroller for Hong Kong? (from birth until 2 years)

A

Alya0682

Registered User
Hi,
I am based in Hong Kong and 22weeks pregnant.
I was looking at baby strollers, and just found that it s quite difficult to pick the good one in Hong Kong. I checked in Eugene, BtoB and Mothercare, and could not get any good advice from seller there.

I heard Bugaboo are quite good. And i only know Bebe confort french brand, but dont think we can find in HK.
I alsoe checked on internet, looking for good comment on Bugaboo and found out that the Bee is not that good for new born (as baby can not lie down flat)....

Please let me know you have any advice for a good stroller from birth, compact and cosy for the baby. I dont have a car yet, so it s possible i will use mtr and taxis for the 1rst few months.
Also when have you bought your stroller for your new baby (2-3 months before due date?)

Thanks for your help

Alya
 
If you are going to be using public transport frequently and only want one stroller get a Mclaren, ether the techno or volo. Techno lies completely flat so can be used from birth, volo you can use after several months. We didn't use a stroller much for the first six months and instead preferred a pouch/ sling. Didn't buy a stroller until after baby was born.

There are a bunch of posts on here comparing various strollers. If you're looking at a Bugaboo, definitely get the bee. The others are way too difficult (and big) for public transport/ taxis and must be taken apart to fold, which you can't do while holding an infant.
 
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We use a Combi one, about HK$1500 and very compact/light. It also folds up very easily for storage. Not sure of the exact model but it looks like this

cosmo_graphite.jpg


We did have a Maclaren one, which was heavier and not nearly as easy to fold up. I looked at all the fancy expensive ones but my view was one is (over) paying for style rather than substance.

If we were doing lots of journeys by car or taxi I would look at one with a car seat though - since we walk or use the MTR it wasn't a big consideration.
 
We use the McLaren Techno. Do get one that can lie flat. Otherwise, your first 3 months, you will either be without a stroller, or have to buy a special "newborn stroller", which means like a waste of money.
We like our McLaren. But we mostly walk / use MTR instead of taking taxis.
 
We always go back to Combi strollers--they don't hold up as well for wear and tear as McClarens do but they are sure a lot lighter and have unique folding designs. I had a Combi urban stroller that folded up so small that I could wear it on my back like a backpack. Something like this:

jan-combi-urban.jpg


It was a great stroller but only lasted about 18 months because we use our strollers very heavily. But, we bought it cheap and ran it into the ground. Before that we had a more "local" brand that I can't even recall right now. It was good but because I'm taller I found that the handle was too low to be comfortable for me and I always felt hunched over while pushing it.

Then we had a stroller similar to a McClaren in style--also can't recall the name and it was probably one of the most comfortable strollers to use--it lasted longer but we ran that one into the ground too.

Now, for our second child we use a Performance Ergo baby carrier and it has definitely been one of our best investments for baby products. When our daughter was a newborn we used the insert and that worked really well. It's a very comfortable pack and much better than dealing with strollers in and out of the MTR (however, if you get a narrow one like most combis and McClarens are you won't have much trouble). But, we rarely use our stroller nowadays as at 4-years-old my son doesn't really need a stroller and the baby carrier is really more convenient.

ergo+do+good+034-w.jpg
 
I do know a number of people who have used Combi strollers (and they are nice and light and easy to fold), but the problem that we had with them is that the handle doesn't adjust and was just too short for both me and my husband, so wouldn't work for us. The Mclaren is a bit taller. I also personally prefer the more robust frame.

Agree with thanka above - that ergo baby carrier is fabulous, we used the same, its much better than the bjorn on your back.
 
I'm a big Maclaren fan - we have the quest (which I use for my 15 month old) and a volo (which we have used for big all-day trips with my 3 year old). The volo is lighter but doesn't recline. It's great for big days with toddlers but wouldn't buy it for a baby. Even my 15 month old still needs to nap and having a recline feature is important for that age, I find.

I personally don't think that the extra weight of the Techno is worth the extra 5 degrees of recline that you get. It's also more heavily padded, but in HK I figure that probably just makes it hotter for the kid! So I would advise a quest instead of a techno. You "shouldn't" use it for the first 3 months, but carriers are more convenient for that age anyway...

I have tried combi's before and found them so wobbly/rickety. I know they are a bit lighter, but I prefer the sturdiness of Maclarens, particularly since HK is not exactly stroller friendly so you're often going up and down steps and gutters, going on escalators etc. I feel much safer with the Maclaren, personally.

I know a lot of people like the bigger "systems" with bits that clip out to use as a car seat etc, but I can't imagine using something so huge in HK!!
 
