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Why trust this guide? I’m Mark Hartshorne, founder of MyPushchair.co.uk. I co-founded this site with my mother in 2006, and I’ve spent the years since attending baby shows, testing hundreds of models, and helping real families — including my own daughter — work out which pushchair actually fits their life, not just their budget.
Choosing a Pushchair — At a Glance
- Newborn: a fully flat or near-flat recline isn’t a preference, it’s a medical requirement.
- Lightweight: the lighter it gets, the more compromises usually show up elsewhere — know which ones you can live with.
- Budget under £300: there are genuinely good options at this price, but the gap between good-enough and frustrating is bigger than the price tag suggests.
- Secondhand: can be one of the smartest purchases a parent makes, or one of the most expensive mistakes — inspection is everything.
- Two children: width is the single most important number, and it’s usually buried or missing from the spec sheet.
- Grandparents: different priorities to parents — usually fold speed and simplicity over everything else.
Choosing a pushchair properly starts with a different question than most parents expect. Most start by looking for “the best pushchair.” In practice, the better question is usually “the best pushchair for what?” — and that depends on something more specific than brand or price: how old your baby is, how many children you’re pushing, how much you want to spend, or who’s actually going to be doing the pushing.
I’ve spent close to twenty years testing pushchairs and talking to parents at baby shows, and the question that comes up again and again isn’t “which one’s best” — it’s “which one’s right for me.” Choosing a pushchair properly means starting from your own situation, not a generic top-ten list. This page splits that decision up the way it actually gets made, with a dedicated guide for each starting point.
Choosing a pushchair — start here
| Your situation | Guide to read |
|---|---|
| Newborn baby | Best Pushchairs for Newborns |
| Want it as light as possible | Best Lightweight Pushchairs |
| Budget matters most | Best Pushchairs Under £300 |
| Considering secondhand | Buying a Secondhand Pushchair |
| Two children to push | Helping My Daughter Choose a Double Pushchair |
| Buying as a grandparent | Pushchairs for Grandparents |
Choosing a pushchair for a newborn baby
This is the one situation on this page where there’s no real flexibility — a newborn’s spine, hips and airway depend on lying fully or near-fully flat, so that single requirement rules out a huge number of otherwise good pushchairs before you even start comparing brands. Our guide covers exactly what to check, and what “suitable from birth” actually has to mean in practice.
Best Pushchairs for Newborns →
As light as possible
Every kilo you save usually costs you something else — storage space, suspension, or how well it copes with anything other than a flat pavement. This guide is about knowing which trade-offs are worth making for the weight saving, and which ones you’ll regret the first time you’re somewhere other than a smooth shopping centre floor.
On a budget
Spending less doesn’t have to mean buying something that falls apart in six months — but it does mean being more careful about exactly what you’re getting for the money. This is the situation where the gap between a genuinely good budget pushchair and a frustrating one is much bigger than the price difference between them suggests.
Buying secondhand
This is really a different kind of decision to the others on this page — less about which model, more about how to judge condition, history, and whether a deal that looks too good is actually too good. Done properly, secondhand can be one of the smartest purchases a parent makes. Done carelessly, it’s one of the most expensive mistakes.
Buying a Secondhand Pushchair →
Two children
This is its own category of decision entirely, because the question stops being “which pushchair” and starts being “which pushchair will actually fit through my front door, my hallway, and the bus aisle.” Width is the number that matters most here, and it’s the one most reviews leave out. This guide came directly out of helping my own daughter solve exactly this problem.
Helping My Daughter Choose a Double Pushchair →
Buying as a grandparent
Grandparents usually aren’t using a pushchair every day, which flips the priority list almost completely — a fast, simple one-handed fold and straightforward storage usually matter more than terrain ability or a premium ride. My wife Janette brings the genuine grandparent’s-eye view to this one.
Travelling, or additional needs?
If your decision is really about getting somewhere — flying, a small car, public transport, or Disneyland Paris — our Travelling with a Pushchair hub covers that ground instead. And if your child has additional needs, our guide to pushchairs for children with additional needs is the better starting point.
Not sure which guide fits your situation, or weighing up two options? Get in touch — I’m happy to help you think it through.