How to Choose the Perfect Pushchair
To make things a little bit easier for you we have some tips for making that choice - what elements to think about and what features to look for:
• Functionality
The first decision to make is whether you need a pushchair, a pram, a stroller or a complete travel system - this decision is based partly on the age of your child (e.g. a newborn baby needs a lie flat position), how you travel (do you need a car seat that can be transfered to your pushchair frame), when and where you’ll be using it (every day, around town, on holiday).
• Budget
The third thing to think about is how much money you want to spend and look at which brands are affordable, as they can vary vastly in cost. There are some very good quality, affordable baby pushchairs going right up to expensive designer brands.
• Weight
How do you travel, on public transport, in a car? Where do you live, do you have to carry the pushchair up and down stairs often? Don’t forget that when you test the weight of a pushchair it’s minus the weight of your baby so take that into consideration!
• Maneuverability
It sounds like you’re test-driving a car but it’s actually really important to consider maneuverability. If so you probably want a swivel front wheel, but a lockable one for using over rougher terrain. If you plan on off-roading, on the beach or in the countryside think about the suspension as well as the maneuverability of the wheels.
• Compactness
Think about where you are going store it at home, and will it fit easily in your car? Check out whether it’s easy to fold and unfold with one hand, and does it have quick release wheels to make it easy to get in and out of the car?
• Style
Although it’s vitally important to consider all the practical and functional features of pushchairs it’s also important to think about what style you like as it’s something you will probably be using and looking at every day. But there are now all sorts of styles available, in 3-wheelers, and 4-wheelers - contemporary, classic, practical, pretty, minimalist, chunky, funky, etc.
• Baby Comfort
Have a look for features like an adjustable footrest, adjustable straps, a headrest, pads for smaller babies, etc. Some pushchairs have front and rear facing seats so think about whether your baby will feel happier facing you or looking where they’re going, or whether you want the option to be able to turn the seat around as your baby gets older.
• Parent Comfort
Look for an adjustable handle height (if you’re tall some handles can seem too low). Check out how the brake works, is it a foot operated for a hands free operation while you are dealing with lots of other things at the same time?
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.
