Choosing a pushchair or stroller: where do you start?
To choose a pushchair, start with three questions before you look at a single model. How old will your baby be when you buy it, and up to what age do you want to use it? Where will you push it day to day: pavements, stairs, the Underground, country paths? And how many times a day will you need to fold it? The answers rule out half the shop floor on their own.
The rest comes down to a few safety requirements, all of which you can check in the shop: a stated standard, a harness, a brake that genuinely holds, and a reliable folding lock. This guide draws on the guidance published by France’s public health information service and on a detailed foreign regulation, then turns them into practical criteria.
From what age can a baby go in a pushchair?
From birth, as long as baby is lying flat. The factsheet “Landau, poussette, coques, transats : comment choisir ?” published on Santé.fr, written by the Association française de pédiatrie ambulatoire (the French association of community paediatrics) and updated in 2026, gives the following guidelines. The carrycot is used lying flat, up to 4 to 6 months. The infant carrier, or group 0+ car seat, is suitable in a semi-reclined position from around 4 or 5 months. The seat unit, in other words the standard pushchair seat, is for babies who can sit up, at around 6 months.
That last guideline is the most important. A baby who can’t yet sit unaided doesn’t have the muscle strength to stay upright in a seat unit, even reclined. If you’re unsure about this milestone, our article on the age at which babies sit up on their own explains the signs to look out for. Many manufacturers advertise “from birth” for a seat unit whose backrest reclines fully: that’s acceptable if it genuinely lies flat, not just steeply reclined.
At the other end, most pushchairs take a child up to 3 or 4 years old, depending on the maximum weight stated by the manufacturer. In practice, you’ll use it less once your child walks confidently, but a pushchair stays handy for long outings and naps on the go.
Types of pushchair and who they suit
The travel system, 2-in-1 or 3-in-1
A chassis, a carrycot, often an infant car seat and a seat unit. It’s the most adaptable option, usable from birth to around 4 years according to Santé.fr. It’s also the most expensive and the bulkiest. It makes sense if you want to buy just once and you have a car boot and a lift, or live on the ground floor.
The umbrella stroller (buggy)
Light, compact and, on good models, foldable with one hand. It’s designed for public transport, stairs and shops. Most umbrella strollers only take a child from 6 months; some, with a backrest that reclines flat, claim to be suitable from birth. If you take the metro or bus every day, also read our tips on public transport with a baby: one-handed folding makes all the difference there.
The big-wheeled pushchair
Three or four large-diameter wheels, often air-filled, plus suspension. It copes with paths, packed sand and cobbles, and absorbs the bumps. It’s heavy and wide. It’s the choice for families who walk a lot outdoors, not for a third-floor flat with no lift.
The double pushchair
For twins or two children close in age, in tandem or side by side. It’s heavy and not very manoeuvrable; above all, check its width against your doors and pavements.
Which standard should a pushchair meet?
In Europe, the reference standard is EN 1888. Santé.fr explains that it covers stability, the folding lock, the parking brake, mechanical strength, the absence of hazardous parts, the harness or belt and the flammability of the fabrics. We don’t reproduce the standard’s test values, as it isn’t freely available: simply check that its reference appears on the label or in the instructions.
To understand in practical terms what a safety test checks, the Canadian regulation on carriages and strollers (DORS/2016-167, in force since 22 June 2016) is public and detailed. Among other things, it requires a brake that locks the wheels and that a child cannot release. It requires a permanently attached restraint system, with a waist belt and a device that stops the child sliding down. The folding lock must need a deliberate action by an adult and include a separate safety mechanism. Surfaces must be smooth, with no sharp edges or open tubes, and the wheels must resist being pulled off. These requirements give you a useful checklist, even though the rules that apply in Europe remain the European standard.
The same regulation requires three permanent warnings on the product. They sum up the essentials: never leave your child unattended; always use the harness provided; don’t hang any bag other than the one designed for it, or the pushchair may become unstable. For an overview of European markings, see our guide to safety standards for nursery products.
What to check in the shop, in order
- The brake. Press it with your foot, then push the pushchair: it shouldn’t move. Check that it releases without you having to bend down or force it, in summer shoes and winter boots alike.
