How to pick the perfect pram
With so many prams to choose from by so many brands where do you start when it comes to finding your perfect pram? Hopefully our handy guide will help you narrow down the search with somethings you may not have considered. In all honesty the best way to find exactly what you want is to visit the store and speak to one of our team. We have decades of knowledge and will have you trying out lots of potential prams in no time. In the meantime let's look at some things you may want to ponder over.
A great place to start is considering how you will be using your new pram on a day to day basis. Perhaps you don't drive and need a pram that is compact enough for public transport and folds one handed. If you do drive consider the size of your boot, looking for a large 3 wheel all terrain pram to fit in your Fiat 500 boot may not the most sensible thing to do. Speaking of all terrain, you may lead an outdoor lifestyle where you enjoy long walks in the countryside and need a pram that will handle anything you throw at it. This leads us nicely on to looking after your pram and keeping it in tip top condition, if you do spend days pushing through muddy fields you'll want to consider prams that feature easy to clean fabrics and are simple to maintain.
Another aspect relating to the size of your pram is where you'll be storing it when not in use. Do you have a porch or cupboard that you intend to store it in? Are there any size constraints or do you need something that will free stand? There's nothing worse than folding up your new pram that doesn't free stand only to knock it over constantly as you pass by it in the hall.
A very important point when choosing is the weight of the pram. Yes the majority of the time you'll be pushing it but there will also be a time when you need to carry it. Prams can differ greatly in terms of their weight and some can get very heavy when you start to consider options that fold in one with the seat unit attached.
Many parents to be fail to consider how using the product daily can affect them and their health. Some parents are tall others short - the height of the handle and carrycot can make a difference to how easy the pram is to use. Speaking of tall parents, stride length can really impact your choice of pram. A taller parent would tend to have a longer stride length, becasue of this a pram with a telescopic handle would be superior to one with a "twisting" handle. Likewise a pram with a higher rear axle will help prevent kicking the pram whilst walking. One thing you will do a lot of times with your new pram will be folding it. Some prams require strong wrist or grip strength to fold and these may be inappropriate for parents to be with health issues relating to their hands or wrists.
We tend to find that parents to be have friends or family members that have children and they offer recommendations. It's certainly worth considering their recommendations but we'd always advise that every parent wants and expects something different from their pram. What may have been perfect for them may not be for you. It's your pram so let's make sure you get what you want and not just buy what someone else has.
It's time for the big one. . .Budget. This is the most important thing to consider when buying your new pram. At the end of the day all prams will transport your new arrival around, be it an entry level £400 travel system or an all singing - all dancing celebrity endorsed bank breaker at £2500+. Like many things in life prams are definitely one of those products where you get what you spend. The more you spend the more features you'll find, the higher rating you'll get for your car seat. As the price increases you'll find the quality of the materials does too. A steel chassis with plastic tyres becomes an aluminium chassis with foam filled rubber tyres. Foam handles become hand stitched leather handles and more recycled materials are implemented. Ok so you'll also find the more desirable brands are more expensive but they are desirable for a reason - they do what you really want them to do.
An average parent to be will spend £1250 on their travel system (this includes the car seat and isofix base) but many will choose to spend much more or less. The great thing about visiting us is that we have options for every budget, and you'll get to compare different products at different prices. You'll be able to decide if spending a little more or less is worth it.
And now it's time for the most controversial thing - how the pram looks. Although it at first seems very important, it really isn't. The features and functionality of your new pram are priority here and we always encourage parents to be not to disregard a pram due to how it looks if it meets their requirements. Yes, you have to like how your new prams looks - after all you could be using it everyday for a long time, we feel that buying the wrong pram because you love how it looks means you're likely to want to change it sooner rather than later.
So, regardless of what you are looking for we would encourage any parent to be to visit the store where you'll see everything you could ever hope to see.
