Choosing a lightweight travel stroller: 7 things to check

You do not buy a travel stroller for the nursery, but for the train, the plane, the stairs to your flat and the café terraces in town. These seven points decide whether you will still love it a year from now.

1. The weight, including everything

Manufacturers often quote the weight of the bare frame. Ask for the total weight with seat, canopy and wheels. Anything under 9 kg goes up the stairs on one arm. The Panda weighs 8.4 kg complete.

2. A one-hand fold

You almost always have a child on the other arm. Test in the store whether you can fold the stroller with one hand and whether it stands upright once folded. A stroller that topples over on the platform is not a travel stroller.

3. Folded size

For cabin baggage most airlines allow roughly 55 × 40 × 23 cm. Always check with your airline; folded, the Panda measures 61.5 × 43 × 19 cm and fits almost any train or coach luggage rack.

4. Suspension and wheels

Small wheels without suspension are fine on smooth floors, but not on cobbles or beach paths. Look for suspension on all wheels and ball bearings: it makes pushing easier and naps longer.

5. Lie-flat from birth

If you want to use the stroller from day one, you need a full lie-flat position. Check the maximum load too; 22 kg means you are set until about age four.

6. Accessories you will actually use

A rain cover and a bumper bar are the accessories you reach for most. Check that they fit without tools and that the bumper bar opens with one click.

7. Warranty and material

Ask about the warranty period and what it covers. And look at the material: a bamboo frame is warm to hold, strong and, at the end of the road, no plastic waste.