Talk to me about your Baby Jogger stroller

[onetwoten]

Even though it's still early days and I won't need the stroller for almost a year, I've been obsessively researching and trying to decide on a stroller. I had the opportunity while nannying to experience a Baby Jogger City Elite Double, and I was sold. That thing glides over even the roughest surfaces like they are butter, and even though it's big, it didn't feel like it to push. I was able to push the two babes straight across a hilly park with one hand and not an ounce of exertion. 

So while I don't need a double, I'm now toying between the single city elite, or the city mini. I'm in Canada, and so with all the research I've found, no matter where I'm buying/shipping it from, the city mini comes in at about 299, and the city elite comes in at 499. Now I can't decide which is the better option. 

I'm not jogging persay, but I do want to be able to take it out for walks as exercise, hopefully everyday from Spring to Fall. I also want to be able to take it through the park as well as camping in the summer, so over tree roots, gravel, bumpy terrain. I'm dedicated to babywearing, so I'm not as worried about things like grocery shopping, or a quick mall run. The stroller really will mostly be used for outdoor, with the occasional museum or zoo run "in public". 

I lean towards the City elite, because that's what I have experience with. The other pros in my head are:

-Adjustable handle (I'm 5'4, DH is 6'4)

-Plastic on the footrest, where the mini is fabric

-comes with parent console (DH finds this a con, he would rather buy a separate one)

-larger wheels = smoother ride

-construction overall seems more sturdy

-higher weight limit (75lb vs 50 for the mini)

-View windows have magnets instead of having to rip the velcro open and perhaps wake baby

The cons for the elite (mostly from DH)

- It's $200 more, and I just don't know I can justify that. 

-It has a larger wheelbase, which makes it approx 2.5" wider, and harder to walk around malls/grocery stores etc. Doorways are a concern.

-It's a bit longer as well

-takes up more room folded

-Heavier

Pros for the Mini:

-Nicer colors. Silly but true

-$200 cheaper... 

-Am I really going to need to push over 50lbs of toddler?

-Easier fit through tight spaces

-stroller itself is lighter (easier to move for storage)

Cons for mini:

-I'm most worried about the fabric at the footrest. I'm not sure how this would hold up compared to the plastic base. I just keep thinking of how often you see babies/toddlers kicking their feet in boredom, and wondering if they're going to rip through the fabric

-Smaller wheels (8" vs 12 I think in the elite)- Worried this will mean a much less smoother ride, less accessibility to "offroad"

-No parent console... though I can buy one of these for cheaper than they value it at. 

-Concerned about construction overall, specifically how tight the fabric is pulled in some spots. DH said it seemed less well made than the elite. 

-The velcro on the view flaps looked cheaper (and louder)

Phew! As you can see, I've put a ton of thought into this... i just haven't made it to convincing myself the Elite would be worth the extra $200... or conversely that I won't buy the mini and wish I had just spend the $200. 

I'm open to other suggestions, but I really did like the look/shape/ride of the Baby Joggers. I haven't been a huge fan of the phil and teds, or bobs just for the shape difference. 

Thoughts!

[tessie]

The city mini is great, but I'm not sure how suitable it would be for a newborn/young baby. I know they say it can be used from birth but I'm not convinced that it would be comfortable/suitable for a newborn unless you bought either a suitable car seat or the bassinet attachment. I haven't tried out the Elite so I don't know how well that works for a newborn? I do know that the weight limit is a guideline but 50lb is quite a size and most children will have outgrown a stroller by the time they reach that weight. My kid is a giant for her age and is well under that.

What I do like about the city mini is that it's easy to push with one hand, it's sturdier than an umbrella fold and the way it folds is fantastic, particularly if you need to use public transport. So far it's held up well with a very active toddler - no issues with fabric ripping etc. The only thing I dislike is that it's not parent facing - but my kid seems to prefer that these days. *sob*

It's not great over very bumpy ground but definitely better than a maclaren type. It's definitely not as good as my bigger stroller (icandy apple - love it) which has air-filled tyres but fine for a stroll over the grass in the park. Is snow going to be an issue? I found I needed the bigger wheels of the icandy to get through the snow without exhausting myself or having to go backwards.

I have also heard good things about the City Select, but it is heavier and probably more expensive. It's advantages are that it can be parent facing and can be adapted to add another seat if you have another baby.

I would find a store that stocks both models and go for a play around a couple of times before deciding.

[Virginia884]

I love my city mini. We use it with our 1 month old; we recline the seat and have a head/body support thing in there to keep her comfortable. I walk with her outside on our neighborhood jogging paths this way. And the Velcro has never woken her up.


