Poster: A snowHead
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So we've booked for next year already! Yeyyy! We missed this season due to a new addition & now have a lot to learn in taking a baby to the mountains.
First question, (no doubt there will be more over the coming months). I don't have a stroller currently so looking to invest. Any suggestions for something small enough for the plane but practical enough for a resort?
TIA x
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@bartiebat, welcome to Snowheads, and congratulations. With modern babies (who seem to need heaps more "stuff" than they did in my day) I'd say it's worth considering driving to resort, with all the paraphernalia on board. You'll need to take the appropriate car-seat either way, of course.
When it's very snowy no normal pushchair will cope. When pavements are clear with no piles of snow-ploughed concrete to navigate, anything will do. There is always a good range to hire in resort, including little "sledgey" ones, which are excellent in snow. A baby sling of some sort is also a good alternative.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Welcome to Snowheads @bartiebat. I always used Maclaren push chairs when my daughter was young. They are sturdy and collapsible.
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We always drove and never took a pushchair. Toddlers, toddled along with us or were carried (take extra care with your own footwear you do not want to slip over) Though I sometimes looked enviously at those parents with the 'sledgy' ones hiring was not readily available back then at the resorts we were at.
It will depend on where and when you go and Pamw`s suggestion about hiring in resort may be the best way to go.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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We have recently had the two grand daughters to stay in Les Gets with us. Phoebe three months old on arrival either went in a sling on our daughter or me, or in Mountain Buggy that we were lucky enough to be lent by some neighbours, a real Rolls Royce affair with two different types of seat to fit on the frame and worked well (ish)on the snow. I also bought locally a secondhand McLaren type buggy which we used for the two year old if she was not in walking mood. Either of these would also go on the ski bus. I saw in the village similar type 'mountain' buggies to hire along with the sledge type ones with a big push or pull handle. If you are flying I would take a simple buggy for the airport and any cleared pavements and hire something else in resort.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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We have stayed twice in Ischgl at the Hotel Seiblshof. They will lend you a pushchair with big wheels, also baby sledges. Good crèche in house, plus baby kit in your room. Baby monitors are provided but children are welcome to eat with parents. It is a little out of town( 10min walk to main lift) but that makes it quiet.
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@bartiebat, welcome to SH
Trying to think back and to be honest I'm not sure we took a stroller, kids were in a crèche in chalet and they had their own buggies, sleds etc. we didn't go out a lot other than playing in snow, so no real need to have our own.
There are many arguments for and against but we opted to drive with babies as was easy to manage feeds and nappies etc, but equally can understand why flying suits. We have twins so really couldn't face anything other than own car!
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I don't have children but after a few winters in Chamonix I have noticed that the locals with kids under 5 use those cheap plastic sleds to drag their kids around in.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@Zero_G, that's what we do when it's really snowy here. Otherwise anything with decent size tyres does a good job most of the time.
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@bartiebat,
Are you planning to ski at home in the USA and take your "Stroller" on an internal flight? Don't forget to pack the diapers!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@Bergmeister,
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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pam w wrote: |
@Bergmeister, |
PamW I think Bergmeister is referring to the - usually - US word stroller, as opposed to pushchair as we'd say in the UK
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Yes, I gathered that, but I did wonder why he bothered - it wasn't exactly a friendly message to a new poster, was it? And if you still say "pushchair" (as I would) you're showing your age, if not your nationality.
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You know it makes sense.
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I think stroller is an accepted term for a light collapsible pushchair, certainly in common usage to mean that when we were buying one.
a pushchair to me is the main device, a stroller is the little one for travel etc
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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When I was a manager for mothercare back in the 80s we had a pushchair that was called a stroller - it was the type that didn't fold flat, but longways
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Poster: A snowHead
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@bartiebat, welcome to SH.......I've no experience of kids, strollers and carting all the stuff that goes with them but as a general statement I'd have thought you could take any buggy/ stroller, put it in the plane hold at the bottom of the steps (stroller not baby!), and carry the baby onto the plane. In resort snow will likely (hopefully) be too deep, just tow the baby around in one of those plastic sledge things they sell/ hire in most sports shops over in resort I'd think.....not that I've ever looked that closely but have seen loads about so there must be places that sell them locally.
Or, drive and take all the kit with you.....clearly depends where you are going and where you live.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@bartiebat, Congratulations, welcome to Snowheads. hi- don't worry about getting pushchairs on to planes- They seem happy to take all sizes including our huge bike trailer / buggy (although when we had a huge Silver Cross nanny style pushchair we didn't take that on a plane).
The best we had were Mountain Buggy- a single and also a double terrain- like this one on ebay http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mountain-Buggy-Terrain-Jogging-Running-Single-Seat-Stroller-/151663124213. Very sturdy, easy to collapse, no unnecessary functions, big enough wheels for snow, paths etc, they don't really break. Really the only buggy you actually need - although they don't fold up super small. I think the newer Mountain Buggies have swivel wheels - which aren't quite so robust as well as other twiddly bits that look like they might break.
Smaller collapsable ones like McClarens tend to have very small wheels which aren't very practical.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I found travelling with a small baby ( 6 - 14 weeks) a sling was by far the easiest option. Lots of flights, including long haul, all round Disney World, sightseeing round Washington DC - you name it. With a sling, and an entirely breast fed baby, the whole thing was a breeze.
With bigger children slings become a bit like hard work - and a buggy can be useful for naps, too.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Congratulations.
I would suggest considering where, when you're going and where the accommodation is. Sturdy prams are good for little ones who want to be walked for a few hours and sleep, but they need roads cleared of snow, and are scary on steep icy paths as their weight can be hard to hold. On deep snow useless, and are horrible to lift on/off buses and escalators and stairs.
