Prams: Forward or Backward Facing?

Syntax Error · 10/05/13 - 15:57

I'm in the process of selecting a pram & I was adamant that I was going to seat the baby backwards, so I could see the baby, but I have been told that it is better to face the baby forwards, as it is better for their development if they can see what is going on in front of them.

Is there a best way, or does it not really matter?

PinkPetunia · 10/05/13 - 16:01

Personally I would always prefer the baby facing me .I had mine many moons ago in the days of Silver Cross high prams and they always faced Mum .They could well manage to look around them and see the world but feel safe and secure that you were there .
It sure never hindered their development as we chatted non stop .!!

Utopian Girl · 10/05/13 - 16:06

I had an amazing Silver cross pram that had a levelling cushion for new borns which you could remove later, plus it would face you or flip and turn if you wanted.

Personally I like newborns facing me - then as they grow they love observing things around them so this pram was perfect IMO.

annette kurten · 10/05/13 - 16:07

i prefer facing me soi can interact.

[Deleted User] · 10/05/13 - 16:21

I read it's better for their speech development if they face you as you can talk to them. Although as a baby I apparently screamed every time my parents put me facing towards them. I was far too nosey. Just depends on what your baby is happy with too really, although personally I'll be trying parent facing first.

[Deleted User] · 10/05/13 - 16:24

Some prams can face either way at the snap of a couple of buttons.

[Deleted User] · 10/05/13 - 16:28

I had a silver cross that did both, I had my son facing me /laying flat until he could sit up so thT I could talk to him/he felt safe as he knew I was there, then I converted the pram into a buggy and he faced outwards. He seemed to really enjoy seeing the world go by and I would definitely do the same thing again if (big if!) we ever have another child.

What I would say is go and test drive prams in the shop, I had my heart set on a silver cross and ordered it online without pushing it first. In hindsight and if I'd done more hands on research I would have bought a bugaboo.

BinCat · 10/05/13 - 16:43

We had a Silver Cross pram when mine was a baby that had a carrcyot and a seat that could face both ways that both fit onto the chassis.

When he was newborn to about 6 months or so, when he wasn't in the carrycot, I had him facing me, so I could keep and eye on him and also chatter as we went along:).

As he got older I turned the seat facing away so he could see everything and he was also old enough to know that I was only behind him so he wasn't worried.

modeyink · 10/05/13 - 16:52

You know I'm having a moment here. My son is only 7 but I can't bloody remember what kind of pram we had. How bad is my memory?? But I reckon I'd go for facing me for the first few months and then facing away from then on. You can get the reversible ones now.

miss-kitty · 10/05/13 - 16:57

With my twins I had a world facing (I had no options then, I couldn't find a parent facing double.)
And they had severe speech delay.
I always wish I could have had a parent facing pram, they may still have had the speech delay, but maybe not so bad, to be honest it's just a lot of what ifs at this point.
With my girl I have a mothercare my4, which can be parent facing or world facing, so now I get the best of both worlds, I can have her face me for some interaction, and other times I can have her world facing so she can see what's going on.
Both are important, but if I'd had to choose one or the other I would choose parent facing, mainly because of the issues of speech delay with my boys if I'm honest.

Good luck finding a pram you like whichever way you decide, it can be hard to choose these days.

PinkPetunia · 10/05/13 - 17:00

modeyink wrote: »

You know I'm having a moment here. My son is only 7 but I can't bloody remember what kind of pram we had. How bad is my memory?? But I reckon I'd go for facing me for the first few months and then facing away from then on. You can get the reversible ones now.

Mine is 32 and I can not only remember the pram I still have it !! Its perfect after 3 of them . I remember the sheets , the blankets etc .But for the life of me I cant remember what he asked me yesterday to get in the shop for him .!!!!

Hotgossip · 10/05/13 - 17:02

I prefer prams and pushchairs where the babies face their mothers. Just as an aside I also prefer them to be able to lay down properly.

I hate to see tiny babies propped up and hunched over and I am sure it can't be good for their developing backs.

If you ever watch a small child or baby asleep they like to spread out and their body is completely relaxed. In fact just like a yoga pose.

miss-kitty · 10/05/13 - 17:05

Hotgossip wrote: »

I prefer prams and pushchairs where the babies face their mothers. Just as an aside I also prefer them to be able to lay down properly.

I hate to see tiny babies propped up and hunched over and I am sure it can't be good for their developing backs.

If you ever watch a small child or baby asleep they like to spread out and their body is completely relaxed. In fact just like a yoga pose.

