Maxi-Cosi - Oxford Stroller

Im due this week, so can't speak on usefulness yet, we have gone for the maxi-cosi Oxford travel system. I would 100% recommend testing all out in shop and then keeping an eye on fb, vinted, Ebay etc for people selling up. We managed to save quite a bit getting it 2nd hand (and got a steal too as ours was basically brand new due to a faulty light on the basket-- maxi-cosi just sent them a replacement hence them selling after only 2 weeks use) My partner did do a lot of research and we think the bassinet attachment is going to be really useful for visiting family/zoo etc whilst baby is young, as they can nap in the bassinet.

It depends on how you’ll use it. We have narrowed it down to 2 travel systems. As a soon to be family of 5 with a dog we need one that folds as small as possible for car space. We wanted a spacious and flat basket underneath so the dog can sleep in the bottom on longer walks and we go on a lot of countryside/ woodland walks and stop in a cafe etc for lunch so that was a a must for the pup. We are both old this time and crackle and pop when we move hahahah so wanted one with a bassinet part that sits quite high for easy access to baby. Then we like that the handle bar and bumper don’t rub in the floor as they’re folded as this ruins them quickly. Clips for the changing bag do it doesn’t fall down the handle a lot. Both have a pocket in the bassinet part and a pocket in the back of the seat unit for car keys which is super useful. Both have tilt option for reflux. I presume the uk and USA will have different prams available but we are deciding between the joie signature finiti in maple and the maxi cosi oxford in truffle. We know we will be swapping between the carseat and bassinet/ seat on the frame a lot so we are put off by needing different adapters for each. One pram doesn’t have a footmuff or changing bag to match which is a shame. But the other is a bit harder to fold and is £200 more expensive but better quality. We also looked at size of the bassinet part. We are predicted to be having a big baby -4kgs ish as my last 2 were big.. so we avoided prams with a shorter or narrower bassinet as we know baby will grow out of them before they’re ready for the seat :) Make a list of how you’ll use the pram. Where you’ll be going and for how long etc to work out what will be most useful for you. We got blown away by fancy features but realistically know we would t use them as we don’t live in a city and I don’t have school runs etc etc :)

We have the Maxi-Cosi and love it. I have a small SUV and the car seat fits but it is tight for whoever is sitting in front of it. Otherwise it’s great and love the stroller and bassinet

Some do lose their sturdiness a bit - I bought a new travel system (a Maxi-cosi, I love it - but it’s huge and heavy) and then recently bought a used Baby Jogger City Mini GT. Now that baby is 10+ months I’m feeling much less fussy about used stuff, and I wanted a stroller that would grow more easily with a toddler than my MC. I get that some people don’t like used stuff - I swore I wouldn’t accept handed down items when I was pregnant because it grossed me out too much - but I honestly do not care now, lol. I think this is def a YMMV type thing.

Also FWIW we ended up going with the maxi-cosi travel system which unintentionally was the cheapest! I was totally expecting to want the Clek Liing + Uppa baby, but weight, size, and other factors made the decision for me

Go to a baby store and try them! We would have been fine to pay more for a more high-end unit if we really liked it, but we ended up like the Maxi-cosi travel system best AND it was the cheapest option. Important to know what care about first too. Eg. A big advantage of the uppababy is the 2-kid conversion whereas we are expecting to be 1 and done.

I'm going to buck the system and recommend against the infant seat. Just get a stroller with a bassinet or baby wear because you can only use those infant seats for 6-8 months and they cost the same or more as a convertible, and they're not supposed to be in them for more than 2 hours. Then they end up in a landfill. I'm about to be 3 kids in and we've never used one. My friend has 3 kids and never used one. Get a good infant carrier and a stroller that allows a complete recline. I love the Cybex Gazelle S that I bought when we found out we were surprise expecting baby 3, but before that I bought a used Maxi Cosi who's seat converts from bassinet to a toddler seat and I love it. 

We live in a rural area, so we checked facebook market place for the three biggest cities closest to us. Found high end brands for dirt cheap barely used. I can’t remember off the top of my head but I think we got an open box maxi cosi carseat stroller combo for $100. It was some set that would be $500+ normally brand new. I guess they received several of them at their baby shower so they sold the extra. We got lucky! :)