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Bring your baby along as you get back into your favourite hobby
Keen to get back into jogging with a little one on the scene? We’ve rounded up the best running buggies to help you get some miles under your belt while bringing your baby along for the ride.
Most baby buggies are designed to be used while walking but if you want to go a bit faster it’s best to wait until your little one is aged from six to nine months and is able to hold their head up comfortably.
Don’t forget that mums are usually advised to wait until three months after giving birth (once signed off by their GP) before they get back into running, with or without a buggy.
You don’t have to actually jog with a running buggy, of course – they’re just ready to pick up the pace if you want to, so, even if you aren’t sure if you’ll exercise much with yours, a run-ready model is well worth choosing for use as a general buggy, giving you extra versatility.
Running buggies are brilliant for country walks and park adventures, too, thanks to their tougher tyres, and we found them far sturdier and easier to push over uneven terrain than regular buggies. So, whether walking or running, these buggies are a great choice.
With baby on board, we took each buggy for a 5km jog on tarmac and groomed dirt trails. We looked at manoeuvrability, ease of setup, comfort for your child, and a good solid build, including tough tyres. We also tested loading and unloading each buggy into a car boot, and storing them at home.
Most jogging pushchairs have three wheels instead of four, with a front wheel you can use to steer when walking but that’s lockable for running. These buggies also come with a more streamlined shape than traditional buggies. Look for tough, fat tyres – if you fancy tackling groomed trails with your buggy, make sure the tyres are suitable for going off-road. We’d recommend checking out models in person, to make sure the handlebar height is comfortable for you. We like built-in wrist straps (you can also add these yourself) as well as multiple brakes for safety. During cold weather, we’d recommend adding a warm footmuff (£83.30, Najell.com), and stroller gloves (£17.50, Najell.com) when walking.
Good running buggies can cost upwards of £500 but, if you’ll use yours as a day-to-day buggy, we’d definitely recommend picking something of good quality that works as an all-rounder stroller – look for a design that takes a bassinet for newborns, comes with space for storing your shopping or that works with your car seat system.
It can be confusing to understand when it’s safe to jog with a little one – some brand guidelines say you can start from six months, others from nine months. Carson Gilliam from Baby Jogger, says: “Your child needs to be able to confidently hold the weight of its head and be fully in control of their head and neck in an upright seated position before you take them on that first jog. Due to babies advancing at different rates, this level of upper body strength can develop later than six months, so, for the safety of all children, it’s recommended to jog with them from nine months. It’s also mandatory for strollers sold in Europe to comply with standards that state that strollers should only be used for jogging with infants from nine months.”
In this round-up, we’ve included some more affordable options as well as running-only models that are ideal if you already own an everyday buggy. We were seriously impressed with Thule’s urban glide 3, whicb is a brilliant all-rounder, while our top pick for serious runners is Out n About’s nipper sport. After something more affordable? We think Ickle Bubba’s venus max is a bargain.
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