baby

"I found a way to choose a pram that didn't leave me overwhelmed."

There are plenty of lists telling you what you need to buy for a new baby, and obviously a pram is essential.

When I was pregnant with my first child, I found the choices too overwhelming. Just one visit to a Mothercare shop made me want to run and hide from it all – there were just too many options.

Watch: My baby boy babbling at a few weeks old. (Post continues below).

So I decided to outsource the job of choosing a pram.

My mother was overseas and desperately wanted to be involved, so I asked her to do the research and give me two options.

It’s my favourite parenting hack, and the only one I can claim as an original, but it could work with anyone who wants to be involved in a pregnancy.

Yep that's exactly how I imagined I'd look as a new mum. Image via Bugaboo.
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I still got to choose the best pram for me, but with a helpful filter through all the noise.

Because I was living in London and didn't have a car, my buggy was going to be my connection to the outside world.

This pram would be travelling a lot, mostly on concrete paths and a few pebbled park walks. I also wanted something light and not too bulky.

My London terrace flat had a few steps at the entrance and I wanted to be able to catch the tube and the bus easily.

Charlie loved his pram as much as toy cars. Image supplied.

Easy folding was another big concern but I didn't need to fold up my pram for months.

My mum was diligent in her research and left me with two options. She looked at a variety of prams and their weight, and read reviews, talked to new mums and went to the shopping mall.

She folded, she road-tested and nearly halfway through my pregnancy my mum sent me an email:

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"All the new mums I have talked to are talking up the Bugaboo prams - in particularly the Bugaboo-Bee," she said.

Not just a celebrity pram. Image via Getty.

She also mentioned another brand that was the next lightest in weight, but when I looked at it in the shop it was so heavy the choice was easy.

All I had to do was look at two prams. I only had to take my partner to the shops once and the job was done.

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Since then I've been so happy with my decision - not only the pram, but also to get my Mum involved. I could have researched prams myself, but I didn't want to. It gave me a headache.

Across the other side of the world, she became involved in my pregnancy and took her first step towards being the fabulous grandmother she is today.

My mother with her first grandson. Image supplied.

My son and I made our first trip outside together with that pram and have since moved countries with it.

My son, Charlie, is two-years-old still falls soundly to sleep in his pram in the middle of the day. I pack a lot less baby gear in it these days and it's still provides us a light and easy way to leave the house.

America’s most famous baby-gadget expert, Jamie Grayson, tells me Bugaboos come out on top.

"I’ve worked with Bugaboo for a very long time, and I have no problems saying it’s the number one stroller on the market," he told Mamamia.

Listen: Midwife Cath explains what you really need for a newborn. (Post continues after audio.)

"If you buy it, years down the road you can sell it for almost full original price."

Thank you Mum, you did good.

The Bugaboo Bee will even be great for the my next baby on the way and I don't even have to know about all the other options.

How did you choose your pram? Let us know in the comments.