Guide To Good Prams: The Intermediate Guide To Good Prams

What Makes Good Prams?

A pram, also referred to as a stroller, pushchair or Sling, is the most popular method of transport for infants and toddlers. A good pram combines safety, comfort, and style to make walking enjoyable for the entire family.

The R for Rabbit Poppins Joy Stylish Baby stroller compact is a great pram double for newborns to 3-year-old kids. The adjustable handle can be turned around to allow you to turn the seat to face your child or the world.

Comfort

If you're out and about with a baby, you want to be sure they're comfortable. There are prams that will make sure your baby doesn't feel any sensations.

The prams we've selected in this buying guide allow your baby to lay flat, which is important for newborn babies as lying flat increases oxygen saturation and supports their developing hips and spine. The seats can also be adjusted to a more upright position once your baby is able to sit up.

For a truly luxurious experience, the Venicci egg2 provides a warm feeling of a cocoon for your baby with sleek, curvaceous lines and a bucket-shape seat that doesn't recline into a lie-flat position, but has a padded mattress and liner. It's also a little lighter than most prams on the market at less than 8kg, but it has solid chassis and grained leather details, plus air-filled tyres that are puncture-proof, and can take on more rural settings.

If you're looking for something a bit more budget-friendly but with a similar design Minu V2 (minus carrycot) is another excellent choice. The one-hand steer model, swish, isn't as light as other prams, but it does come with a large storage basket. It also has an extended hood that provides UPF 50+ protection, which keeps your baby stroller safe and protected.

If you're a new parent we recommend the 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 their car to the pram without having to get them up. The Bugaboo Dragonfly is a great example of a stylish and functional pram for travel that can be converted easily from a'pramette' lying flat' to a toddler-friendly pushchair that is compatible with the Graco I-Size car seats.

Safety

A pram should be equipped with a five point safety harness to keep your baby secure and should not allow any gaps to trap their legs or head. The straps must be padded, and easily adjustable as your child grows. Also, you should check the harness buckles to ensure that they aren't cracked or showing signs of wear and tear. Many children are admitted to hospitals each year due to injuries caused by strollers or prams. The primary reason for these injuries is the result of a stroller tipping over. Even the most robust prams could tip over if you hook bags on the handles, or if a child with a wriggling gets into or out of the seat without harnesses being done up.

A common cause of injury involves falling from a pram or stroller. If a child's harness isn't secured correctly it could cause them to fall from the stroller and sustain head or neck injuries. This is why it is vital to ensure that the buckle of the harness is always locked in place.

Some good prams also have an adjustable canopy that can protect your baby from the sun in either direction. This is a great feature because it will prevent having to wake your child awake while you change their position in the pram or when you are going to and from the shops. Other useful features include a snack tray and drink holders for your baby or toddler, a basket for shopping under the seat and a handlebar that locks in place when you're not using it.

It is not advisable to leave a sleeping child in their stroller unless they are in their sight at all times. Babies can be prone to wiggle while asleep and can cause them to roll out of the pram or stroller. This could result in strangulation and suffocation. A stroller or pram should not be used as an alternative to a crib. It is best to use it for short periods of time during the daytime.

It is necessary to disassemble most prams in order to place them in the trunk of your car. This process is something you should know before you purchase one. Also, check how it is easy to put the various sections back together before putting them in place.

Durability

A pram must be able stand up to the wear and tear of many years. This includes the need to endure the mud-filled walks and many car journeys, which is why you want to be sure your choice will perform the task you want it to. You want to make sure that your pram is a color or pattern that will not date easily so that you don't appear as if you've slipped out of style.

The top prams are constructed of high-quality materials and have been designed to last, so look for robust fabrics, sturdy wheels, and an efficient suspension system. The top prams have a compact fold, so they are easy to store in your garage or boot when not in use.

All prams on this list allow your baby to lay flat. This is important for babies, because it allows them to develop their spine and hips and improves oxygenation levels. Many are designed to adapt to your child's needs with some having a carrycot or fully-reclined seat that can be moved off and on the frame when your child outgrows it.

If you are considering buying a pram for the first time it is recommended to consider a system that includes both a carrycot and a car seat could be a good idea. We love the Graco Near2Me system which our parent tester Jaya used with her son of 10 months. It comes with a handy feature that can raise or lower your child with the click of a button. This way you can maintain eye contact and keep them close which she described as being important to her as the baby was still at an exploratory stage.

Another alternative is another option is the Bugaboo Fox 3 which our tester Jess Bird used with her two children, Effie and Boden (pictured above). It's a stroller that can be converted from a single pushchair a double with 30 different configurations. It also has a sun canopy that can be extended and puncture-proof tires. It's not cheap, but you can use it for more than one child, if you need to and, like our winner the iCandy Orange 3, can be used from birth with the included carrycot.

Style

Newborns must lay flat as often as they can to help develop and improve oxygen saturation in their lungs, so it is essential that all prams permit this. Some models allow a completely flat position with a fully-reclinable carrycot while others feature the seat that can recline to a flat position.

The Graco Near2Me is a great device for the latter as our parent tester Jaya discovered when she tested it on her child who was 10 months old. She loved that she could raise or lower her child at the touch of the button to keep him in sight, while still maintaining eye contact and proximity.

It's a great choice for those that want to nip around town with ease as the frame is a good size for manoeuvring, while the puncture-proof tyres permit you to remove it from the road and on to rough terrain. It's an excellent choice if you plan to have a second child in the near future because it can easily be converted from a single pushchair into a double or twin.

The Bugaboo Dragonfly looks and feels like a stylish, high-end option. It is suitable for newborns as it comes with a carrycot that can be rolled flat and is compatible with a car seat when purchased separately. It can be folded with the carrycot in place and it's something that isn't the case with all prams for sale which is why it's an easy and time-saving feature.

Its luxurious fabrics, spacious shopping basket, and puncture-proof tyres are the kinds of features you'd expect to find on a high-end pram, but its sleek frame makes it easy to maneuver on a variety of terrains. This is a great choice if you live in the city and have to navigate narrow streets and crowded pathways on a regular basis. The pram isn't cheap, but its versatility and high-end quality can save you money over time by avoiding the purchase of a separate toddler stroller. It's available in an extensive variety of colors, too, so you can pick one that suits your personal style.