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?