Pushchairs, Prams and Travel Systems in the Boot

Folded size is the number that matters

Pushchairs vary more than almost any other item of luggage. A lightweight cabin-approved buggy folds to something close to a rolled umbrella. A full travel system with a chassis, a carrycot and a car seat is three separate components, the largest of which can occupy most of a saloon boot on its own. Both are called a pushchair in conversation, which is why the word alone tells us almost nothing.

The useful description is what it folds to and whether the wheels come off. Parents generally know this precisely, because they have wrestled with it. Two sentences at booking prevents the far worse alternative of finding out at a terminal kerb. The folded footprint is the number that decides the vehicle, and it varies enormously between models.

Travel systems and what actually travels

A travel system usually comes apart into a chassis, a seat unit or carrycot, and an infant car seat. On a car journey the infant seat is in use rather than stowed, so only the chassis and the seat unit need boot space. That is a helpful simplification and it is often overlooked when people estimate what will fit.

Twin buggies are a different matter. Side-by-side twins are wide even folded, and tandems are long. Either will fit a people carrier or a large SUV comfortably and will challenge a saloon boot, especially alongside suitcases. Declaring which type you have avoids the awkward discovery that the boot is already full of suitcases.

• Lightweight fold: fits almost any vehicle
• Full chassis plus seat unit: SUV or people carrier is safer
• Twin or tandem buggy: plan for a people carrier
• Removable wheels reduce the folded footprint considerably

The rest of the family load

Babies travel with more than a buggy. There is usually a changing bag that needs to stay in the cabin, a bag of feeding equipment, sometimes a travel cot, and the ordinary suitcases for everyone else. A family of four heading to Heathrow for a fortnight with a travel system and a travel cot is a genuinely large load and is one of the most common reasons a people carrier is recommended.

The changing bag is the item that should always be reachable rather than buried. Say so at loading and it stays in the cabin. Feeds, nappies, a spare outfit and a favourite toy are all things that nobody wants to unload an entire boot to reach on a busy forecourt.

Airport runs with a baby

Airport departures with an infant have their own rhythm. Most airlines allow a pushchair to be taken to the aircraft door and returned there or at the carousel, so it needs to come out of the vehicle at the terminal rather than being packed for a hold. Building a little extra time into the departure for unloading and reassembling is sensible.

On the inbound leg, the car seat matters most. If a seat is being provided, it needs fitting before the family walks out, which takes a few minutes and is much easier when the chauffeur knows in advance rather than being asked at arrivals. Ten minutes of preparation at the airport end is much better than ten minutes of improvisation.

Plan your chauffeur journey

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