Strollers

[SeattleRain]

I've started doing stroller research and I was wondering if we could talk about your stroller experience. Price is not an option for us since we're getting one as a gift, so we've been looking at literally EVERY stroller on the market. We live in South Seattle where the roads aren't super finished and there are lots of hills, so I want to navigate that but I don't really jog or hike. Everyone I know seems to have a jogging stroller, regardless of whether or not they really exercise. Its important to me that it fold up nice and fit easily into the trunk of my fuel efficient car (i.e. small trunk).

We've been into the Baby Jogger City Elite and the Uppa Baby, but we're having a hard time making a decision because we don't actually HAVE any children so we don't have any stroller experience in actual use.

So, what kind of stroller did you get? What kind are you getting this time around? Did you use it a lot? Did you have to get a second stroller? Do you have any regrets? Do you have any advice you wish you'd gotten?

[crbyard]

I have had several strollers. I hated every one of them until I got my BOB Revolution. I was always trying to get a compact one and just completely ignored the BOBs. What I learned is just because it is smaller, that does NOT mean it is easier to fold and transport. My BOB is a Duallie and I still find it to be the easiest to load/unload of all of the strollers I've had. I live in the bay area hills and, while I don't run with this stroller, we go for 6 mile walks in the hills. I love the control and steering. It is truly unmatched. The shock system is great and the kids are totally comfortable in it. I don't usually do this, but the wheels of the Bobs come off super easy and you can really pack them down small. I was planning on selling my duallie and getting a single until I found out I was pregnant with #3. This stroller will take me through two more years easily and I can sell it on craigslist for a good price.

I have a friend who absolutely loves her Baby Jogger Double, too. She recently had her car stolen the same day that her father died. Inside of her car was her stroller and pretty much everything else she needed for her kids on the go. She contacted baby jogger to buy a replacement. She was so overcome telling the customer service rep about the situation that she broke down in tears. The woman was realy nice and told her that she could pay for it COD since she was still waiting for an insurance settlement. When the driver delivered her new double stroller, she went to get her wallet. He told her not to bother, the amount owed was $0.00!

On the invoice was a little note of condolence from Baby Jogger with words of encouragement. I thought that was pretty dang awesome and she is a customer for life!

[Avocado]

Originally Posted by crbyard

I have a friend who absolutely loves her Baby Jogger Double, too. She recently had her car stolen the same day that her father died. Inside of her car was her stroller and pretty much everything else she needed for her kids on the go. She contacted baby jogger to buy a replacement. She was so overcome telling the customer service rep about the situation that she broke down in tears. The woman was realy nice and told her that she could pay for it COD since she was still waiting for an insurance settlement. When the driver delivered her new double stroller, she went to get her wallet. He told her not to bother, the amount owed was $0.00!

On the invoice was a little note of condolence from Baby Jogger with words of encouragement. I thought that was pretty dang awesome and she is a customer for life!

That made me tear up... I'm pretty hormonal

[sunflower.mama]

I second the BOB suggestion. I have several strollers - a BOB for walks, Peg Perego Pliko for malls and the like, and an Uppa Baby umbrella for traveling. I suppose I could have bought one of those really fancy Bugaboo ones for the $ we've spent, but it's been over time, and the strollers I have have really held up over the years because they are nice. I do wish I had a BOB with a swivel front wheel. I NEVER jog with it, not my thing. But it's quite nice to have the pneumatic (air-filled) tires for longer walks, so I wouldn't worry about the label jogger. I don't know a lot about the ones you've suggested but I'd do a pneumatic wheeled one over one w/the double front wheels if you are trying to get it all out of one stroller! Have fun - stroller research was always one of my fav things to do when pg - and I just don't know if I will need another this time around (OK - I am considering a double jogger for walks to school but that will be a low-end one because DD will be close to 4 when baby arrives)

[sharr610]

I'm researching too! We just went with a simple travel system with #1, but I now LOATHE that stroller and have decided I need a new one for DS. I've borrowed my friend's BOB from time to time(double and single). I must admit, it is a smooth ride, but the double is truly monsterous. You can navigate it quite a bit, but its BIG, at least for me. My friend doesn't seem to mind, but I'm one of those people who is just uber conscious of how much space I'm taking up...especially in crowded farmers markets and the like...
SO....I've actually been looking at Phil and Ted's sport. Its gotten great reviews, is a jogging stroller, and can go double without becoming a beast. If you are thinking of having another one before the current one is out of toddler-hood, I recommend this one...BUT, if you think there will only be one kiddo at a time in stroller-land, I'd go for the single BOB.
Happy shopping!

[Paige, CPM]

I LOVE my Bob Revolution, for all the previously mentioned reasons...

I can't decide if I should get a double bob rev or not. My son is 3 and pretty mobile, but for some occasions I can still see needing it.

