How to Buy a Baby Stroller: Ultimate Stroller Buying Guide

Choosing the right stroller for your needs is an investment of both time and money. With so many types and brands out there, the choices are mind-boggling. In this ultimate baby stroller guide, we will give you tips on what to look for in a stroller and how to select the best one for you and your baby.

WHICH STROLLER IS RIGHT FOR ME AND MY BABY?

To find the right stroller for your needs, take a closer look at your lifestyle. Some questions to ask include: 

• How old is your child?
• Will it be for one or two (or three!) children?
• How and where will you be using the stroller the most often? 
• Do you have a car or will you be taking public transport a lot? If so, will you need to hold your child and close the stroller on your own?
• Are you looking for a stroller for a specific need like going jogging or travelling?
• Do you need a stroller loaded with plenty of extras like cup holder for your coffee, extra large storage for your diaper bag and groceries or even charge your phone?
• Do you have a budget in mind? 

After making a list of important things to consider, it is also worthwhile doing some research online and paying a visit to stores to try different strollers out before making a purchase. Test a stroller out by putting a 10kg weight it before you push it around. Remember that all strollers feel amazing when they are empty.  .

TAXIBABY’S TOP STROLLER PICKS

In order to make your stroller buying adventure easier, Taxi Baby’s resident mums and stroller experts Elise and Deb have teamed up to categorise the choices out there and share their top picks to put on your radar.

As the founder of TaxiBaby and a devoted mother of three, Elise advocates for the importance of child safety and transport in the everyday lives of the parents and their children.

Deb, a mum of two active boys, is very passionate about helping fellow parents figure out how to keep their kids safe in cars — a firsthand experience that she knows is hard and confusing!

Here’s the lowdown on five Taxi Baby-classified categories of strollers and what each mum thinks: 

1. Travel Strollers:

They are lightweight, foldable and compact enough to fit in the overhead compartment of a plane. 

Elise: “Definitely going with the Mountain Buggy Nano. It has a genuinely universal car seat adapter (it’s a strap which acts much like a seat belt in a car does) which gives you unparalleled flexibility to tote a car seat around once your kiddies have outgrown their infant car seats (all the other travel strollers either only take the infant seat or they don’t take a car seat at all).

It can also take a whopping 20kg weight limit for the child so the joints won’t get sloppy as the kids get older, and you can still pop it up over a kerb. Plus, it has a decent sun shade for prams in this category, it looks sliiiiiiiick, and you can’t beat the price.

I know Deb is going to say the Yoyo, I know, but TRUST ME! Go with the Nano ;-)”

Deb: “When the Babyzen Yoyo was first launched US, I knew that I really WANTED IT but I waited till it became available in Singapore and was probably one of the first to buy it. From the get-go, it became a stroller that I could finally manage on my own. It also offered a pretty smooth riding experience! I have had my first-gen Yoyo for 7 years and it still hasn’t given up on me. It was the most awesome companion when I was pregnant and on a holiday in Disneyland. It was, and still is, my preferred choice. 

From a budget perspective, the only downside is the hefty price tag and separate car seat adaptors. But okay, I do admit that if the Mountain Buggy Nano came out earlier, I would have gotten that instead.”

2. Joggers:

They are equipped with larger, often air-filled tires, offer suspension, provide additional comfort, possess adjustable handles and are made for running or traversing bumpy surfaces. 

Elise: “I used to have the Britax B-agile (which is a three-wheeled stroller but not really a jogger) and sold it to upgrade to the Mountain Buggy Mini. I’ve used my friends’ Baby Jogger City Mini and Mountain Buggy Swift and I reckon the Swift is easily head and shoulders above the rest. It maneuvers like a hot knife through butter and is a genuine joy to push!”

Deb: “I had the chance to play with the BOB Stroller Strides Fitness Stroller when my neighbour had it and gosh it was good. My kids loved it — easy to steer, very nice to push, and an overall super comfy ride for both my kids and I.” 

