Strollers

• Safety: Check that the stroller complies with a safety standard. The joint Australia/New Zealand standard AS/NZS 2088 is the most common. Other standards are the British BS 7409, European EN 1888 and US ASTM F833 standard.
• Wheel numbers: 3-wheelers are usually wider and longer than 4-wheelers and are often heavier; they’re more manoeuvrable on uneven terrain but can be less stable. 4-wheelers are more compact and are a better option if you use public transport.
• Wheels: Large wheels tend to be better on kerbs and stairs. Inflatable tyres help absorb bumps. Swivel front wheels make steering easier – but make sure you can lock them, to keep the stroller stable up and down steps and over rough terrain.
• Brakes: Some strollers have a separate brake on each wheel. However, brakes activated by a single linking bar are much more convenient.
• Backrest: Look for a backrest that can be reclined for a sleeping child.
• Storage: A parcel tray under the stroller is essential. Never balance bags on the handle of a stroller – they could make it tip over.
• Hoods and covers: An extendable hood provides shade and shelter. A viewing window in the hood lets you keep an eye on your child. A boot cover protects the child’s legs and feet: it’s worth considering if you go for long walks in cold weather. If the stroller you want doesn’t have a rain cover, you can buy a generic one at most stores.
• Front bar or tray: Make sure it's removable when lifting the child in and out of the stroller.
• Footrest: This reduces the likelihood of injury by the child's feet getting caught on the ground or in the front wheel.
• Safety leash: A leash on the handle bar that straps to your wrist can stop the stroller running away if you lose your grip. Keep it out of the way of the child as it's a strangulation hazard.
• Toddler seats: One of these is useful when there’s an older sibling – check whether it can be fitted to the stroller.
• Tyre pump: This is used for pneumatic tyres. It's supplied with some models or may be available as an optional extra.

If you’re intending to run with your baby, look for a specialist jogging stroller with the following features:

• hand-operated brakes
• suspension
• a lockable front wheel.

Before joining you on a run, your baby should be at least 6 months old and be able to hold their head up without support.

Sue Campbell, Plunket’s National Child Safety Advisor offers these tips:

• Your jogging stroller must have all components in excellent order: the brakes, locking mechanism and a full harness to hold your child.
• Keep bags off the handles as these can affect the balance of the stroller
• Keep a hand on the stroller at all times.
• Consider choosing a time to go out jogging when your child is due to sleep, this can be less stressful for you both! Take a drink and snacks for your child and think about your running route. You may want to stop at a play area so your child can get out and play, then get back in and continue on.
• Always use the harness in the stroller, it is going to prevent your child being thrown out. If your baby is too small to have the harness fitting correctly then don’t take baby, the harness must fit to keep them safe. Once they are over 6 months old, their position in the stroller will be better.
• Your stroller should have a tether strap to place around your wrist. This will help prevent the stroller running away if you stop. It is surprising how fast a stroller can move, you will have difficulty stopping it.
  
• Lock the front wheel when jogging, this helps keep the stroller stable and prevents the wheel turning suddenly.
• Have a sunshade and sunscreen to reduce the risk of sunburn.

Overall score

Safety score (50%): In our stroller safety assessment, conducted to the AS/NZS 2088:2013 standard, we look for hazards to the child and the carer using the stroller. Major failures include insufficient child retention, strangulation hazards, poor stability (tipping), head entrapment hazards and structural durability failures.

• 100% = no major or minor failures.

• 80% = 1 minor failure.

• 70% = 2 minor failures.

• 60% = 3 or more minor failures.

• 40% = 1 major failure.

• 20% = 2 or more major failures.

Ease of use (50%): Strollers are put through their paces in real life. We check how easy it is to adjust the safety harness, seats and handle. We apply the brakes and access the bottom basket. We push them over rough terrain, up and down stairways and through doorways. We fold and unfold them, carry them and lift them into and out of a car boot.

Durability: Strollers are put on a bumpy “rolling road” machine for 64 hours at a speed of 5km/h. We also attach each stroller to a machine that continuously simulates the action of mounting a kerb. Strollers suitable for jogging get an extra 10 hours at 10km/h on the rolling road. Durability does not contribute to overall score.

To earn our recommendation, a single stroller must have an overall score of 70%, double strollers must have an overall score of 65%. We don’t recommend strollers with any major safety or durability failures.

