Pram Car
Baby Pushchairs – How to Choose the Best One for You and Your Child
Many brands sell baby pushchairs, buggies, strollers and prams, and searching for the right one for your baby can be a daunting task. If you’re about to have your first child you probably won’t have gone through this process before so it can feel quite difficult, as there so many brands and styles to choose between.
To help make your decision easier have at look at these tips for choosing the best baby pushchair for you and your baby.
• Functionality
Firstly you need to think about whether you need a pushchair, a buggy, a pram, a stroller or a complete travel system. This decision is based on the age of your baby, for example a new baby needs a lie flat position, how and when you travel, for example every day, by public transport or in a car, and where you’ll be using it, in town or in the countryside. If you go on holiday you might prefer a lightweight stroller but for regular use every day you might want a more sturdy buggy, a pram and pushchair, or a complete travel system.
• Kids
The second decision is based on how many children you have and their individual ages, and whether you are planning to expand your family in the near future. So will you need a tandem or a twin pushchair, or the option to add another seat or a ride-on board at some stage? If you have two children you have to decide whether you want one of them to ride on an attached board, or whether you want them to sit alongside each other, or one on front of the other, if they are both seated.
• Budget
It is important to think about how much money you want to spend and look at which brands are within your budget, as prices can vary vastly. You can get some very good quality, affordable baby pushchairs going right up to very expensive designer brands. It can be worth taking the time to look around for special offers and sales if you want a particular brand that is a bit beyond your budget. Take into consideration that if you choose the right pushchair to last the next three or four years the cost won’t have to be repeated so this is an investment for your child.
• Weight
Think about the weight you’ll have to push around and whether you’ll have to list or carry the pushchair on your own? Do you travel on public transport, or in a car, or both? Where do you live, does it have a lot of stairs that you’ll have to carry the pushchair up and down? Remember when testing the weight of a pushchair that your baby will also be in it so add their weight on to get a true idea of how heavy it will be to push!
• Manoeuvrability
It’s really important to consider how easy it is to manoeuvre a baby pushchair and to think about where you’ll need to manoeuvre it. Think about whether you’ll be squeezing through tight spaces around town, in and out of shops and through doorways? If so you probably want a swivel front wheel, but a lockable one for using over rougher terrain. If you are thinking about going off-road, for example on the beach or in the countryside, check out the suspension as well as the manoeuvrability.
• Compactness
When you’re looking at pushchairs they will probably be unfolded so you can check out most of the features but remember to fold it to see how easy it is to fold and how compact it is when folded. Think about where you’ll store it at home and check out whether it will fit easily into your car, especially if you have a small car? Check whether it’s easy to unfold and fold one handed, and whether it has quick release wheels if you need to take them off to fit it in the car easily? If you’re looking at pushchairs on the internet or in a catalogue make sure you check the dimensions of them when they’re folded as well as when unfolded.
• Style
Although the most important things to think about are functional factors you should also have a look around and decide which style of pushchair you personally prefer. Styles of pushchairs also vary based on what usage or terrain they’re aimed at, e.g. 3-wheelers are often more sporty and have larger wheels with soft tyres for bumpy terrain. But there are now all sorts of styles available, in 3-wheelers and 4-wheelers, from contemporary to classic, minimalist to chunky, pretty to funky, etc.
• Extras
You might just want to purchase a basic pushchair to start with but have a look at what extras you can add at a later date if necessary? Is it adaptable in that you can fix a car seat or a carry cot to the frame so you can move your baby from car to buggy without disturbance? Can you add an extra seat or a ride-on board if your family expands? Some pushchair brands have a whole range of mathcing accessories that can be bought separately, which is great to know as you can then adapt your pushchair as circumstances change without having to buy a new one. Some pushchairs also come with more accessories than others included in the price but many come with a mathcing sun hood, rain cover and a basket. Lots have a range of matching accessories that you can buy separately, for example parasols, sun shades, footmuffs, blankets, insect nets and weather shields. Make sure you check what’s included in the price and what optional extras you can buy.
• Baby Comfort
Possibly one of the most important elements to consider is how comfortable the seat is going to be for your baby. Check whether it has multi-recline seat positions, including a lie flat position for newborn babies (not all pushchairs are suitable from birth so check what age each model is suitable for). Look for features such as adjustable straps, an adjustable footrest, a headrest and removable pads for small babies. Some pushchairs have forward and rear facing seats so you need ot think about whether your baby will face forward or look at you, or whether you’d like the option to change the seat around as your baby grows.
• Parental Comfort
Your comfort is also an important thing to think about. How long will you be pushing the pushchair for, how tough will it be, what sort of terrain will you be pushing it over. Lokk for handles that have an adjustable height if you are tall or concerned about comfort if the handle seems too low. Have a look at how the brake works, for example is it a foot operated brake leaving your hands free to deal with other things going on around you? Is it easy enough to push with one hand while holding the hand of another child? Is it easy to fold with one hand?
You may have thing to consider as well as the things listed here but if take a little time to think about these and have a look around you should end up with the best baby pushchair for your needs. Use the tips here as a starting point for your search, write a list of the things you need and then compare similar baby pushchairs made by different brands before reaching a final decision.
does anyone know if a Graco car seat will go in a urban detour pram ?
graco.com