Guide To Good Prams: The Intermediate Guide Towards Good Prams

What Makes Good Prams?

A pram (also called a stroller or a pushchair stroller) is the primary mode of transportation for babies and toddlers. A quality pram blends comfort, safety and style to make walking enjoyable for the whole family.

The R for Rabbit Poppins Stylish Baby Stroller makes a great stroller for children from newborns to 3 years old. The reversible handle lets you turn the seat to face your child or the world.

Comfort

You want your baby to be comfortable when you're out with them. There are prams that ensure your baby doesn't feel anything.

The prams we've selected in this buying guide all allow your baby to lay flat, which is essential for babies who are just beginning to crawl. Lying flat improves oxygen levels and supports their developing spine and hips. The seats can also be adjusted to a more upright position once your child is able to sit up.

For a really high-end feel it's the Venicci egg2 offers a cozy cocoon feel for your newborn with sleek, curved lines and a bucket-shape seating that does not recline to a lying-flat position but does have a padded mattress and liner. It's also a little lighter than the majority of prams on the market at under 8kg but still has an extremely sturdy chassis and grained leather detailing as well as tyres with air-filled tires that are puncture-proof, and can be used in more rural environments.

If you're looking for something a bit more budget-friendly but with a similar style Minu V2 (minus carrycot) is a great option. The swish-looking one-hand steer model isn't as light as some of the other prams we tried but it does have a big storage basket and an extendable hood with UPF 50+ protection to keep your baby safe and shaded.

If you're a new parent, we'd recommend considering a travel system bundle that includes a pram as well as a car seat that can be attached to the same frame. This makes it much easier for parents to transfer their child from the car to the pram without having to get them up. The Bugaboo Dragonfly is a great example of a stylish and useful travel system pram that converts easily from a'pramette' that lies flat' to a toddler-friendly pushchair, compatible with the Graco I-Size car seat.

Safety

A pram should be equipped with a five-point safety harness to keep your baby safe and secure. It should not have any gaps that could trap their legs or heads. The straps must be padded, and easily adjustable as your child grows. Also, you should check the harness buckles to ensure they aren't damaged or showing signs of wear and tear. A lot of children are hospitalized every year due to injuries from strollers or prams for sale. The primary reason for these injuries is tipping over. Even the strongest prams can tip over when you strap your bags onto the handles or if the child is wriggling and falls into or out of the seat before the harness is tightened.

Another reason for injury is falling from the stroller or pram. If a child is not securely secured in the pram, they could fall out of the stroller and suffer head or neck injuries. This is why it is crucial to ensure that the harness buckle is always secured.

Some good prams also have a canopy that can be reversible to protect your baby from the sun in both directions. This is a useful feature as you can avoid having to wake your baby awake while you change their position in the pram or when you go in and out of shops. Other handy features include a tray for snacks and drink holders for your infant or toddler, a basket for shopping under the seat and the handlebar locks into position when you're not using it.

You should never leave a sleeping child in their stroller unless you are within their reach at all times. Babies are known to wiggle when asleep, which can cause them to roll off the stroller or pram and could result in strangulation or suffocation. A pram or a stroller should not be used as a substitute for the cot. It is best to use it for short periods during the daytime.

It is essential to disassemble the majority of prams to fit them in the trunk of your car. This procedure should be familiarised with before you purchase one. Check how easy it will be to put the parts back together.

Durability

A pram must be able endure a long time of wear. This includes having to deal with the mud-filled walks and numerous car journeys, so you want to be sure your choice can do the job you need it to. You should ensure that your pram is in the right color or design that will not date easily so that you don't appear as if you've slipped out of style.

The best prams are constructed of top-quality materials and built to last. Look for durable fabrics with sturdy tires, as well as an effective suspension system. The best prams will also feature a compact fold so you can store them easily in your garage or the boot when not being used.

All prams on this list allow babies to lie flat, which is vital for newborns as it improves oxygen saturation levels and aids in the development of their hips and spine. Many are designed to grow with your child, with some of them featuring a carrycot, or a fully reclined seat that can be moved on and off the frame when your little one outgrows it.

If you are purchasing a pram for the first time, a travel system that comes with an infant carrycot and car seats could be worth a look. We are awestruck by 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 child at the push of a button so you can keep your eyes on them and keep them close which she said was really important to her since he was at an exploratory stage.

The Bugaboo Fox 3 is another option that our test-driver Jess Bird tried with her two kids Effie & Boden (pictured above). It's a pram that can be transformed from a single pushchair double in 30 different configurations. It also comes with a sun canopy that can be extended and puncture-proof tires. It's not cheap prams, but you could use it for more than one child, if you need to and, just like the iCandy Orange 3, can be used from birth using the included carrycot.

Style

Newborns should lay flat as much as possible to aid development and increase the oxygen level in their lungs, which is why it's essential that all prams permit this. Some models permit an all-flat position by using the carrycot which is completely reclined, while others have a seat that reclines to a horizontal position.

The Graco Near2Me has the latter feature and is fantastic in this regard, as our parent tester Jaya discovered when she tried it with her son of 10 months. She loved the fact that she could raise or lower her little one with the touch of a button and keep him in the view of others and still maintain eye contact and a closeness.

The frame is perfect to take a stroll around town and the puncture-proof wheels permit you to take it off road or on rough terrain. It's a great choice if you plan to have a second child in the near future because it can easily be transformed from a single pushchair to a double or twin stroller.

The Bugaboo Dragonfly is a stylish premium option that looks and feels impressive. It's ideal for babies because it comes with a carrycot that can be folded flat and is compatible with a car-seat when purchased separately. It is able to be folded with the carrycot still in place, which is something that not all prams have. This is time-saving and makes it more convenient to use.

Its luxe fabrics, spacious shopping basket and puncture-proof tyres are the kind of features you'd expect to see on a premium pram, but its sleek frame makes it easy to maneuver on any terrain. This is a great choice when you live in a city and must navigate narrow streets or congested paths on a regular basis. Although it's not inexpensive however, the durability and quality of this pram make it possible to save you money in the end by avoiding the need to invest in a separate pushchair for toddlers. You can pick from a variety of colors that will fit your preferences.