Having had two children and only used a four wheeler pushchair for my first child, I always wondered if a three wheeler pushchair is actually better than a four wheeler.  Well, with my second child I decided to find out!

In this blog post I'll share my thoughts and review of the four wheeled Graco Mirage pushchair which saw my daughter from newborn to a toddler.  I'll then compare it to the three wheeled Hauck Viper pushchair which I purchased for my second baby.

Was it worth me buying a three wheeler?

Graco Mirage - four wheeler

We only had the one pushchair with my first child Bella, a four wheeler, and though it was cheap, it has lasted incredibly well.  We bought the Graco Mirage Black Travel System whilst I was still pregnant with Bella.

I’d looked at the pushchairs in Toys R Us and Mothercare a few times, but was drawn to this one as it seemed much more lightweight and smaller than most others.  I only had a Vauxhall Corsa at the time so needed something that fitted into the boot!

We also lived on two upper floors with no downstairs hall space.  The Graco Mirage could be folded with one hand and in around one second so I could easily put it into my car boot whilst holding Bella.

Even though it's a budget pushchair, the cheapest travel system I think that was available at the time, I’d definitely recommend the Graco Mirage travel system.  Looked after, it will last well as it did for us, right through to my second baby.

It even survived a fair few hill/forest/countryside walks, even though it doesn’t have the wheels for it!  The baby car seat clips onto it easily and the whole travel system idea is a lifesaver with small babies so you don’t have to wake them to move them from car to pram.  We invested in a base for each of our cars too so we could pop the car seat in and out with ease.

Hauck Viper - three wheeler

When pregnant with Reuben I started looking at some rather expensive pushchairs.  I was quite tempted, but then decided the Graco Mirage was just fine really and such money could be spent on something else, rather than something we already had.

However, I soon changed my mind once Reuben arrived, as being a four wheeler, it was impossible to steer one handed whilst also trying to hold Bella’s hand!

Bella was only two years and nine months old and I didn't want her to walk without holding my hand, especially whilst crossing roads.  The thing I found most difficult with the four wheeler was getting up curbs.  I couldn't manage to get it up a curb without using both my hands, so I had to let go of Bella which was quite scary on busy roads!

My three wheeler dream began again!  I was confident a three wheeler could be managed much better one handed and get up those pesky curbs without me letting go of Bella.

Reuben in the four wheeled Graco!

I saw a very affordable three wheeler Hauck Viper on sale last week and just had to buy it.  Another budget pushchair, but the reviews were great.

The reviews I most liked said the rain cover was really easy to use.  In three years I had never worked out the Graco rain cover!  I always ended up with it on backwards after five minutes of faffing around in the rain!

Ben swears it’s just me.  But, in comparison, the Hauck raincover is so simple.  I worked it out straight away and can leave it off until it’s raining and pop it on quickly without panic!

I wouldn’t dare leave the house without having it fixed on the Graco as it took me so long to work out which way it went!

Is a three wheeler pushchair better than a four wheeler?

And… the big reveal... was a three wheeler better than a four wheeler...???

OMG…

Yes!

How easy are three wheelers to steer?!!

They are amazing.  So much easier to manoeuvre and get up curbs.

I’m thinking now we should have got one when we had Bella as they are so easy to steer.  They glide around so easily and steering one handed is simply not a problem.

I wanted to go out on several walks as soon as it arrived just so I could experience this amazing new steering luxury!

The huge wheels make any terrain a dream and it even has suspension!

Reuben in the three wheeled Hauck Viper!

The only downside with the Hauck is two hands are needed to fold it down and it remains quite large once folded.   It's not as compact when folded in comparison to the Graco Mirage.   I do have a slightly larger car and boot now, but this one takes up the whole of my boot.

It's a minor inconvenience as I’ve pretty much used this one every day so it’s usually already put up in my hallway ready to go!

If you can only get one budget pushchair then I think the Hauck Viper would be the winner.  It can also be used as a travel system so doesn’t lose any points there.  For now we are using both because of the limitations of my boot size, but if I had a larger boot I’d just take the Hauck everywhere.

So yes, the three wheeler is definitely the winner in my eyes!