Buggy Buying Guide 2025: Tried and Tested Picks from London Nannies

Choosing a buggy is one of the biggest practical decisions when you’re preparing for a baby. There are so many options, from full travel systems to lightweight strollers and clever city hybrids. But if you’re anything like us, two London-based nannies who have used buggy after buggy in every possible setting, you’ll want real-life insights, not just tech specs.

We’ve pushed them through parks, onto buses, up four flights of stairs and across cobblestones. So this guide is a blend of personal experience, practicality and genuine love for a beautiful, well-designed pram.

Here’s everything you need to know, including our top recommendations in each category.

Option 1: The Travel System

A full travel system usually includes a carrycot, toddler seat and car seat adapters. It’s designed to see your baby through from newborn to around age three, and often offers the smoothest ride and most features.

Pros
• Newborn ready, often with a proper lie-flat carrycot
• Compatible with infant car seats for quick transfers
• Large wheels and great suspension
• High weight limits and long-term use

Cons
• Bulky and heavy
• Not great for public transport
• Takes up a lot of space in hallways or car boots
• Pricey

Our Tried and Loved Picks

1. Bugaboo Fox 5
   An absolute dream to push. Fantastic suspension, beautiful design and folds with one hand. It’s robust without feeling clunky and looks just as good in the countryside as it does on the school run.

2. Nuna Mixx Next
   Sleek and smart. It’s slightly more compact than others in this category and folds with the seat still attached. A great option for parents who want quality but don’t need something massive.

3. Bugaboo Donkey 5 Mono
   If you’re thinking ahead to future babies or twins, this is a brilliant investment. Converts to a side-by-side double without losing style points. Surprisingly easy to push, even with the extra width.

Option 2: Travel Buggies

Travel buggies are designed for quick trips, holidays and small spaces. Some are suitable from birth, others from around six months, so it’s worth checking depending on your baby’s age.

Pros
• Lightweight and easy to carry
• Folds quickly, often with one hand
• Great for holidays and city living
• Fits easily into car boots or overhead compartments

Cons
• Smaller wheels can feel bumpier
• Less supportive for long walks
• Limited storage space
• Some aren’t suitable from birth

Our Favourite Picks for City Living and Holidays

1. Bugaboo Butterfly
   One of the most luxurious travel buggies we’ve used. It folds in one second, fits in an overhead locker and still has a roomy seat and decent basket underneath. Suitable from six months and perfect for London parents on the go.

2. Nuna TRVL
   Effortless folding, lovely materials and compatible with Nuna car seats without adapters. Ideal for short trips or as a second buggy for travel.

3. Elodie Mondo Stroller in Pimpernel
   A stunning design-led option that works from newborn and folds compactly enough to fit in aeroplane cabins. The William Morris print is gorgeous and the quality is excellent. We love that it combines practicality with a sense of style and individuality.

4. The Mamas & Papas Libro is a fantastic and more affordable travel buggy option for busy parents on the go. Lightweight and easy to fold, it features a comfortable reclining seat and an extendable canopy for sun protection. Its compact size makes it perfect for navigating busy streets or fitting into tight car boots and public transport. Stylish and practical, the Libro offers great value without compromising on quality.

Option 3: Compact All-Rounders for Everyday Life

This is where things get really exciting (for us nannies, at least). These buggies bridge the gap between a full travel system and a lightweight stroller. They’re suitable from birth, fold down small and feel stylish enough to push every day.

Pros
• Suitable from birth with lie-flat seats or newborn nests
• Lightweight but sturdy
• Fold in one piece
• Ideal for city homes with limited storage

Cons
• Smaller than a full travel system
• Not quite as feather-light as a pure travel buggy
• Fewer customisation options

Our Top Picks We’d Happily Push Every Day

1. Bugaboo Dragonfly
   Maisie’s personal choice, and for good reason. This buggy folds with the seat or bassinet attached and stands upright when folded. It’s beautifully made and perfect for London life, whether you’re navigating pavements, hopping on a bus, or nipping through the doors of Gails for your daily latte and cinnamon bun (just us?). This buggy has the added bonus of your little one being able to safely sleep in the bassinet from birth up to 20lbs or until your baby can sit up on their own.

