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Pram Choosing Myths Busted ⎋

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Buying a pram is one of the most important decisions you will have to make when having a newborn baby. You will use your pram daily. The last thing you want to be doing is fighting with your pram in a car park trying to fold or unfold it. Or putting your back out because it’s too large for you or too heavy. Struggling to manoeuvrer it off road or running out of space for your groceries in the boot of your car because it’s too large when folded.

These are just a few examples of the issues parents go through because they listen to their friends, not realising that the ideal pram for your friend or family member is not necessarily ideal for you. Everyone has a different lifestyle and different circumstances.

To add fuel to the fire causing more confusion when choosing prams, big multi store retailers who are not experts and as a result give incorrect or bad advice and quote myths because they do not understand themselves.

The statistics show that mum’s and dads end up buying up to 5 prams over the life of a child. This is why I decided to publicly bust those myths.

A Three Wheel Pram is a Jogging Pram.

This is completely incorrect. Yes, Jogging Prams and Running Prams happen to be 3 wheelers. But Not all Three Wheelers are For Jogging or Running. A true running pram or jogging pram will not suffer from the wobbles at speed. It will also have a hand brake as well as normal park brake. They will generally have large wheels and special bearings and additional safety features for the baby. In addition, special suspension to provide a smooth ride at high speed and a stronger frame.

Just because it is called a 3 wheel jogger, it is NOT necessarily a jogging pram. In fact, it can be dangerous to jog with one not designed for running. Stores and brands use the term 3 wheel jogger to refer to the style rather than it’s capability. A good example of a true jogging pram or running pram is the Thule Glide 2.

Three wheel prams are unstable and not safe.

We hear it all the time from customers, “xyz big box store” told us that 3 wheel prams are unsafe because they can tip over easily and to only go for a 4 wheeler.

The Truth is – any poorly designed pram can tip. The number of wheels has nothing to do with it. There are many good quality 3 wheelers that are as stable as 4 wheelers or even better in some cases.

Newborn babies must lay flat in a pram all the time.

In Australia, at this point in time, there is no regulation or law that states a newborn must lay flat in a pram. In fact, general advice is to have them slightly tilted with their head up or in a curved position. The key is to have some head support. There is also a recommendation that a newborn baby is not lying flat in a pram or baby capsule for more than 2 hours at a time.

It’s perfectly safe to hang your nappy bag over your handlebars.

Despite seeing just about every mum hanging nappy bags off the handlebars, this is not recommended by a lot of manufacturers. Baby Prams are not tested and designed to carry the weight of a loaded up nappy bag over the handle bars. It is not uncommon for warranty issues due to mums and dad’s not realising this. It is also not uncommon to hear of them tipping backwards on parents also. Unless the manufacturer states that it is okay to do – we never recommend this practice.

 

 

Pram Bassinets can not be used overnight.

Whilst this it is true for a lot of pram bassinets, it definitely does not apply to all prams. Some manufactures have gone to a lot of trouble to ensure that their bassinets are specifically designed for overnight sleep. You can even get special stands for some brands which allow you to remove the bassinet from the pram and place it in the stand. Some have special breathable mattresses and airflow mesh built in to the sides of the bassinet. This is a very handy feature. Especially when visiting friends and family or going on holidays away. Always check before purchasing if the bassinet is designed for overnight sleep. An example of this is the UPPAbaby Vista and UPPAbaby Cruz.

Small Prams are no good.

Once again, this comes back to the point that every parent has different needs. If you are doing a lot of traveling for example, then a small pram is ideal. If you do a lot of out door walking including through parks, then yes, one with larger wheels will better suit you. Yes, large storage is very handy and smaller prams wont have as much storage in general. This however is not always important to everyone. It all comes down to your own needs.

Only expensive prams are safe and practical.

While more expensive prams may have more features, you definitely do not have to spend a fortune on a pram to be safe and be practical. At the same time, super cheap prams and strollers often found in large general retailers can not be expected to last through multiple children either. Buying multiple prams over the life of a child will most likely end up costing more than a reasonable quality one. You don’t have to go spending thousands by any means. We have a great selection of reasonably prices very practical and goof quality strollers and prams that are built to last.

My Advice on Choosing Prams.

The most important thing to keep in mind when choosing a pram is that every one has different needs. Don’t just go listening to your mate or family member. Their lifestyle will not be the same. Your car and boot space will not be the same. Their budget will not necessarily be the same and it doesn’t have to be a case of “keeping up with the Joneses”.

My advice, is to get good advice from an independent baby store. One who has highly trained product specialists who have been in the business for many years. Product specialists that know the right questions to ask and have years of experience of their own and their customers. This empowers them to work out the right pram for your specific needs. In the Mean time, you could check out my article on how not to become a statistic of buying 5 prams over the life of a child here.

At Bubs n Grubs, we have a great range of prams and strollers. We, the owners (Judy and myself) hand pick each product based on what our combined experience of over 20 years and over 13 years in this business has taught us. We have learned from talking to mums and dad’s and understanding what their needs are. Don’t forget we have a highly trained team of products specialists who can spend time with you to give you the right advice in store or over the phone.

Click the button below and check out the range and don’t hesitate to pop in to store or call one of our baby products specialists for any questions or advice you need about baby prams.

See you online or in store soon!

Frank

 

About the Author

Frank is a founding owner of Bubs n Grubs. He is also the sole author of the Bubs n Grubs Baby Blog. He has been personally evaluating baby products & testing them before offering them to our customers since 2009. In addition, he is consistently giving manufacturer’s feedback & product development advice, reviewing & getting customer feedback. He has been doing this since the business started in 2009. He is proud to be one of the rare baby store owners in Australia who regularly engages with customers in his store. Frank values the constant feedback and regularly seeks it out. He has been featured on the Morning Show & the Today Show on Channel 7 and Channel 9 and is a recognised expert in baby products as a result.

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