Decisions! Decisions!

Where do you start when looking for

Baby Pushchairs?

Some things you have to think about:

Do you want a forward facing pushchair so

that your child can look forward and see everything that is

going on, or do you want to look at your baby as you walk

along? This is one of the first things to think about.

There are so many baby pushchairs on the market these days

that you almost need a degree just to figure out which one

is best for you and your child.

My advice is to look at your circumstances first of all. Are

you going to be going out to work when the baby is quite

young? Do you have a car? Will it go into the boot of your car?

Will you be using public transport? Where will you be going,

to the shops, just around the corner to family or friends,

or are you planning on traveling further a field as

most people do these days.

If you are going to travel on public transport, one very

important consideration is weight. The lighter the frame

the better it is for getting on an off the public transport.

Or are you a fitness fanatic? If you are, you will want

to look at one of the many ‘jogger’ type pushchairs with

three wheels and great suspension, although these can

be on the heavy side.

Start to think about what kind of lifestyle you have

at the moment, and whether you intend to carry on

with the same lifestyle after you baby is born. This

can be the deciding factor on which Baby Pushchairs

you decide to purchase.

Baby Pushchairs

Originally, the easiest way to transport your new baby was by having a Pram, or Perambulator as was the original name. It was basically four wheels, and some form of body that could house a bed for your new baby.

As early as 1870's a gentleman by the name of William Wilson designed a unique suspension system for these prams as well as a folding hood. Prior to this your baby was open to the elements of rain and snow, unless you covered baby with some form of blanket to keep them dry, and don't forget there was no such thing as plastic in those days, so most things got wet, and they felt every bump in the road.

These Prams were great for taking baby for a walk in the park, shopping or visiting the relatives on a Sunday, but as life got faster and people began to travel further afield, an alternative had to be found.

In later years, a smaller version of the pram came into existence. Where I come from which is Salford, Manchester, it was commonly known as a 'trolley' or baby pushchair. It was a smaller version of the Pram, still basically the same, four wheels, some form of body to support the child, but this enabled the child to sit upright and watch where they were going. These, though, were not suitable for a new born baby, as a new born baby must be lay flat.

Even the trolley/baby pushchair was heavy to move about, although it did enable the parents to travel on public transport, (not many people had their own cars then)to go out for days to the coast etc.

Then along came the affordable car, and the original designed pram would just not fit into the boot, because of the chassis being permanently attached to the body of the pram. So the pushchair become more and more popular.

I remember in the 70's having a beautiful 'smaller' pram that could with the click of a few levers, detach the body from the chassis and all was well to go into the car boot, but it was the pushchair that gave me my freedom when I wanted to travel by bus or train, albeit heavy to carry on and off the transport.

Along came the 80's and the invention of the lighter weight pushchair or "buggie" as is still affectionately known. "Buggie" is an American term for pushchair. About this time, the English market become familiar with the term "Stroller" which in effect meant the same as "buggie".

Nowadays, the choice in enormous, so where do you start?