Need to know
- Our prams and strollers tests revealed serious safety failures in these models from Kmart Anko, iCandy, Babyzen, Karion and Pouch
- The safety failures relate to a risk of falls, strangulation and head entrapment, which means a child's head could become trapped in the pram
- Manufacturers for each brand have responded with their own test results, but CHOICE stands by its findings
A pram may be one of the most expensive and important items you'll be buying in preparation for the arrival of your newborn, and it's a purchase that can take a lot of research and consideration.
As well as looking at features and design – including how easy a pram is to fold, how big it is, how much it weighs, and even how it looks – you also need to consider how safe it is.
On this page:
- Pram safety issues identified by CHOICE testing
- iCandy Peach 7
- Kmart Anko Compact Stroller
- Karion Travel Stroller
- Babyzen Yoyo2
- Pouch 2 in 1
Pram safety issues identified by CHOICE testing
While prams sold in Australia need to meet mandatory safety standards, CHOICE experts test to a newer, voluntary safety standard that goes above and beyond mandatory requirements.
Although we're pleased to see many manufacturers now test to this standard too, unfortunately it's not compulsory and our results show that many prams still pose significant safety risks.
"While the CHOICE labs have seen an overall improvement in pram safety, there are still many models on sale which have serious fall, head entrapment, strangulation and other risks," says CHOICE babies and kids expert Kim Gilmour.
And in case you thought you could avoid safety issues simply by buying a high-end model, think again – we've seen safety failures even in expensive, well-known brands.
There are still many models on sale which have serious fall, head entrapment and strangulation risks
Kim Gilmour, CHOICE babies and kids expert
"We found that in some cases the pram wheels could move even when the parking brake was engaged, and in others, a child's head could become trapped between the head barrier and the end of the seat," says Kim.
"Plus, the straps in four of these five prams pose a strangulation risk."
CHOICE experts also remind Australians that if you're buying children's products from online platforms such as eBay or Amazon, you can't always trust that the product will comply with local safety requirements, so be wary if you're shopping from overseas retailers.
The following products were the lowest ranked in our latest testing of prams. CHOICE recommends that you avoid purchasing these, or if you already own them, to stop using them immediately.
The iCandy Peach 7 was one of the most expensive products in our test, but received the lowest overall score.
iCandy Peach 7
- Price: $2599
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 32%
- Passed our key safety tests: No
One of the most expensive prams in our tests, the iCandy is even pricier than high-end brands like Bugaboo, Joolz and Stokke.
But despite its high price, its scores are very low – it received the lowest score overall in our test of 60 prams.
For this kind of money, it's reasonable to expect that a pram would meet or exceed safety standards, but unfortunately the iCandy Peach 7 didn't pass our safety tests or the mandatory standard when we tested it in our labs.
Our expert testers found that the pram's straps pose a potential strangulation risk – the shoulder and waist straps don't automatically separate from each other when the buckle is pressed and they are difficult to separate manually. This means they create a loop that could be a strangulation hazard.
Despite its high price, its scores are very low
In addition, when the pram is fully reclined it poses a potential head entrapment hazard and fall risk, which means that a young baby could be injured by falling out or getting their head caught in the hood of the stroller.
Both of these issues represent serious safety failures.
iCandy responds
iCandy disagrees with our findings, saying: "The iCandy Peach has been tested extensively internally and independently by labs around the world, with no reported issues of test failures or non-compliance."
It also says the seat angle of the pram doesn't recline enough for the head entrapment/fall test to apply, but CHOICE stands by its results.
Read the full iCandy Peach 7 review.
Available at Kmart and Target, this Anko stroller poses two serious safety risks.
Kmart Anko Compact Stroller
(Sold at Kmart and Target)
- Price: $179
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 33%
- Passed our key safety tests: No
At the other end of the price scale, this Anko stroller is one of the cheapest we've tested.
A small price tag doesn't always mean poor performance: in the course of our testing, we often find affordable products that outperform far more expensive models from big-name brands. Unfortunately that's not the case here.
Like the iCandy, its straps pose a potential strangulation risk, but it also had another serious safety failure. When parked on a slope with the brake engaged, the wheels slipped, which means the pram could get away from you if you've stopped on a hill.
A small price tag doesn't always mean poor performance, but unfortunately that's not the case here
"Regardless of the pram you're using, we recommend that you always use the tether strap on your pram, and never leave your baby unattended in the pram," says Kim.
Both the strangulation risk and the wheel slippage represent serious safety failures and we recommend you don't buy this pram.
But don't write off the Anko brand altogether. The Anko Layback Umbrella Stroller passed all our key safety tests, plus our durability tests, so it's safe to buy. Plus it's a great price at just $65.
The Anko brand is now being sold at Target as well as Kmart.
Kmart responds
In response to our findings, Kmart said:
"When designing our products we place a strong emphasis on safety, ensuring that we are providing safe products that comply to all the applicable standards and legislation.
"This product has undergone regular routine testing by an accredited independent laboratory and has been found to be compliant under the relevant Australian standard on each occasion.
