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This guide is designed to help you find the perfect baby stroller for your needs. First of all, one that will be comfortable and safe for your child. We also want to make you, dear Parent, aware of the most important functions of the stroller and what you should pay attention to before making a purchase.
In order to make the choice right and the stroller served well for a long time, we decided to describe the available types of “four wheels” for the youngest.
We will start with an important issue, which is the price. There are strollers available on the market, but you can also buy them for a few thousand. It all depends on the type of strollers, the number of components it consists of, the brand and, as a rule, the quality of the materials and workmanship used.
Baby stroller: Multifunctional STROLLER
Multi-purpose strollers are generally 3-part strollers. They have 3 basic elements necessary to move with a child from birth to 3 years of age. These elements are a nacelle, a pram and a car seat from the weight group 0 compatible with the frame of the pram – by means of appropriate connectors, it can be mounted on the frame and comfortably travel with the toddler.
This solution is very popular because it significantly increases our mobility. Longer walks a baby takes place in a nacelle, and when you have a shorter journey ahead of you – you pack the frame into the car, and the child in the car seat you put on the sofa of the car and fasten it to the seat belts or install it in a special base. You don’t have to take a gondola that takes up a lot of space in the trunk with you.
Once there, simply unfold the stroller frame and easily attach the child seat to the frame. Some of the most popular car seats (also called carrycots) can be mounted on the frames of carts from different manufacturers by means of special connectors (adapters) and thus create your own multifunctional set. When your child grows out of the nacelle, you mount the third element of the set on the frame of the stroller – a walking seat, which will be used much longer (up to about 3 years).
Baby stroller: Deep Space stroller
The Deep Space Stroller (2in1) is a combination of a Deep Space Stroller and a stroller. You can find deep strollers, whose nacelle is an element transformed into a stroller seat by performing a few simple steps. Other such ‘vehicles’ are those 3-piece bogies described above which are lower only by a Zero-weight group seat. Of course, there is a possibility to buy such a car seat and then create a full 3-function kit.
Baby stroller: Stroller
Strollers are designed for children who already know how to sit. There are also models in which the backrest of the stroller is lowered so low that children up to several months old can be transported in the seat.
We distinguish between more built-up strollers and lightweight type of umbrella.
The frames of these more built-up frames have a more stable structure, larger wheels, and a more spacious seat, providing the toddler with better conditions for comfortable travel. Some have the ability to turn the seat or flip the handle so that the person leading the wheelchair has visual contact with the child, which is undoubtedly very important when the “passenger” is a few months old babies.
Their disadvantage is their large size – even when folded they may not fit into the trunk of a smaller car. Umbrellas, as the name suggests, are very small in size and can be placed almost anywhere. However, they are less comfortable for the child and that is why most parents use them when their child grows slightly older.
Practically every stroller has a special stroller that protects the child from sunlight or rain. Strollers (although not all of them), apart from internal belts, also have a safety barrier as additional protection. It is worth noting how low the backrest of the seat is lowered and whether the footrest can be adjusted. When these two elements create a comfortable seat after adjustment, we can be sure that our little one will feel comfortable while riding.
Most strollers are equipped with special legwear to keep you warm on cooler days. Additionally, the pram can be equipped with a rain foil and a mosquito net. The maximum load capacity of this type of stroller is 15 kg, which is the weight of an average 3-year-old.
Baby stroller: Jogging stroller
Jogging stroller designed for parents with an active lifestyle. It combines pleasant with useful, saves time and does not require giving up your passion for running in situations where, for example, you have no one to leave your child with. It is equipped with a three-wheel system (one front, two rear), a streamlined shape, suspension, manual brakes, large wheels, easy to maneuver. It is generally lightweight and easy to fold for transport and has a modern, sporty look. A child in such a pram learns to live an active life from an early age but also has to get used to the fast way of traveling.
Baby stroller: Twin strollers
The twin stroller, as the name suggests, is a double stroller for twins. On the market, there are also strollers for triplets and even quadruplets. The nacelles and seats of “twins” are located next to each other or behind each other – depending on the model of the strollers. Of course, such strollers are much larger than traditional strollers, and therefore we will need at least a car with a larger boot to move freely.
