- disclaimer
-
The products or services listed have been independently tested by our journalists. We earn a commission from the affiliate links in this article. Read more >
We enlisted the help of recent mums and dads to see how the latest models stood up to the demands of parenthood
Annabel is a lifestyle reporter, commentator and former senior editor at Telegraph Travel. She has spent more than a decade writing for titles in the UK and the US, including the Daily Mail, The Times and National Geographic. For The Telegraph, she covers lifestyle, travel, TV, product reviews (Telegraph Recommended section) and comment.
See more
Published
The products or services listed have been independently tested by our journalists. We earn a commission from the affiliate links in this article. Read more >
What pram should you buy for your baby? It sounds like a simple question, but it turned out to be a daunting task. As a first-time mother, did I want a model that was robust for town and country terrain, maybe even a running buggy, or something lighter and more compact for the city?
It is one of the biggest investments you’ll make for your baby. The best pushchair systems with all the bells and whistles can set you back more than £1,000 – although you can pick up a cheap and cheerful stroller for less than £100.
To help, I turned to Millie Poppins, a baby expert and motherhood mentor who has been working in the field for over a decade. You can find her expert advice below, plus an FAQ section with further tips. Taking all her advice into account, my fellow Telegraph Recommended testers and I, all new parents, reviewed the latest models.
Baby expert Millie Poppins’ advice is never to buy a pram or pushchair without trying it out first in-store: “Mamas and Papas or John Lewis have an incredible selection of all the leading brands and styles,” she says. So, what should new parents look for when hands-on testing a new pram or stroller?
“Consider how easy it is to fold down, for putting in the back of the car or storing at home,” she says. “Compact options are great for lifting in and out of a vehicle, but they can feel harder to push, especially on your wrists and when navigating rough terrain.
“There is also the risk of the system tipping if you hang a bag or some shopping onto the handlebars. If you know you will be carrying more gear, I would opt for something much sturdier with bigger wheels and a larger base to attachment ratio.”
To test the best prams and pushchairs, my fellow Telegraph Recommended testers and I assessed how easy the units were to assemble and switch between formats. We also looked at how well they folded away for storage and how they performed in different settings: on pavement, grass, gravel and up and down stairs.
I was after a versatile set-up that could manage the rural setting in which I live, but also something that folded down easily given I travel a lot. I wanted a frame that converts to a double buggy for baby number two, should one make an appearance, so I knew I’d have to splurge on one system that would last the duration.
The bottom of this feature has more useful pram advice from Millie. And if you’re expecting a new arrival, you may want to read our guides to the best baby bouncers, the best baby carriers, the best baby monitors and the best high chairs next. You can also visit our Who We Are page to learn more about our testing process.
Best Buy Pram
Kiddies Kingdom £1349.00
Buy nowSilver Cross is perhaps best known for its old-fashioned ‘Balmoral’ baby carriage, the royal family’s pram of choice for more than a century. The Reef 2 is the newest iteration, is far more practical and a third of the price. It still features luxurious fabric and elegant chrome and faux-leather touches and, of all the seats I examined, it has by far the best cushioning. The magnetic ‘Genius harness system’ makes the clicking and unclicking smooth and satisfying. Unlike the other brands I tested, the carry cot bassinet is sold separately, costing an extra £250 (RRP). As you’d expect for the price, it is supreme in quality, with the softest mattress and lovely matching quilted cream interior. Uniquely, it collapses down for easy storage but is also approved for overnight sleeping and so doubles up as a moses basket, making it ideal for travel.
Elegant features aside, the Reef was not love at first sight for me. Though its large tyres and four-wheel suspension system are designed for all-terrain and passed all my tests on that front, it’s not quite as sporty when navigating tough ground as the others I tried, and it was initially the trickiest for me to work out how to fold down.
Once I got the hang of it, however, its one-handed mechanism turned out to be the smoothest to fold and the most compact to stow. The Reef is also reasonably eco-friendly, with vegan leather accents and outer fabrics made from recycled plastic bottles. All this taken into account, it won me over as the best premium option.
Best Value Pram
Joie Baby £300.00
Buy nowI have to confess I am a Joie fan. The brand doesn’t have the star power of an Egg or a Bugaboo, but it is eminently practical, with not too many frills. In short, it is an easy run around. The assembly was straight-forward, and the pushchair is relatively light, easy to manoeuvre and it folds down easily.
