For transportation of a baby or toddler there are special vehicles, special car seats, and devices for carrying.

Carrying the child

Main article: Babywearing

Baby carriers and slings are devices that hold the infant against the parents body in order to be easily held and carried while walking. These are very commonly seen in Africa as a piece of cloth wrapped and tied to support the baby while the mother walks or works.

Pushable vehicles

Carriages and prams

A baby carriage (or baby buggy in American English) or pram in British English (a shortening of perambulator). They are generally used for newborn babies and have the infant laying down facing the pusher.

Prams have been widely used in the UK since the Victorian era. As they developed through the years suspension was added, making the ride smoother for both the baby and the person pushing it. In the 1970s, however, the trend was more towards a more basic version, not fully sprung, and with a detachable body known as a "carrycot". Now prams are very rarely used, being large and expensive when compared with "buggies". One of the longer lived and better known brands in the UK is 'Silver Cross', first manufactured in Guisley, near Leeds, in 1877

Strollers and pushchairs

A stroller (American English) or pushchair (British English). They have the child in a sitting position facing forwards.

"Pushchair" was the popularly used term in the UK between its invention and the early 1980s, when a more compact design known as a "buggy" became the trend, popularised by the conveniently collapsible aluminium framed Maclaren buggy designed and patented by the British aeronautical designer Owen Maclaren in 1965. Buggy is now the regular term used in the UK, however buggy is often used in American English to refer to a pram. Newer versions can be configured to carry a baby lying down like a low pram and then be reconfigured to carry the child in the forward facing position. Some models have removable seat which may be hand carried or used as a car seat.

Car seats

Baby car seats are legally required in many countries to safely transport children up to the age of 2 or more years. Car seats have been found to cause severe and fatal injuries to the child when fitted in a seat with airbags.

In 1990, the International Standards Organisation FIX (ISOFIX) was launched in an attempt to provide a standard for fixing car seats into different makes of car. While some manufacturers have started selling ISOFIX-compliant baby car seats there has been a long delay in agreeing the technical specifications and the standard is still yet to become widely used.

There are several types of car seat, categorised in groups depending on the position of the child and size of the seat. Many car seats combine the larger groups 1, 2 and 3.

Group 0

Group 0 car seats are carrycots that are secured in place by a standard adult seat belt. They have handles to allow them to be easily moved in and out of the car.

• Position: Laying, rear facing
• Recommended weight: Birth to 10kg (22lb)
• Approximate age: Birth to 9 months

Group 0+

Commonly have a chassis permanently fixed into the car by an adult seat belt and can be placed into a pushchair using the integral handle.

• Position: Sitting, rear facing
• Recommended weight: Birth to 13kg (29lb)
• Approximate age: Birth to 15 months

Group 1

A permanent fixture in the car using an adult seat belt to hold it in place and a five-point baby harness to hold the infant.

• Position: Sitting, forward facing
• Recommended weight: 9kg (20lb) to 18kg (40lb)
• Approximate age: 9 months to 4 years

Group 2

A larger seat than the Group 1 design, these seats use an adult seat belt to hold the child in place.

• Position: Sitting, forward facing
• Recommended weight: 15kg (33lb) to 25kg (55lb)
• Approximate age: 4 to 6 years

Group 3

Also known as booster seats, these position the child so that the adult seat belt is held in the correct position for safety and comfort.

• Position: Sitting, forward facing
• Recommended weight: 22kg (48lb) to 35kg (76lb)
• Approximate age: 6 to 11 years

Travel systems

Modern methods of transporting infants combine pushable vehicles, carrycots and car seats. They are commonly referred to as baby travel systems.