What's the Difference Between a Fixed Wheel Stroller and a Swivel Wheel Stroller?

When strollers where originally introduced many years ago they all had fixed wheels. This simply means they did not spin or move, but rather stayed in one position all the time. Most strollers also had four wheels, all fixed. Today, many strollers are implementing wheels that swivel, some just on the front and others on all four wheels.

There are also strollers designed to roll on three wheels rather than four today. These changes may seem unnecessary to some people, but once you learn about the differences and the reasons for the changes you will see that they actually were very necessary. Push some of these modern strollers and you will see that the difference is night and day.

Problems with Fixed Wheels

The biggest problem with strollers that have fixed wheels is that they are kind of difficult to turn around corners. The sharper the corner, the more difficult they are to get around. This is because the wheels do not allow the correct movement in order to position the stroller to get around the corner efficiently.

Pushing fixed wheel strollers can also be more difficult even if you are going through areas that have curves. The wheels simply do not have enough range of motion to comfortably turn, curve, and get around obstacles. This is why parents are often seen lifting up the back of the stroller or backing up and forward trying to get around even small corners and turns.

Introducing Swivel Wheels

Swivel wheels were designed to give strollers better range of motion and to make them much easier to get around turns, curves, and obstacles. These wheels will turn all the way around and will go easily in any direction, making the stroller much easier to control and much less hassle to turn around corners.

Most strollers today have swivel wheels on the front, with the back wheels remaining fixed. This allows the stroller to turn corners easily without making them hard to control. The fixed wheels in the back give the stability that is needed to easily steer the stroller straight and allow it to go where it is pushed, rather than rolling wherever it wants.

Most people prefer the swivel wheels since they allow such ease of movement around obstacles that may come up in your path. They are also much easier to get around corners, especially tighter corners that are more difficult to get around no matter what you are pushing.

The ability of a wheel to swivel may not seem like a big deal, but when it comes down to pushing a stroller on a daily basis in the real world, most parents agree that it does make a huge difference. Parents want the ability to push around corners and dodge obstacles that come up in their path without having to lift the stroller, pull it sideways, or routinely back up and move forward until the stroller can make it around the corner or obstacle.

Swivel wheels are simply more convenient than fixed wheels. They make getting around with a small child more enjoyable and much easier. While fixed wheels can slow you down and create obstacles when getting around with a child, a swivel wheeled stroller is able to keep up with a faster pace, even when some curves are involved.