How to choose the right buggy or pushchair

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Does it need to be forward AND rear facing?

Which way your baby faces in the pushchair has become a hot topic in the past few years. Research in late 2008 suggested that parent-facing (rear-facing) buggies could help your baby’s development, as it encouraged increased interaction with your baby. 

Of course, if you’re a parent who would naturally interact a lot with your baby, then this is not something you’ll need to worry about. However, if you’re someone who would like to see, smile and talk to your newborn while you’re pushing him, then you may want to consider a rear facing buggy.

Once your baby becomes older, he’ll get nosey and will no doubt want to look at what’s going on around him. So having an option for both is a bonus, and there are now a number of pushchairs on the market that offer two-way facing.

Pros

• It's an opportunity for you to see and interact with your baby while walking along - great if your baby is regularly in a pushchair 
• It's good to have the flexibility of changing the way your baby or toddler is facing, according to what you're doing or what your needs are

Cons

• Dual-facing buggies can be more expensive, heavier and bulkier to fold
• For some models, changing the direction can be a bit of a faff. You may have to detach the seat from the chassis, physically turn the seat around and slot it back onto the frame. However, some pushchairs, such as the Graco Symbio and Mothercare Spin, have an easier mechanism, where you simply move the handle.