"We welcome customers visiting us in store or online to contact our customer service team with any queries or concerns, and we are always happy to assist."
Read the full Anko Compact Stroller review.
The lightweight Karion stroller had two serious safety failures.
Karion Travel Stroller
- Price: $398
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 33%
- Passed our key safety tests: No
Even the most intrepid traveller should avoid this ride.
At just 5.6kg, it's undoubtedly lightweight – but it's also light on safety.
The Karion's first serious safety failure is that the shoulder straps pose a potential strangulation risk when adjusted to the shortest position.
To its credit, Karion added a stopper to the shoulder strap after CHOICE alerted them to the issue when we first tested the pram in 2023.
It also fixed some labelling issues we identified and a minor issue we found with the seat being able to be pulled away from the seating position. As a result of these changes, the Karion now meets the mandatory standard, but still failed the safety tests in the voluntary standard.
The Karion now meets the mandatory standard, but still failed the safety tests in the voluntary standard
In our testing, we found that the shoulder strap adjustment doesn't go far enough. The pram still couldn't pass our key safety tests because the stopper isn't thick enough, and the adjuster can still be threaded through the stopper, creating a loop that is a potential strangulation risk.
It also poses a fall risk: when we tested the pram's stability it tipped backwards when fully reclined, which could injure your child. This is also a serious safety failure.
Read the full Karion Travel Stroller review.
The lightweight Babyzen Yoyo2 may be convenient, but according to our tests, it isn't safe.
Babyzen Yoyo2
- Price: $720
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 35%
- Passed our key safety tests: No
This lightweight stroller is hugely popular with parents – both for travel and for day-to-day use.
Weighing in at just 6.5kg, it's one of the lightest strollers we tested.
But our tests found that when the pram is fully reclined it poses a head entrapment risk – so there's a possibility that a young baby could be injured by getting their head caught in the hood of the stroller or fall from the pram.
There's a possibility that a young baby could be injured by getting their head caught in the hood of the stroller
We also found that when fully loaded, the wheels moved when the parking brake was engaged, which is another serious safety failure.
The Babyzen Yoyo2 didn't pass our safety tests or the mandatory standard when we tested it in our labs, so we can't recommend it.
Babyzen responds
Babyzen disagrees with our findings, providing us with pass reports from third-party labs for both the mandatory and voluntary standards. It says the seat angle of the pram doesn't recline enough for the head entrapment/fall test to apply, but we still stand by our results.
This is what Babyzen had to say about our findings:
"The safety and wellbeing of babies and children using our products remain our foremost concern. Our products meet all mandatory product safety standards and regulations.
"In addition, we aim to meet or exceed voluntary product safety standards and regulations where applicable. To ensure this standard is upheld, we continue to be committed to the continuous improvement and testing of our products."
To its credit, Babyzen has been cooperative in having the Yoyo2 re-tested following our findings, and is looking into improving the design of the pram to make sure it's safe.
Read the full Babyzen Yoyo2 review.
The Pouch 2 in 1 failed two of our key safety tests.
Pouch 2 in 1
- Price: $290
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 35%
- Passed key safety tests: No
Like several of the models above, our testing found that this pram poses head entrapment risks and a strangulation risk.
Like the iCandy, the shoulder and waist straps don't automatically separate from each other when the buckle is pressed and are difficult to separate manually, creating a loop that poses a strangulation risk.
Our experts also found that the right waist strap is noticeably shorter than the left waist strap when fully extended.
This pram poses head entrapment risks and it also poses a strangulation risk
As with the other prams in this list, we can't recommend it because it didn't pass our safety tests or the mandatory standard when we tested it in our labs.
Read the full Pouch 2 in 1 review.
Other pram safety failures
These five prams are among our lowest scoring, but our testing has identified others that also have serious safety failures, many of them still on the market, and some of them costing well over $1000.
Before you start shopping for a pram for your baby, check our pram and stroller reviews. You can filter the results to check which prams have passed all the key safety tests, and we also tell you how easy they are to use.
And if you're looking at a second-hand stroller, you can search past results for discontinued products by applying our filter.
How we test if a pram or stroller is safe
There is a mandatory safety standard that pram manufacturers in Australia must adhere to," says Kim.
"However, it's outdated. We test to the voluntary 2013 standard which has had widespread adoption by manufacturers and goes above and beyond mandatory requirements. There's even a more recent 2022 revision now that takes newer designs of prams into account such as convertible tricycle strollers."
"We believe the voluntary requirements should be made mandatory, so our test experts go above and beyond, by not only testing against the mandatory requirements but also testing against the voluntary standard and basing our recommendations off of it," she says.
Our expert testers have decades of experience in testing children's products and sit on the Australian Standards committee for prams and strollers, so we keep up to date with changes to the standard. Our lab is also NATA-accredited to test products to both the mandatory and voluntary prams and strollers standards.
To learn more about our testing process, read how we test prams and strollers.
Stock images: Getty, unless otherwise stated.
