Many brands sell baby pushchairs, buggies, strollers and prams so trying to find the best one for you can be a daunting task.

Here are some tips to help you think about what features to look for when choosing the prefect pushchair.






• 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, off-road). On holiday you might want a lightweight stroller but for every day use you may want a complete travel system.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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 needs but if you research thoroughly and spend some time choosing 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.