3. Tandem or Twin Strollers:

They come in side-by-side or inline (front and back) models and while these two-child strollers offer more convenience for parents with more than one young child, they are also harder to use in crowded places or where the walkways and aisles are narrow. 

Elise: “I’ve got the Mountain Buggy Duet. Yeah, you’ve caught on — I know, I have developed a severe Mountain Buggy obsession, and for good reason! I genuinely believe they’re the best strollers in the world, at any price category — and I think you’ll find all Mountain Buggy owners are just as evangelical as I am!

This gem is Mountain Buggy’s best-selling product worldwide and that just tells me that there are a LOT of clever parents out there. This is my favourite pram in my collection and even if I’m only taking one child out, it’s still my go-to.

It’s a side-by-side stroller instead of an inline stroller which, by nature, makes it easier to maneuver (I have delicate little lady wrists that ache when driving most strollers - probably exaggerated by the weight load of my chunky kids).

It’s also only 65cm wide! For comparison, the Bugaboo Chameleon is 60cm wide, so for a measly extra 5cm you can fit an extra kid. This is such a clever use of space, and at 114cm long, the Duet is within the size limits to take an open stroller on a Singapore public bus. Just glide this bad boy on through the back door into the allocated parking bay and you have one of the easiest multi-kid transport options known to man.

Apart from these, both seats can lay flat, it can take a carrycot (there are two options available, depending if you want to remove the default seat or not), and you can attach a Freerider scooter/buggy board for extra kids.

Simply put, this is my favourite pram in the whole wide world!”

Deb: “My pick for this category is the Snap-N-Go Double. It's the most budget-friendly, light enough for moms to carry on their own in and out of taxis, and the most universal car seat-friendly stroller with the biggest stroller basket I know. Just throw everything in!

I also had a Britax Double (B-ready), I did love how it pushed like a dream and functioned as stable as it did, but I just couldn't take it in and out of the taxi alone. I loved it but it just didn't really work for me!”

4. Umbrella Strollers:

They are convenient, lightweight, more compact than traditional strollers and are popular for their simplicity and affordability. However, many do not recline fully and are more suitable for toddlers. They also don’t fold small enough to take as carry-on luggage on a plane.

Elise: “Nah, don’t bother. These guys are dinosaurs now — just skip this category and go straight to the travel stroller category.”

Deb: “I have a really strong dislike for umbrella strollers. I feel like they are not as sturdy as I would want them to be and the folding can sometimes be such a pain! To me, strollers have to be easy to use for you to not be frustrated every day. If I had to struggle with folding and unfolding a stroller every single day, I definitely will not use it.” 

5. Fancy Strollers:

These look extra chic, some come with really high-tech features like a phone charger and one button automatic open and closing, additional extras like separate sun and rain covers and more bells and whistles than Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. 

Elise: “I don’t have a huge amount of personal experience in this category, but having pushed around some of my friend’s super luxe prams (mostly Bugaboo and Joolz prams), I would just go for a Mountain Buggy ‘Luxury Collection’ pram with all the trimmings.

I’ve seen the new Mountain Buggy Swift as part of the Luxury Collection and houndstooth print makes this Rolls Royce of strollers really gorgeous.”

Deb: “I have two prams on my list that I would LOVE to own one day. My top picks for fancy strollers are the Entourage Stroller by Austlen Baby Co. and Bugaboo Donkey. 

The Entourage is a transformer stroller and is only being sold in the U.S. so far. I love the many features it is able to do but with the price point of $1,000 USD and up, it’s definitely an expensive one.

I’ve also always liked the Bugaboo Donkey. It is well-designed, contains a big stroller basket, and is easy to push and well-built.”

FINAL WORD

As you can see mums are really split in their choices when it comes to picking their favourite stroller and it all boils down to whether your new set of wheels ticks all the boxes for you and your baby.