Baby Jogger City Mini, £269.95Baby Jogger prides itself on its buggies’ quick-fold technology, and this is definitely one of the winning features for all the mums and dads who praised this pushchair. Folding with one hand, and weighing just 7.6kg, as well as looking great, this is the “last pushchair you’ll ever need”, according to our reviewer. Baby Jogger City Mini owners raved about how easy it is to use, and loved how lightweight this buggy is. Check out the full MFM review of the Baby Jogger City Mini here. Buy the Baby Jogger City Mini from Kiddicare, or John Lewis. Compare deals from top retailers This British brand is fast becoming a serious player in the baby products market and, while it may be better known for its iSize car seats, Joie also produces a wide range of buggies. The Joie Chrome stood out for our mum and dad reviewers for being compact, lightweight and very easy to assemble, while it got five stars for being great value for money - a standout point.
Our professional MFM reviewer agreed it is good value, and pointed out it has a decent resale value. Read the full Joie Chrome review here. Buy the Joie Chrome from Mothercare. iCandy Peach 3 Blossom, £955Unsurprisingly the iCandy Peach is one of the buggies you rate highly! It’s a celebrity in the pushchair world and a lust-have for many a parent! The Peach 3 Blossom is the latest version of the ever-popular fruit-inspired pram, it's highly versatile and ideal for a growing family. Sturdy and travel system compatible, the iCandy Peach 3 Blossom can convert from a single to a double buggy and be used from birth if you buy the optional carrycot or a compatible car seat. MFM members rate its style, comfort and ease of pushing around as one of the best. Read the full iCandy Peach 3 Blossom review. You can buy the iCandy Peach 3 Blossom from iCandy or John Lewis Babyzen Yoyo 0+, £375The first folding buggy to fully comply with size recommendations for cabin luggage - meaning it can fit in an aeroplane overhead locker - the Yoyo 0+ is the second version of a very compact and nifty buggy.
It weighs a very light 6.5kg, so it's easy to see why it’s received rave reviews from some of our MadeForMums community, who rated its quick one-hand fold system, incredibly easy push factor and comfort for little ones as one of the best in the market. Check out the complete Babyzen Yoyo 0+ review. You can buy the Babyzen Yoyo 0+ from Harrods or Natural Baby Shower Mothercare Roam, £249It’s no big surprise that MFM mums and dads love the Mothercare Roam – it packs a lot of pushchair into a bundle with a very small price tag. Everything from the chassis, to the convertible seat/carrycot, car seat and even cosy toes, is included for a very competitive £249. Our reviewer said it was a pleasure to push this pram in every mode and very easy to steer, while one mum who bought the travel system said she couldn’t recommend it enough. Read the full review of the Mothercare Roam. You can buy the Roam direct from Mothercare. Stokke Xplory, £869With its instantly recognisable silhouette and unorthodox appearance, the Stokke Xplory could be the poster child of modern design!
MFM mums love the position it puts their babies in – and babies seem to love the view of the world it gives them. Mums rate its manoeuvrability and love how it tackles stairs. One MFM mum has even declared it “simply the best pushchair ever made”, while another loved its "unique" factor. Read all the Stokke Xplory reviews Click here to buy the Stokke Xplory on the Stokke website Cybex Priam, £810There’s no escaping the fact this is a very attractive pushchair. Not only is it easy to assemble and very comfy for baby, but it has a huge range of seat options and wheels for using on different terrains. It even folds with the seat unit in place, and can double as a highchair in cafes and restaurants as the seat is placed high on the frame. Our reviewer loved the luxury feel and “features galore”, while one parents described it as an “excellent choice”. But be warned, it’s not that lightweight or compact! Read what else our reviewer had to say about the Cybex Priam.