I think there was a similar post a while back. You can do a search.
I love my combi, light weight, one hand fold, washable seat, robust(almost 3 yrs now) and inexpensive.
I guess it depends on your size and strength and whether you use it for local walks or on public transport.
 
thanka2 said:
We always go back to Combi strollers--they don't hold up as well for wear and tear as McClarens do but they are sure a lot lighter and have unique folding designs.
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The design isn't unique at all - there are at least two other brands with almost identical folding designs sold in Hong Kong.. Graco is one, I forget the name of the other. We found little difference in price, quality or design between them so ended up choosing the one my wife liked the colour of best.

graco-literider-stroller-247x300.jpg


For nicolejoy - not sure why you think the build quality of Combi is unsafe (what do you do with your stroller?!) but we use ours on pavements, escalators, grass, hills etc with no problem.
 
I just find it more "wobbly" and so I would worry more on escalators etc. The Maclaren is a similar weight but much sturdier, in my experience. I have only used friends' Combi's for short periods of time, as well as testing them in the store, so haven't used them too much really - but just from my limited experience, the "wobble" makes it seem less safe to me. Whether it is or not is debatable, but just to me I felt safer with a sturdier Maclaren. I'm not a stroller expert, by any means, but that is my opinion on the different brands :)
 
Another vote on Maclaren Quest. I also used Ergos carrier in the first 6 months. Even now, we prefer the Ergos to using the stroller when we go to town. My daughter is 10 months old. I bought the stroller when I was 4 months preggers in the UK.
 
elle said:
I do know a number of people who have used Combi strollers (and they are nice and light and easy to fold), but the problem that we had with them is that the handle doesn't adjust and was just too short for both me and my husband, so wouldn't work for us. The Mclaren is a bit taller. I also personally prefer the more robust frame.

Agree with thanka above - that ergo baby carrier is fabulous, we used the same, its much better than the bjorn on your back.
Click to expand...

The Combi urban has a higher than usual handle and that's why we picked it--it was great for a taller person. :)
 
How about double strollers? Any recommendations? I have a 7 month old and an almost 2 year old. Debating over a sit and stand versus the phil and teds....
 
2010-NewDad said:
The design isn't unique at all - there are at least two other brands with almost identical folding designs sold in Hong Kong.. Graco is one, I forget the name of the other. We found little difference in price, quality or design between them so ended up choosing the one my wife liked the colour of best.

The urban one I had folded even tighter than the regular Combis and whether it's "unique" or not is really not the point. The point is that it folds up small. We have a different style of Combi now that doesn't have the same fold as mine did. Yes, there are lots of other choices out there but I have never found anything as light and flexible as my Combi urban was.

Also, Graco, to me is even more bulky than I like because I live a 20+ minute walk from "civilization" and the only way in and out of where I live is one small infrequent mini-bus that people are scrambling and pushing to get on because it's always packed--so for me, something very, very small and extremely foldable but sturdy and durable is what I needed. At the time I was doing everything solo and had really severe back problems so I needed something light.

I'm guessing people who live in the city and mostly are on well-paved roads (some by us are not paved) and going in and out of the MTR won't really find any of this an issue.
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When I first came to HK, I had an Aprica (jap made light weight, foldable with 1 hand, handles could move forward and backward, quite similar to combi) which had wheels that could not handle the HK roads. Only suitable for indoors or very well paved roads.

Baby Bjorn was lousy and gave me a bad back. Ergo was fantastic (try to get it during SOGO/CitySuper sales)!

I got a Maclaren XLR which is perfect for the lousy HK outdoors and escalators...but not as easy to fold (same method as Chicco).

My kid is now 21 months old and I use the Aprica for travelling or any trip that requires getting in and out of taxis/ having to put it in the boot by myself. I use the Maclaren XLR (with extra huge wheels) for normal HK road conditions.
 
We got bugaboo bee, it is very light and flexible. You can use it with seat towards you or from you when baby is older. Also you can take seat compleatly off and put car seat if you will be using car / taxis! They also have a cocun gor newborn that makes pram suitable for newborn. Most of my friends had bee and are very happy with it! Good luck making decision :)!
 
I have a stokke stroller and I like that the seat is higher above the ground than a usual stroller. It is a Nice design and is often viewed as a city stroller. However much I like it, it just wasn't convient for going on buses or taxis. Therefore I bought a maclaren Quest, also nice design, weights 5,5kg and folds down in 3 seconds.
 
trttrt said:
Just FYI: alya, they have bebecomfort at lee garden two at causeway bay. Same floor as mothercare.
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,

Thanks trttrt
i checkedd lee garden shop directory but could not find bebe confort, only found chicco.
i will go during next we. thanks!
 
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