Last weekend my husband went to the tip. He came home and casually announced that he’d “binned” the pushchair. “Whaat?!” I shrieked. “I didn’t say goodbye to it!”
I know I sound ridiculously un-hinged especially as we had previously talked about how we were going to get rid of the pushchair, but it suddenly felt like an abrupt end to a very long era.
5 Years Ago
We inherited the Bugaboo Chameleon when I was pregnant with Alice 5 years ago from my sister when she upgraded to a double buggy. It would have cost hundreds of pounds to buy brand new so we were very grateful to get it for a fraction of the cost.
We needed a degree in engineering to master how it worked. It was one of those pram / car seat / pushchair systems. As you can see from the photos below, I was 8 months pregnant and feeling a bit stressed out that I was never going to work out how to get the thing up and down and switching it from carry cot to car seat. Even my husband had difficulty with it and despite a practice session with my sister and using colour coded stickers to show which bit should go where, we still managed to almost break the thing in the first month of using it.
The Early Days
I remember the first week after Alice was born, a friend suggesting we take her out for a walk. I refused because let’s face it week one for any new mum is just plain crazy but also because I wasn’t confident with setting the pram up!
Once I’d finally moved on to leaving the house with the newborn, I remember another occasion where I almost tipped new baby out into the road because I hadn’t yet mastered the art of lifting the pram off of the kerb with the back wheels and instead just tipped it down into the road. God knows what the drivers made of me grappling to retrieve baby and pram out of the road…..
It was a clunky big old thing really compared to some of the super light nifty devices I see about today, but it did us proud to last 5 years. As a toddler, Alice would always take her naps in the buggy. When Eva came along, we used our double buggy for a while. But we hung on to the Bugaboo and went back to it once Alice was out of a pushchair. I even used it fairly recently when Eva very occasionally used to fall asleep on the school run and I managed to precariously transfer her from car to buggy.
3 Reasons I’m Sad to See the End of the Bugaboo:
1. End of an era! My girls are all grown up and officially not babies any more.
2. Despite the initial difficulties, it’s lasted us 5 years and before that, my sister had it for 2 years.
3. Some happy memories of pushing a newborn around that was sound asleep.
3 Reasons I’m Glad to See The Back of It:
1. Some unhappy memories of pacing the streets trying to get Alice off to sleep!
2. Saving space – it was quite bulky and took up a lot of space in the house / car.
3. I’m looking forward to the adventures ahead of all of us walking together. And hoping I won’t have to end up carrying the youngest around too much.
I didn’t get to say it before it went to the tip, but thanks for the memories Bugaboo! And for giving me some peace and quiet once the kids were asleep!
I am at the end of my pushchair era but I haven’t plucked up the courage to bin it yet, so I’m right there with you on this one. I haven’t used our pushchair in well over 6 months, it is literally just filling the boot of my car. But what if I need it? What if we go somewhere and he gets really tired, he’s not even three after all. What if, what if, what if…. #coolmumclub
Yes exactly!! In fact my youngest just fell asleep in the car today and I was thinking “should we have got rid of it?” But no going back now!
Totally understand this! We recently moved and it was time to send off the double pram. Lots of memories including a crushed thumb (cried blood!!), but mostly relief not to have to lug that thing about. #coolmumclub
Yes, very much mixed feelings isn’t it!
Ah end of an era! When we finally loose the pushchair it will definitely be mixed feelings for me too. It’s definitely a mixed blessing! Thanks for linking up to #coolmumclub x
Yes absolutely. I even questioned whether it was the right thing today when the youngest fell asleep in the car, but no going back now! X
It definitely sounds like your pushchair has been a bit of a hero! 7 years in service! Very impressive – we tend to destroy ours at an obscene rate. I think we have another year or two with our littlest but I too will be a bit emotional when the day comes to wave it bye bye.