Our tests are based on the Australian and New Zealand standard for prams and strollers (AS/NZS 2088:2013).

The 2009 revision of this standard added a requirement that the harness straps shouldn't be a strangulation hazard when they're buckled together. This followed a fatal case in 2005 when a child slipped through such a gap and was caught. The buckled-together harness straps are especially hazardous if:

• A child's left unattended in the stroller.
• The harness is kept buckled when it's not in use.

The 2013 standard is largely the same as the 2009 version - but it's been extended to cover finger entrapment, crushing/scissoring hazards for adult users (or for children outside the stroller) and stability. There's also further emphasis on harness requirements.

While compliance with this standard is not mandatory in New Zealand, we think it should be. We believe AS/NZS 2088:2013 sets a clear and reasonable safety standard. We’d like to see all manufacturers constructing their strollers to the updated standard – as some of them already do. In Australia, compliance with some requirements of AS/NZS 2088 is compulsory.

There is a safety standard for prams and strollers but it is not mandatory.

Certification involves independent checks of the manufacturer's production line and quality-control processes.

A buggy that is "certified" as complying with the standard will display either the New Zealand "S" mark or the red Australian "tick" mark. If the stroller doesn't carry either of these labels, it's not necessarily unsafe. But check that:

• There are no protruding parts that can hit your child's head.
• There are no small parts that could detach easily and pose a choking hazard.
• There are no gaps that could trap fingers - yours or your child's.
• There are no sharp edges or points.
• The stroller is stable enough not to tip easily.
• There is a child-resistant mechanism for locks.
• There's a 5-point harness consisting of 2 shoulder straps attached to the backrest, 2 waist straps attached to the stroller frame, and a crotch strap. The straps should be adjustable.
• The brakes work properly and are easy to use.
• There is a 2-stage lock to stop the stroller collapsing.

Buggy boards attach to the back of a single (or double) stroller.

They're ideal for older toddlers who are happy to walk for most of the time but want a break now and again – they can jump on to the buggy board and have a rest from all that walking. All the boards we tested are designed for standing on only.

The Mountain Buggy Freerider (for Mountain Buggy and Phil & Teds strollers) is a scooter rather than a board and it can also be used separately as a scooter.

We tested the Mountain Buggy Freerider scooter by attaching it to the Phil & Teds Dot stroller. The front wheels of the Freerider didn’t make contact with the ground at first – but after we’d run the stroller on our rolling rig with the Freerider attached, the wheels did touch the ground.

Before buying a buggy board, check that it’ll fit your stroller and whether you need to buy connectors:

• The Mountain Buggy Freerider has three connectors, one for attaching it to Mountain Buggy strollers, one for attaching to Phil & Teds and selected other brands, and one for attaching to the Baby Jogger City Mini stroller. These connectors cost an extra $30 each.

• The Baby Jogger Glider Board attaches to all Baby Jogger single and double strollers.

• The Bugaboo Wheeled Board fits all Bugaboo strollers, though an adaptor is required to fit it to Bugaboo’s Donkey and Buffalo strollers.

• The Lascal Maxi BuggyBoard is a “universal” board which fits most strollers. Apple iPhone users can download an app to check whether their stroller’s compatible with this buggy board.

• Your child must be old enough to stand steadily while holding on to the stroller.
• Check your child will have enough room to stand comfortably (and hang on) when they’re on the board.
• The board could interfere with your pace and with the way you push the stroller.
• Your child will need to get off the board when you’re going over steps or kerbs.
• Make sure you can still reach any foot-operated brakes on the stroller. The Lascal Maxi BuggyBoard, Silver Cross Surf Board and Valco Baby Vee Bee EZ Rider boards obstructed access to the stroller’s brake pedal.
• Check the board will fit your stroller. Some fit a range of strollers and may only require different attachment mechanisms; others only fit a certain brand or model.
• Look for a board that won’t need to be removed when you want to fold the stroller. The Baby Jogger Glider Board and Bugaboo Wheeled Board didn’t have to be removed.
• Look for one that’s easy to attach and detach. The Bugaboo and Lascal boards are very easy. But the Valco Baby Vee Bee EZ Rider board and the Mountain Buggy Freerider scooter require some effort – their release mechanisms are difficult to reach.