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Jogging Pushchairs and Sport Buggies: What BS EN 1888-3:2024 Adds to the Pushchair Standard (Great Britain)

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A jogging pushchair looks like a three-wheeled everyday buggy with bigger wheels, but the safety standard behind it is different. BS EN 1888-3:2024 is the part of the series written specifically for pushchairs intended for leisure sport activities. This guide covers what the standard says, as summarised by a technical testing body, and what it means for a buyer in Great Britain. Standards are voluntary, and this is general information rather than advice.

Where the standard sits in the series

BSI Knowledge lists BS EN 1888-3:2024, "Child care articles. Wheeled child conveyances – Pushchairs intended for leisure sport activities", as a current standard published on 31 July 2024, identical to the European standard EN 1888-3. SGS, the inspection and testing company, explains in its technical bulletin that in 2014 the European standards committee CEN/TC 252 decided to split EN 1888, which covers wheeled child conveyances, into several parts so that safety concerns for different products could be addressed separately. Part 3 is the third part.

Part 3 does not stand alone. SGS states that it applies only in conjunction with EN 1888-1+A1:2022 and, if the product is suitable for children up to 22kg, EN 1888-2+A1:2022, adding requirements on top. The site’s guide to reading a pram’s labels explains the base standard and the fire-safety label.

What counts as a sport pushchair

According to SGS, the scope covers wheeled child conveyances used while running, jogging or skating. Ice skating is explicitly ruled out because of the number of hazards involved. Pushchairs where the carer is transported while pushing, such as a combination of a longboard and a pushchair, are excluded.

The main requirements

SGS lists the main concerns addressed by the standard:

  • Suitability for use: the vehicle must ensure a safe ride on uneven surfaces and give the child a safe position, and a restraint system must limit the displacement of the child in an impact.
  • Stability: the stability requirements of the base standard have been improved to take account of steep and uneven terrain.
  • Structural strength: the number of cycles and speed of the irregular surface test in the earlier parts has been increased to reflect longer, faster and more intensive use, and requirements for the strength of wheels have been developed.
  • Braking and control: a braking device is required to address higher speed incidents, with tests of its efficiency, and the pushchair must have a means to stop it if the carer loses control. SGS says a tether is a suitable solution.
  • Visibility: reflectors or retroreflective materials must be provided on all four sides.

Information the product must carry

SGS reports that the standard sets enhanced product information requirements. Use for sporting activities is stated to be suitable only for children of at least 9 months of age, and a warning reminds users that extra care should be taken when sharing sport activities with a young child. The information must also include statements that the child should wear suitable protective equipment, which is a helmet, and that the carer should wear reflective clothing. Where a tether is supplied, a warning must remind the user that it must always be used. A pictogram may be used on the product, provided the same pictogram is also used and explained in the instruction manual.

What it means for buyers in Great Britain

Trading Standards guidance published by Pembrokeshire County Council for England, Scotland and Wales states that all prams and pushchairs, new and used, are required to be safe and that one way to ensure this is compliance with BS EN 1888. Supplying an unsafe product contravenes the General Product Safety Regulations 2005, the guidance adds. It also says to look for a label stating compliance with BS EN 1888, usually on the frame or seat covering. Northern Ireland is subject to a different general product safety regime, so this guide does not cover it.

The practical implication is that a pushchair described as suitable for running or jogging is making a claim that goes beyond a standard everyday buggy. Because the standard is recent, older stock may have been tested to earlier versions only. SGS states that the standard was published by CEN in July 2024, that national bodies had six months to publish it and that conflicting national standards had to be withdrawn by January 2025 at the latest, so the standard should now appear in current product documentation. A listing should be checked for the specific standard reference rather than the word "jogger" alone.

Checks before buying

  • Look for a reference to BS EN 1888-3 alongside BS EN 1888-1, and BS EN 1888-2 if the child is heavier than 15kg.
  • Check that the instruction manual describes the braking device and the tether or other means of stopping the pushchair if the carer loses control, which the standard requires.
  • Confirm that reflectors are fitted on all four sides.
  • Follow the manufacturer’s stated minimum age for sport use, which the standard’s product information rules link to at least 9 months.

Frequently asked questions

Is a jogging pushchair required to meet BS EN 1888-3? The standard is voluntary. Trading Standards guidance describes compliance with BS EN 1888 as one way to show a pram or pushchair is safe, and the legal duty is the general one to supply safe products.

Does it cover skating with a pushchair? SGS says the scope includes running, jogging and skating, but ice skating is explicitly excluded.

Can a standard buggy be used for running? A pushchair not designed for sport use has not been assessed against these requirements, so the manufacturer’s stated use should be followed.

The bottom line

BS EN 1888-3:2024 adds requirements for braking, a tether or equivalent means of stopping a runaway pushchair, stronger wheels, stability on rough ground, reflectors on four sides and specific product information. It applies on top of BS EN 1888-1 and, for heavier children, BS EN 1888-2. Buyers in Great Britain should look for the standard reference in the listing and follow the manufacturer’s sport-use instructions.

Sources

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