Prams and strollers

Under the mandatory standard for prams and strollers:

• A pram is a wheeled vehicle with a body of box-like or boat-like shape designed to carry a baby or child weighing up to and including 9 kg, primarily in a fully reclined position.
• A stroller is a wheeled vehicle designed to transport a child in a seated position that may also be adjusted to a semi-reclined or fully reclined position.

There are also combination prams/strollers available.  These can seat children in upright, semi reclined and fully reclined positions, so they are considered strollers under the mandatory standard.

On this page:

 

Hazards

Serious injury or death

Children can be put in dangerous situations and risk serious injuries or death if a pram or stroller rolls away from the carer’s control. We strongly advise using parking brakes and tether straps to ensure the pram or stroller cannot move away when stopped.

Limb and finger injuries

If children gain access to certain parts of the pram or stroller they may trap and/or injure their limbs and fingers.

Falls

Children not properly restrained in a pram or stroller can either fall out or move to a position where it can topple.

Strangulation or suffocation

Strangulation or suffocation can occur if children become trapped in parts of the pram or stroller.

Mandatory standard

The mandatory standard is based on Australian Standard AS/NZS 2088:2000 ‘Prams and strollers—safety requirements’.

AS/NZS 2088:2000 is a voluntary standard except for those sections specifically called up by the mandatory standard. You must consult the mandatory standard for these details.

For complete information about all mandatory requirements for prams and strollers, you must read Consumer Protection Notice No. 8 of 2007. This information is essential to ensure you and your business comply.

The mandatory standard came into effect on 1 July 2008.

Does this apply to your business?

Under the ACL supply includes:

• in relation to goods - (including re-supply) by way of sale, exchange, lease, hire or hire-purchase and
• in relation to services - provide, grant of confer. 

This mandatory standard applies to anyone in the business of supplying prams and/or strollers, including:

• manufacturers
• importers
• distributors
• retailers
• hirers.

To allow for staggered implementation, there are some cases where a mandatory standard or ban prescribes different compliance dates for the manufacturing, importing and supply of a product. Manufacturers, importers and distributors should check for this detail in the mandatory standard before embarking on production, importation or distribution of these goods.

Complying with the mandatory standard

For complete information about the mandatory requirements for prams and strollers, you must read:

• Consumer Protection Notice No. 8 of 2007
• AS/NZS 2088:2000 available from SAI Global.

Suppliers may also find these documents helpful in understanding aspects of the mandatory standard:

• Supplier guide — Prams and strollers
• Regulation impact statement — Prams and strollers.

Penalties and consequences

Supplying prams and/or strollers that do not comply with the mandatory standard can make you liable for heavy fines and product recalls. For more details view Penalties and consequences. 

Some key requirements

The requirements noted below are key requirements only. They may help to give suppliers a general idea of the detail they must look up in the mandatory standard. This information may also assist consumers when they are choosing prams or strollers.

While we provide some advice on this page to help you understand aspects of the mandatory standard you can visually check, suppliers must not rely on this information as a complete guide to compliance.

Note that there are additional requirements for strollers that do not apply to prams.

Design and construction—prams and strollers

Parking device

Prams and strollers must have one or more parking devices that limits the movement of the pram or stroller.

The release mechanism of the parking device must be located so that it is not easily accessible to a child when the child is properly restrained in the pram or stroller.

The colour of the part of the parking device used to activate the parking mechanism (actuator) must be red, and surrounding framework and mouldings must be a contrasting colour.

Tether strap

Prams and strollers must be supplied with a suitable tether strap that allows the operator of the pram or stroller to be tethered to it while it is in use.

The standard specifies that the tether strap should be designed to reduce the possibility of it being a strangulation hazard for infants inside or outside the vehicle. The length of the strap should be as short as is practical, with any loop in the strap having a perimeter of less than 360 mm.

Performance testing

Design and construction—strollers only

Safety harness

Strollers must have a permanently attached harness assembly that includes waist and crotch straps for each occupant. Strollers designed for more than one child must meet this requirement for all seating positions.

The adjustable range of each harness should be such that the harness can be adjusted to fit the range of occupants for whom the vehicle is designed.

Waist straps

Waist straps must have a minimum width of 20 mm. Waist straps and fittings for waist straps must be secured to the frame of a stroller either directly, or to a seat which is attached to the frame of the stroller.

Crotch straps

The crotch strap must have a minimum width of 20 mm, be linked to the front waist strap and be located not more than 200 mm from the backrest.

Head barrier

Strollers with a backrest that reclines to an angle greater than 150° to the horizontal when in the fully laid back position must have a barrier provided that does not create a head entrapment hazard when tested in accordance with clause 8.6.2 and appendix L.

Head barrier requirements also apply to strollers with multiple/double seating and reclining positions where the head is at either end of the vehicle.

Safety warnings—prams and strollers

Tether straps must be permanently and conspicuously marked with a warning in characters not less than 2.5 mm high as follows:

WARNING: USE THIS STRAP TO STOP THE PRAM/STROLLER* ROLLING AWAY

(* Use either the term ‘pram’ or the term ‘stroller’ as appropriate).

Prams and strollers must be permanently and conspicuously marked with the below notice in a prominent position in characters not less than 2.5 mm high bearing the following:

WARNING:

• FOLLOW THE MANUFACTURER’S INSTRUCTIONS
• PUT ON ALL THE BRAKES WHENEVER YOU PARK THE PRAM/STROLLER*
• DO NOT LEAVE CHILDREN UNATTENDED
• DO NOT CARRY EXTRA CHILDREN OR BAGS ON THIS PRAM/STROLLER*
• MAKE SURE CHILDREN ARE CLEAR OF ANY MOVING PARTS IF YOU ADJUST THE PRAM/STROLLER*, OTHERWISE THEY MAY BE INJURED.

(* Use either the term ‘pram’ or the term ‘stroller’ as appropriate).

Safety warnings—strollers only

Harnesses―all strollers 

Stroller harnesses must be permanently and conspicuously marked with the following warning in characters not less than 2.5 mm high:

WARNING: USE THIS HARNESS AT ALL TIMES

Non-reclining strollers

If a stroller’s backrest is not adjustable to recline to an angle of more than 130° to the horizontal, it must be permanently and conspicuously marked with an additional warning.

The warning should appear in characters not less than 2.5 mm high, as follows:

NOT RECOMMENDED FOR A CHILD UNDER 6 MONTHS OLD

Informative labels—prams and strollers

Prams and strollers must be permanently and conspicuously marked with: 

• the registered trade name and address in Australia and New Zealand of either the manufacturer, importer or supplier, 
• the model name or model number of the pram or stroller.