#coolmumclub x
Ahh it did do us proud and it has been a mixture of feelings getting rid of it! X
Not looking forward to this day…. Even though my youngest is mostly walking now too, I still like to have the buggy there “just in case”. Plus how would I lug all their (and my) stuff around without it?! It’s also great as a threat at the moment (ie – stop running off or you’ll be strapped in the buggy…. I even used that one on my nearly-5 year old when she had a meltdown in the park recently!) Hmm think I’ll hang onto mine for a bit longer!! Xx
It really is like the end of an era, what I missed most was somewhere to dump coats and jumpers and picnics on a day out. Suddenly without a pushchair I was left carrying them all! #KCACOLS
Yes this should have gone on the list of things to be sad about! I’ve definitely noticed that I’ve become more of a cart horse since it went! X
We are nearly at the end of our era too, just using it to get ourselves through festival season, so I can nap outdoors! We actually found it harder saying goodbye to the sling…..#KCACOLS xx
Hah! I hope festival season goes well and the end of your pushchair era too! X
Ah wow – seeing as we’re only at the start of the pushchair era, this seems very far away! But how lovely, the thought of lots of lovely walks together sounds brilliant xx #KCACOLS
Ahh! Enjoy! Doesn’t seem that long ago that we first started using one. it goes so quick! X
That’s a lovely pushchair, you got some good use out of it! I think most of the “good” pushchairs are pretty heavy. You can now enjoy putting shopping in your boot again without having to jigsaw the pushchairs in too! Enjoy your walking! #KCACOLS
Yes I think you’re right. Heavy but they changed into everything and could be used for years. Absolutely noticing the room in the boot of my car already! X
We have about 5 disused buggys in the garage that I can’t bear to part with – ridiculous isn’t it!! #KCACOLS
I know! Although I have to say that I seem to have got over it pretty quickly and enjoying the extra space in the boot of my car. X
I can totally see your mixed feelings about this! My son is only 13 months, so we’ve got a while before he’s just walking around with us but, knowing how kids grow, that won’t be long at all! So happy you got such good use out of it <3 #KCACOLS
Yep! It doesn’t seem five minutes ago that we first started using ours, so it will go quick. Enjoy why you can! X
urgh space – yeah give me space back any day over the blinkin pram! im so pleased to be shot of ours. hated it! #KCACOLS
Hah hah! Definitely loving having the extra space back in my car! X
I can’t wait until we can get rid of our pushchair. We have this huge, ugly Hauk Viper that weighs about a thousand pounds and is obnoxious in small spaces. I have never liked it and I do not know why I bought it. I think perhaps because it was much cheaper than other pushchairs and it was all I could really afford at the time. But I hate it! #KCACOLS
I bet you’ll still have a bit of a pang when it goes though! X
Probably! Then I guess I’ll have the battle of trying to get both kids to hold hands when we go out! X
Always a sad moment when the pram goes. So many memories as you say. Having to carry stuff and holidays were a particular thing we noticed – especially when you have inflatables, buckets and spades and the mummy bag. I’ve moved on and those days are a distant memory now but I howled when the pram went! #KCACOLS
Yes I can imagine that holidays will be very different without it. I’ve already noticed how I’ve become more of a pack horse since it has gone. X
So many mixed feelings on this subject! At the moment my little boy is just 2, and the thought of being able to ditch the pushchair is freeing – not having to lug it around in the car, not having to push it round as well as chase him when he decides he doesn’t want to go in it. But I do love our Cameleon, and it’s a great way to keep control of him in a shop where I don’t want him running wild!! #KCACOLS
Yes absolutely! I’ve just worn myself out chasing my two round T.K Maax when a buggy would have been really handy!! X
My Double buggy partnership has recently come to an end and I am gad to be rid of it but I now have two children loose when we’re out and will miss the security of them strapped in a buggy. Like you I am grateful for the pushchair naps – I will miss them x #thelist
Oh my word I’ve just this afternoon experienced the horror of having the two of them on the loose running amok in T.K Maax. Awful! I felt a major pang for my pushchair! X
Oh I know how you feel. As much I hated it I soooo miss it. It was a real comfort being able to strap them in! C
I absolutely cannot wait for the end of the buggy era. We inherited a pram from a family member and I’m less than in love with it… #KCACOLS
Hah!! It will be with you sooner than you think!
I’m dreading the day Archie outgrows his buggy. He’s 3 1/2 but due to his Autism it’s just not safe for him to walk, plus he has issues with toes so walking too far would just aggravate his condition. I don’t want to say goodbye to ours but I guess I’ll have to at some point… #TheList
Ahh! Stick with it for as long as you can because a whole new world of craziness opens up when they’re out of the pushchair and can no longer be contained!
We are almost at that point. Our bugaboo went a while back and we just have the maclaren stroller, (the hood of which my husband managed to sell along with the bugaboo, gah!), and we used it on Monday, a rare occasion and small boy fell asleep in it and his feet kept getting caught underneath! He’s outgrown it and it’s just not worth us buying another. Milestone! (I’d have wanted to say bye too, my husband also thought I was weird!) Thanks for linking! #bigpinklink
I kind of wish I still had a fold up one still to hand in instances like this, or earlier today would have been good when I was trying to restrain the 2 year old from running riot around the shops! X
This is a great post, I would have loved a Bugaboo but went for a Quinny, she hardly ever used it 🙁 Thanks for linking up to #thelist x
Thanks Amy! They are very expensive brand new which is why we were pleased to inherit ours from my sister! Thanks for hosting. X
Ahh I felt like this when I threw out my sons old pushchair, becuase he was finally walking happily – then two weeks later we found out we were expecting a new surprise…. Now we have a new travel system! It did briefly fell like an end of an era, now we have restarted!! #kcacols
Hah! At least you’ll be a pro this time round! Good luck with your new era!
Ah it’s pretty sad isn’t it! I threw my nappy bag away this week. I threw loads of gunky manky food over the top of it to stop myself from fishing it out of the bin!#bigpinklink
Hah! The manky food tactic on the top is a new one! Although I can remember throwing a load of rubbish on the top of the dummies when they were thrown out!