All The Gear, No Idea is a regular series from HuffPost Finds where we feature product recommendations for parents, by parents.
Buying a pram is a bit like buying a new car. It has to meet all your needs and it is likely to be one of the most expensive things you’ve bought for many years.
From those suited to ‘rugged terrain’ and others perfect for ‘urban living’, you need a pram that suits your lifestyle as much as it suits your baby. Plus, it’s a bonus if you can find one that will last beyond the baby years.
To help, we asked HuffPost parents who have wheeled their kids around the block a few times to give us their picks of the best prams on the market.
Light and compact, the Bugaboo Bee 5 is a smart choice for urban adventurers with a newborn or toddler. With smooth steering and four-wheel suspension, a one hand, one-piece fold and a reversible, extendable, 3-position reclinable comfort seat. Can be used from birth with a carrycot or baby cocoon (sold separately, buy it here). To extend, pull on the bottom of the seat and this will help support small legs when babies are asleep. It also comes with an extendable sun canopy and a height-adjusted backrest that ‘grows’ with your baby, a 5-point harness and one-handed steering, with a fully height-adjustable handlebar.
Review: Sarah Davis, mum of two
“It seems an age ago, now, but I couldn’t have been without my Bugaboo Bee. Survived two babies and then with a toddler on a buggy board, endlessly marching around the streets of London.”
Stokke Xplory, Stokke, from £671.30
The Stokke looks different to any other pram on the market because of its height. The idea, the manufacturers say, is to raise your baby higher “to promote eye contact and connection”, which we love. Suitable from birth, the Stokke frame and chair can be combined with the additional Stokke Xplory carrycot (£125, buy it here), seen above. It has multiple parent and forward-facing pram seat positions and is suitable for toddlers up to 15kg with the Stokke Stroller Seat (included). It also has 360 degree lockable swivel wheels for enhanced manoeuvrability.
Review: Laura Johns, mum of two
“The Stokke is quite expensive, but as soon as I saw it, I fell in love with it. It’s slim and sleek and you can easily take it into shops without worrying you’re going to knock everything over! I’ve used it for both children and found having conversations with them while they were in it really easy, because they were almost at my eye level.”
With its signature one-hand compact fold, ‘forever air’ rubber tyres and all-wheel suspension, the Baby Jogger City Mini GT2 stroller promises agility on all types of terrain. Once you’ve switched from the newborn carrycot to the seat, it’s easy to fold (simply lift a strap with one hand and it will fold itself, then lock the fold automatically for transportation or storage) and holds an infant weighing up to 22kg. It comes with a 5-point harness for extra security plus an adjustable handbar, hand-operated parking brake and a UV50 sun canopy with peek-a-boo windows. There’s also an extra-large storage basket with front or rear access.
Review: Joe Clapson, author and dad of two
“I am a big fan of the City Mini Jogger GT. It’s a mix of robust, with rugged wheels and solid frame and versatile for moving in and out of shops and on and off public transport. When juggling a child in one hand, it’s so simple to fold up and launch the buggy into the car boot with the other hand. Equally it’s very straightforward to switch from newborn (lying flat) to buggy, upright. We bought ours in 2015 and it’s still going strong.″
The Techno XT is a buggy rather than a pram but it is fully reclining so can be used from newborn (see how to use its built-in Newborn Safety System, here), either on its own or with a Maclaren carrycot, which can be bought separately here. This umbrella-fold stroller will change with the growing needs of your child and is suitable for children up to 25kg, it features a full recline 4-position seat with convenient one-handed adjustment, extendable leg rest and coordinating headhugger and shoulder pads. It also has a 5-point harness with an enhanced aviator buckle, height-adjustable handles, an expandable hood and sun visor and comes with a raincover and a storage basket.
Review: Stefanie Seddon, mum of two
“We chose the smallest, most foldable Maclaren buggy that would still go (almost) flat, as I wanted to be public-transport friendly. It was a great decision, super-easy for tube and bus and made it easy to get around London when he was tiny. He never looked quite as snug as his Bugaboo baby friends but with a few extra blankets, it did the job and kept me mobile and sane!”
The iCandy is aimed at urban parents, because it’s lightweight (just 6.6kg), compact and nimble - perfect for nipping in and out of busy streets. For newborn, there’s an optional Raspberry Universal carrycot (sold separately for £180, buy it here). Once you switch to the pushchair seat, the buggy becomes easily foldable, and it has a 3-in-1 design to adapt to a car seat, a carrycot and a reversible seat position. The reclinable seat can also be adjusted to three different positions: to sit the baby up straight when awake, recline when relaxed or lie flat when asleep. The baby faces the parent and there’s a concealed storage pod which holds weight up to 5kg. It comes with a five-year guarantee.
Review: Matt Thomas, dad of one
“We chose it because it was lightweight and narrow (it fits through the tube barriers, not just the big gates). It says you can use the buggy from newborn with a special pod, but I’m glad we bought the pram attachment which was nice and cosy. I like the fact it’s so manoeuvrable. There’s no bar, so the baby feels a bit out in the open sometimes, but there are other plus points - like a giant basket. We bring nets of logs home in it for the fire.”
The BABYZEN YOYO+ is ideal for everything from everyday errands, to travelling by car, bus, train or plane. To use the YOYO+ from birth you’ll need to purchase the BABYZEN YOYO+ Newborn Pack (including carry-cot, sold separately for £190, buy it here). It fits into most overhead plane storage when folded - and can be folded using just one hand. It has a multi-position reclingin seat and a 5-point harness. 4-wheel suspension and is very light, weighing just 6.2kg. It comes with a UPF 50+ sun protection canopy and a two-year warranty.
Review: Sarah Williams, mum of one
“I absolutely love the Babyzen Yoyo. It’s my first baby and he’s very active. The Babyzen is perfect for him as it’s light and compact and I can get him in and out of it easily. It can go on the plane as hand luggage because it’s so small - which was handy on a recent long-haul trip to South Africa, as we could take it through the gate and on to the plane with us. It’s not hugely expensive. The only downside is that it’s not brilliant off-road.”
We all work hard to earn our money – so it shouldn’t feel like hard work to spend it well. At HuffPost Finds we’ll help you find the best stuff that deserves your cash, from the ultimate lipstick to a durable iron to replace the one that broke (RIP). All our choices are completely independent but we may earn a small commission if you click a link and make a purchase.