What do you consider most important when buying a pushchair?

[Lara55]

New mum here searching for a pushchair, no idea where to start!

If you could number what's most important to you in a pushchair, what would it be?

Thanks for your help!!

Is it from birth?

My from. Birth pre requisites were
*carrycot and car seat compatible
*under 300 quid
*lay flat seat

I got the Maclaren Techno xlr. It lasted through dd and til ds was about 18mo.

We then got a second hand Armadillo City.

If I needed a from birth now I'd get the Armadillo Flip Xt I think it's called.

That is is easy to push and long lasting. There is no point getting something that will only be used for 1 year then replaced. Look at reviews for them being used for older children. When your pregnant it's easy to just focus solely on the needs of a tiny baby but realistically that is only a very short time.

Did it fit in the car boot!

Depends on your needs really:
Are you taking it on a bus? Needs to fold small
In the car? needs to fit when folded
Walk lots? Maybe an all terrain buggy
Planning more than one? Does it have a tandem option
Do you need to take it shopping? Big basket

I'd make a list if I were you and take it from a mum of 2, but second hand! Such a waste to buy a new one when you can get an immaculate one on eBay for a fraction of the price! Wish someone had told me that when I had DD1!

Oh an definitely go for solid wheels! Noting worth than a flat tyre when you're in a rush!

Easy to push, easy to put up and down, not massive.
City jogger mini (Gt) here - carry cot insert to begin with (a graco one) and you could clip a maxi cosi car seat on so good for newborns but then it's bloody brilliant for toddlers.
Plus it folds one handed and isn't heavy.
My friends all had big travel systems, costing £££. They all then went out and bought a stroller at 6-8months old...

1. It easily fits in the car.
2. It is easy to steer with one hand.
3. Carry cot and car seat can be clicked on easily without fiddly attachments.
4. It doesn't cost as much as a second hand car.

On yes, I bought it on eBay. Immaculate, cosy toes, buggy bar all included for £250!

How high is the handle and how far do I have to bend to get the baby in and out?

(Tall person here but could be important with planned sections if using straight away)

That I can push with one hand, parent facing, large basket for shopping, folds easily and that I could clip the car seat to it (a godsend when baby is asleep).

As pp said, easy to push with one hand.

It was the one thing that I didn't think to try when I tested out a few and really wish I had! I ended up buying one that I soon worked out was impossible to push one-handed. Most annoying when you can't talk on the phone while pushing.

I also considered the height of the pushchair when choosing it, as i'm fairly tall also.

For me I'm going to be looking for one that's comparable for a car seat! Experienced both with my friends/family. My friend had a terrible plan had to take wheels off to fit it in the car and car seat didn't clip in! A family member had one which the car seat clipped on and off had a flat bed and a seated bed! Was really useful! No waking the baby up to move from car seat to pram!

I need to be able to fold it with one hand.

Easy to fold down and put up; car seat compatible and light ish.

We have the armadillo flip xt from mamas and papas. We got the carrycot as well but he has just outgrown it at three months. It's very easy to set up and fits in my car boot easy.

One that:
Fits in the boot...with the shopping
Folds up & down easily
Has a basket on the bottom for crap & stuff
Is cleanable/wipable
VERY important...it must have a reclining back so that kid can have a sleep if they need to nap...giving you some peace to shop. Nowt worse than an upright child with chin on chest asleep, looks so uncomfortable.
One that will see you through from baby to toddler. Aim being that you shell out once.
Under £300
Cosy toes & rain cover too, worth their weight in gold.
One that is as slim line as possible, shop doors are difficult with a wide one.
Oh and it needs to fit in somewhere at home, think of where you will store it in the house, will it fit??
Dark colours are best, it will get dirty/bashed up/marked, longer lasting looking ok will get your money's worth.

Personally, narrow enough to fit on London buses etc, light enough to lift once I could lift anything, reclined, nice-feeling handles, adequate basket, solid wheels. Used Maclaren XT from birth of dc1 until dc2 was about 2 and it finally died - got a second-hand Silver Cross Pop after that which was a bit rubbish, didn't recline properly, bit flimsy, but did have a cup holder which was fab - until it broke off.

Only thing wrong with the XT was it didn't go over bumpy grass well, but that wasn't a problem for me - going up and down stairs at stations feasibly was much more important.