Smelly buggy - any ideas???!

My posts have always been full of angst and worry - so here's a light hearted one!
My friend has given me a pushchair. It's just fab - exactly what I wanted. 3 in 1 travel system, travel cot, car seat, the full works - but it smells of cigarettes! Neither myself or my partner smoke and it is really obvious to us! How can I neutralise this smell? Anyone know of any good products???

janenchris said:
My posts have always been full of angst and worry - so here's a light hearted one!
My friend has given me a pushchair. It's just fab - exactly what I wanted. 3 in 1 travel system, travel cot, car seat, the full works - but it smells of cigarettes! Neither myself or my partner smoke and it is really obvious to us! How can I neutralise this smell? Anyone know of any good products???

I don't know how to neutralise cigarette smells but I would seriously think about getting a different travel system!

Sorry, I know travel systems can cost a fair bit but you can get really nice ones for less than £150- you could get it with grant from HMRC that comes out from 6th April 2009.

I got a Graco TS from Toys R Us for £196. Didn't have a travel cot though.

Lou x

WelshMum said:

janenchris said:
My posts have always been full of angst and worry - so here's a light hearted one!
My friend has given me a pushchair. It's just fab - exactly what I wanted. 3 in 1 travel system, travel cot, car seat, the full works - but it smells of cigarettes! Neither myself or my partner smoke and it is really obvious to us! How can I neutralise this smell? Anyone know of any good products???

I don't know how to neutralise cigarette smells but I would seriously think about getting a different travel system!

Sorry, I know travel systems can cost a fair bit but you can get really nice ones for less than £150- you could get it with grant from HMRC that comes out from 6th April 2009.

I got a Graco TS from Toys R Us for £196. Didn't have a travel cot though.

Lou x

DP is working away tonight but i'll give him a call and see if he can let me know of anything.

Personally i quite agree with Lou!

Do they covers not detatch? Normally you can un-do them underneath and wash. If not get hot water and washing up liquid and give them a really good scrub then dry by the radiator.

We clean the McLaren Buggies at school with dettox spray and hot soapy water. Not sure how if they would get rid of cigarette smells

Can I also say I know you have got your travel system from a friend but you really shouldnt use 2nd hand car seats, you don't know, really, how much it has been put through and you also don;t know if the car seat will fit your car properly. A good retailer such as mothercare etc that sell travel systems will check that the seat fits in the car. And an bad fitted car seat is just as dangerous to the child in it as not ahving a car seat at all.

but don't most travel systems have the first car seat - the one you carry so should fit in any car
I personally wouldn't look a gift horse - providing you can get the smell out

Elementary said:
but don't most travel systems have the first car seat - the one you carry so should fit in any car
I personally wouldn't look a gift horse - providing you can get the smell out

That is a myth (I was told in Mother care) Graco first car seats didn't fit properly in my car (when Joseph was a baby)

I can certainly see your point about second hand car seats safety wise. Mmmmm....gonna have to have a think about it . Lots of time til baby due so I will probabaly change my mind before then anyway! It certainly does smell too!

Nope I Aagree with Alex all car seats fit differently, this is because not every car or model has the same type of seating shape in the back.

For instance we have an L200 Warrior and the seats in these really are not very wide when you sart looking at infant carriers. Therefore there are only certain models that fit ours and they all have bases! And we have asked both Mothercare and Halfords to help us.

We were lucky in coming across the Mamas and Papas Viaggio at just over £50 a few months back - otherwise we would of been looking at £150-£200 for a correct fitting seat.

Stupidly when we had Georgia-Mae i got a travel system with a seat and used that, we were pulled over by a stop and check on car seats one day nr Leeds and was told her seat did not fit properly and we should change it . Luckily she was ready to go into the next size so we went and got the correct type fitted. (at the time DP was driving company cars and had just got a new one)

Personally the safety of my baby is no.1 priority.

mothercare never checked my car to see if the seat on my travel system i got with casey would fit. i dont see why a carry car seat wouldnt fit aslong as u put the belt around properly.

since you have a while till babys due why not try something like febreeze then scrub it clean with hot soapy water. plenty of time to get rid of any chemicals.

angelsmom said:
mothercare never checked my car to see if the seat on my travel system i got with casey would fit. i dont see why a carry car seat wouldnt fit aslong as u put the belt around properly.

since you have a while till babys due why not try something like febreeze then scrub it clean with hot soapy water. plenty of time to get rid of any chemicals.

If a seat does not fit properly, if you suddenly brake, or you are shunted forward, your seat will either flip forwards onto its front or flip backwards so the seat is laying on its back, if you are hit from the side the same thing happens as the seat has no support what so ever. There is also a weight issue too, if you don't bother checking if your seat is correct for your car chances are it is too heavy for your seat belt system so during a crash the seat belts cannot lock and your baby can be shaken to death.

You shouldn't use a car seat more than five years old as the strapping becomes looser, the majority of places that fit car seats will not check to see if a second hand car seat fits in your car as the majority of the time they are unsafe.

Samuel said:

angelsmom said:
mothercare never checked my car to see if the seat on my travel system i got with casey would fit. i dont see why a carry car seat wouldnt fit aslong as u put the belt around properly.

since you have a while till babys due why not try something like febreeze then scrub it clean with hot soapy water. plenty of time to get rid of any chemicals.

If a seat does not fit properly, if you suddenly brake, or you are shunted forward, your seat will either flip forwards onto its front or flip backwards so the seat is laying on its back, if you are hit from the side the same thing happens as the seat has no support what so ever. There is also a weight issue too, if you don't bother checking if your seat is correct for your car chances are it is too heavy for your seat belt system so during a crash the seat belts cannot lock and your baby can be shaken to death.

You shouldn't use a car seat more than five years old as the strapping becomes looser, the majority of places that fit car seats will not check to see if a second hand car seat fits in your car as the majority of the time they are unsafe.

Was just about to put pretty much the same!

if it helps, Mamas & Papas is giving 10% off at their new storeo pening in westfield london on thursday (not sure if you live nearby!!) I love their joolz its gorgeous!!! You can download a voucher on their website I think?

heys guys wendys other half mark if your wanting to try and neutrilise the smell in your baby's buggy being a valeter by trade i have a few things i could possibly help out with to get rid of the smell and some advice on how the clean them up properly

if your needing any help just drop me a pm (markyboy)

i am very annoyed i have bought 4 carseats / travel systems through mothercare and not once have they told me it should be checked or fiited properley .

also why do they sell car seats ect on line if they only fit certain cars as they dont have a list of the cars they do fit on them

Lihra said:
i am very annoyed i have bought 4 carseats / travel systems through mothercare and not once have they told me it should be checked or fiited properley .

also why do they sell car seats ect on line if they only fit certain cars as they dont have a list of the cars they do fit on them

Mothercare were the same with me too hun. I bought 2forward facing car seats from mothercare the other day. They never offered to check the fitting, tell/show me how to fit it, or check what car we had and that it would fit correctly I knew that they did though as i had researched it. As for the selling car seats online hun, a lot of the sites to have an option of checking if it will fit your car once you have actually clicked on the product, but before you add it to basket or pay.

would halfords not be able to help? eg fitting, showing you how to fit it etc? just a guess like

angelsmom said:
mothercare never checked my car to see if the seat on my travel system i got with casey would fit.

Same here

The whole 'flipping car seat' scenario has scared me silly . Mothercare here I come! The smelly buggy can go to the big pushchair heaven in the sky! (Or maybe I'll try scrubbing the pram part, and ditch the car seat section )