Geez, what a great story re the Babby Jogger, I welled up too!

[NicolleLynne]

I'm a first-timer but just wanted to add that all my friends rave about the BOB Revolution. It just went on my registry. Now I'm hoping one of my more deep pocketed relatives is feeling generous!

[Jen H.]

Wow, nice recommendation for the BabyJogger customer service!

I don't have any recs for strollers. For DS1 we went with the ubiquitous Graco travel system, which we also used for DS2. But I also had a Fisher Price Stand 'n Ride for my older to ride on the back when the younger was born. They were both fine, but probably not what you're looking for. Let me tell you though, you'll likely end up with several strollers over your parenting lifetime. There are just so many options for so many scenarios, you end up with a few. 90% of the time after the first 8 months, we used our rather nice umbrella-style stroller since it's small, light, easily folds and just lives in the back of the car so we always have it with us.

Here's a funny article, originally published in Maclean's magazine, about the stroller debate and how we often end up with several:

http://www.davidrussellwrites.com/id24.html

[superfastreader]

I love my Baby Jogger City Elite. It's a great urban stroller (we walk 1-4 miles every day), with a decent amount of storage for grocery shopping. It's easy to maneuver but the back wheels are a bit too wide for narrow NYC grocery store aisle. But that's true of most big strollers. I like the tire-style wheels because they go up and down stairs really well & I can still do with 26-lb DD inside. It folds up pretty compactly for storage. Don't know about the car b/c we don't take ours with us anywhere.

I also have a $20 cheap umbrella stroller which I use on the subway, b/c it's too crowded for a big stroller.

Prior to my City Elite, I had a Peg Perego Aria which I got b/c I could put my Peg infant car seat in it. Of course, I didn't put DD in the stroller until she was 5mo so that was useless. It lasted about a year before I deemed it too banged up for me to deal--but we're talking heavy, heavy use.

After that I fell for the Graco Clio. Loved loved loved everything about the design--but after having the wheel fall off the original AND a replacement I decided I'd go for a quality stroller.

@sharr--Lots of my local friends have the Phil & Ted's and they all LOVE it. If DD were much younger I would have considered it for a double. But I plan to wear n00b for at least the first 3 months and by then DD will be old enough for the buggy board. Or the City Elite has a jump seat attachment for about $100.

[SeattleRain]

It's interesting that a lot of you like the BOB but there were a lot of features I wasn't into when I saw the BOB. It doesn't recline all the way, the handlebar wasn't adjustable and the seat was just basic canvas, no padding. I was a little disappointed to be honest. I felt like it gets a good rap and a lot of hype and has a great distributer.

Around here, everyone has a BOB. It's sort of like how everyone has a North Face. Just like everyone in Seattle wants to look like they hike the trails at a moments notice (when really, they just stroll the U Villiage) with their technical down parka, they want to have a stroller that looks like it could be off roading. I wonder what the amount of people who actually use their BOB for offroading or heavy jogging are. I find it hard to believe that all the women at the mall that I see with a BOB are really using it for all the stuff its good for. At that point, aren't you overbuying? There are plenty of strollers that are just as smooth but have more luxury features for the same price.

Just to be clear, I definitely think the BOB is a great stroller... if you do the things its good for. Otherwise, it's a really, really big stroller that's pretty heavy and folds in two steps. One of the reasons I liked the City Elite is because for the same price as the BOB, you're getting the same size wheels, a more padded seat, adjustable handlebar, and a better sunshade.

[Pinoikoi]

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/prod...292346&RN=2174

I saw this one.. what is sold separately? "rumble seat" so it only comes with the bassinet part? I'm confused..

[crbyard]

I've never personally "test driven" an Baby Jogger Elite, so I can't compare the two. BOB has several models and it really should be known that the Revolution is NOT intended as a jogging stroller. Yes, the front wheel will lock into a stationary position, but the wheel base isn't long enough to have total control and there is not the required hand break for stopping at high speeds. If you want a Revolution to be a jogging stroller, you will be disappointed. So, most of the women you see with them at the mall aren't underusing them. They are really just great, regular strollers with pneumatic wheels. I hear you on feeling lame for having the same thing that the Seattle poseurs are sporting. Living in the Bay Area, I would never get a Bugaboo for the same reason (not that I would ever shell out that kind of $$ for a simple stroller).

They really are great for folks who live on the edge of the city or in the country where sidwalks aren't a given. A friend of mine lives and works on a horse ranch. Her BOB has allowed her to take her baby around the ranch with her while she teaches riding lessons.

Definitely test drive as many strollers as you can, because it's a big purchase and you have to live with it for a long time. I had bought the One Step Ahead double sit n' stand after drooling over it in the catalog. Once it arrived, I hated that thing. Talk about hard to steer. I sold it on Craigslist after 6 months of struggling with it. If you go to an REI, they'll let you test drive around the parking lot area. I think that they also carry some models of Baby Jogger and they have 20% off sales a couple of times a year on them.