Judging by this model, Joie has come on leaps and bounds on the style front; with an all leatherette handle-bar and nicely padded grey flannel seat. For me, the real joy of this Joie is its shopping basket. It’s high-sided and huge; the largest I have come across in six years of pram-pushing.
Living near a heath, I spend a lot of time pushing little ones over long grass so the big wheels are another bonus. And you can lock the front wheels to help you get through a particularly bumpy patch. Suitable to use from birth with the ‘Ramble XL’ carrycot, it has an i-Snug infant carrier that you can attach to the pram, as well as use as a car seat. It’s very comfy and my two-year-old snuggled happily into it.
And then there’s the price. It may not have the star power of some travel systems, but compared to the other prams here, it certainly has the affordability and practicality factors.
Best Pram for Travel
Mamas and Papas £439.00
Buy nowAs someone who waxed lyrical about their full-blown travel system, I assumed a travel buggy would feel like a downgrade, then the Joolz Aer2 arrived. It strikes the perfect balance between sturdiness and featherweight portability; so much so that mere minutes after unboxing, I was already sold (and sharing links on my NCT WhatsApp group). At just 6.5kg, it’s the sort of buggy you can sling over your shoulder without a second thought, yet once unfolded it has a reassuringly solid, upright posture that many ultralight buggies I tested lacked.
The standout feature is the foldable carrycot option – a clever, space-saving solution that finally makes travelling with a newborn feel less like a packing puzzle. The ergonomic seat reclines fully, so you can use the Aer2 from birth without the additional carrycot, though the extra support in the first months will appeal to many parents (myself included).
In contrast to many compact rivals, the handlebar height is a real blessing for taller parents (finally, no more channeling the Hunchback of Notre Dame).
Storage is on the smaller side, but that’s part of the Aer2’s ultra-compact DNA. It isn’t pretending to be the all-terrain, carry-everything workhorse – and that’s precisely why it’s one of the best-selling models on the market right now. Used as a travel buggy, a city runaround or the go-to stroller you keep in the car for spontaneous outings, you won’t go wrong.
Best Pram for Frequent Flyers
John Lewis £395.00
Buy nowThe Silver Cross Nia is one of the few travel strollers I’ve tested that genuinely bridges those two worlds: the bleary-eyed, fourth-trimester and the slightly chaotic, passport-in-teeth scramble through departures.
Its headline feature – cabin approval for both the lie-flat seat and the carrycot – isn’t just a gimmicky footnote in the brochure; it fundamentally changes the travel equation. You board a plane knowing your baby’s sleep setup won’t be spirited away into the hold.
At 7.3kg, the Nia carries with the ease of a weekender bag, and the shoulder strap meant I could manage station steps, airport queues and the inevitable last-minute gate change without stress. The fold is reassuringly smooth, and the chassis feels more solid than many ultralight rivals. While the lie-flat seat means you don’t have to buy the carrycot, the bamboo-lined cot is impressively breathable for warm-weather trips.
The Nia has its boundaries. The suspension isn’t built for daily battles with rougher ground and the basket is modest, too – enough for a few essentials, but not the stroller you’d choose for a weekly supermarket sweep or long, kit-heavy days out.
For me, that’s exactly the point. The Nia isn’t trying to be your everything stroller. Think of it instead as a travel-first companion, a brilliantly compact second buggy or a boot-friendly solution for families who love to roam. Used that way, it stands out as one of the most cleverly conceived offerings in the lightweight category.
Best Compact Pram
Kiddies Kingdom £660.00
Buy nowReviewed by Jane Johnson
The Nuna Mixx Next is an evolution of the popular 2019 Nuna Mixx and has improvements made in response to customer feedback. Now it folds up smaller to better fit into a car boot and it stands up when folded, which makes life much easier when you are negotiating bags and children. It’s also nicer to steer; you can do it with one hand.
Your little one sits high up in the Next and its impressive all-terrain wheels, made of foam-filled rubber, are sturdy and chariot-like. I felt a comfort in knowing my daughter was further away from nipping dogs and car exhausts. In upright mode it’s designed to be table-height, which is jolly helpful in restaurants without high-chairs, but the seat can also recline to near flat (there are five positions).