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[tessie]

Originally Posted by Virginia884 

I love my city mini. We use it with our 1 month old; we recline the seat and have a head/body support thing in there to keep her comfortable. I walk with her outside on our neighborhood jogging paths this way. And the Velcro has never woken her up.


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Is that a baby jogger head/body support? I haven't seen them in store here yet.
 

[Monkey Keeper]

Hands down a deciding factor for me is the "real" tires versus plastic (or whatever they are) tires.  Between that and the adjustable handle (we are a similar height difference here), I would NOT get the Mini. I have a older version City Series double, and a friend had the Mini. Both the seat width and the overall ride were far inferior with the Mini.

Frankly, I think for your money the Select may be your best choice.  If this babe is not your only, then the Select does give you options rather than just having a single that you have to get rid of somehow in an attempt to recoup your costs.

[onetwoten]

I've looked at the select, and I just can't get over the look of it. Something looks so alienish about it. 

I'm not so worried about using the stroller for the newborn stage-- our babe will be born in December, and it's not uncommon for it to average -25c here from December to March... Way too cold to be outside with a baby (or even for me!). That's one of the good things about the winter baby, is not having to worry as much about that stage. If I'm wanting to be out and about with the baby before that, I'd rather pop him/her in a carrier. 

It's good to hear that there haven't been any issues with the fabric on the footrest. That's honestly one of my most worrisome points. 

I tried mentioning the option for the jump seat on the Elite, and DH cut me off, he's still in denial that we'll ever have two children stroller sized at the same time. lol

[~Adorkable~]

i have the select and all i can say is that i LOVE it and every mom that sees it stops and looks and finds things about it that make them wish they had one.  also the 2011 version just came out and you can find the 2010 one for way cheep on amazon. only small things changed, i can elaborate if you care.

bit plus on the city select is that you can make it a single or a double in just a moment, plus the bassinets were wonderful for a winter newborn

[Chamomile Girl]

Another City Mini lover here. I would be worried about how the Elite footrest folded to minimize stress on the plastic (ie. that is one good thing about fabric). I have not had any issues with the fabric footrest (or any of the other fabric stuff) as of yet, but I've only been using the stroller just over a year.

One thing I do not like about the Mini is its not all the easy to steer with one hand if you have a thirty pound toddler plus a bunch of library books in the basket. It is also hard to steer while carrying my coffee in the other hand (although my other stroller had a parent console, and the coffee would just get everywhere...even in a travel cup with a lid.). It also does not offroad vey smoothly at all. So if these things are important to you I would go for the Elite.

But, yeah, I would also have trouble spending that much on a stroller. The price of just the City Mini almost gave my DH a heart attack.

[Virginia884]

Originally Posted by tessie 

Originally Posted by Virginia884

I love my city mini. We use it with our 1 month old; we recline the seat and have a head/body support thing in there to keep her comfortable. I walk with her outside on our neighborhood jogging paths this way. And the Velcro has never woken her up.


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Is that a baby jogger head/body support? I haven't seen them in store here yet.

It is the Summer Infant Snuzzler. Runs about $20 and we figured we'd buy that instead of the car seat adapter, see how it worked and buy the adapter if we didn't like it. So far so good!


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[tessie]

Originally Posted by Virginia884 

Originally Posted by tessie 

Originally Posted by Virginia884

I love my city mini. We use it with our 1 month old; we recline the seat and have a head/body support thing in there to keep her comfortable. I walk with her outside on our neighborhood jogging paths this way. And the Velcro has never woken her up.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Is that a baby jogger head/body support? I haven't seen them in store here yet.

It is the Summer Infant Snuzzler. Runs about $20 and we figured we'd buy that instead of the car seat adapter, see how it worked and buy the adapter if we didn't like it. So far so good!


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Thanks!

[tjjazzy]

i just had a look and that wouldn't work for me but that is bc i'm in canada too and i use mine all year around. it has to work in the snow. mine's a $120 jogging stroller from wal-mart and the ONLY complaint i have is that if you fill the basket underneath with stuff, the front tire rubs and creates a hole in the fabric. the tires on the baby jogger citi elite don't look like they'd work well in snow. just wanted to add that in. best of luck in your decision :)

[onetwoten]

The tires on the elite will work fine in snow, but not the ones on the mini. I'm trying to figure out if I'm ever really going to use it in winter. I can't decide. I'm a baby about cold, so I lean towards no... 

[frisbar]

I've got a mini single and the double.  I will say - don't be concerned about the fabric footrest or the velcro.  They've been great. 

I obviously love it lots.  I really appreciate the small and easy fold.