   A personal note from Maisie on the Bugaboo Dragonfly:

   As you all know my partner, Jake, and I are expecting our first baby in November. We recently booked a baby appointment with John Lewis’ Nursery Advice Service. Their expert appointments provide expectant parents with advice on everything baby, from car seats and buggies to clothing and toys. The appointment can last up to 90 minutes, but if, like us, you are just going in to look at some specific things, the appointment may not last as long. Jake and I went in to look at a select number of buggies that we could fit in a small apartment. The main buggies we wanted to look at were the Nuna Triv, Bugaboo Fox and the Bugaboo Donkey, but we were open to looking at other options. Our reasoning behind wanting a Bugaboo Donkey was its versatility. Although our first baby hasn’t arrived yet, we were thinking ahead to the next. Jake is very keen to have our first two children close together in age, like he is with his younger brother. Whilst for me, baby number two is not on my radar, though it did get me thinking about our family in the long term. With the Bugaboo Donkey, it can operate as a double or a mono pram, in which a storage basket replaces the second seat if you are not using it as a double buggy. For me, I was thinking economically that if we did happen to have baby number 2 in the near future, we wouldn’t need to splash out on a pram now and then another double buggy in the future. However, when seeing this pram in person and testing it within the store, we soon realised it wasn’t going to be a practical option for us, living in an apartment in London where we would need to use public transport regularly. When looking at the Bugaboo Fox, we also came to a similar conclusion: whilst it is not as big as the Donkey, in person, it was still bulkier than we thought it would be. At work, I use the Nuna triv for baby girl. This buggy combines convenience with comfort for busy families on the go. You can purchase this as a travel system or simply as a seat and bassinet set. My favourite part about the Nuna triv is it’s Dream drape™, a built in breathable sunshade to protect your little one from the sun. Myself and Jake were very close to buying this pram but then we got introduced to the Bugaboo Dragonfly … The main selling point was it’s compact structure when folded with either the bassinet or the seat. We are limited on space in our apartment and we would need to keep our buggy folded up when it is inside. The Bugaboo Dragonfly is one of the only prams on the market that can fold away with the bassinet still attached, for us this was a win! The pram is also extremely easy to fold down one handed, it is so easy even Jake can do it! The design of the pram allows it to stand up by itself and it is easy to carry using the built in shoulder strap. We no longer have a car so when we visit family we need to take a train or have a family member pick us up so it was crucial that our buggy could be carried around a tube station or slotted into a car boot. Additionally, we are limited with how much stuff we can take with us whenever we go away as we also always have our little dog with us too, so we don’t travel light! So when the nursery expert at John Lewis informed us that the bassinet on the pram can also be used for overnight sleeping until baby is 20lbs or can sit on their own, we bought the Bugaboo Dragonfly then and there! This pram really does tick all the boxes for us, we can’t wait to put our little one in there and take them along for on our adventures.

2. Nuna Triv Next
   This one is sleek, folds with one hand and works with Nuna car seats. It’s a brilliant all-in-one option for parents who want minimal fuss without compromising on looks or comfort.

3. Silver Cross Dune
   A city buggy that feels luxurious. It folds upright, is newborn-ready straight out of the box and looks smart on any high street. The perfect mix of classic and modern.

4. Bugaboo Bee 6
   Still a favourite, though harder to find now. It’s incredibly compact, lies flat from birth and has a lovely push for such a small frame. If you find one secondhand in good condition, it’s worth snapping up. Becky used this buggy for three years in a previous nanny role, and it made her fall in love with Bugaboo as a brand, especially with the wheeled toddler board attached.

There’s no perfect buggy for everyone. But there is a buggy that will suit your life.

As two nannies who’ve folded, carried, pushed and cleaned just about every buggy out there, we can confidently say this: if you’ll be using it every day, you should love it. That means the way it looks, the way it feels to push, and how easily it folds into your hallway or boot.

Let the buggy do the hard work. You’ve got enough to carry already.