One of the main attractions is its ability to fold down compactly (to 76cm x 60cm x 42cm), with the back axle collapsing into the frame. Although its big wheels mean it’s not narrow enough to take down a plane or bus aisle.
Does it pass the high street catwalk test, though? Yes – it’s made from a smart, sturdy fabric in a choice of seven colours and has a nice faux-leather handle and matching trimmings. There are plenty of useful accessories including a rain cover, car seat adaptors and a thick padded apron for the cold weather. It also has a soft bamboo seat liner that keeps your little one cool in the summer and warm in the winter, and a nice, generous basket underneath for your shopping. There’s also a super useful pocket on the back of the seat.
My little one seemed very cosy in the Next and absolutely loved being higher off the ground and able to see what was going on.
Best City Pram
Bugaboo has refined the Butterfly 2 into one of the slickest travel strollers to live with day-to-day. The fold is almost comically fast – genuinely a second – and quickly became my party trick to anyone willing to listen. It may sound minor, but that speed makes a huge difference when you’re juggling bags, a baby and the judgemental gaze of an approaching bus driver. The stroller feels nimble and responsive, weaving through crowds of Black Friday shoppers (yes… I lived to regret that life decision) with the kind of light touch parents quickly appreciate.
Although compact, the Butterfly 2 features a notably tall setback, which provides toddlers with a much more comfortable and supportive perch than many rival travel strollers. For families with older or bigger children who still need buggy time on holidays or long outings, that’s a major perk.
Of course, every lightweight stroller has its limitations, and the Butterfly 2 is no exception. Without a full lie-flat recline, the Butterfly 2 isn’t appropriate for newborns, and even with accessories, I think most parents would prefer a dedicated newborn-friendly option. The suspension is basic, meaning cobbles, gravel or uneven park paths quickly jolt the experience.
Where the Butterfly 2 excels is as a second stroller – the lightweight, grab-and-go buggy that makes city life, and all the impromptu pit-stops that come with being a parent, vastly easier. For toddlers and older babies, it’s tough to top.
Best Pram for Versatility
Mamas and Papas £849.00
Buy nowTrue to Mamas & Papas’ reputation, the Ocarro 2 continues that solid, “built for real family life” feel. What stands out immediately is how well it handles ground that would make most prams chatter: potholes, woodland paths, gravel and even woodchip at the local park. The chunky tyres give a reassuring sense of grip and stability, making this a strong contender for families who split time between city and countryside, or who don’t want a separate all-terrain buggy for weekends.
The seat fabric feels padded and cocooning, and the newborn carrycot is properly structured with a stand certified for overnight sleeping – a real advantage for weekends at the grandparents, when packing the car feels like a military operation in itself.
The one-hand fold is genuinely straightforward, and the integrated carry strap spared me that awkward, elbow-winged shuffle through car parks that larger prams often demand.
Ocarro 2’s strengths come with natural trade-offs. It’s undeniably heavy – the kind of pram you can hoist into the boot, but preferably not multiple times a day. And while the fold itself is straightforward, the frame remains on the chunky side once collapsed, so you’ll want a spacious car boot.
If you want a pram that feels robust, supportive and ready for any surface, the Ocarro 2 is a strong contender. If, however, you live up three flights of stairs or spend a good portion of your life weaving through commuters on public transport, its weight might be the thing that nudges you towards something lighter.
Best Lightweight Stroller
This cult stroller, beloved by celebrities (Joe Wicks is the latest to sing its praises) and travelling mums, has rightly earned its reputation as the most compact pushchair on the market. Although plenty of brands have been busy launching dupes in the last year, it’s still the best we’ve tried.
Weighing in at only 6kg, the Babyzen YOYO2 folds down to the size of a backpack, is easily carried on one shoulder with the accompanying strap, and fits in an aircraft overhead locker. Despite all this, though, nothing about it feels flimsy. The frame is reinforced with fibreglass and aluminium alloy, which somewhat explains the higher price point, so it’s built to last.
