parenthood: April 2006 Archives

I'm going to be a Dad in a few days, maybe a week or so. It is a strange feeling, cuspal, marking a firm transition from being someone's son to having a son. I'm scared, excited and dreaming about it.

There is the daunting sense of being entirely responsible for a creature that can't really look after itself as well as a new born foal, until it is 21 months old. Then supporting and encouraging him until he is at least 21 years old and the rest. Then there is the life change, a simple weekend away is not just the two of us and a hotel or tent wherever we fancy. There is much more preparation and thought required. So far only one room is over run with baby things, though a lullaby Miffy has made it into our bedroom already. I'm sure the rest of the house will be given over happily to him, much to the cats' chagrin.

Yet in return for these small relinquished freedoms we get to watch our child grow up and take his first step, say his first words, run, climb and become a person. I know that this happens by the million every day across the world, but it happens to someone else and their child.

I've thought about growing up and the decisions I made, forced and unforced and the irresponsibility that childhood offers, it will be a challenge I think. 2006 is not the 1970s and the world is faster, harder and more accessible. Whether we stay in London til he is a teenager is unlikely, so the question becomes when to leave, but not yet.

Walthamstow seems like a nice place to bring up a baby and on towards being a toddler, we've made one step towards that in booking a nursery place for him. Before that we have a first summer to play with him. I'm so looking forward to meeting him and losing sleep in exchange.

Last Friday on Radio 4, there was a short piece on buggies or pushchairs in the Today programme. I'm soon to be a Dad, so it was close to my interests. First on the name, though, I call them buggies, as that was what they were called in Belfast. Pram is the older word, I'm not sure where pushchair came from.

In the interview there was a sense of disagreement over the need for a buggy to be a certain size. I can see the point of this, the three wheeler all terrain travel systems are enormous and heavy. We've spent a long time thinking about this and dismissed anything that we couldn't easily pick up empty, let alone with a small child or baby inside. This ruled out the majority of the travel systems, which I feel are really aimed at the US market and people who drive almost everywhere. See this conversation on DaddyTypes for an insight into the US / Europe cultural differences on buggies.

So that left the cheap end of the market, the basic Maclaren buggy and the posh end of the market. We wanted a buggy / pram usable on the tube system from birth to two or three, so looked a bit more up market. There are a range of mainly Dutch products in this space, which matches London in its use of public transport and limited use of cars, plus they have cobbled streets and mixed weather.

So, between Bugaboo, Quinny and Stokke, what did we like and dislike. The Bugaboo Chameleon is undeniably attractive and appealing, in the shop it does really want to be bought. It is compact folded, easy to collapse and light. It also works in a clever two wheeled mode for walks in the forest. However it is quite wide and your baby is a long way from you. They are also everywhere and the celebs' first choice for baby accessory. Still, it came a close second.

The Quinny Buzz is a nice product, but too wide in the rear wheels and the handle height adjustment is awkward, with too fiddle buttons to press in. The space between the wheels is also a bit low, especially when the bag is attached. I'm over six foot and it felt like I was continually kicking the bag. It came third for us, but the Zapp looks great for an older child and really compact.

So on to the winner, the Stokke Xplory, it is bigger than the Chameleon folded, slightly heavier and more expensive, but it won for a few unique features. Your baby is up high, right next to you, which is psychologically very powerful. A comparison with the Chameleon and the baby is a foot lower, which was key for us. It does the two wheel trick too and in a more elegant manner than the Chameleon, so we are thinking it would be perfect for navigating the many steps in London's Underground. Lastly it can work as a high chair in cafe, which means we are no longer restricted to places which can supply high chairs.

The Xplory is not the cheapest of the three options, but it is the best life fit for us, living in London and wanting to keep using the tube / underground to get to places. Thanks to my brother Andrew for helping us to buy it.