Pramette or Pushchair? 2-in-1 or 3-on-1? 3 or 4 wheels? Forward or Rear-facing? Picking the right pram can seem bewilderingly complicated. Each shop you visit displays an array of rather similar looking prams in various colours with drastically different price tags. So, where should you begin?
Rather obviously, it's important to first think about what meets your child (or indeed children)'s needs. However, where you live and how you think you're going to use your pram are key to making sure you get a pram that fits in with your lifestyle. With a bit of planning and thought you can be more sure you'll get a pram that still works for you even as you and your child's needs develop.
The age of your baby is important: Up until the age of three months, babies need to lie-flat so their backs are protected so any pram or pushchair you buy needs to have this option. If this isn't your first baby (or perhaps if you're planning on having another one in the near future) you'll need to look at the large number of options in the marketplace that cater for two, and even more, children at the same time - some of these prams are expandable so that they grow with your family.
Where you live is likely to influence the features of the pram or pushchair you buy. If you will spend the majority of your time navigating bustling pavements and squeezing through narrow doors and supermarket aisles, you'll want to a pram that's smaller, light and easily manoeuvrable, has space for shopping and can be pushed up and down kerbs easily. Live in the country though, and a pram that has bigger tyres and suspension for coping with bumpy terrain and lockable wheels to make steering easier would be more useful. It's also worth thinking about where you'll keep the pram - some, particularly the travel systems, come with huge number of add-ons and accessories that could be a nuisance to store if space is tight.
Think about your daily routine and the modes of transport you'll use. If you're mainly walking, then a pram with suspension will be more comfortably for you to push and you'll need space to hang bags and put shopping. If you're a big public transport user, then you'll want to make sure that you've got a very light pushchair that can easily lifted onto buses and trains and that folds easily. If you spend most of the day driving around in a car, you might want to think about a 3-in-1 system that means you can move your child from their pushchair to your car easily, and you will need to make sure that whatever you buy fits easily into the boot!
