What is the Difference Between Prams and Pushchairs?

The difference between prams and pushchairs is the age your child can use them.

Understandably, people often think they are the same thing. Some of the most experienced parents would struggle to explain the differences between the two items. Therefore it is no surprise that new parents can become puzzled when shopping for a pushchair or a pram and finding out they are two separate items. New parents need to know the differences if they want to buy correctly for their needs.

Prams

Prams are intended for younger infants for up to six months. Babies of this age cannot carry their heads' weight, so the pram accommodates this by having a flat design to allow the baby to lie down. Additionally, this design feature means that the baby will usually face the parent, which helps with that crucial initial bonding stage.

Prams also tend to be very firm to provide your delicate newborn with the perfect space to relax in. Hence, a pram will feel lighter to push as small obstacles will not trouble it. A disadvantage of this is that a pram ordinarily will not have the capability to fold down as small, making it more challenging to travel with it on a bus or car. Although owing to the pram's resting position, you can often take out the carrycot to use as a moses basket which adds a bit more versatility.

Financially, prams tend to be slightly more pricey than other travel methods because of their solid structure. It becomes more important to consider a pram's pricing when considering how short it may be in use. However, most modern prams have the option of changing the seat to grow with the child when bought as a travel system. As earlier stated, prams are intended for babies up to six months, so bear this in mind when purchasing. 

Pushchairs

Pushchairs are suited for children from six months—an age when they can support their head's weight. So, pushchairs adopt a seated position rather than a flat one. The seat on a pushchair can either face backwards to the parent or forwards to the world as it passes. So, there is an additional option of what you would prefer your child to observe.

Pushchairs are not as sturdy as prams because the child is at an age where it does not require as much support, which has a couple of consequences. Firstly, this means a pushchair is more adjustable than a pram. Its unfixed nature means that the handles, seat and wheels are all flexible, resulting in a more pleasant ride for the parent and the child. Secondly, pushchairs can usually be folded, making travelling on busses and cars much more straightforward as you can store it in the luggage department. However, bear in mind that the more delicate qualities of a pushchair do mean that it may not handle obstacles such as ramps and curbs as good as a pram. But, if going for walks off-road is more your thing, it is possible to get an 'all-terrain pushchair'. These come with more robust features at a higher price.

A considerable benefit of a pushchair is that its prices start at a lower rate than a pram. Furthermore, pushchairs have a more prolonged occupation than the average six months of a pram. A pushchair can be used on the same child for years which makes it a good investment.

Hopefully, explaining the differences between prams and pushchairs will help support your journey to investing in your child's tomorrow.

We are a specialist in the OutnAbout range, which are perfect for taking baby cross-country or into the city.