What Makes Good Prams?

A pram (also known as a stroller or a pushchair) is the main form of transport for infants and toddlers. A good pram is a blend of safety, comfort and design that makes walking fun for all the family members.

The R for Rabbit Poppins Stylish Baby Stroller is a fantastic stroller for children from newborns to 3 years old. The Reversible handle lets you flip the seat to face your child or the world.

Comfort

You want your baby to be at ease when you're out with them. The good news is that there are prams specifically designed to ensure your little one doesn't feel a thing.

All the prams in this guide allow your baby lay flat. This is important for newborns as it improves oxygenation and strengthens their spine and hips. They also have a seat that can be changed to an upright position once your baby is old enough to sit.

Venicci egg2 is a premium pram that offers a cocoon-like feeling for your baby. It has smooth, curvaceous lines and a bucket-shaped seat which does not recline into flat, but it does have padding on the mattress and a liner. It's also a little lighter than other prams available at less than 8kg, but it has solid chassis and grained leather details as well as tyres with air-filled tires that are puncture-proof and able to be used in more rural environments.

The Minu V2 is a great option if you're looking for something with a similar design but at a price that is lower. The swish-looking one-hand steer model isn't as lightweight than some of the other prams we tested but it has an impressively big storage basket and an the ability to extend the hood, which comes with UPF 50+ protection that'll keep your baby safe and shaded.

If you're a new parent we suggest you look into a travel system bundle which includes a pram and a car seat that attach to the same frame. This makes it easier for parents to transfer their child from their car to the pram without having to awake them. The Bugaboo Dragonfly is a great example of a stylish and functional pram for travel that can be converted easily from a'pramette' lying flat into a toddler-friendly pushchair compatible with the Graco i-Size car seat.

Safety

The pram should be equipped with five-point safety harnesses that will keep your baby safe. It must also be free of gaps in which their heads or legs could get stuck. The straps should be cushioned and easy to adjust as they expand. Also, you should examine the buckles on your harness to ensure that they are not cracked or showing signs of wear and tear. Every year, a large number of children are admitted to hospitals due to injuries caused by prams or strollers. Tipping over is the main reason for these injuries. Even the strongest prams could tip over if you hook your bags onto the handles or if the child is wriggling and falls out or in the seat before the harness is tightened.

Another common cause of injury is falling from the stroller or pram. If a child is not securely secured in, they could fall out of the pram and suffer neck or head injuries. This is why it is important to ensure that the harness buckle is always locked in place.

Some good prams also have an adjustable canopy that can shield your baby from the sun in both directions. This feature is helpful since you don't need to wake your baby every time you change their position in the stroller, or when you go into and out of stores. Other useful features include a tray for snacks and drink holders for your baby or toddler, a shopping basket under the seat, and a handlebar that can be locked into place when you are not using it.

It is not advisable to leave a sleeping child in their stroller unless you are within sight of them at all times. Babies are known to wiggle when asleep and this can cause them to fall off the pram or stroller and could result in strangulation or suffocation. A pram or stroller is not an alternative to a crib and should only be used for brief periods during the day.

The majority of prams require you disassemble them in order to fit them into the boot of your car so it is a good idea to familiarise yourself with this process before purchasing one. Check how easy it will be to put the sections back together.

Durability

A pram must be able endure several years of wear. This includes surviving muddy walks and getting through numerous car journeys, so you must ensure your choice can do the job you need it to. You also want your stroller to have a print or colour that doesn't get outdated so that you don't end up looking like you've gone out of fashion.

The best prams will be constructed of top-quality materials and are designed to last. You should look for durable fabrics as well as sturdy tires and an efficient suspension system. The best prams will also feature a compact fold so they can be easily stored in your garage or the boot when not in use.

All the prams in this list allow a baby to lay flat, which is essential for newborns as it improves oxygen saturation levels and supports the development of their spine and hips. A lot of these prams are designed to grow along with your child. Some come with a carrycot, or a reclined seat that can be snapped on and off when your child outgrows them.

If you're buying a new pram for the first time, you may also be interested in a travel system which is an all-in-one bundle that includes a lie-flat carrycot and car seat. Our test-driver for parents Jaya loved the Graco Near2Me System she used with her 10-month old son. It is a revolutionary feature that lets you raise and lower your child by pressing one button. This allows you to maintain eye contact with the baby and keep them in close proximity.

Another alternative is the Bugaboo Fox 3 which our tester Jess Bird used with her two babies, Effie and Boden (pictured above). It's a luxurious pushchair that can be converted from a single to a double pushchair with 30 different configurations, and comes with luxurious fabrics, an expandable sun canopy, and puncture-proof tyres. It's not cheap, but you could use it for more than one child in the event of need and, like our winner the iCandy Orange 3, can be used from birth with the carrycot included.

Style

Newborns need to lie flat as much as possible to aid development and increase the oxygen level in their lungs, so it's essential that all prams allow this. Some models allow a completely flat position using a fully reclineable carrycot while others feature seats that recline to an unflat position.

The Graco Near2Me comes with the latter and it's brilliant at what it does, as our parent tester Jaya found when she tested it with her son who was 10 months old. She loved the ability to raise or lower her baby by pressing a button to keep him in the same position and still maintain closeness and eye contact.

It's a great stroller for those that want to nip around town without hassle since the frame is an ideal size for maneuvering, and the puncture-proof tyres let you remove it from the road and on to rough terrain. It's a great option when you are planning to have another child in the future, as it can easily be transformed from a single pushchair to a twin pushchair or double.

The Bugaboo Dragonfly looks and feels like a premium, stylish option. It's ideal for babies since it comes with a carrycot that can lie flat and it's compatible with a car-seat if purchased separately. You can even fold it using the carrycot as a stand - something that does not happen with all prams, so it's a time-saving and hassle-free feature.

Its luxe fabrics, spacious shopping basket and puncture-proof tires are all the things you'd expect on a high-end pram, but its sleek frame makes it easy to maneuver across a variety of terrains. This is a great option if you live in the city and have to navigate narrow streets or crowded paths on a regular basis. Although it's not cheap but the quality and versatility of this model mean that it can save you money in the end by avoiding the need to invest in a separate pushchair for toddlers. It's available in a wide variety of colors, too, so you can choose one that matches your personal style.