[homew/two]

I've got a double Bob too and it has been great, we run with it and take it on bumpy roads.
However I have been drooling over the phil and ted stroller though we won't be getting it $ I've never used it but the removable double seat in back looks great. We've brought our double jogger to Boston several times when visiting in-laws but pushing a double through crowded sidewalks or even for that matter at fairs and farmers markets, etc

Don't know how we'll go running with 3 kids (5,3,0) maybe we'll end up getting a single jogger too. Then the oldest could go in the single and 2 smaller kids in the double. I also want to figure out how to bike w/ 3. We have a attachable bike for oldest (he has 1 wheel, own handle bars, and pedals but attaches to seat of dh's bike) and a seat mounted on the back of mine. I guess since baby is coming late June biking season will be over before s/he can sit in seat anyways. Biking might be for summer 2011!

[Shachar613]

OP, if $ is not an issue, I say look at strollers that are reversible, so baby can face you. Those are usually the pricier ones, like the Quinny and Bugaboos. It is just so nice to be able to talk to and see your baby/toddler on a walk. Personally, I found that when my DD faced away from me, I was much less likely to talk and interact with her -- it's just kind of awkward to interact with someone when you can't see what they're doing, kwim? Watch other moms pushing forward-facing strollers and you will see what I mean. When DD faces me, we talk about everything we see, she like to sing songs with me, etc. Still, at 2 years old, she chooses to face me much of the time and we have a great time together!

[superfastreader]

Originally Posted by Shachar613

OP, if $ is not an issue, I say look at strollers that are reversible, so baby can face you. Those are usually the pricier ones, like the Quinny and Bugaboos. It is just so nice to be able to talk to and see your baby/toddler on a walk. Personally, I found that when my DD faced away from me, I was much less likely to talk and interact with her -- it's just kind of awkward to interact with someone when you can't see what they're doing, kwim? Watch other moms pushing forward-facing strollers and you will see what I mean. When DD faces me, we talk about everything we see, she like to sing songs with me, etc. Still, at 2 years old, she chooses to face me much of the time and we have a great time together!

LOL b/c I use our stroller time as my alone time. DD loves to look around at everything & we still talk, but I can also have some quiet time, too, without someone going, "Mommy? What are you doing?" every 5 seconds :

And now that I'm pregnant I can't sing songs while walking without getting winded...

[lizvt]

We have a BOB revolution and LOVE it. That being said, I really only use it for long walks down our dirt road or on the bike path. It has handled bumps, mud, huge ruts, icy and snowy roads like a champ. Great, great, great steering, smooth ride, and easy to jog/walk with and manuever. Also pretty easy to collapse, put in and out of our forester, etc. I don't really see it as a mall, store, shopping, airport stroller. Walks, Parks, outdoor use....yes yes yes!!! I have taken it into town a few times and it feels too long to be in and out of stores, but I don't know if I would be comfortable taking any stroller in and out of stores. I really am a babywearer at heart and used the stroller very little when he was younger. As he got heavier, I used it more for our walks and with our 2nd lil one on the way, I know he'll be happy riding in it, while I wear the baby.

[lizvt]

oh and when I said I "jog" we are talking short bursts. I've never really been a runner...taken it maybe a max of 2 miles s l o w.....sounds like it could use a few more features if you are looking to run

[Minnie791]

Originally Posted by Pinoikoi

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/prod...292346&RN=2174

I saw this one.. what is sold separately? "rumble seat" so it only comes with the bassinet part? I'm confused..

The Rumble Seat is a piece you can buy separately that converts the UppaBaby Vista into a double in-line stroller (UppaBaby Rumble Seat Attachment product page). The UppaBaby Vista comes with the pictured bassinet and the
toddler seat (UppaBaby Vista product page).

[angela1435]

I'm pretty sure we are going to go with the Chicco Together if it ever comes out! I had read it is coming out this month but no news yet. I love my Chicco stroller and car seat and it would be great to have a stroller that fits the car seat. I am just one of those that love it when you can take the car seat out and stick it in the stroller without waking baby. I know you aren't looking for a double but just wanted to add to the chatter.

[welsh]

DDC crashing from July...
Our bugaboo cameleon has been good value for us. We've lived in 2 cities since DS was born with no or poor sidewalks and have replaced one tyre in 26 months. Bugaboo sent us the wheel via DHL overnight, no charge, with proof of purchase and a photo emailed of the tyre.
It is also excellent for pushing one handed.
However, it may not fit your needs. It is bulky, doesn't fold into one piece and would possibly not even fit in your trunk.

My BF bought the Uppa Baby in rebellion as she didn't want to buy a Bugaboo. 6 months later she was looking for a second hand Bugaboo which, incidentally, really hold their value for resale.