Buy the Cybex Priam from Mamas & Papas, and Natural Baby Shower Silver Cross Reflex, £199.99The Silver Cross Reflex is a stylish, easy-to-push buggy that weighs a mere 8.5kg. While the price tag might seem a little higher than some other lightweights on the market, some of you guys say it’s worth it because it’s well built and sturdy. As one MFM mum says; “It's lightweight, easy for all the family to use due to the adjustable handles and great value for money!" See the full Silver Cross Reflex review You can buy the Reflex from Toys R Us, Boots or John Lewis Babystyle Egg, £699With its head-turning design and sleek curves, this luxury offering from Babystyle has already got a loyal following of fans. It might be at the pricey end of the market, but its design, quality and durability were all given the thumbs up by parents reviewing the Babystyle Egg. Described as “love at first sight” by one mum, this buggy got more than a few hearts racing.
Our MFM reviewer called it the perfect pushchair, and said there’s definitely substance to it, as well as a lot of style. Read the full review of the Babystyle Egg here. You can buy the Babystyle Egg from Mothercare or House Of Fraser. Maclaren Triumph, £160Triumph is yet another Maclaren buggy that scores high in parent reviews. Light (a tiny 5.2kg) and easy to fold, the Triumph is ideal for holidays, public transport and anyone after a buggy that's quick and simple to get in and out of the car boot. Read all the Maclaren Triumph reviews Buy the Maclaren Triumph on Amazon on orders over £50 (exclusions apply) Free Click & Collect Collect from local shops FREE on orders over £50 (exclusions apply)No one stands in the way of a jogging mum with a buggy. See them storming across London's parks, sleek Lycra silhouettes, baseball caps pulled down low and dark shades, pushing those macho strollers with the oversized wheels aggressively in front of them.
I can understand why they do it – running with a buggy increases your calorie burn by 20 per cent – but I haven't been tempted to join them, despite having two pushchair faring children and living within metres of a common. I'm just too scared of the consequences. A friend, who jogged two miles each day with her triple buggy – she had a toddler and twins – saw the baby weight fall off but complained that she had to buy ever larger bras to accommodate her rippling back. This – and the pale, nauseous little faces I've seen bouncing up and down in their jogging strollers – has been my excuse for not so much as running for a bus with a pushchair. However, I put my doubts to one side in the interest of research, to take Alfie, my one-year-old, for a spin in the new Bugaboo Runner, the very latest in the army of jogging buggies now on the market. I was reassured that Alfie wouldn't suffer, because there is a state-of-the art suspension system within the frame and the tyres are enormous.
He certainly looked very pretty pleased with his shiny new wheels as we made our way on to Clapham Common. I was there to meet Katie Samuel, a trainer for Buggy Fit, which runs exercise classes for post-natal mothers across Britain. Katie promised that if I ran correctly I would keep the same bra and have a flatter stomach, more defined arms and a toned butt. "Running with a buggy works your hamstrings, quads and glutes, pushing," she told me. "And steering challenges and tones your biceps and triceps and your abdominals will need to be engaged to run with good posture." That was the theory, but running with a stroller is decidedly odd: I feel desperately self-conscious with my arms stuck out in front of me as if I'm pushing a supermarket trolley. But Katie explains that so long as the handlebars are correctly adjusted for my height this will actually help my running posture. "If they're in the right place you can run with a natural stride and your foot strike will be within your natural gait," she says.
The phenomenon of buggy runners was documented in an article in The New York Times in 2009. It described the "push-and-glide" technique used by veterans, in which you push the buggy out in front of you every few steps to keep it rolling. Jane Bradshaw, a personal trainer specialising in post-natal fitness, warns against this, however. She recommends you run as normally as possible, either with both hands on the handlebars or with one arm (you must alternate) swinging by the side. "Run with your hips held high and level and shoulders relaxed. Your feet should land underneath your body," Bradshaw instructs. It's such a good way of spending quality time with your child whilst being activeAfter the most gentle incline I pause for breath, prompting a disapproving glare from my passenger. But it's also great to be out in the fresh air with Alfie, which is part of the reason buggy running has become so popular. Emma Redding, founder of Buggy Fit, who took up running in the months following the birth of her first child and lost 4st, believes that the increased endorphins make for a happier as well as a fitter parent.
