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Mum to be Clea Sherman dips her toe into the crowded pool of prams.

It was our first trip to the baby supplies shop.  I was five months pregnant and my husband Garrett and I teetered on the edge of the store in the middle of the home makers mega mall before taking a deep breath and venturing inside. The sales assistant approached us with a friendly “may I help you?” while we stood gripping each other tightly and staring at the vast array of prams like they were alien space ships.

We recoiled and in unison practically shouted “no!” at the poor girl before beating a hasty retreat from the store to our safe ground of JB Hi-Fi. Once among the comfort of mainstream DVD choices we high-fived each other on a job well done. We had broken the seal! Next time we might actually touch a pram. But no need to worry – we had months till we had to decide on something, right?

News flash! The ‘good’ prams have to be ordered up to three months in advance. It turns out having a baby is a little bit like getting married, once you’ve set the date there’s a lot of work to be done if you’re going to get what you want. Just like with weddings, there are so many options. But unlike the perfect dress, the perfect pram isn’t something you’ve been picturing since you were barely out of nappies yourself.

Just a simple contraption?

So – prams. The range of options includes forward facing, ultra lightweight, off road suspension, one touch foldability, extra storage and peek-a-boo windows. I could go for one of those fab looking celebrity jogging prams (that we all know I’m only going to wheel to the coffee shop and back), or perhaps a space age looking contraption with hydraulic reclining functions, and don’t forget optional extras like rain covers, liners and the ever important cupholders that as a mother I won’t be able to live without. All of a sudden I‘m involved in discussions about McLaren vs Bugaboo… and my days of thinking Phil & Ted are guys from the IT department are well and truly over. There’s the added hazard of mentioning buying second hand in some circles of friends – I mean how could anyone even consider a potential finger slicing baby trap with no warranty that just ever so slightly smells like some other child’s vomit from three years ago? Not when the Compact Techno Explorer is only $1799 and comes with a built in stereo system! (Hmm stereo system… will have to check if that actually exists…).

I’m not sure about your best beloved, but I didn’t find my husband’s input to be particularly helpful. He went through a phase where he was intent on inventing some kind of baby hot air balloon. The perfect solution! It’s weightless, and you just have to attach it to your wrist and let the child float softly above you while you go about your business. I put a stop to the idea once a manual on model hot air blimps turned up from eBay. You might think I’m joking here.

I’m not.

There was also the brainwave for a baby rickshaw that you attach to your hips and haul behind you, leaving your hands free and your eyes to focus on approaching hazards.

Thanks but no thanks Darling!

The only thing left after scouring the internet for reviews, questioning other mothers and weighing up the pros and cons of the dozens of prams on the market was to decide on a couple of must-have features for my particular life style, to set my budget and to take a deep breath and head back to BabyLand with something firm in mind.

But of course, after all that head scratching, once I finally made a decision – they won’t have it in red till next October!

How did you decide what pram to go with? Is there such a thing as a perfect pram? If there is I want to hear about it!

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  • We didn’t have any waiting period for our first pram. We went in store, picked one out and the guy went out the back and grabbed one in a box for us. Done

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  • You need one that you can fold down or put up easily, preferrably with one hand. Not too heavy to lift in our of your car boot, that has a hood, a tray at the bottom, sturdy wheels – not too big or they take up extra room in your car boot. Don’t choose a stroller with tyres that need pressure checked because they can be prone to punctures – as easy as grass seeds on your footpath, or nails from a building site on a footpath, road or even in a shopping centre car park if there is extensions being done.

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  • Thanks for sharing this interesting article.

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  • my hubby was great in helping pick baby items!

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  • Got my pram from my sister lucky me it was in good condition, then later bought a 3 wheeler because I became a fitness freak. Just choose a stroller that could lay down because even at 2 little ones fall asleep on long days out.

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  • My parents bought our first pram and I bought the second a limo to hold three kids in three years. Mum and Dad took the first pram to their house so they could use it on walks when they had one of mine for sleep overs and day out with Nan and Pop.

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  • my parents bought my first pram for my son. it was a really good brand.

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  • prams are sooo hard to choose, I am grateful I got a hand me down and did not have to choose

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  • I also found it very intimidating, luckily it was budget that made my decision.

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  • I didn’t have to go pram shopping,I was lucky and got a really good hand me down from my sister!

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  • We bought our daughter’s pram from the first shop we went to, it was sturdy,safe and on sale. We didn’t go looking for brand names, how attractive it looked or something that had all the bells and whistles.

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  • Great article – it took me months to find the right pram. Some good advice here… Thank you.

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  • I really enjoyed reading this, thanks for sharing.

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  • I had a Maclaren for my first baby and a Chicco for my second. I walked them down to the frame. The Maclaren was far better quality and wish I’d bought that one again.


    • Friend also has a Maclaren, she loves it and wouldn’t change it for another brand.

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  • Buy second hand, odds are what you will love, baby will hate and vice versa!

    Reply

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