Another reason I love my my4, it lays fully flat! The seat is set up using buckles underneath to form the seat shape, undoing the buckles flattens the feet end, and then the top lays flat as normal! I have 3 settings on mine, sat bolt up right, laid flat back and then somewhere in the middle, I lay her back into the middle position so she can drink her bottle, (she can't quite do it sat bolt up right) and then lay her flat if she goes to sleep!

Syntax Error · 10/05/13 - 17:23

Thank you for your responses to up to now.

I think I'm going to go for a backwards facing pram as I'd like to see the baby, unless someone can convince me otherwise.;)

miss-kitty · 10/05/13 - 17:42

msmasood wrote: »

I read it's better for their speech development if they face you as you can talk to them. Although as a baby I apparently screamed every time my parents put me facing towards them. I was far too nosey. Just depends on what your baby is happy with too really, although personally I'll be trying parent facing first.

My boys were incredibly nosy too, they hated laying down, because they couldn't see anything, we had to prop them up with blankets for the first few months (although their double was suitable from birth they were 6 weeks early, so the straps drowned them even at the tightest setting

)
I do have to wonder if a parent facing pram would have suited them given how nosy they were, but as I said in an earlier post, it's all a lot of what ifs now, 7 years later.

luba · 10/05/13 - 18:00

For both my boys I had them facing me so we could chat well I could.
When they got older I had pushchairs which would face them away from me.
Every so often I would stop, look round the pushchair to and see if they were OK., they always were but I missed their little faces looking at me and giving me little smiles.
I much prefered them facing me.

sharon7 · 10/05/13 - 19:29

The majority of prams are both facing :-)

mildredhubble · 10/05/13 - 19:39

I have one that faces both ways.

gertrude hubble · 10/05/13 - 19:42

It's been 14 years since my youngest was in a pram but with both my children I had it facing me so I could see them and chat to them. They moved onto a pushchair when they were around 6 months so they could see what was going on but I found I was having to stop to see if they had fallen asleep so I could lower the back of the chair so they'd be more comfortable.

towers · 10/05/13 - 20:16

Syntax Error wrote: »

I'm in the process of selecting a pram & I was adamant that I was going to seat the baby backwards, so I could see the baby, but I have been told that it is better to face the baby forwards, as it is better for their development if they can see what is going on in front of them.

Is there a best way, or does it not really matter?

Young babies should face towards you - so you can chat to them and help them feel secure

- but when they're older ( once they're becoming more nosey ) they like to see what's going on around them, so I'd face them forward.

Ultimately though, it's what makes your child happiest.

Syntax Error · 10/05/13 - 21:40

towers wrote: »

Young babies should face towards you - so you can chat to them and help them feel secure - but when they're older ( once they're becoming more nosey ) they like to see what's going on around them, so I'd face them forward.

Ultimately though, it's what makes your child happiest.

Thank you.

Very helpful advice.:);)

TWS · 10/05/13 - 21:45

Yeah_Jackie wrote: »

Some prams can face either way at the snap of a couple of buttons.

what they said a lot of prams so this nowadays, I bought one as I think baby facing you first then as they grow they like more stimulation from the world

Mumof3 · 11/05/13 - 00:53

You'll probably end up with more than one in the end anyway. After the palaver of choosing a good pram with decent suspension and all the kit, I made most use of a cheap folding stroller, once we'd got past the initial 12 months.

spimf · 11/05/13 - 01:10

I would always recommend parent facing for the first few months, and then turn them forwards facing once they are sitting up and wanting to look around. As someone else mentioned too laying completely flat is a must, I hate seeing tiny babies put into those umbrella strollers all hunched up. One handle is a must for me too, I was so picky when choosing my buggy, but it is an important decision! Have you been to try a few out in mothercare / babies r us or similar?

alr837 · 11/05/13 - 01:20

def one that flips around when they get a little older. Many of them can go flat for sleeping. Although my best mate adored her's which had a seperate carry cot with it - it wasn't used as long as the rest of it, but her daughter loved it. Are you going to have a travel system?

Khyra · 11/05/13 - 01:39

I have a three week old and we brought the Silver cross Surf. We have it in pram mode all the time at the moment, baby can lie completely flat as it comes with a baby nest that you insert into the seat its almost like a mini moses basket. We can also fit our car seat onto the frame as well. Our baby faces us all the time at the moment if she faced the other way I think we would be constantly walking around to the front to check if she was ok. Once you turn the pram into the pushchair it becomes a forward facing seat though I would imagine that we wont be using that for at least 6 months.

When we were looking for a pram we narrowed our choices down and went into Mothercare and compared the two, the staff let us push the prams about and showed us how they worked both as a pram and pushchair. Its really important that you make the right choice and you feel comfortable with it and its fits into your lifestyle. Not only are they are expensive they are an item that you will be using a lot.

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