It can be a tricky decision. (How to choose a pram, pushchair or buggy)

Member Name: Claribella

Product:	How to choose a pram, pushchair or buggy
Date:	23/02/09 (398 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: An exciting thing to buy.

Disadvantages: So many factors to consider.

When I found out I was pregnant with Noah (We didn't know he was a 'Noah' at the time!) the thing I was looking forward to buying the most was of course the pram. I just couldn't wait to get it through my front door and started looking online straight away. Having been a Nursery Nurse I was pretty clued up on what I liked and what I didn't. I ended up going for a lovely little, lightweight travel system that was one of the cheapest I could find. I'm not a 'Showy' person so the name didn't matter and I wasn't about to pay £500 for a pram that did exactly the same as the one I had chosen. It was blue in colour which I felt was fine for either a girl or a boy.

When I finally popped Noah out I was dying to get him in the pram but it was just a lot easier to use the pouch I bought for a little while. When we finally got him in the pram and had a few little outings, I have to say that I didn't have any problems with the choice of pram. It was small, fitted through doors well and was very lightweight. Even as my son grew and got heavier it was easy to push and there was plenty of basket space.

Ten months after the birth of Noah I found out I was pregnant with Elijah so I had to choose a double buggy. Noah was a very late walker so there was no way we could get him moving before Elijah came and to be honest I didn't think it was far to push him into walking, after all he was still a baby himself. I thought very carefully about what pram to go for because I remembered back to my nursery days and thought about how heavy double buggies were. Eventually I went for a tandem (one seat infront of the other) which was one of the lightest and smallest on the market. There are a few downsides to it but over all I definitely think I made the right choice.

When you are buying a pram you need to think about a lot and here area few questions to ask yourself.


Does it fit in the boot of your car? My single fitted in my car but when we went out in my mum's car it had to sit along the back seat because it was too big.

Does it have a basket big enough? The one in my single was big but my double has a tiny basket.

Does it fold small enough to store? We keep ours in the garage.

Is it easy to manoeuvre? Both of mine have swivel wheels which make it easy to turn corners in small shops.

Do the seats lie flat?
The front seat on my double doesn't but that isn't a problem because Noah doesn't tend to sleep when we are out and about.

Will it last your baby a long time?
My friend brought a pram which looked great when her boy was small but she had to get a new one as he grew.

Does it fit in with your lifestyle?
I walk everywhere so I needed a sturdy lightweight pram where style didn't matter.

Are the handles high enough?
My partner couldn't push our single because he looked like the hunchback of notre dam. The double has adjustable handles.



There are a just a few things that you will need to ask yourself. I brought my single pram from ToysRus and found that they let you use the pram around the shop. I was also able to see if it fitted in my boot and the girl gave me a demonstration of how it all worked and even fitted the car seat and showed me how. I found this really useful.

Finally I would say think very carefully before you part with your cash and make sure it's the right choice for your lifestyle and needs.

Summary: Look at this and get it right the first time.