The pushchair unfolds one-handed in a single, uncoiling motion (everyone I showed this to oohed and aahed) and has a raft of surprisingly generous features given its diminutive size. I particularly loved the roomy zip-up storage pocket in the back and the peekaboo window in its UPF 50+ sun protection canopy. It also comes in a wide range of good-looking colours, can be purchased with a newborn carrycot, or service a toddler up to the same weight (22kg) as most of its full-sized competitors.
Best City Stroller
Kiddies Kingdom £649.99
Buy nowSwedish brand Thule is best known for its Urban Glide running buggy, but its range of strollers shouldn’t be overlooked. The light, compact Shine is a great option for city life.
It has a supportive, padded and reversible reclining seat, which you can set completely upright. This is a pro if your child isn’t keen on the reclined seating positions of very compact city prams such as the YOYO. Another plus is the 10kg shopping basket suitable for groceries, changing bag and other essentials.
It has an adjustable handlebar that can be easily moved up and down and a five-point harness, which can be used alongside a fleece-lined footmuff. The Shine can be partnered with the matching bassinet to use from birth.
A major USP is the air purifier canopy that can be bought separately for £429.99. While expensive, it’s the first of its kind and delivers 150 litres of HEPA-filtered air around your child’s head every minute – music to the ears of any urban-dwelling parent.
The canopy is powered by a reusable battery and controlled by a Bluetooth-connected app. This allows you to check the air quality as you go about your day and be alerted when the filter needs changing. Thule says replacements are needed once or twice a year.
This is an expensive model, especially if you buy the accompanying bassinet and canopy, but there’s no doubting quality. Thule is known for its rigorous safety and durability testing, so this is a stroller that won’t need replacing. It also comes partially assembled – simply attach the back wheels and seat.
Best Car Seat Stroller
There’s a good reason the Doona has such a cult following (every celebrity and high-profile mum-influencer seems to have one). It’s the only product of its sort; a car seat that flips Transformers-style into a stroller at the pull of a lever, with no extra frame or chassis to contend with. For a certain type of minimalist parent, it could be all you need as a means of transport from birth to about 15 months, provided you only need something for quick trips in and out of the car.
Personally, it was one of the first items on my baby wishlist. My fiancé, who is initially planning to avoid a pram altogether in favour of the Doona for the car and a sling for out-and-about, loves it. Safe and practical, with a retractable sunshade, cushy three-layer side impact protection and an adjustable handlebar that also acts as an anti-rebound bar inside the vehicle, this gizmo doesn’t offer any function beyond being a car seat on wheels.
It can’t lie flat and has no undercarriage storage, and as Millie points out, shouldn’t be used to push your baby around for more than two hours at a time: “A baby should never spend more than two hours in a car seat as their spine is curved in this position. So if you’re taking a long drive, it is best to take the child out of the car seat as soon as you arrive and move them into a bassinet.”
If a car seat and occasional stroller is all you need, this product could buy you at least a year before having to invest in a full pram or travel system.
Best Pram and Car Seat
John Lewis £950.00
Buy nowYou’ll have noticed that Jane has already reviewed a Nuna buggy, and I’ve already reviewed a car seat, but this Nuna buggy-and-seat bundle is something special. The car seat is its new PIPA Urbn (£300), the first baseless infant carrier with integrated ISOFIX connectors.
It plugs directly into any car or taxi without the need for adaptors and doesn’t require the extra adult seatbelt. Why this hasn’t been done before beats me. In short, it cuts out a lot of the fuss for those who travel frequently or use multiple vehicles and, weighing in at only 3.3kg, it’s incredibly light too. There’s also a UPF 50+ canopy, a flip-out eyeshade and drape that pulls down for naps.
The PIPA Urbn is compatible with all Nuna’s pushchairs but here it’s bundled with the Triv Next; a good, compact, reasonably priced option for the city which, thanks to its large rear tyres and all-wheel suspension, also handled well in the countryside (though it’s not made for off-roading).
The Triv Next is intuitively designed and simple to fold-one handed, with a four-position recline that supports newborns to toddlers. The seat can be used front or parent-facing, and folds down flat when not in use, and the self-guiding magnetic buckle was easy to use.
The fabric is water-repellent, with mesh panels for breathability during summer; and leatherette accents on the handlebars and zips lend a premium finish. Given it’s less expensive than most of the other models tested, it’s a great value pushchair.
