You can never have too many prams

For quite some time and at the peak of our pram days I had a total of 5 prams.

I know 5 prams seems excessive and well it was a bit but my life needed that many to function and be enjoyable.

My childless friends used to mock me and joked it was like a shop/buggy park but one by one as they started having their own children they came to realise just how important a range of prams can be in making your life easier.

I can hear your thoughts -two maybe but seriously 5? Let me explain.

We started life with just the Oyster- Perfect. I loved this pram it had the bassinet when baby was tiny and then the push chair seat when baby was over 6 months. It was a dream to steer. However when going on public transport and especially on the tube into central London for day trips this pram was a nightmare. Yes it folded up but still took up a lot of space width wise and was heavy (even though it was one of the most compact and lightest at the time of purchase.) Try carrying a pram, changing bag and baby down an escalator. We won’t mention busy times on the trains/rush hour just the thought is enough to bring me out in a cold sweat.

This is where pram number 2 came into its own. I purchased a Maclaren. Its umbrella fold solved the above problem of day trips in central London.

This pram was also vital once I returned to work as I walked to work and dropped my baby off on the way.

I love walking to work as it gives me time to shake off any of the stresses of the morning. If you have children you know that by 8am it can feel like you’ve already had a long full day. I was able to store the umbrella pram at work but there was no way I was going to be able to smuggle in my full on travel system pram!

Then baby number two came along. The oldest wasn’t big enough to walk for as long as I needed him to. He was a really good walker but I would go walking for at least 45 mins a day at a very quick pace. Also if I was out during nap time he needed a place to sit and have a nap.

I don’t like the prams where the children are stacked one on top of the other. This comes from my knowledge of the importance of having baby facing you whilst out and about so that you can interact and they can experience the world with you. The other reason I don’t like those prams is because in my Oyster pram I would regularly kick cigarette butts, leaves, stones and general dust and dirt into the shopping basket.

Can you imagine if that was my new born baby having those things in her face? No thank you.

A double pram would have been perfect particularly one where you have the option to have one baby facing you and one facing forward. Sadly, I have a narrow front door and all of the prams that were available at the time were too wide. I could have had one if I had built it in the street (the entrance into my front garden is also too small to fit a double and it’s a brick wall so not an easy one to change!)but living in London I am sure by the time I had built and loaded the pram with bags/ two children and had various trips in and out of the house, the pram would not have still been there.

Then I stumbled across the perfect solution ‘The buggy pod’. This is basically a side car that attaches to your pram. It folds up neatly onto the side of your pram so when the older one wants to walk/isn’t there/ you need to fit through a narrow space the buggy pod folds up. However when you need it one simple flick and you have a double pram. Perfect.

Ok so it sounds like I definitely had all of the prams I could ever need so how did I keep going?

Well, although the buggy pod was awesome it didn’t recline. When going out for day trips in London and looking ahead when on holiday and being out at nap time I needed a pram that could fully recline and could fold umbrella style for easy transportation especially when going up and down escalators.

Enter pram number 4. This was a double folding pram. I couldn’t build this in my house but as its main use was when on holiday or day trips I normally had at least one additional adult with me.

Now I’ve got one of everything, surely I couldn’t need another pram? Right? Wrong.

My eldest child then started preschool. His preschool is a long way away from the place where my youngest child is minded. Once he had finished preschool he needed to be transported to my child minder. It was too far for him to walk. I was using the Maclaren for the little one. Hmm he needs a pram. He wouldn’t fit into the Oyster – It was silly to take the double and the pram isn’t kept at my house so if he had the double I wouldn’t have it easily accessible when I needed it. That’s how we ended up with pram number 4.

Pram number 4 is another Maclaren folding umbrella style. This pram is only used to transport the oldest one to my childminders.

In the meantime I also purchased two buggy boards. One to fit the Oyster, when my eldest didn’t need to have a seat but might get tired or I needed to run somewhere quickly. I also got a buggy board for the Maclaren for walking home after work and for short outings where I needed a folding pram and my son may need to rest his legs but didn’t need a seat.

Seriously now, how could I possibly need any more prams?

Pram number 5 is a tiny compact pram which is super light and small and folds into a bag. Now they are both walking this pram is amazing. The little one can’t walk too far and will at some point in the journey need a ride in the pram. However, trying to push a pram with one hand and hold onto two little people who often want to go in different directions is not easy. Especially, if you have popped into the supermarket to grab a loaf and a pint of milk.

So there you have it. I have yet to find one pram that can meet all of my requirements and therefore need lots of them.

Thankfully the double has just recently gone and it is time to also say goodbye to the Oyster. That does still leave me with 3 prams and one buggy board which sadly I can’t see me getting rid of anytime soon.