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At first glance, it appears we are spoilt for choice when it comes to choosing and buying a pushchair, stroller or buggy.
Some are marketed by the pushchair manufacturers as a fashion accessory, and come with many colour options. Years ago there were pushchairs and prams - now there are pushchairs, sports pushchairs, combi pushchairs, shoppers, buggies, joggers, three wheeler buggies and more...
Oh, and let's not forget those special pushchairs for different family situations - twin pushchairs, tandem pushchairs and even triple and quad pushchairs.
Now, you are probably starting to get confused with all the choices, but it is still much more complicated. There are pushchairs with large wheels, small wheels, air tyres, rubber tyres. You have to consider weight, width, handle height, shopping basket size.
One of the most important considerations when choosing a pushchair, not yet mentioned, is price. In addition, is a raincover included or is that extra? What about a parasol? Will you need a Footmuff / Cosey Toe? Does it need to be suitable from birth for very new babies?
So, now that it all sounds so complicated, let's try to put some order into this chaos and make it seem so much more straight-forward.
First, before you even begin to search for a new pushchair, you have to decide what your priorities are, what will the pushchair be used for?
That sounds obvious, but for example, will your pushchair mostly be on man-made surfaces, such as going to the shops for shopping - or will you mainly be using it outdoors on hard ground? A buggy is a light pushchair, small, narrow and lightweight. Definitely not suitable for rough ground but great for shops. So that might suit in this situation. A buggy is most suited to children older than 9 months who sit upright. They fold away quite small and so are easy to transport.
A very different type of pushchair is a jogger. This will suit an active, sporty parent, perfect for using off-road and easy to steer.
So, sit down and make your list of requirements. Consider when and how you will use your pushchair. Consider how important weight is to you. Depending on how tall you are, some pushchairs can be difficult to push because their handle height is high. Some pushchairs have adjustable handle height. Will you have a requirement to carry your pushchair up and down stairs - remember you will have to carry your baby at the same time!
Do you use public transport? - this makes size important as a large pushchair may cause difficulties, particularly on busy services.
We must also consider the baby - the pushchair should be comfortable, a reclining seat could be very important. Are you going to be using Car Seats as well? Some of our Pushchairs combine with Car Seats to create Travel Systems, which are complete solutions to travelling with a baby by car, as when you arrive at your destination, you simply remove the car seat from the back of the car, and fit it into your pushchair, meaning you don’t need to keep moving your baby around, a great plus seeing as car journeys send most children to sleep and you won’t need to wake them again!
In our research we have discovered that many parents make a mistake in choosing their first pushchair and make their choice for many of the wrong reasons. I decided to rationalise many of the factors that should be considered when choosing a pushchair and developed a website where parents can offer their feedback to help others make these choices.
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