- The harness. Five-point if possible, with a buckle a child can’t open and straps that adjust in length and height as your child grows.
- The fold. Do it three times in a row, with an imaginary baby in one arm. Count the steps. Check that once folded, the pushchair stays locked and stands up on its own.
- The real weight. Lift it folded, with the seat unit attached. Product listings often give the weight of the bare chassis. Above 10 kg, stairs become an ordeal.
- The width. Measure your doors, your hallway, your lift. Many models are wider than 60 cm.
- The backrest and leg rest. A backrest that reclines almost flat makes naps possible; an adjustable leg rest stops little legs dangling.
- The reversible seat unit. Parent-facing for the first few months, world-facing after that. It’s a nice extra, not a must.
- The cover. Removable and machine-washable, otherwise spit-up and snacks leave lasting marks.
- The handlebar height. Adjustable if you and your partner aren’t the same height. A handlebar that’s too low strains your back after twenty minutes.
Pushchair, babywearing or both?
A pushchair isn’t the only way to get out and about. In the first months, many families alternate with a baby carrier, which is more practical on stairs, in crowds and on trails. The two aren’t mutually exclusive: the pushchair carries the shopping and allows naps, while the carrier frees your hands on short trips. Our guide to ergonomic baby carriers helps you make that second choice.
A useful benchmark for how much to use it comes from the World Health Organization. Its guidelines on physical activity for children under 5 (2019, French edition 2020) recommend that an infant shouldn’t be restrained for more than one hour at a time. That applies in a pram, a pushchair, a high chair or strapped to an adult’s back. The same recommendation applies to children aged 1 to 2. So a long walk isn’t a problem if it includes breaks where your baby can move freely, and if the rest of the day leaves room for floor time. At home, a generously sized play mat is the natural complement to the hours spent sitting or lying down on the move.
Should you buy a second-hand pushchair?
You can, with some precautions. Santé.fr advises against buying at car boot sales, because there’s no way to be sure the pushchair meets the standards. When buying from a private seller, ask for the instructions and check the label: the standard’s reference, the manufacturer’s name and the serial number. Then check the same points as in the shop: brake, harness, locking, wheels, no missing parts. A pushchair recalled by its manufacturer should be ruled out; recalls are public and can be found by searching the model name.
The most common mistakes
The first: buying too big. A high-end 3-in-1 travel system for a couple living on the fourth floor with no lift ends up in the garage, replaced by an umbrella stroller. The second: forgetting the car boot. Measure it beforehand, carrycot included. The third: hanging the shopping bag on the handlebar. It’s the classic cause of tipping over, so much so that regulations require a warning on the product. The fourth: leaving the harness undone “just for a minute” while you pay or lock the door. Falls are the most common pushchair accident.
Two practical extras for later on. In winter, choose your pushchair’s weather gear with the harness in mind: our guide to footmuffs explains why bulky clothing under the straps should be avoided. And if the infant car seat clips onto the chassis, it’s still a car seat: our guidance on car seats and the R129 standard covers the time limits in the semi-reclined position.
In short
Choosing a pushchair means first choosing a position suited to your baby’s age, lying flat before 6 months, then a format that suits your daily life, and only then a brand. A stated EN 1888 standard, a firm brake, a five-point harness and a fold you’ve mastered are worth more than any optional extra. The rest, suspension, basket, cup holder, you’ll judge with use.
Sources
- Santé.fr, “Landau, poussette, coques, transats : comment choisir ?”, written by mpedia (Association française de pédiatrie ambulatoire), published 6 May 2025, last updated 6 July 2026.
- Gouvernement du Canada, Règlement sur les landaus et poussettes (DORS/2016-167), registered 22 June 2016, version consulted in force from 22 June 2016 to 6 June 2023.
- Organisation mondiale de la santé (World Health Organization), “Lignes directrices sur l’activité physique, la sédentarité et le sommeil chez les enfants de moins de 5 ans”, 2019, French edition 2020, pages 6 to 8.
- UFC-Que Choisir, “Guide d’achat poussettes”, Morgan Bourven, undated, 2018–2019 data (weight and price ranges).