Both the nacelles and the seats in these strollers have smaller internal dimensions (they are generally narrower, with strollers with sideways facing each other) to reduce the overall width of the strollers at least slightly. We must remember that with a “twin” we often do not fit everywhere, we do not pass through all the passages (e.g. shopping gates, narrow lifts, escalators, etc.). Some manufacturers also release baby strollers adapted for siblings. Such a pram is equipped with a nacelle or baby carrier and an adjustable seat for the older child.
Baby stroller: Stroller frame
An ideal stroller is one that meets all our requirements. A suitable nacelle, a walking seat, and (which is very important) the frame of the stroller and its wheels (about the wheels at the next point in the guide).
The frame, the main structural part of the strollers, must meet at least three conditions to be called ideal. First of all, it must be lightweight, but also durable (preferably made of lightweight and durable aluminum). It should be small in size so that the storage and transport of the strollers are not a problem for us. The last important element is depreciation. The properly cushioned frame will make your child travel much more comfortable.
Commercially available strollers are usually spring-loaded or structurally suspended. Spring cushioning is nothing more than the use of one or more springs to cushion a stroller. On the other hand, the cushioning on the stroller structure is simply a way of making the frame and mutual positioning of its elements so that they minimize vibrations.
Describing the frame of the stroller we must also pay attention to the steering of the wheels. Traditional carts usually have four large swivel castors. The others have wheels of different torsion. The most proven combination of two slightly larger swivel rear wheels and two fully swivel (360°) front wheels, which can also be locked for straight-ahead driving, are the most proven combinations.
Some stroller has wheels that can be adjusted to the right angle. There are also models with a special cross-torsion frame structure. In this case, however, the maneuvering of the stroller is somewhat limited.
Baby stroller: Wheels
It is very important to choose the right wheel for your stroller. You should pay special attention to them and start the process of searching for the perfect stroller.
Large and small wheels are available on the market, pumped, foam (made of plastic), tubeless (filled with air chambers or gel), bearing or non-bearing. For obvious reasons, large pumped wheels will work best on our domestic sidewalks.
They will provide adequate cushioning and thus increase the child’s comfort of driving and make it easier for the child to drive the stroller. Pumped wheels are available as a tube or tubeless wheels. With a stroller equipped with such wheels, we can safely move on various surfaces. All kinds of bumps, sand on the beach or snow will not be terrible for us.
They are usually heavy and have a significant impact on the overall weight of the stroller. If you want to be lightweight, you should consider choosing lighter foam wheels, keeping in mind that they should be springy enough or looking for a stroller that still retains a low weight despite this type of wheel.
Castors in deep, deep-water, 3-function or deep-water strollers are usually removable. They can be easily detached from the frame to reduce the size of the folded stroller. In light strollers of the umbrella type, only small wheels made of plastic are found.
The look of our “four wheels” is also important – but it’s a matter of taste, just like with the color of the fabrics. It is important for the comfort of driving that we are regularly clean and maintain the areas most exposed to friction. A stroller with neglected wheels will resist us and driving it can be very problematic.
Baby stroller: Accessories for Stroller
Finally, we would like to describe in detail the accessories that are often necessary for children to travel comfortably and safely.
For cool and rainy days, rain film and a warm sleeping bag will be necessary. As a rule, you will receive the foil in a set together with your stroller, although sometimes you will need to buy it.
If it is a universal foil from another manufacturer, make sure it fits your stroller (deep or stroller). The sleeping bag can be spring-summer (thinner, for less cold days), year-round or winter.
Another important addition to ensure your child’s safety and comfort is a special net (mosquito net) against insects. You can wear it like a raincoat on a nacelle or stroller. If it is warm and sunny outdoors, you should protect your little one from the rays of sunshine with an umbrella that is fastened to the frame of the stroller with a special hook.
The wheelchair driver, on the other hand, cannot do without a special bag, which is usually hung on the wheelchair handle. Such a bag is equipped with various pockets, lockers and very often with a tourist changing table. Such a bag can accommodate a variety of necessary accessories such as diapers, bottles, pacifiers, etc.
The accessories for the strollers described above are the basics. There are also inserts for walking seats, wheel protectors, cup holders, special muffs for warmth in the hands of the wheelchair driver, extra beds for transporting siblings or universal straps (safety barriers).