We had an interesting thread posted on our forums about the best types of prams to use for your newborn baby.

Reading all of the replies made me realise that there are so many different combinations and types of pram available with plus and minus points associated with each.

I thought I’d highlight some of these advantages and disadvantages as written by the new moms who’s posts appear in our forums

T Flynn Wrote

We ended up with three different strollers, none of them “jogger style” but each with their own pluses and minuses. The biggest points, for us were collapsibility, wheel size and push bar height. None of them scored highly on all three. :^(

Collapsibility is essential when the car ride is part of the trip –getting the stroller in and out of the trunk needs to be relatively easy. One of those “umbrella” strollers works well, plus we have one that just collapses laterally — so it stores as a flattened rectangle.

Wheel size makes rides a lot more comfy. Some strollers go all out with near-shock absorbers, etc., but larger wheel size will make travel smoother. It’ll take bumps without getting slam stopped, and the terrain will seem more even. Our least collapsible stroller has larger wheels, but since it doesn’t collapse without a refresher in high school physics.

Small wheels can slam into slight ridges in concrete and cause near whiplash. I really liked using the larger stroller on snow and dense slush, but now that the girl is two, we just use a plastic sled and mush our way to the sitter. :^)

And bar height is essential for lower back comfort, or even just usability in general. The more collapsible strollers we have offer very low grips. My 4′11″ mom complains about our usual stroller, and it probably doesn’t help my lower-back stiffness.

Ericka Wrote :

I think you really have to look at specific strollers and what you’re most likely to do. The downsides of the jogging strollers are typically that they don’t fold down very small and don’t recline well for a very young baby. If those would preclude you from using the stroller for a significant fraction of the intended uses, then you might want to look for a more typical stroller design that will handle rough terrain (there are some out there).

Most of the people I know who get a lot of use from their jogging strollers use them almost exclusively for trips around the neighborhood and rarely, if ever, fold them up and put them in the car to go somewhere (some exceptions, of course). Some jogging strollers are a bit large for use in crowded circumstances (stores, fairs, etc.), but there are others that are relatively smaller.

Personally, you may find that it helps to wait until the baby is here and you start to feel a need for a stroller. That way, you can tailor the stroller to the actual need you’re experiencing, rather than trying to predict what life will be like with a baby. Still, even if you guess wrong, it’s not like it’s the end of the earth. All of the strollers will pretty much meet the basic needs. It’s just that some are more convenient in some situations than others

Engam Wrote :

For me, the most important thing was wheel size (bigger wheels are better at negotiating rough terrain) and whether the pram was suitable from birth (the manufacturer will tell you that). The jogger we got scored highly on both (big wheels, reclines to a flat lying down position), plus the handle was at a good height. Take a look at the recommendations for all the prams. They should say whether they are suitable from birth. Also, if you find the pram doesn’t have enough head support, you can buy additional head supports from baby stores and most department stores (here they cost between $AU10 - $AU25, so they’re not expensive).

The downside of jogger prams is that they can be fairly wide. Mine fits through most checkout aisles, except for Woolworths, who seem to have the Virgin Blue policy of “more bums on seats” with extra narrow checkout aisles! Then again, most stores have a wider checkout for wheelchairs and prams, so I just used to go to those. Also, they don’t fold down very small. They might look not all that large in the box, but once you get the wheels on - forget it! If you have a small car and not a medium or family car, don’t get a jogger. Won’t fit. Totally fills the boot of a 1997 Corolla hatch.

Which one would you use and why? Please comment below or why not post in our forums

Claire