Best prams for newborns 2023: The best buggies and travel systems to keep your baby safe and secure

Choosing the best pram for your newborn can be as overwhelming, time-consuming and, in some cases, feel as expensive as buying a secondhand car.

The main thing to bear in mind is that newborns need to be in a flat position for the first six months to help with lung and spine development. As such, you'll want a pram that comes with a carrycot (or bassinet) attachment or one that reclines fully.

Ideally, you'll also be able to convert it into a seat at a later date. Some carrycots are suitable for overnight sleeps, which means you won't have to fork out for a separate travel cot in the early months.

Beyond that, your decision will largely be determined by your budget and lifestyle. Be sure to check the dimensions (including the pram's folded size) to ensure it fits into your hallway and car boot. To help narrow your search, below you'll find our tips below on what to look for, followed by our pick of the best prams for newborns.

READ NEXT: Best baby thermometers | Best baby carrier | Best prams | Best baby monitors | Best changing bag | Best breast pumps | Best baby bouncer | Best high chairs | Best car seats | Best baby walker | Best baby bottles | Best baby bath | Best baby toys | Best TENS machine | Best travel cots | Best cot mattress | Best pregnancy pillow | Best nappies

It's recommended newborn babies lie completely flat to promote healthy spine and lung development. The NHS advises using a lie-flat pram until babies are able to sit by themselves, which is usually around the six-month mark. Sitting them upright can also restrict their airways and prevent them from breathing properly.

You can get lie-flat pushchairs that recline to 180 degrees, but most first-time parents will opt for a carrycot for a number of reasons.

Carrycots are supplied with proper mattresses and padding, and offer much more wriggle room than a pushchair with a harness. You can also use a carrycot for naps and occasional overnight sleeps in place of a travel cot.

In general, carrycots feel more robust and secure than pushchairs when you're out and about. However, they can be bulky and you'll need to find somewhere to store it (or sell it on) after just six months. If space is tight, you might want to consider a carrycot that can be later converted into a seat.

It might seem like an expensive purchase, but a travel system (a chassis to which you can attach a carrycot, a pushchair and a car seat) will serve you well from birth right up until three or four years old. Being able to attach a car seat to a pram frame without disturbing a sleeping baby may be worth the investment alone. Travel systems tend to be bulkier than regular pushchairs or buggies, however, so you'll need to figure out where you'll store all the attachments before investing.

We've already mentioned that you'll need a pram that offers a lie-flat position, but you might also want to consider a carrycot specifically designed for overnight sleeps if you're planning to travel frequently in the first few months. Sunshades with extra ventilation panels are a useful feature for summer-borns; rain covers tend to come as standard, but always check what comes in the box.

A clever one-handed folding mechanism could be just the ticket if you’ll be squeezing the pram in and out of a car boot frequently, or need to store it away when you’re at home to save on space. Pick a size and weight that works for you, your home and your car, and consider how often you’ll need to lift it up and down stairs. Also note the level of storage provided by the pram itself: a sizeable shopping basket can be a handy addition for when you’re stocking up on nappies from the local shop.

Price: £191 | Buy now from Amazon

In the world of prams, anything under £300 is considered a veritable bargain so this complete travel system from Hauck is great if you're on a tight budget.

It comes with a carrycot, a car seat and a rain cover so you're ready for all sorts of outdoor adventures from birth and the main seat features an adjustable footrest and a removable safety bar to grow with your little one until they're around three years old (or up to 15kg).

It moves smoothly despite the small plastic wheels and the frame only weighs 8.1kg so it can be pushed with one hand (the carrycot adds an extra 4kg).

There's a handy drinks holder attached to the handle (which you'd normally pay extra for with other models) and the shopping basket is massive. It's perfect for big shops, picnics and lugging half the contents of your toy box around.

Key specs – Age range: 0-36 months/15kg; Wheel type: Foam-filled tyres; Weight: 12.2kg (frame and carrycot); Folded dimensions: 93 x 52 x 35cm; Unfolded dimensions: 84 x 52 x 107cm

Price: £529 | Buy now from Jojo Maman Bébé

If you're pushed for space at home, spend time hopping on and off buses or take frequent flights, this compact pram is a perfect pick.

Its clever folding mechanism is a thing of beauty and, when fully collapsed, this pram is small enough to fit into an overhead compartment of a plane as hand luggage. It even comes with a bag to allow you to sling it over your shoulder.

Once you've nailed the one-handed fold, you'll want to demonstrate it everywhere you go – check out the YouTube videos, it's truly impressive. To use it from birth you'll need the baby nest, which is pretty snug and can only be used up to 9kg. You'll also need to use the five-point harness when you're out and about to keep your baby secure – something that isn't a concern with larger, sturdier models. It moves smoothly despite its lightweight chassis and small wheels, but it struggles over cobbles and longish grass.

From six months the main seat kicks into action, but bear in mind that it's front-facing, so you can't switch it round to make eye contact with your baby. Conveniently, there's a handy peephole in the canopy to check on your little one when you're on the move.

Key specs – Age range: 0-36 months/18kg; Tyre type: PU foam; Weight: 6.6kg with the newborn pack; Folded dimensions: 52 x 44 x 18cm; Unfolded dimensions: 106 x 86 x 44cm

Buy now from JoJo Maman Bébé

Price: £525 (bassinet: £150) | Buy now from Mamas & Papas

Adaptable and stylish, the Nuna Triv has many of the features you’d get with a more expensive pram for a mid-range price. Designed for city strolling, one of the main things going for the Triv is its ability to be easily folded into a compact form, light enough to slung over a shoulder by an in-built leather strap. That makes it a strong contender if you’re planning on using a pushchair regularly alongside your driving or taxi trips.

