Need a perfect stroller...

[spughy]

I'm pregnant with #2 (older one is 7) and had been thinking "oh I'll just babywear all the time" and then I remembered how that totally DIDN'T work with #1 and a stroller was a really good idea, especially for grocery shopping and dog walking on days when I was just barely able to function.

Then I went through a whole bunch of strollers trying to find a good one.  This time, I know what I need and I just want to buy ONE stroller that will get me from newborn to toddler.  My mind is boggling at all the choices.

I still have 2 months to go so my plan is to stalk the UsedEverywhere and craigslist for my city once I've identified the kind of stroller I want.  I am NOT buying new.

So - what brand/model should I be looking for?  Here's what I need:

- large-capacity basket underneath (grocery shopping being the primary application for this)

- forward/rear facing ability

- cup holder

- snack tray

- ability to fold up small, easily (we live in a small townhouse with pretty much zero storage space for a stroller, god knows where it's going to live).  I expect I will get DH to mount some kind of hook/rack thing on the wall next to the front door - so it would need to fold up fairly flat, IYKWIM.

I do NOT need something that will take a car seat, since we're not using a bucket - we have a perfectly good Britax Marathon and we'll just use that from birth on (and obviously it's not going in a stroller, lol).

The not buying new is more for ethical/environmental reasons than financial.  I saw an UppaBaby stroller advertised that *looks* good - but I have no idea what they're like IRL.  (I'm a postpartum doula - I get a lot of experience with babywearing devices but not so much with strollers!)

Help????

[Jaxy]

Well, DS is 4 months and we've been using the Jeep Cherokee Sport Stroller since he was born (combined with a snuzzler (http://www.amazon.com/Summer-Infant-Snuzzler-White-black/dp/B003T1CJRE/ref=sr_1_2?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1358893907&sr=1-2&keywords=baby+snuzzler) and we love it! It's cheap (was 45$ 6 months ago, now 52$) and perfect for us. We don't have a car so we use the basket underneath. With a little backpack, I can pack 75$ worth of stuff from Dollar General (which is pretty good I think lol!) New Orleans sidewalks are obstacle tracks and this stroller is perfect for that (can go in the grass/mud too!). Although it is pretty small my DH who's 6'4 don't mind the height! It ain't perfect but it is for us (and for now!)

[pokeyAC]

We played with the Uppababy Cruz at the store and really really liked it.  It's lightweight and easy to maneuver.  You can easily change the seat from front to rear-facing.  It has cup holders and a snack tray, but they are sold separately.  I'm not sure how big the basket is underneath.  I would imagine it folds up pretty flat as the various parts are pretty low profile.

[sageowl]

If you do a lot of walking or outdoor activities, I definitely recommend a jogging type stroller with inflatable wheels.  You can go off the pavement easily, and the ride is much smoother than what you get with plastic wheels. 

[MrsGregory]

I've only used my travel system (baby bucket capable, etc.) so I cannot recommend a model, but I wanted to strongly second the jogging stroller advice.  I will run when my ass is on fire, and I have a jog stroller.  Why, you ask?  Because I can wheel that bad boy where-ever-the-heck-I-want, whereas other Mama friends are struggling in mulch or over curbs with their non-jog models.  Jog stroller.  Yes.

[element2012]

DD just turned one and we *just* got her a "chariot".  I, like you, thought that we would just do baby wearing, but at 10 months she became heavy enough that it was very cumbersome to do only baby wearing.  As soon as I had money to buy a stroller, I did.  I decided to get a nice jogger with inflatable tires and with a front wheel that can be switched between fixed or swivel, for the off chance I would actually jog with a jogger.  I really wanted a BOB jogger, but I'm not sure if a newborn can use one? I ended up with a quinny which does face forward or backward easily, handles like a dream, and you can use a bassinet type thingie when they are wee. Totally agree on the jogger though, everyone around here uses the bugaboo which looks nice, but a little awkward.

[kaliki_kila]

Make sure you get one that reclines back flat or almost flat so you can put a newbie in it. Then it will also serve as a changing table in a pinch. I couldn't find a lightweight stroller with a big basket, but hanging a canvas bag off the handle to carry stuff works for me. Don't worry about cup holders and stuff because there are tons of aftermarket items you can add onto strollers. I have the chicco liteway plus and I love it.

Do you have a car? I had the same issue of where to store the stroller in my apartment and then I thought - duh - just keep it in my trunk.

[spughy]

UPDATE:  So I managed to score a Bumbleride Flyer off the local classifieds site for $150 which seems like an okay deal.  Baby's not here yet so I haven't really done anything with it but I did take a large bleach bottle filled with water with me (as a "baby") to test it out.  It does recline fully into "bassinett" mode and can face either direction and has a decent-sized and sturdy basket underneath.  I think it will work well for me, and it's small enough to store on a bracket in the wall just inside our front door (which has not yet been put up, but I will do that this weekend.)  For now it is in the kitchen and not causing many problems so I think storage won't be an issue.

Yay! Done.