Strollers Old And New

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Spot five differences between the type of stroller you'll see these days being used for stroller rentals compared to the older prams and the fold-up strollers that today's moms and dads rode in back in the 1970s and 1980s when they were little kids? And which of these innovations makes the biggest difference?

Actually, you can probably name more than just five differences between modern joggers as used for stroller rentals and the old ones. Let's see...

1 The wheels - prams had big, solid wheels with a hard narrow rim and a non-swivelling axis. The old style of pushchair/stroller had small wheels that swivelled far too much, but were solid and had a narrow rim. The wheels you'll see on a modern stroller or baby jogger are large with a big fat tyre with a reasonable tread, similar to what you see on a mountain bike. And while they swivel for ease of steering, they don't swivel too much.

2 The hood. Modern strollers have large hoods that are kind of like the big hoods used on ancient prams and are much larger than what could be found on the strollers of the seventies and eighties (if the stroller had one at all). But the modern strollers tend to have a clear panel in the hood to let you see what the baby's up to. Don't choose stroller rentals if they don't have a hood on the model on offer, as a sunburnt child will really spoil your Florida holiday.

3 The seatbelts/restraints. Prams didn't have them. If you were lucky, a 1970s stroller had a lap belt. Modern baby strollers have a sturdy harness restraint system that is easy for Mom or Dad to do up, even on a wiggly person throwing a wobbly, but is a bit harder for toddlers' fingers to undo during a long moment in a queue at Disney World.

4 Lots of luggage space. In an old pram, the luggage space was the other end of the pram by the baby's feet. Seventies strollers didn't have a whole lot of luggage space, which meant that Mommy (or, if you had a really hip, up-to-date family, Daddy) had to lug the diapers, drinks, snacks, raincoats, etc. around on her back. Modern strollers have a good amount of storage space that aids to the overall balance of the stroller and won't tip it over.

5 Adjustable seat positions. Old prams had one position: lying flat. If you were lucky, seventies-style strollers had two positions: upright and slightly reclining. Modern strollers as used for stroller rentals can be set in a number of positions ranging from flat (for small people who want a wee nap during the day out) to upright (so your small passenger can see all the fun of Disney World or wherever you're visiting).

6 Brakes. These tend to be easier to operate on modern baby strollers than they used to be. On some older strollers and many old prams, you didn't get any brakes at all - you had to hang onto the handles all the time or wedge your foot downhill from the wheel to stop runaway prams.

7 Accessories. These are found on modern strollers only, and if you can find stroller rentals that allow you to get a range of accessories for free, you're onto a good thing. Accessories found on a modern stroller include chiller packs, drinks holders for parents, glider boards for older siblings to stand on and LED lights.

8 Rain shields. I don't think I've ever seen a pram with a rain cover. Older strollers sometimes had them, but most parents with cheap strollers just threw a raincoat over the top of the stroller (Moooommmmy! I can't seeeeee!) or took shelter under a veranda. It may take a bit of time to pop on the rain shield on a modern stroller, but they certainly work when you get them on.

OK, so that's eight differences. There's probably a few more. But which innovation is the most important? You could easily argue that although brakes and restraint systems are very important, the wheels are even more important. Because it's the wheels that make a stroller a stroller. Otherwise, we'd be using those travois things as once used by Native Americans (now, wouldn't these make stroller rentals look a bit different?). Badly designed wheels make strollers a nightmare but good wheels make things, quite literally, run smoothly.

Wider wheels are perfect for negotiating a range of surfaces. Thin wheels as seen on older strollers were fine on hard sidewalks and the like but were an absolute pain on anything else, such as mud, grass or gravel. And if you're looking to go a number of places on your Florida holiday, you'll need stroller rentals that allow you to go wherever you fancy, so these big wheels are a must.

Wheels do need to swivel a bit so you can negotiate corners and dodge obstacles easily. This was one of the disadvantages of the older prams: the wheels didn't turn, as they were were just jammed on the ends of the axles. Cornering had to be done with brute force or picking your angles well in advance. Seventies strollers could swivel independently, which made cornering a lot easier, but because the wheels were narrow, if one wheel hit a stone, it would often swing through ninety degrees and make you stop suddenly. Pushing one was rather like pushing a very lightweight supermarket shopping trolley, and you could get the wheels all pointing in different directions if you didn't go over something marble-smooth. Modern strollers have the independent swivel design factor, but because the wheels are big, they don't end up in different directions when your back's turned.

A lot of the models you'll see used for stroller rentals have thick rubber tyres rather than the solid old things found on prams or older seventies strollers. This means that going down steps and over bumps is less jarring for the small passenger.

Compared to older strollers and prams, modern strollers are wheely easy to use!



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