Best Pram for Newborns
Recommended by Bethan Holt, Telegraph fashion director
For the first outing with the Venicci, I decided to walk around the lake near my parents’ house. This turned out to be something of a white knuckle ride for my four-month old son. Fortunately, back on smooth pavements, it really came into its own. Easy to push and a doddle to adjust from pram to pushchair, this model feels at once substantial and nimble.
My son is at the ultra-curious stage, so he was thrilled at how open the Venicci was (they call it Panoramic Ventilation). It was lovely to see him looking around so happily while knowing he was secure. And he enjoyed a few naps on the go, too.
The rose gold detailing added a touch of glamour you rarely find on prams and the fact that you buy a whole system in one bundle, complete with car seat, footmuff and changing bag, would make the often mystifying process of buying a pram and all the accoutrements hassle-free.
But what I liked most about this model was how it offered a little bit of everything on the dream pram list. I even considered taking it on a flight for a city break, as it’s fairly lightweight and folds down into a compact bundle so you could avoid having to invest in a travel buggy. (Read our guide to the best travel cots if that’s on your wish list too.)
John Lewis £879.00
Buy nowReviewed by Jane Johnson
If your baby’s safety and comfort are your priority, this is your pram. If you’re looking for something you’ll push effortlessly through busy city streets, however, it is not.
It looks beautiful, all curves, glinting silver and snuggly soft furnishings – the hexagon-shaped quilting inside the chair is particularly pleasing, like a cosy, secure womb – and my little one loved snuggling up inside it.
The seat can face the world or face you, and it sits up or lies down with the flip of a small handle. I felt super proud to push it down my high street, but pushing up hills was a bit of a chore. The chassis, seat and wheels weigh 15.5kg, and then add a toddler on top. It’s not that easy to turn, though I love the chunky puncture-proof wheels and it mounts kerbs nicely.
Folding it together is quite intuitive, too, once you watch the instruction video. Basically, one-handed, you pull up a handle inside the shopping basket, which I would never have guessed, and putting the brake on is a kind of flick motion on the pedal rather than the usual push down and click.
There are some natty design features, like the adjustable footrest hiding a handy sun-shade and the ventilation net hidden behind the extendable UPF 50 + hood. Improvements over the Egg2 include a rocking carrycot, a nicer mattress, a one-pull harness and a bigger basket size. With additional parts, it can also be converted into a tandem buggy.
In the same range:
There is also a smaller, lighter egg, called the EggZ (£399) which I also tried. This is much nippier and not so heavy. It folds down into a handy free-standing position and has an easy magnetic harness buckle; very helpful when you are wrestling your toddler into the pram. It has a good-size basket, an extendable hood with a UPF of 50+ and looks nice and smart, although it doesn’t have the luxury feel of the Egg3 seat. It’s a great little runaround and, at £399, more affordable than the Egg2.
Best Travel System
John Lewis £1199.00
Buy nowReviewed by Emily Allen, former Telegraph head of digital lifestyle
Designed in Britain, this iCandy Peach is a super versatile travel system with a dizzying number of configurations to see you from birth to the end of toddlerhood. Crucially, it adapts to a tandem double should you wish to add to your brood, as I have just done, without forking out for a new buggy. Genius.
I tested the Peach with the carrycot and as a forward-facing pushchair. I assembled it hassle-free, since the instructions actually made sense (for once I didn’t need to resort to a YouTube video) and the newborn happily nodded off cocooned in the plush olive-green bassinet. The mattress comes with a breathable mesh - perfect for safe sleep on the go.
It’s not the most nimble of prams and is a little more cumbersome to steer than my Bugaboo Fox, but its chunky back wheels smoothly navigated most terrains. I was impressed that it managed a long, bumpy walk around my parent’s farm without waking the little one. The one-handed fold is speedy and smooth (I still battle to collapse the Fox after two years of using it) and the thick handlebar can be quickly adjusted to suit different heights, which is great if dads, nannies and grandparents will be using it too.
Extra points for the all-important basket, which can fit three big bags of shopping and can be accessed from the front and back. A solid bit of kit, as my dad would say.
此内容由惯性聚合(RSS阅读器)自动聚合整理，仅供阅读参考。 原文来自 — 版权归原作者所有。