What Do You Need To Think About Before Buying A Pushchair?

It’s a well know fact round this neck of the internet that I am a massive massive fan of prams, pushchairs and buggies in fact being slightly obsessive would probably be nearer the mark. 

For some its handbag or shoes but for me its pushchairs.

My love affair for these shiny new parent life savers started 16 years ago during my first pregnancy and has continued to grow with each child since. 

My first child had 5 pushchairs during the duration of her early years and with Joshua in the 3ish years he used one I have to admit I probably have used in excess of 12-13 pushchairs.

Now on my third child and him just about to turn 6 months we are on our 3rd pushchair and I have very definite ideas on what I personally love to find in my pushchair but I do remember when buying my first one all those years ago I was baffled and fairly scared as most pushchairs are not a cheap investment so making a wise choice is a must. 

But what do I now look for in a pushchair? 

I have a very set criteria on what I look for and I think to really get to the nitty-gritty you need to be honest with yourself at what you are looking for.

Here are my 6 tips I would suggest to look at when shortlisting your favourites. 

1, What terrain will you be using? 
It’s really simple to say you are going to go hill walking and going up hills and down dales but if your honest with yourself if your pushchair is going to be crossing the odd off-road path there really would be no need to buy the biggest off roader you could find. 

Some models have air-filled tyres that mean you can have the best of both worlds and nip about city shopping and still tackle the petting farm with the kids on the Saturday. 

2, Handle height and position matter 
Being fairly short at 5ft and my husband being 5ft 10 means we need to find something that is adjustable and if not then you are risking serious back ache. 

I know from experience that one pushchair brand’s handle height is too tall for me and after 30 mins pushing my shoulders and back ache and so now I won’t use their products at all.

3, Direction and mode of travel
I am a massive fan of parent facing pushchairs and so I won’t consider my main pushchair with anything less than parent facing. I like to have face to face interaction with baby, however I would consider a forward facing option when my babies get to around the 2 – 2.5 years mark. 

Also I only ever purchase my main pushchair with the option to use a carrycot and fit the car seat to the chassis, having options means you are not limited and if life changes you are not stuck with something that is unworkable and costly.

4, Size and fold matter
By that I mean buying the biggest thing on the market does not mean it’s the best, depending upon weight, having something massive can limit you to where you can easily get to, some shops have slim doorways and so wide and cumbersome pushchairs can hold you back. 

Also buying a massive pushchair or pushchair that don’t easily fold can mean public transport is off the cards too.

5, Weighty issues 
For me loving a pushchairs look is one thing but if it’s too heavy to fold and lift into a car easily then do think twice. 

My first ever pushchair 16 years ago was beautiful to look at but it was very heavy and so after my emergency section I couldn’t lift it into the boot of the car for the first 4 months so a lighter weight alternative had to be bought only a few weeks in.

6, Road test
Getting to grips with some of your shortlisted favourites really is a must, whittle your list down to 5 or 6 and the go and try them out. Don’t feel pressured to buy in store however often online deals can be better but seriously don’t buy without trying first! 

Visit in store and fold them, life them, fit them in your boot, until you actually do something with it in a real life scenario, 

Recently Kiddicare has been researching how difficult it is for new parents to make a decision on which pushchair to buy for their new arrival and have devised a new online tool which enables parents to filter not just on their budget but by their lifestyle too, which for makes so much more sense. 

My perfect pushchair my have: 

• Parent facing option
• Ability to clip on carseat or carrycot
• Oversized hood or the ability to clip one on
• Adjustable handle (single handle not double handles)
• Easy fold – with seat attached and without
• Large shopping basket (as large as possible)
• Fairly reasonable weight, not too heavy but not too light either

So if you like prams and pushchairs like me, what is it on your must have list?