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
The first thing you should decide is whether you need a pushchair, a buggy, a pram, a stroller or a combination of these. 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. On holiday you might want a lightweight stroller but for every day use you may want a complete travel system that incorporates a pushchair, a carrycot that can make a pram, and a car seat.
• 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 already have two children you have to decide whether you want them to sit alongside each other, one in front of the other or whether you want one child to ride on a board that attaches to the baby pushchair.
• 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’s worth looking around to find offers and sales on if you have a particular brand in mind that you’d like. Just remember that a good pushchair is an investment for your baby for the next few years and if you do your research thoroughly this time it will be a cost that deosn’t have to be repeated further down the line.
• Weight
You need to think about the weight you’ll have to push around, how strong or fit are you, will you be lifting and carrying a pushchair on your own? How do you travel, on public transport, in a car? Where do you live, is it easily accessable, are there many stairs to carry a pushchair up and down? When you look at the weight of a pushchair or a pram remember that it’s less the weight of your baby so take that into consideration wehn thinking about how heavy it will be to push around!
• 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. Will you be zipping around town, through doors, in and out of shops, cafes and other tight spaces? 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 manoeuvrability of the wheels.
• 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 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? 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 buy a basic pushchair to start with but it’s worth considering whether you can you add extras to it? Can you adapt the pushchair by attaching a car seat or a carry cot to move your baby without disturbance? Can you add an extra seat or a ride-on board if you have another baby? Some brands have a wide range of compatible optional extras that you can buy separately after buying the pushchair so you can adapt to change without having to splash out on a whole new pushchair. Some pushchairs come with more accessories included than others but most of them have a rain cover, a sun hood and a basket or a bag for shopping. Many have a range of accessories available that you can buy separately, such as cup holders, parasols, sun shades, blankets, footmuffs, insect nets, and weather shields. Make sure you check what’s included in the price and what optional extras you can buy.
Seat Comfort
One of the most important elements to think about is whether the seat is comfortable for your child. 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). Check for features such as an adjustable footrest, adjustable straps, a headrest, and removable pads for small babies. 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.
• Comfort for You
It’s quite important to think about how comfortable you are going to feel as well. For what length of time will you be pushing the pushchair, how diificult will the terrain be that you are covering. Make sure the height of the handle is adjustable if you’re tall as some handles can seem too low and be uncomfortable. Think about whether you need a footbrake so you have your hands free to deal with other things going on around you? Is it easy to push with one hand while holding the hand of another child with your spare hand? Is it easy to fold with one hand?
You may have other considerations as well but if you spend a little time thinking about these and doing some research you should be able to find the right baby pushchair to suit 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.
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buggy,
baby pushchairs,
prams <BR/>