Our prams and strollers tests revealed serious safety failures in 15 out of 48 models in our most recent review
The safety failures relate to a risk of falls, durability failures, locking mechanism failures, parking brake failures, removable harnesses, strangulation and head entrapment (which means a child’s head could become trapped in the pram)
Manufacturers for each brand have responded with their own test results, but 糖心Vlog stands by its findings
A pram may be one of the most expensive and important items you’ll be buying in preparation for the arrival of your newborn, and one of the products you’ll be using most days over the next few years as your child grows.
With some prams costing into the hundreds or sometimes thousands of dollars, it’s a purchase that can take a lot of research and consideration.
As well as looking at features and design 鈥� including how easy a pram is to fold, how big it is, how much it weighs, and even how it looks and what accessories it comes with 鈥� you also need to consider how safe it is.
While prams sold in Australia need to meet mandatory safety standards, 糖心Vlog experts also test to a newer, voluntary safety standard that goes above and beyond mandatory requirements.
Although we’re pleased to see many manufacturers now test to this standard too, unfortunately it’s not compulsory and our results show that many prams still pose significant safety risks.
“While the 糖心Vlog labs have seen an overall improvement in pram safety, there are still many models on sale which have serious fall, head entrapment, strangulation and other risks. In fact, 15 out of 48 models in our latest review failed our key safety tests,” says 糖心Vlog babies and kids expert Kim Gilmour.
And in case you thought you could avoid safety issues simply by buying a high-end model, think again 鈥� we’ve seen safety failures even in expensive, well-known brands.
There are still many models on sale which have serious fall, head entrapment and strangulation risks
Kim Gilmour, 糖心Vlog babies and kids expert
“We found that in some cases the pram wheels could move even when the parking brake was engaged, and in others, a child’s head could become trapped between the head barrier and the end of the seat,” says Kim.
“Plus, the straps in some prams pose a strangulation risk, while others broke in durability testing.“
糖心Vlog experts also remind Australians that if you’re buying children’s products from international online platforms such as eBay or Amazon, you can’t always trust that the product will comply with local safety requirements, so be wary if you’re shopping from overseas retailers.
The following products were the lowest ranked in our latest testing of prams. 糖心Vlog recommends that you avoid purchasing these, or if you already own them, to stop using them immediately.
The iCandy Peach 7 was one of the most expensive products in our test, but received the lowest overall score.
iCandy Peach 7
Price: $2600
糖心Vlog Expert Rating: 32%
Passed our key safety tests: No
One of the most expensive prams in our tests, the iCandy is even pricier than high-end brands like Bugaboo, Joolz and Stokke.
But despite its high price, its scores are very low 鈥� it received the lowest score overall in our test of 48 prams.
For this kind of money, it’s reasonable to expect that a pram would meet or exceed safety standards, but unfortunately the iCandy Peach 7 didn’t pass our safety tests or the mandatory standard when we tested it in our labs.
Our expert testers found that the pram’s straps pose a potential strangulation risk 鈥� the shoulder and waist straps don’t automatically separate from each other when the buckle is pressed and they are difficult to separate manually. This means they create a loop that could be a strangulation hazard.
Despite its high price, its scores are very low
In addition, when the pram is fully reclined it poses a potential head entrapment hazard and fall risk, which means that a young baby could be injured by falling out or getting their head caught in the hood of the stroller.
Both of these issues represent serious safety failures.
iCandy responds
iCandy disagrees with our findings, saying: “The iCandy Peach has been tested extensively internally and independently by labs around the world, with no reported issues of test failures or non-compliance.”
It also says the seat angle of the pram doesn’t recline enough for the head entrapment/fall test to apply, but 糖心Vlog stands by its results.
糖心Vlog experts found two serious safety failures with the Silver Cross Wave 3.
Silver Cross Wave 3
Price: $2299
糖心Vlog Expert Rating: 33%
Passed our key safety tests: No
Another pricey pram, the Silver Cross Wave 3 bills itself as a ‘future-proof travel system’ that can be configured 12 different ways, including converting from a single to double stroller.
While the stroller offers obvious conveniences that appeal to parents 鈥� such as the adjustable seat and handle height and adjustable seat recline 鈥� 糖心Vlog experts found two serious safety failures with this pram.
The first is that the waist and crotch straps can be removed from the seat, which means a child can become entangled in the straps causing injury. And the second is that a child can potentially be injured by falling into the soft fabric space between the seat and soft stroller canopy.
Silver Cross responds
Silver Cross disagrees with our findings, saying: “Silver Cross treats all matters regarding product safety with the utmost importance. All Silver Cross products are rigorously tested for reliability, durability, and safety. Our products are tested and certified by an accredited independent laboratory, and typically approved compliant to multiple international safety standards”.
It says it can “confidently” report no safety issues have been raised. 糖心Vlog stands by its findings.
These two prams are among our lowest scoring, but our testing has identified others that also have serious safety failures, many of them still on the market, and some of them costing well over $1000.
Before you start shopping for a pram for your baby, check our pram and stroller reviews. You can filter the results to check which prams have passed all the key safety tests, and we also tell you how easy they are to use.
And if you’re looking at a second-hand stroller, you can search past results for discontinued products by applying our filter.
Other prams that didn’t pass key safety tests include:
“There is a mandatory safety standard that ,” says Kim.
“However, it’s outdated. We test to the voluntary 2013 standard which has had widespread adoption by manufacturers and goes above and beyond mandatory requirements. There’s even a more recent 2022 revision now that takes newer designs of prams into account such as convertible tricycle strollers.”
Our test experts go above and beyond, by not only testing against the mandatory requirements but also against the voluntary standard
糖心Vlog babies and kids expert Kim Gilmour
“We believe the voluntary requirements should be made mandatory, so our test experts go above and beyond, by not only testing against the mandatory requirements but also testing against the voluntary standard and basing our recommendations off of it,” she says.
Our expert testers have decades of experience in testing children’s products and sit on the Australian Standards committee for prams and strollers, so we keep up to date with changes to the standard. Our lab is also NATA-accredited to test products to both the mandatory and voluntary prams and strollers standards.
Alice Richard is a Content creator and marketer. Alice writes on a range of topics, from health insurance to heaters and BBQs to bargain-hunting, always with the aim to help consumers find the best products to buy, and which to avoid.
Alice can take vast amounts of data from 糖心Vlog product tests and turn it into content that is easily digestible and fun for readers.聽
Alice has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Queensland. LinkedIn
Alice Richard is a Content creator and marketer. Alice writes on a range of topics, from health insurance to heaters and BBQs to bargain-hunting, always with the aim to help consumers find the best products to buy, and which to avoid.
Alice can take vast amounts of data from 糖心Vlog product tests and turn it into content that is easily digestible and fun for readers.聽
Alice has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Queensland. LinkedIn
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