Top 5 things to consider when buying a pram

By Hannah Schenker

With the incredible number of prams and strollers on the market these days, it almost feels as difficult as buying a car! You’ve got your high-end models loaded with the latest technological wizardry, and your bog standard reliable numbers bringing up the rear. There are prams for walking, jogging and off-road 4WD adventuring. There are strollers for one baby, two babies, three babies more! So where on earth do you begin? Here are our top 5 things to consider when buying a pram.

1. Easy to use. It should be fairly obvious how to use the pram without needing an instruction manual or YouTube tutorials on repeat, and you shouldn’t need to click more than one button to perform a function. That includes folding it. Consider who else may need to use it, such as grandma and granddad. Could they work it with a quick demo?
2. Durable. You will probably walk more than you ever have after having your baby. Being outside and seeing the world is healthy and fun for you and your baby. Does the pram have a durable design and will the tyres last the distance? Is it designed to last in NZ and AU outdoor conditions? What is the warranty like? Most manufacturers have a 1 year warranty from purchase date – but you’ll probably buy the product 6 months before the birth, so the warranty has already halved its life. Strollers are complex products and can be prone to faults. Look for extended warranties and ask what the manufacturers fault rate is like.
3. Practical. Think about day to day use. So often we hear of people buying jogging buggies so they can keep fit but when reality hits they don’t use them for that purpose. Then you’re stuck with a buggy that is bulky and frustrating to use. Avoid gimmicks and keep it real!
4. Price. Unless you really want to be glamorous and impress your friends there is no need to spend over $1,000 on a pram. Manufacturers don’t like to admit it, but a $2,000 pram is usually no better quality than a $700 pram. In fact a lot of time, cheaper ones are more durable.
5. Stick with reputable brands. Have you ever bought a cheap appliance and ended up throwing it away and buying something better? Strollers are no different. Look for reviews and ask your friends. That way you’ll reduce the chance of living with a pram that you regret buying.

We recommend checking out Edwards and Co. They are a NZ-based business who are all about getting you and your baby out into the world for exploring and adventuring with their buggies and travel systems. They have been making buggies since their very first one in 1986, which wasn’t just any old buggy.

“Back in the olden days (aka the 80s) we just didn’t have the baby transport options we have now. Buggies and prams were clunky and awkward, which most parents and babies just put up with.”

Phillippa and Warwick Edwards saw that things could be different. In fact, they needed things to be different – they were expecting twins. They knew the side-by-side twin buggy systems wouldn’t work for them. They didn’t just want transporting their twins to be easy, they wanted it to be fun. Thus, their first buggy was born. A few years later, after discovering the Evenflo brand in the US, they began distributing quality designs in NZ for the very first time.

Almost 30 years later, the brand has grown up. If you want to support local, then you will definitely want to check out Edwards and Co. and get you and your bubba out into the world for some fun adventures.