Must-have pushchair accessories – and ones to avoid

👍Rocket

«Spare me this rubbish, please,» is probably what you’re thinking. Or at least, that’s what I thought, until I saw the Rockit Rocker in action with my niece. The rocket lightly shakes your pushchair when you’re not rocking it by hand. After all, standing still often equals a baby that’s awake or fussy. A few years ago, the rocker would’ve spared me many a lengthy rocking session.

👍 Coffee cup holder

Sure, you can pop your water bottle in the diaper bag or in the stroller net. But where do you put your coffee cup? Depending on the weight you’re pushing, the ground surface you’re on and the incline you’re facing, there’s no way you can push and hold your coffee cup at the same time. This is where a cup holder comes into play. Depending on the size of the holder, you can also put a can inside. But remember, if the Rockit Rocker’s rocking, you’ll have to remove that drink first.

👍 Buggy board with a seat

Depending on the age of your first-born child, it’s not always easy to know if you should get a pushchair for the second child or go for a footboard for the eldest. A ride-on board with a seat could be a solid compromise. The princess model worked well in our case. Whenever our big girl was tired of walking or standing on the buggy board, we’d just fold out the seat. This accessory probably spared us quite a few meltdowns.

No thanks! Things you can do without

👎 Pushchair fan

In theory, a mini fan sounds like a good idea. On hot summer days, it would blow a cool breeze into an overheated buggy. In practice, however, it’s just a toy your child will keep tugging at. Do you think your child will actually let the fan do its job when it’s sitting right in front of its nose, spinning and making noises? Well, unless you kid is still a baby, I think not.

👎 Phone holder

Hand on heart, do you really need to keep checking your phone? Couldn’t it be a good thing to not have it close-by for a bit? Go on, put it in the changing bag! Sure, a phone holder makes writing messages while pushing a buggy much easier. But I think you’d be forgiven for sending an annoying voice message in this case.

👎 Fake fur trim

Is it meant to be handy? Warm? Pretty? I just don’t get what the purpose of this buggy accessory is. The product description describes the faux fur trim as «stylish», «decorative» and «easy to attach». In a different shop, it says it offers extra protection from the wind and rain. But that’s what rain covers specifically made for pushchairs are for, right?