Light strollers don't like snow.
Sledges particularly if little one can support themselves are great on snow and light on buses. They're often available in resort but you may wish to check. I worry about back carriers as I tend to fall backwards if I slip so would personally be happier with a front carrier.
Hope this helps
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Quote: |
The best we had were Mountain Buggy
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+1 for Mountain Buggys - they can go absolutely anywhere.
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Wipes are hard to get hold of because many French properties are not on mains drainage, and a stray wipe could block the plumbing.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Do the math Berrrrgmeisterrrrr!! See how many people are with the OP in calling it a stroller right now?!
Must admit, I'm at a bit of a loss to comprehend the growing Americanisation of English English, especially in the media, and the fact that nobody seems to notice or mind.....Nobody appears as a witness any more - they all take the stand; the recent raid in London wasn't a robbery - it was a heist; folk seemingly no longer queue but stand in line; knife murders haven't increased but knife homicides have; and we no longer have frying pans in the shops -
And whether showing my age or not - I hadn't realised that we've now gone down the road of bloody 'stroller' as well ...
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Quote: |
Sledges particularly if little one can support themselves are great on snow and light on buses.
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There are little sledgey things with back supports and straps - not suitable for tiny babies but then neither are a lot of "strollers". The ones made for little ones are up off the ground a bit - which makes it easier to keep them warm.
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Nobody appears as a witness any more - they all take the stand; the recent raid in London wasn't a robbery - it was a heist; folk seemingly no longer queue but stand in line; knife murders haven't increased but knife homicides have; and we no longer have frying pans in the shops -
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I think you're exaggerating, @mountainaddict; I've not been aware of any of that and I'm fairly sensitive to language. But in the world my daughter and her kids inhabit, "buggy" seems to be the ubiquitous word for anything that you wheel kids around in.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Long long time ago we took an 11 month old to Flaine and just used a kind of back-pack thingy for carrying her around the resort. With decent snow boots to minimize the chances of slips, that worked fine for the limited amount of meandering around we did together in the resort.
But if you think you need a buggy, airlines (even ski charters) are well used to popping them into the hold from the departure gate.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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@mountainaddict, or instead of flying they could always cruise the freeway in their SUV on ways to the condo eh? Period!
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You know it makes sense.
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@meh, great pictures.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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There's a big difference between taking a newborn traveling, and taking a 1 year old, so how old will the new addition be? It sounds as though baby will be @ 9 months to a year?
Stroller wise, look for something that has large wheels for the snow, but also take in to consideration what else you may use if for...does it fit in the car, for instance? Most decent retailers will have a selection to choose from and let you "play" with the ones you're interested in.
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Poster: A snowHead
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I saw a carrycot attached with a couple of bungie cords to one of those traditional wooden sledges this season, ideal solution for a young baby not yet sitting
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Stick them in the sledges-òr hire one in resort- Most ski shops do.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Quote: |
There's a big difference between taking a newborn traveling, and taking a 1 year old,
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I'll say. Little babies are so easy, especially if breast-fed. My daughter slept happily in a succession of drawers in American hotels. The worst age, in my experience, is when they are crawling. You don't have to be an overly-fussy mother to be unkeen on their crawling round an airport floor. And extricating them from under an airline seat isn't easy, either. Warm clothing isn't a problem - except for the gloves. I have a big collection of gloves for little people, some of them very expensive, and none of them man enough to cope with a baby determined to get them off. Footwear can be a problem too - once they're too old for the one-piece suit with feet but not old enough to keep proper little snow boots on.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Long socks work well instead of gloves or at least occupies them for longer trying to pull them off.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Putting gloves on before the snow suit helps with the gloves, but there are snow suits that have integral gloves! And some of those snow suits are thick enough that if you lay a toddler on their back once dressed they can't move!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Quote: |
And some of those snow suits are thick enough that if you lay a toddler on their back once dressed they can't move!
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they must love that!
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. . baby needs to be able to sit upright / self support neck for the lightest strollers (6months plus). . .we had a McClaren Volo which lasted all 3 kids on several summer holidays - lightweight, bulletproof and brilliant to take on the plane - also had a carry strap to carry when collapsed. . .wheels are small though - not sure about usage in snow!
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If pulling an infant in one of those little sledges do take care. I have seen some pretty daft things happen this year. Pulling them alone in the middle of the road with cars trying to get past and one lot of parents were so busy chatting that they didn't even notice that the poor little soul had plopped off his sledge onto the middle of the road.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Quote: |
Pulling them alone in the middle of the road with cars trying to get past and one lot of parents were so busy chatting that they didn't even notice that the poor little soul had plopped off his sledge onto the middle of the road.
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This is just a subset of the group idiocy which seems to overtake people in ski resorts. Folk who are probably perfectly sensible road users the rest of the time just wander along in the road and routinely cross without looking, stepping out in front of cars with tenuous traction. And, in the case of equally idiotic drivers, sometimes so much snow on their windows that they can scarcely see.
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@bartiebat, we started traveling with our two from 4-months upwards, and the first thing to say is that it's really not as bad as you might think!
We've found that a fold-up Maclaren type buggy seems to be the best compromise. You can use it round the airport, fold it up and hand it over just before you get on the plane, and it's (usually) waiting for you as you disembark the other end. You're also going to worry less about a cheap fold-able buggy, than you are about your prized Bugaboo/Phil&Teds (baggage handlers aren't always the most thoughtful when it comes to throwing around other peoples belongings and there's a chance that you'll have to collect it from the baggage carousel in a worse state than when you last saw it!).
If there's snow on the ground in the resort, the small wheels on these types of buggy are not so great - but between the fold-up buggy and a sling, we've never had a major issue. Never tried a sledge, but I guess that could be an option.
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