What Makes Good Prams?

A pram, also referred to as a stroller, pushchair or Sling, is the most popular form of transport for babies and toddlers. A well-designed pram is a combination of comfort, safety and style to make walking enjoyable for the whole family.

The R for Rabbit Poppins Joy Stylish Baby Stroller is a fantastic pram for newborns up to 3 year old children. The adjustable handle can be turned around to allow you to turn the seat to face your child or the world.

Comfort

When you're out and around with your baby, you'll want to ensure that they're safe. There are prams that ensure your baby doesn't feel any discomfort.

The prams we've picked in this buying guide all let your baby lie flat, which is crucial for babies who are just beginning to crawl. Lying flat increases oxygen saturation and supports their developing hips and spine. The seats can be adjusted to an upright position once your baby is capable of sitting up.

Venicci egg2 is a top-of-the-line pram that offers a cocoon-like feeling for your baby. It has smooth, curvaceous lines, a bucket-shaped seat, that doesn't recline to a flat position however it does come with an upholstered mattress and liner. It's also lighter than other prams, weighing less than 8kg, but it has a sturdy chassis and grained leather details as well as tyres with air-filled tires that are puncture-proof and able to take on more rural settings.

The Minu V2 is a great option to consider if you're looking to buy something with a similar design but for a lesser price. The swish-looking, one-hand steer model isn't as light as some of the other prams we've tested but it does have a big storage basket and an extendable hood with UPF 50+ protection to keep your baby shaded and protected.

If you're a first-time parent, we recommend you consider the travel system that includes a car seat as well as a pram that can be attached to the same frame. This makes it easier for parents to move their child from their car to the pram without having to get them up. The Bugaboo Dragonfly is a great example of a fashionable and practical pram for travel that can be converted easily from a'pramette' that lies flat to a pushchair newborn for toddlers, compatible with the Graco I-Size car seat.

Safety

The pram should be fitted with a five-point safety harness that will ensure your baby's safety. It should also have no gaps between their head and legs that are likely to get caught. The straps must be cushioned and easily adjustable as your child grows. Examine the buckles on the harness to ensure they are not cracked and have signs of wear. Each year, many children are admitted to hospitals due to injuries caused by prams or strollers. The main reason for these injuries is the result of a stroller tipping over. Even the most sturdy prams could tip over when you hang your bags onto the handles or if a child is wriggling or squirming and falls into or out of the seat before the harness has been tightened.

A frequent cause of injury is falling off a pram or stroller. If a baby isn't securely secured in the pram, they could fall out of the pram and suffer head or neck injuries. Therefore, it is important to make sure that the buckle on the harness is securely clicked into the correct position.

Some good prams also have a reversible canopy that will shield your baby from sun in any direction. This is a useful feature as you can avoid having to wake your baby awake while you change their position in the pram, or when you are going into and out of shops. There are also other features that could be useful, such as snacks for your toddler or child and drink holders. You can also find a basket for shopping underneath the seat.

It is not advisable to leave a sleeping child in their pram unless you are within their reach at all times. Babies are known to wiggle when asleep, which can cause them to slide off the stroller or pram set and could result in strangulation or suffocation. A pram or stroller is not an alternative to a cot and should only be used for brief periods during the daytime.

Most prams require you to take them apart in order to put them in the car's boot so it is a good idea to familiarise yourself with this process before you purchase one. Also, consider how easy it is to get the various sections back together before putting them in place.

Durability

A pram needs to be durable enough to endure many years of wear and tear. You want to make sure that your baby's pram is able to handle the mud of a walk and also multiple 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 style.

The best prams will be constructed of top-quality materials and designed to last. Look for durable fabrics as well as sturdy tires and an efficient suspension system. The top prams feature a compact fold so you can store them easily in your garage or boot when not when not in use.

All the prams in this list allow babies to lay on their backs. This is important for newborns, as it helps them develop their hips and spine, and improves oxygenation levels. A lot of them are designed to grow with your child, with some of them having a carrycot or a fully reclined seat that can be moved off and on the frame for when your child outgrows it.

If you're purchasing a new pram for the first time, you might also be interested in a travel set which is a bundle that includes a lie-flat carrycot and car seat. We love the Graco Near2Me system which our parent tester Jaya used with her son of 10 months. It comes with a clever feature that can raise or lower your child with the click of a button, so you can keep your eyes on them and keep them close, which she claimed was important to her as he was in an exploratory stage.

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

Style

Newborns must lay flat as much as possible to aid development and increase the oxygen level in their lungs. Therefore, it's important that all prams allow this. Some models provide a flat surface with a fully-reclinable carrycots, while others have the seat that can recline to an unflat position.

The Graco Near2Me comes with the latter feature, and it's fantastic at what it does as our tester for parents Jaya found when she tested it with her 10-month-old son. She was enthralled by the fact that she could raise or lower her little one with the touch of a button and keep him in view and still maintain eye contact and closeness.

It's a great choice for those that want to travel around town easily as the frame is a good size for maneuvering, and the puncture-proof tyres let you remove it from the road and on to rough terrain. It's also a smart choice if you're planning on having another child in future since it can easily be converted from a single pram into a double pram and pushchair or twin pushchair.

The Bugaboo Dragonfly looks and feels like a premium, stylish option. It's ideal for infants as it includes a lie-flat carrycot and is compatible with a car seat in the event that you purchase it separately. You can fold it using the carrycot as a stand - something that isn't the case with all prams which is why it's an easy and time-saving feature.

Its luxurious fabrics, large shopping basket, and puncture-proof tyres are the kinds of features you'd expect to see on a pram of the highest quality and its sleek design makes it easy to handle on any terrain. This is an excellent choice when you live in a city and must navigate narrow streets or crowded paths frequently. The pram isn't cheap, but its versatility and quality can save you money over time by avoiding the purchase of a separate stroller for toddlers. It's available in a broad variety of colors, too, so you can pick one that fits your personal style.