Pushchairs(view report contents)
Buying guide
In choosing a pushchair you will have your own priorities depending on things like where you live – town or country – and how you mostly travel – in a car or on public transport. This section summarises the factors you might need to consider depending on what you find easy or more difficult to do.
Reckon on spending plenty of time in the shop – wheeling it around tight corners, up and down any steps, adjusting, folding and lifting any model you are interested in. Remember your baby will get a lot heavier during the pushchair’s life – try pushing it with a big bag of potatoes on board if you get the chance.
If you have impaired dexterity
The size and weight of the type and model of pushchair you consider will be important – for pushing it, particularly up and down kerbs and steps, but also when folded for lifting it into your car or on to buses. The combination pushchairs can be surprisingly light to push but check the weight of the seat if it is reversible or removable and of any carrycot with a three-in-one or car seat on a travel system.
Check also the mechanisms and catches for putting up and folding a pushchair, reclining its backrest, removing and replacing its hood – even strapping in your child. Can mechanisms be dealt with one hand at a time? Is much strength and arm movement needed? Are the clasps, catches or levers large enough to grip, press or lift comfortably, and without needing a lot of force?
A thicker and padded handle will be the most comfortable. Go for a continuous handle rather than two separate ones if you push or pull one handed.
If you have difficulty carrying your child, you might use a small pushchair around your home. Lifting him or her into the pushchair will be easier without a bumper bar, so have a removable one if you want one at all. Your baby will need less lifting if you have the carrycot option on three-in-ones.
If you have poor sight
Almost all the pushchairs we assessed were navy blue and this was not appreciated by partially sighted testers. Dark colours made it difficult to see where parts and catches were, to put their child in and out and to do up the safety straps. Look for brighter coloured pushchairs.
Contrasting colours make tasks a lot easier: different and bright catches and levers for folding and putting up the pushchair; contrasting bumper bars when lifting in the child; and contrasting safety straps and clips. Many testers appreciated audible clicks to reassure them the brake was in place.
Do try folding and putting up any pushchair you are thinking about – the more straightforward the better. Remember the wider pushchairs are going to need more manoeuvring through doorways and this is more difficult if you can’t see the doorposts.
If you have no sight
You will need to pull or tow a pushchair, rather than push it, if you have a guide dog or use a long cane – so that you meet any obstacles before the pushchair does. Steering while pulling is easiest if the swivel wheels are closest to your heels, but there are very few pushchairs either built like this or with a reversible handle that achieves it. Four large wheels are better for negotiating kerbs, so avoid three-wheelers and pushchairs with small wheels.
Have the child facing your back and the direction you are travelling in – to lessen the chance of someone lifting him or her out without you knowing. Also have a wrist strap to connect you to the pushchair and prevent it rolling away. It needs to be a stable pushchair that will not easily tip or twist as you pull. If it is very wide it will need careful manoeuvring.
The handle height is also important – too high and your arm is at an awkward angle - so go for a pushchair with an adjustable handle. You will need a continuous handle and not two separate ones. Check the angle and length of the handle too: if it is too short or the back of the pushchair extends out, it will clip your heels.
Have an easy folding pushchair, particularly if you use public transport a lot and if you are often one handed through working a guide dog or using a cane. Good carrying space under the pushchair will be useful to avoid carrying bags by hand.
Before buying a pushchair, contact your local Guide Dogs’ district team: given notice a mobility instructor will advise you on product features and techniques. See Helpful organisations for contact details of The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association.
REMAP have built detachable towing handles for individual guide dog users who have difficulty pulling a pushchair and controlling their dog (go to Helpful Organisations).
If you walk with difficulty
Go for a robust, stable pushchair that can give you some support as you walk: carrying something weighty in the under-seat shopping tray or basket will also improve the stability.
Make sure you can operate the foot brake and wheel locks – the size should make them easy to locate and avoid any stiffness that will require too much strength. You will probably find the hand-operated slow-down devices on many all terrains easier to operate, but you have to put the foot brake on too.
If you have back pain, check the seat height for lifting your child in and out. Also the handle height should be comfortable for you. Consider a pushchair with an adjustable height handle.
If you use a walking aid that prevents you using a pushchair, one of the adaptation organisations below may be able to help you. Also, DEMAND (see Helpful Organisations) have adapted a child car seat attachment so it clips on to a rollator walking aid.
If you use a wheelchair
You are almost certainly not in the market for an off-the-shelf pushchair and perhaps are continuing to use a soft front baby carrier for as long as possible. See our guide to Baby Carriers.
A number of organisations can advise you on adaptations for carrying a baby from a wheelchair. See Helpful Organisations for the contact details of the following:
REMAP engineers have adapted baby and toddler seats to attach to a wheelchair and coupled a buggy to a wheelchair – all for individual parents.
The Bath Institute of Medical Engineering has also developed a baby carrier that attaches to a manual wheelchair. It has been trialled with volunteer wheelchair users and BIME are looking for a manufacturer to produce it commercially.
You can also contact DPPi for up-to-date information on adaptations and useful contacts.
Report Contents
About
this guide
Types of pushchair
- Buggy
- Forward-facing
- Two-in-one
- Three-in-one
- Travel system
- Double side-by-side
- Double tandem
- All terrain
What
to look for
Favourite
features
How
to stay safe
Buying
guide
Helpful
organisations
Suppliers'
details