For newborns, Nuna sells a separate bassinet that clips easily into the Triv's frame and feels sturdy and secure, with a comfortable mattress and high-quality mesh fabrics that allow for plenty of ventilation. The generous canopy comes with a range of helpful options, such as an unzippable extension for extra shade, a peekaboo flap for checking in on your little one, and a section that can be opened up for even more ventilation. It's a pram bursting with helpful little details like this, as well as luxury touches such as a faux-leather pushbar.

Buy now from Mamas & Papas

Price: From £900 (dependent on attachments/spec) | Buy now from Mamas & Papas

German firm Cybex is a leading manufacturer of luxury baby gear and the Priam is one of its flagship products. Part-pram, part-stroller, the Cybex Priam is suitable from birth up to four years of age or 17kg and combines an all-wheel suspension with large wheels. These combine to offer one of the smoothest drives on a pram or pushchair we've ever used.

It feels almost identical in weight and manouverability when it's empty compared to when you're pushing your little one and it offers a wide range of personalisation options, from Lite wheels, a LUX seat for added comfort and even the option to swap the front wheels out for skis. Yes, really.

The frame weighs 8.3kg and the pram's full overall weight depends on which seats and attachments you choose. Its basket looks small but is spacious, opening out to store much more than you'd realise. We even managed to carry three bags of Aldi shopping and a box containing a slow cooker. The catch is that it's not cheap. Far from it, but this is the pram/pushchair we keep returning to time and time again, so we highly recommend.

More recently, Cybex introduced an electric model called the e-Priam.

Read our full Cybex Priam review

Key specs – Age range: 0-48 months/17kg; Weight: From 11.9kg

Buy now from Mamas & Papas

Price £979 | Buy now from Stokke

This smart piece of Scandinavian engineering will leave a significant dent in your pocket, but the fact that you can adjust the height of the pram to promote bonding between parent and child is priceless. If your budget permits, it's a great buy and its cutting-edge design is quite different from anything else on the market.

The height of both the carrycot and seat can be easily adjusted, so you won't have to stoop down when moving your newborn in and out of the pram and you can enjoy face-to-face interaction in the parent-facing position when your child is a little older. The chunky swivel wheels provide a smooth ride, allowing you to tackle potholes and kerbs with ease.

The handlebar offers a good grip, but its unusual oval design means you can't hook bags over it, plus there's no storage space under the seat. You get a removable zipped bag instead, which although neat doesn't offer as much flexibility as a basket. The Stokke Xplory X is pricey, but there's no doubt you’re getting a premium product for your money.

Key specs – Age range: 0-36 months/15kg; Tyre type: Foam-filled; Weight: 12.1kg (frame and carrycot); Folded dimensions: 99 x 34 x 56cm; Unfolded dimensions: 75-102 x 89-123 x 57cm

Buy now from Stokke

Price: £1,070 | Buy now from John Lewis

Designed in the US, the Uppababy Vista has a huge following on both sides of the Atlantic. It may be pricey but this sturdy travel system offers a range of seating options from birth until around three years old (maximum 23kg). It can be adapted for growing families through the RumbleSeat attachment too, which transforms it into a double pram.

The padded carrycot is one of the cosiest around and with its perforated mattress pad, vented base and water-repellent inner liner, you can use it for overnight sleeps as well. For sunny strolls there's an extendable sunshade that drops right down for SPF50+ protection, and the chunky wheels and shock-absorbing suspension ensure a smooth ride – even across rough terrain.

The pram is pretty wide, which makes it a little tricky to manoeuvre on packed buses and in small shops, plus it's bulky, even when folded, but it collapses into an upright position if storage space is at a premium. Its jumbo shopping basket gets a big thumbs up.

Key specs – Age range: Suitable 0-48 months/23kg; Tyre type: Foam and rubber; Weight: 12.7kg (frame and carrycot); Folded dimensions: 35.5 x 67 x 84cm; Unfolded dimensions: 100 x 67 x 94cm

Buy now from John Lewis

Price: £370 | Buy now from Amazon

Best known for designing car seats, Diono has now moved into the world of prams and the Quantum is the brand's first travel system. Available for less than £500, it offers a lot of bang for your baby buck: it can be used from birth until around four years old (or 22kg).

One of the standout features is the carrycot, which cleverly converts into a seat to use from around six months, so you won't have to make room to store a bulky attachment when you're finished with it. It has a huge canopy for full sun coverage, plus mesh ventilation alongside a peekaboo window for plenty of parent-newborn interaction.

This pram is super-sturdy so there's no chance of it tipping over, but it's the heaviest pram on this list at 14.3kg – something to consider if you'll need to carry it up and down stairs frequently. The easy-to-access shopping basket is massive, and there's a handy pocket at the rear of the seat to store easy-to-grab items. All in all, the Diono Quantum is an affordable and practical buy.

Key specs – Age range: 0-48 months/22kg; Tyre type: Foam-filled; Weight: 14.3kg; Folded dimensions: 33 x 61 x 73cm; Unfolded dimensions: 110 x 61 x 94cm