What Makes Good Prams?

A pram, also known as a pushchair, stroller or a sling, is the primary mode of transport for infants and toddlers. A good pram combines comfort, safety and style to make walking enjoyable for all the family.

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

Comfort

When you're out and around with your baby, you want to ensure that they're safe. The good news is that there are prams designed to ensure that your baby does not feel anything.

The prams we've chosen in this buying guide all let your baby lie flat, which is important for newborn babies as lying flat improves oxygen saturation and helps support their growing spine and hips. The seats can be adjusted to an upright position once your child is able to sit up.

For a truly luxurious feel it's the Venicci egg2 offers a cozy cocoon feel for your newborn with smooth, curved lines and a bucket-shape seats that doesn't recline into a lie-flat position, but has padding on the mattress and liner. It's also lighter than the majority of prams available at less than 8kg, but it has a sturdy chassis and grained leather detailing as well as tyres with air-filled tires that are puncture-proof, and can take on more rural settings.

If you're looking for something more affordable, but still with the same style, the Minu V2 (minus carrycot) is a good option. The stylish one-hand steer model isn't as light as some of the other prams we've tested but it does have a large storage basket, as well as an extendable hood with UPF 50+ protection, which will keep your baby protected and shaded.

If you're a first-time parent We suggest you consider the travel system that includes a car seat and pram that attaches to the same frame. This makes it easier to get your baby from the car to the pram without having to wake them up and is perfect for busy parents on the go. The Bugaboo Dragonfly travel strollers system is a stylish and functional pram that is easily converted from a 'pramette,' or lie-flat 'pramette,' into a toddler-friendly stroller compatible with the Graco ISize car seat.

Safety

A pram should be equipped with a five point safety harness to ensure your baby is secure and should not allow any gaps to trap their legs or head. The straps should be padded and easy to adjust as they expand. Check the buckles on the harness to make sure they're not cracked and show signs of wear. Every year, a lot of children are admitted to hospitals because of injuries caused by prams or strollers. The most common reason for these injuries is tipping over. Even the strongest prams can tip over when you strap bags to the handles or if the child is wriggling and falls out or in the seat before the harness has been tightened.

Another frequent cause of injuries is falling from the pram or stroller. If a baby isn't securely secured in, they could fall out of the pram and suffer head or neck injuries. It is therefore important to ensure that the buckle on the harness is clicked into the correct position.

Some good prams also have a reversible canopy that will shield your baby from the sun in either direction. This feature is useful because you won't have to wake up your baby every time you change their position in the stroller or when you go into stores and out. There are also other features that are useful, for example an eating tray for your child or toddler and drink holders. There is also a shopping basket underneath the seat.

You should never leave a sleeping child in their pram unless you are within sight of them at all times. Babies tend to wriggle while asleep and this can cause them to fall off the stroller or pram newborn and cause suffocation or strangulation. A pram or stroller is not an alternative to a cot and should be used only for short periods during the day.

The majority of prams require you to disassemble them in order to fit them into the car's boot so it is an excellent idea to familiarize yourself with the process before you purchase one. Consider how easy it would be to put the sections back together.

Durability

A pram needs to be durable enough to withstand several years of wear and tear. You need to ensure that your pram can handle muddy walks as well as a variety of car trips. You should ensure that your stroller is in a color or pattern that will not date easily so that you don't appear as if you've slipped out of fashion.

The most effective prams are constructed of high-quality materials and have been designed to last. So, look for robust fabrics, sturdy wheels, and a well-designed suspension system. The best prams are compact and fold easily, allowing you to put them in your garage or boot.

All the prams in this list allow the baby to lie on their backs. This is crucial for babies, because it aids in the development of their hips and spine, and improves oxygenation levels. Many are designed to grow with your child with some featuring a carrycot, or a fully reclined seat that can be clicked off and back on the frame for when your child is no longer using it.

If you are purchasing a pram for the very first time, a travel system that includes both the carrycot as well as a car seat could be worth a look. We love the Graco Near2Me system which our parent tester Jaya used with her 10-month-old son. It is a revolutionary feature that allows you to raise and lower your child at the touch of one button. This lets you keep eye contact with them and keep them close.

The Bugaboo Fox 3 is another option that our test-driver Jess Bird tried with her two babies Effie & Boden (pictured above). It's a luxury pram that can be converted from a single pushchair to double pushchair and has 30 different configurations, and comes with premium fabrics, an extendable sun canopy, and puncture-proof tyres. It's not cheap however, you can use it with multiple children, if needed. Similar to our winner model, the iCandy Orange 3 with its included carrycot can be used right from birth.

Style

Newborns should lay flat as often as they can in order to promote development and improve oxygen saturation in their lungs, so it's essential that all prams support this. Some models allow for an all-flat position by using the carrycot which is fully reclinable, while others have a seat that can be reclined to a horizontal or a vertical position.

The Graco Near2Me is brilliant for the latter as our parent tester Jaya discovered when she tried it on her 10-month-old child. She loved the ability to raise or lower her infant with a push of a button to keep him in the same position while maintaining closeness and eye contact.

It's a great choice for those who want to nip around town easily as the frame is a good size for manoeuvring, while the puncture-proof tyres permit you to move it off the road and onto rough terrain. It's also a good choice if you're planning on having another child in future since it can easily be converted from a single pushchair to a double or twin pushchair.

The Bugaboo Dragonfly looks and feels like a premium, stylish option. It's ideal for infants as it comes with a lie-flat carrycot and is compatible with a car seat when you purchase it separately. It can be folded with the carrycot in place - something that not all prams can do which is why it's a time-saving and hassle-free feature.

The pram shops near me's luxurious fabrics, spacious basket, and puncture-proof tires are features you'd expect on a premium model however, the sleek frame makes it simple to maneuver around different terrains. This is a great option if you live in the city and have to navigate narrow streets or crowded paths on a regular basis. While it's not cheap but the quality and versatility of this pram mean that it can save you money over the long term by not having to invest in an additional pushchair for toddlers. It's available in a broad selection of colors and you can pick one that fits your personal style.