Problems with Prams

[RexRex]

Hello there everyone! :)

I am a 2nd year sports engineering student (a product design engineering course that focuses on sports) and transportation for under 3's is my theme for my general design course.

I'd appreciate if you can tell me any problems you have with prams and what you'd like to improve. Do you find it hard to steer most prams? Do you want a parent facing pram that folds easily? And what do you do to bypass the problem?

I'd also like input about 'sports' pram - prams that you use for running, hillwalking, those kind of stuff.

(On a personal note - I have been dragged to Mothercare by a friend who is a mother herself (had 5 different prams herself) and I must admit, I think prams are quite interesting and the B Smart 3 is probably my favourite in that shop.)

Thank you very much!

[nymphadora]

I have had great difficulty getting a pram that folded small enough for my car (Yaris so not tiny) and could cope with cobbled streets.

Shops suggested bigger car or two prams

I have a mountain buggy now with a carry cot bbut would have preferred parent facing buggy bit.

I was surprised at having this problem as this i my 3rd dc (after a large gap) and in the past I had a double and a 3 wheeler buggy both of which fitted in my 106.(not together!)

[AddictedIsFeelingHappy]

i also have had a problem with finding a pram to fit in my car (fiat panda so quite small!) but have settled on the silvercross halo as it folds very small.

The problem i find with smaller prams tho is that they are more 'delicate' and flimsey. I've not started using it yet tho as my baby isnt due for another 5 weeks, so we'll see how it goes!

[kktpj]

All prams are rubbish.
Have had a singleton and a set of twins and am now expecting no. 4 after huge gap.
Have had-
beautiful silver cross carriage built pram - lovely to wheel but doesn't fold well for travel
lightweight umbrella fold - very flimsy but great for shopping malls
double emmaljunga pushchair with accompanying toddlerseat for 3 under2s - was frequently asked did it have an engine and tbh could have done with one
double maclaren umbrella fold - not bad actually and is still used 11 yrs later by childminder but no use for tinies

This time round am going to use -
big pram as above for long walks
sister's quinny for trips in car
friend's 3wheel jogger for when baba's older.

Good luck with ur search!

[ayjayjay]

I would like a pram that is esy to push one handed so that if it rains I can use an umbrella instead of getting soaked.

[sickoftheholidays]

Pram where the seat really is big enough for a 3/4 year old.
Good suspension - very few have good suspension
ease of steering is all to do with the centre of gravity in relation to the position of the front wheels, if all the weight is over the front wheels it makes it heavy to steer.
Built in buggy board
Decent sized shopping basket.
Adjustable handlebar
enough leg room so that I can walk without kicking my shins against the back bar.
Brake on the handlebar so that it doesnt get muck/dog shit all over it.
something that folds in one (or at most 2) steps without having to take the seat off.
funky fabrics.

[MonkeysPunk]

Can you invent a pram that is really big when unfolded (roomy enough for your average scandinavian toddler) - really small when folded (and easy to fold with only one hand). It will have to be rear facing and forward facing - so a reversible seat - but must be able to fold with seat rear facing, and a brake on the handlebar to control speed on hills etc.
And - if you can do all that - make it have lights and be rust proof and have a distance/strollometer thing inbuilt - and cup holders - and a place for your purse/keys/mobile - and interchangeable seat covers for fashion/practicality - to make the seat (that always gets covered in crud) clean.

[purplemyrtle]

All seem to be designed for average height woman - both sexist and problematic for women taller than average, and perhaps those shorter than average too although I've never heard it said. This makes them harder to push and it get's even worse if you're pregnant and have to stand further back to push because your bump's in the way! Mostly too heavy. Also not designed for tall children, prams length too short and hood height too low.

[wahine12]

I like your research angle. Prams are interesting. They need to be really sturdy as they get a lot of punishment. Not just the lugging up and down stairs and in and out of boots, but you have to think of all the imaginative ways that 3/4 year olds can think of abusing these things. Oh, and the possibly abuse from aircraft baggage handlers.

I have a Mountain Buggy with the bassinet, the car seat clip, the bumper bar, the UV shade - I can't remember what else. The bassinet was really useful and I used this until DD was 3 months and will use again for DC2. Could also be used as a standalone cot at that age. The car seat clip was a waste of money as I lived in Paris and never really took the buggy and the car shopping (always walked). Might use it more if I drove to the shops. The bumper bar has never been used as I forgot I had it. I liked this pram as it is pretty much all-terrain and very manouevreable. Two main problems were trying to use it on public transport - I was in tears many times as the escalators were out and I developed a 'pathetic woman face' that succeeded in getting Frenchmen to help me up the stairs. Can't comment on running with it, but the pram carriage is sufficiently forward to seemingly allow you a good gait. My friend used hers for running and her son loved it.

Then we have the Maclaren Quest (or something). We take this everywhere - planes, trains and automobiles. It is narrow enough to fit through Paris Metro gates, which is why it sells so well there. It has also put up with punishment over the cobbles various small villages and poorly maintained city streets. As it reclines, DD has slept often. But the suspension/ride is nowhere near that of the Mountain Buggy.

The main problem with both of these prams is the weighting. Both are likely to topple if you remove the counterweight of a child and have a small tin of cat food in a shopping bag on the back. Not sure how you solve this. Both have a shopping basket to varying degrees, but generally not sufficient. I would love it if a pram manufacturer actually designed for the 15kg of child plus 30kg of shopping that is bound to land up on the back of the pram. That would be realistic.

[RexRex]

Hello!

Thank you all for your replies! They were really helpful and pointed out me and my group didn't realise (especially because we all are not mothers... yet?!)

Cheers

B