English
William Kent designed a pushchair that revolutionised families' everyday lives!
The pushchair was invented in 1733 by the English garden architect William Kent. At the request of the Duke of Devonshire, he created a carriage pulled by a pony or goat and made up of a basket on springs.
In June 1889, William Richardson of Baltimore patented an idea for a reversible pushchair. The child could be placed facing the chosen direction or facing the pusher. He also made structural changes, notably to the wheels. Each wheel could move separately. He also added a handle at the back to allow the wheel to be pushed - practical, isn't it!
From the 1920s onwards, requirements increased and the pushchair became increasingly secure and accessorised, with the addition of brakes and an umbrella.
Initially, pushchairs were reserved for babies under a year old. Equipped with four wheels, it was box-shaped and fitted with a folding bonnet, in the style of a horse-drawn carriage, where the child could lie down.
This model from the beginning of the century shows us the metal suspension system, making it a little more comfortable for babies!
In 1930, pushchairs with smaller wheels and less decoration appeared on the market. In this model, the child faces the person pushing it.
Some of these pushchairs almost resemble the MACLAREN cane stroller ! Lighter, the child sits in it (sometimes slumped over) but there is still no folding model.
Cane pushchairs did not appear until the second half of the 20th century. In 1965, Owen Finlay Maclaren, a retired Royal Air Force aeronautical engineer, had often heard his daughter complain that pushchairs took up too much space when she travelled with her children. He designed a pushchair for his daughter that would revolutionise the everyday life of families!
This clever grandfather looked for the magic components of the famous pushchair one by one. To keep it light (3 kg), it is fitted with aluminium tubes, and its cane-shaped handles allow it to be attached to the arm.
But its real trademark is the one-hand folding system. Once folded, this pushchair takes up as little space as an umbrella. It's the ideal pushchair for those who use public transport, travel by plane or have little or no space in the boot of their car.
Parents were won over, especially as, at the time, pushchairs were rather bulky!
All that remained was to solve the problem of how to seat the pushchair. Running out of ideas, he found the solution with... his butcher, who owned a hard canvas awning with blue and white stripes. He took a piece of it to finalise the prototype of his pushchair.
As luck would have it, these stripes played a large part in making it a cult item, and it revolutionised the childcare industry.
There are still a few new-generation MACLAREN pushchairs available to hire from FAMILIB!
Today's pushchairs are lighter to carry, more compact and easier to use - some fold into 3 parts!
FAMILIB offers the ERGOBABY stroller for rent. Once folded in 3, it's compact and fits easily in the boot of your car or as carry-on luggage on the plane. This city pushchair can be used by a child from birth up to 4 years old.
The Team FAMILIB.COM