Pushchair Accessories: What’s Worth Buying and What You Can Skip

There are roughly 50 different things you can clip, strap, or velcro onto a pushchair these days. You need about five of them.

The trouble is, those five genuinely useful extras are hiding in a sea of phone mounts, clip-on fans, and magnetic cup holders that tip your coffee onto the pavement the moment you hit a kerb. So how do you figure out which bits are worth the money and which ones will end up in the back of a drawer by month three?

We asked parents across the UK what pushchair accessories they actually use every week, and what they wish they had skipped. Here is your honest, no-fluff guide.

A Rain Cover: The One Non-Negotiable

If you buy nothing else from this list, buy a rain cover. Or rather, check whether your pushchair came with one, because many do. If yours did not, or if the included one is flimsy enough to flip inside out in a light breeze, a decent universal rain cover is worth every penny.

This is the UK. It will rain on your walk. It will rain on your walk when you are furthest from home. And it will rain sideways, directly into the seat, while your baby looks at you like you have personally betrayed them. A good rain cover fits snugly, has a zip or flap for airflow so your baby does not steam up like a greenhouse, and folds down small enough to shove in the basket underneath.

Most universal covers run between eight and fifteen pounds. Do not overthink this one. Just make sure you have one.

A Footmuff: Warmer Than You Think You Need

If your baby was born between September and March, a footmuff is not a luxury. It is the difference between a cosy walk and a screaming baby with frozen feet.

Think of it as a sleeping bag for the pushchair. It zips or pops onto the harness slots, wraps around your baby from the waist down, and keeps them warm without the fiddly business of layering blankets that slide off every thirty seconds. Even in milder weather, a lightweight footmuff saves you from the "are they warm enough?" spiral that plays on repeat in every new parent's head.

The Molis & Co footmuff is a lovely option, with a soft, cosy lining and universal fit that works with most pushchairs. It is the kind of accessory you wonder how you managed without. 🍂

A Stroller Organiser: Because You Have No Free Hands

Here is a question: where exactly are you supposed to put your phone, keys, and wallet when both hands are on the pushchair and your coat pockets are full of spare dummies and crumpled snack wrappers?

A stroller organiser clips onto the handlebar and gives you a few small compartments for the things you need to grab quickly. Not a changing bag (you have got one of those in the basket), but the essentials you reach for ten times a walk. Phone. Keys. Dog poo bags, if you are that kind of multi-tasker. Maybe a lip balm if you are feeling fancy.

The Nobodinoz Hyde Park Stroller Organiser is beautifully designed, with a clean look that does not make your pushchair resemble a utility belt. It clips on easily and has enough pockets to keep you organised without turning the handlebar into a storage unit.

A Cup Holder: The Unsung Hero

You might think a cup holder for a pushchair sounds a bit excessive. Until you have tried to drink a takeaway coffee while pushing a buggy one-handed through a busy high street, at which point it sounds like the greatest invention since the wheel.

A universal clip-on cup holder grips the frame or handlebar and keeps your drink upright. The LittleLife universal cup holder adjusts to fit different frame sizes and holds everything from a skinny latte to a water bottle without wobbling. It is not glamorous, but it might be the accessory you use most. ☕

A Pram Toy: Worth It from About Three Months

Before about three months, your baby is mostly sleeping in the pushchair and a dangling toy is wasted on them. After that, a clip-on pram toy becomes genuinely useful. It gives your baby something to bat, grab, and chew on during walks, which buys you an extra ten minutes of peaceful strolling before they start complaining.

Look for something that clips on securely, has different textures, and is machine washable (because it will end up in their mouth approximately 400 times a day). Soft fabric booklets are a brilliant choice because they crinkle, they are lightweight, and they do not clonk your baby on the head if they drop them.

The Little Dutch x Miffy Stroller Booklet ticks every box. It is soft, it crinkles, the illustrations are gorgeous, and it clips right onto the handlebar or harness. One of those accessories that looks cute and is actually functional.

A Seat Liner: The Comfort Upgrade

This one sits in the "nice to have" category rather than the "essential" pile, but it is worth mentioning. A seat liner adds a layer of cushioning between your baby and the pushchair seat. Some are reversible, with a cosy fleece side for winter and a breathable cotton side for summer.

They are particularly useful if your pushchair seat is dark-coloured (which gets surprisingly hot in direct sun) or if you want to keep the seat clean without constantly wiping it down. Most universal liners pop off and go straight in the washing machine, which is the kind of feature you only appreciate once you have dealt with a yoghurt explosion at 10am on a Tuesday.

What You Can Probably Skip

Not everything that fits on a pushchair deserves a place on your registry. Here are the accessories that sound useful but rarely earn their keep.

Phone holders. They vibrate loose, they block your view of the baby, and honestly, your phone is safer in the organiser pocket or your coat. Save your money.

Clip-on fans. They are underpowered, they drain batteries in twenty minutes, and the blades are close enough to tiny fingers to make you nervous. On a genuinely hot day, a muslin draped over the hood does more.

Pushchair hooks for shopping bags. They work in theory. In practice, they overload the handles, tip the pushchair backwards when you lift the baby out, and send your Sainsbury's bag rolling across the car park. Use the basket underneath instead.

Parasols. The ones that clip onto the frame rarely stay at the right angle, and most modern pushchairs have extendable UPF hoods that do the job better. If your hood does not extend far enough, a pop-on sunshade that sits over the hood is a better bet than a parasol that flaps in the breeze.

The Short Version

If you want the quick checklist, here it is:

• Buy: Rain cover, footmuff (autumn/winter babies especially), stroller organiser, cup holder
• Consider: Pram toy (from 3 months), seat liner
• Skip: Phone holder, clip-on fan, handlebar hooks, parasol

Start with the first four and add the rest as you figure out what your walks actually look like. Every parent's setup ends up slightly different, and that is completely fine.

Want to add any of these to your list? Pop them straight into your Nest so friends and family know exactly what you need. No more guessing, no more duplicate gifts, no more novelty bibs you never asked for. 🎁