Many brands sell baby pushchairs, buggies, strollers and prams so 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 make things a little easier here are some tips about what elements to think about and what features to look for to help you choose the perfect baby pushchair for you.
• 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 child (a newborn needs to lie flat), 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, etc). 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.
• Children
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. But remember that this is an investment for your baby, hopefully a one-off cost so if you do your research thoroughly and get the right pushchair it should last you the next three or four years, or longer if you have a second child.
• 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, for example, 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!
• 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 nipping around town, in and out of shops, through doorways and 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 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? If you’re looking online make sure you check out the dimensions of the pushchair when it’s folded as well as unfolded.
• 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. Styles of pushchairs also vary based on what usage or terrain they’re aimed at, e.g. 3-wheelers tend to be more sporty, with large pneumatic wheels for rough 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 attach a car seat or carrycot to the frame to transfer baby without disturbance? Can you add an extra seat or a ride-on board if you have another baby? Some brands have whole ranges of matching extras that can be bought separately, and as your needs change it’s good to know you can adapt without having to buy a complete new pushchair. Some baby pushchairs also come with more accessories than others, but most come with a matching rain cover, sun hood and a bag or basket of some kind. 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.
• Baby Comfort
Probably one of the most important things to think about is how comfortable the seat will 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). 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
It’s quite important to think about how comfortable you are going to feel as well. How long will you be pushing the pushchair for, how tough will it be, what sort of terrain will you be pushing it over. 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? Is it easy enough to push with one hand while holding the hand of another child? Is it easy to fold with one hand?
There may be other considerations to think about depending on your personal circumstances and needs but if you research thoroughly and take the time to choose you should end up with the right pushchair for you and your baby. 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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