[Monkey Keeper]

Originally Posted by jeninejessica 

The tires on the elite will work fine in snow, but not the ones on the mini. I'm trying to figure out if I'm ever really going to use it in winter. I can't decide. I'm a baby about cold, so I lean towards no... 

Also ask yourself the same question about "offroading". The mini isn't going to do well on grass or trails, just sidewalks.

[Twinklefae]

The mini does fine on trails and grass though not the snow.  It's a godsend if you use public transit.  It's not worse for a newborn than my Phil and Ted's (which I would not recommend for what you want.) 

Bff has it, and if I had another double stroller I would prefer the City Mini instead of the P&T's.  It's light, it folds easily, has great storage.

I've never seen the Elite though, so I can't help there.

[porttack]

I recently got a Baby Jogger on craigslist for $125, used, but in great condition, with the rain guard, and I LOVE it. So easy over any terrain. You might want to check out consignment stores or craigslist or something similar in your area if the price point is an issue. I am not a runner, but just owning this stroller is making me get out there almost every day with DS.

[onetwoten]

Thanks porttack!  I've been looking through all the used sites here, but nothing has popped up so far for singles. Only doubles. I'm still looking though. I'm possibly considering trying to hold off until next winter (babe is due in early December), and seeing what happens when the new 2012's come out. For the elite there wasn't any changes between the 2010 and the 2011, so they never went on sale. I just don't know if I want to change not having a stroller at -all- those first few months. We'll see I guess. 

I'm ok paying the higher price point if it's worth it, I'm just not sure yet that for our uses it is worth it, you know? 

Which version did you buy if you don't mind me asking. 

[sweetiebird]

Hi :)

I have a Baby Jogger City Elite and a Baby Jogger City Mini Double. Why yes, I'm a fan of Baby Jogger ;) I love them both, but for different reasons. I love the wheels on the City Elite. They can go over almost anything. The City Mini's aren't as good for going 'cross country'. They can do it, but it takes a lot more effort. I used my City Elite almost daily, walking in large parks and on city streets. The Elite was awesome for that. And it was great at snow. Also, something that was important to me. This was our main mode of transportation for about a year. Also, I had no issues getting in doors with the City Elite. I can get in most doors with my double and it's wider than the Elite.

I bought the CityMini Double because we are now out in the 'burbs and my stroller needs are different with this baby. More malls, paths, less cross country walking. And this stroller is great too.

If you are planning on having a second in the nearish future, like a pp I would recommend the City Select. A friend has it and I LOVE it. Seriously. Do NOT count on the jump seat as your main ride for a second child. It's ok for once in a while, but it is awkward, heavy and a pain. And another friend had theirs completely fall off with the child in it. Not good.  

Anyway, my honest recommendation is to borrow or buy a cheapy stroller to start with. This way you can easily see what your stroller needs will be. And you said that you plan on babywearing. I didn't wear my first until he was about 4-5 months old, but with my second I wore him from the beginning. DS2 is 8.5 months old and I just put him in the stroller for the first time two weeks ago. Seriously (ok, actually he used it for about 2 minutes when he was a month old and he hated it). I wore him everywhere and just used my single stroller for DS1. You will probably have some time. I hope that helps, and let me know if you have any questions.

[momma2alauna]

I definitely second the PP's advice about borrowing or buying a cheap stroller.  We spent a lot of money on a stroller because my DH and I are avid runners and planned on running with our DD often. DD had other plans. At 5 months old she still detests the stroller with a passion and screams whenever she is in it for more than 2 minutes. We have tried everything under the sun to get her to like it, but she will not let up until she is in one of our arms. With my DH in the thick of medical residency and never around, running has sadly become a distant memory for me. I'm still hopeful that one day soon she will suddenly decide that the stroller isn't so bad after all, but until then, the ergo serves us well on our walks around town.

[onetwoten]

I'm still searching for a used Elite (someone responded to my post, but she hasn't gotten back to me with an asking price or photos yet). I'm also trying to figure out what a good price would -be- on a used Elite. But in the meantime I am getting closer to telling myself I can hold off on buying the stroller until after the "2012"s come out, and hopefully the 2011 would be on sale then. And you're right, in the meantime I would either borrow one from someone, or pick up a super cheap one used. 

DH is still adament that we won't have two kids close enough together to need a 'double' stroller, and I'm really not a fan of the select at all, so I'm not worried about that aspect of it. If by some miracle I convince him into closer together babes, then I'll sell whateevr stroller I have and buy a double. 

One other thing that I've been going back and forth in my mind is that for the price range/quality, I know I want the Elite. But if we were to stick with the smaller price range and functions of the Mini... I'm just starting to wonder if there's something else better out there for the $300 price range. I'm not sure, because I haven't done as much research at that price point. Thoughts?