10 Basics About Good Prams You Didn’t Learn In The Classroom

What Makes Good Prams?

A pram, also known as a stroller, pushchair or Sling, is the main mode of transport for infants and toddlers. A great pram is a combination of comfort, safety and design that makes walking fun for the entire family.

The R for Rabbit Poppins Joy Stylish Baby Stroller is a wonderful pram for newborns to 3-year-old kids. The reversible handle lets you to tilt the seat so that your child can face either you or the world around them.

Comfort

If you’re out and about with your baby, you need to be sure they’re comfortable. There are prams that ensure your baby doesn’t feel any sensations.

All prams featured in this guide let your baby lay flat. This is crucial for newborns as it improves oxygenation and helps support their hips and spine. The seats can also be adjusted to an upright position when your baby is able to sit up.

Venicci egg2 is a high-end pram that has a cocoon-like feel for your baby. It features smooth, curving lines, a bucket-shaped seat, which does not recline into an upright position however, it does come with a padded mattress and liner. It’s also a little lighter than most pushchairs prams pushchairs on the market at less than 8kg, but it has solid chassis and grained leather detailing, plus air-filled tyres that are puncture-proof and able to be used in more rural environments.

If you’re looking for something more affordable, but with the same design Minu V2 (minus carrycot) is a great option. The one-hand steer model, swish, isn’t as light as other prams but it does come with a large storage basket. It also has an extendable hood that offers UPF 50+ protection, which keeps your baby safe and shaded.

If you are a first-time parent we suggest that you consider a travel system that includes a car seat as well as a pram that are attached to the same frame. This will make it much easier to get your baby out of the car to the pram without waking them and is perfect for busy parents who are always on the move. The Bugaboo Dragonfly travel system is a stylish and practical pram that can be converted easily from a ‘pramette or a lie-flat ‘pramette to a stroller for toddlers compatible with the Graco ISize car seat.

Safety

A pram should be equipped with a five point safety harness to keep your baby secure and should not allow any gaps that could trap their legs or heads. The straps must be padded, and easily adjustable as your child grows. Examine the buckles on the harness to ensure they are not cracked and have signs of wear. Every year, a lot of children are hospitalised because of injuries caused by prams and strollers. The most common cause of these injuries is the result of a stroller tipping over. Even the strongest prams can tip over if you attach bags onto the handles, or if a wriggling child is able to get into or out of the seat without harnesses being properly secured.

Another reason for injuries is falling from the stroller or pram. If a child’s harness is not fastened properly it could cause them to fall from the stroller and suffer head or neck injuries. Therefore, it is important to ensure that the buckle on the harness is clicked into the proper position.

Some prams come with a reversible shade that can be used to shield your baby in any direction from the sun. This is a great feature as you can avoid having to wake your baby awake while you change their position in the pram stores near me or while you are going to and from the shops. Other useful features include a snack tray and drink holders for your baby or toddler, a basket for shopping under the seat and the handlebar locks into position when you’re not using it.

Don’t leave a baby sleeping in a pram if you are not within sight. Babies tend to wriggle while asleep and this may cause them to roll off the pram or stroller and cause suffocation or strangulation. A pram or stroller is not an alternative to a crib and should be used only for brief periods during the day.

It is essential to disassemble most prams in order to fit them into the boot of your vehicle. This procedure must be mastered before you purchase a folding pram. Consider how easy it would be to put the sections back together.

Durability

A pram needs to be able to stand up to the wear and tear of many years. This includes surviving walking in the rain and numerous car journeys, so you need to ensure that your choice can do the job you need it to. It is also important for your pram to be in a print or colour that isn’t prone to fading quickly so you don’t end up looking like you’ve fallen out of fashion.

The top prams are constructed with high-quality materials. They are designed to last. So, look for robust fabrics, sturdy wheels and an effective suspension system. The top prams have a compact fold so they can be easily stored in your garage or in the boot when not when not in use.

All prams on this list allow a baby to lie flat, which is vital for newborns because it improves oxygen saturation levels and supports the development of their spine and hips. Some are made to adapt to your child’s needs, with some of them having a carrycot or fully-reclined seat that can be moved on and off the frame at a time when your little one outgrows it.

If you are buying a pram for the first time, a travel system that has a carrycot and a car seat could be worth a look. We love the Graco Near2Me system which our parent tester Jaya used with her son of 10 months. It comes with a handy feature that allows you to raise and lower your baby at the touch of a button. This way you can maintain eye contact and keep them close which she described as being important to her since he was in an exploratory stage.

The Bugaboo Fox 3 is another option that our tester Jess Bird tried with her two children Effie and Boden (pictured above). It’s a luxury pram that converts from a single pushchair to a double pushchair with 30 possible configurations. It also comes with luxe fabrics, an extendable sun canopy, and puncture-proofed tyres. It’s not expensive however, it can be used for multiple children, if needed. And like our winner model, the iCandy Orange 3 with its carrycot can be used as early as.

Style

Newborns should lie flat as much as they can in order to promote development and improve oxygen saturation in their lungs, which is why it’s important that all prams support this. Some models allow for an all-flat position by using a carrycot that can be completely reclined, while others feature a seat that can be reclined to a horizontal or a vertical position.

The Graco Near2Me has the latter feature, and it’s fantastic at what it does, as our parent tester Jaya discovered when she tried it with her son who was 10 months old. She loved that she could raise or lower her baby at the touch of an button, keeping him in the same position while maintaining closeness and eye contact.

The frame is ideal for city trips, and the puncture-proof tires permit you to take it off the road or on rough terrain. It’s a great option if you plan to have a second child in the future, as it can easily be converted from a single pushchair into a twin or double.

The Bugaboo Dragonfly looks and feels like a high-end, stylish option. It is suitable for newborns since it includes a carrycot that can lie flat and it’s compatible with a car seat if purchased separately. You can even fold it with the carrycot in place – something that isn’t the case with all prams, so it’s an efficient and easy feature.

Its luxe fabrics, spacious shopping basket and puncture-proof tyres are the kinds of features you’d expect to see on a premium pram, but its sleek frame makes it easy to maneuver across a variety of terrains. It’s also an ideal choice if you live in a city and have to navigate narrow streets or overcrowded sidewalks frequently. This pram is not cheap but its versatility and quality could save you money over time by avoiding the purchase of a separate toddler stroller. It’s available in an extensive selection of colors too, so you can pick one that matches your personal style.