Mind, the mental health charity, lists walking or running with your buggy among their suggestions for how to prevent or overcome post-natal depression, a condition that affects two in every 10 British mothers. Fathers, too, are taking it up. Seasoned runner Georg Schirmer from Stoke-on-Trent bought an Out n' About running stroller four years ago when his oldest son, Sebastian, was born. He runs five miles twice a week and recently completed a half-marathon with his younger son, Oscar, one. "It started as a way of getting me out of the house with one of the children – something my wife is very supportive of," says Georg. Apparently, Oscar slept peacefully for half of the race (I can well believe this – Alfie dropped off as soon as we started) and enjoyed receiving jelly beans from the crowd for the rest of it. While the London Marathon is off limits for buggies, Georg plans to enter more races, such as Park Run and Race for Life. "It's such a good way of spending quality time with your child whilst being active," he says.
It's not all about you, though, he warns. The small person on board might be cold, hungry or simply not up for a run. "Take extra layers, water, snacks and if they're screaming, you'll have to go home," he warns. And you've also got to stay focused, he continues, because it's easy to get distracted when you're out running. "I was struggling to open an energy gel pack in the race last week and almost lost control of the buggy," he says. Emma, who has also entered charity races with her jogging stroller, knows of one mother whose double running buggy ended up in a river. Thankfully both children were unhurt. New mothers keen to get out running with their baby must wait until about six months after they've given birth, according to Bradshaw. It's about the only free exercise you can do with your child "Pregnancy and childbirth play havoc with your core; the abdominal muscles may not have returned to their pre-pregnancy position and be too weak to for running," she says.
"Plus the pregnancy hormone relaxin, which causes the ligaments and tendons to slacken, remains in the body for at least three months after you've stopped breastfeeding, making the joints more prone to injury." Newborn babies aren't up to a jogging buggy either: the Bugaboo Runner is not recommended for babies under the age of nine months when their supporting muscles aren't strong enough to hold the head up. And don't even think about trying to run with a buggy or pushchair that isn't designed for it. Purpose-built running buggies such as the Bugaboo Runner and those built by popular brands such as BOB, Baby Jogger and Mountain Buggy have a five-point harness for the baby, fixed front wheels and hand-operated brakes, which ensure they are safe for running. It is a big investment. An entry-level running buggy costs about £200, while the new Bugaboo costs £583 (or £334 for the chassis, an option available to existing Bugaboo owners who can use their original seat).
With its wide wheelbase, long chassis, fixed front wheel and non-reclining seat, the Runner isn't really practical to use as an everyday pushchair either, although there are jogging buggies out there that are dual purpose. Emma argues that a running stroller can actually save you money in the long term. Not only do you save on the cost of an exercise class, but also on child care. "It's about the only free exercise you can do with your child," she says. I agree that it is cheaper, easier and more fun (for the child) than depositing them in the creche at the gym. My husband had a fit, however, when he saw yet another buggy taking up space in our kitchen (we already have three: a single, a double and an umbrella-fold stroller). The fact it folds up in a couple of clicks and can hang on the wall didn't cut it. But after taking Hector, two, for a ride in it, he was converted. He's been out twice since then, wearing his baseball cap. What we really needed, he said when he returned, was two running buggies so we could go out en famille.
I think – I hope – he was only joking. Five of the best running buggies BOB revolution SUS Duallie, £249.99 The double version of the popular BOB Sport Utility (the Range Rover of double buggies) is designed for pushing multiple children up steep hills in comfort (!). Padded multi-position handlebar, easy-folding lightweight frame, and a fixed front wheel. Fits through standard doorways. Baby Jogger Summit x3, £429.99 A highly manoeuvrable hybrid exercise stroller, which switches between strolling and exercising using a remote wheel lock on the handlebar. Reclining seat, drum brakes and car seat compatible. Out n About Nipper Sport stroller, £279.95 The Nipper Sport is light and easy to fold with lie-flat seat, ensuring it is suitable for newborns (a carrycot is available separately). It features a fully adjustable handlebar, rear suspension, and a retractable sun canopy. And an enormous shopping basket for those runs to the shops. The BOB Revolution Pro, £332