pushchair
A small wheeled chair for pushing a toddler around.
A pushchair is a small wheeled chair used for transporting young children who can sit up on their own, typically toddlers between about six months and three years old. In American English, people usually call this a stroller, but in British English, it's a pushchair.
The word describes exactly what it is: a chair you push. Parents or caregivers walk behind the pushchair, steering it by a handlebar while the child rides facing forward, watching the world go by. Most pushchairs fold up for easy storage in car boots (trunks) or closets.
Pushchairs differ from prams (or baby carriages), which are designed for newborns who need to lie flat. Once babies can sit up and hold their heads steady, families typically switch from a pram to a pushchair. Modern parents often buy combination models that work both ways.
Pushchairs became very popular in the mid-1900s, making it much easier for parents to take young children on walks, shopping trips, or through busy city streets. Before pushchairs, parents often had to carry tired toddlers or use heavy, awkward prams. Today, you'll see pushchairs everywhere from shopping centres to parks to airports, giving little ones a comfortable ride while keeping up with the adult pace of life.