stroller help?

[hulahands]

Hi all...I don't know if I should post this question in here but I wanted to ask about strollers? I know some of you are moms of 1, 2, 3, 4 and more and so I was wondering if some of you could offer me some expert advice from your experiences. I live in Toronto and I've been noticing that moms here are SERIOUS about researching their strollers...any recccomendations? I guess I'm looking for one that's light and easy to take in and out of the car, take it for strolls and a nice big basket on the bottom for shopping trips at the mall!

I'm a newbie...preggo with my first

Thanks in advance!

[weliveintheforest]

Well I can't recommend a specific stroller, but it's a really good idea to try out a few if you can. Borrow them from friends or relatives if possible, and just take them out for a day so you can see if they work for you.

[Alison's Mom]

I did some serious research on strollers too when I was preggo with #1. Turned out that while I used it quite a bit, it probably didn't make as much difference as I'd thought it would. In fact, having a really good baby carrier is more important, IMO.

So, that said, go try out a bunch at a store that sells lots of different brands, and put something heavy in the seat and try to steer with one hand. I found that many that sounded good on paper, including having a good price, didn't 'drive' well, so to some degree, you do get what you pay for. Some of the higher end strollers will last longer than some of the cheaper ones that have a lot of fancy features.

Ask other moms what they like and dislike about their stroller, but keep in mind that everyone uses their stroller for different function, and something that is important to others may not be important to you, and vice versa.

[Ellp]

Dh and I looked at a LOT of strollers and we came to the conclusion that no one stroller will be perfect. There will always be some niggly things that will bother you about each and every stroller out there.

We ended up with 3 strollers: 1 an cheapy umbrella stroller that the kids like to play with, a Graco Metrolight travel system ($160US, bought 4 years ago), and a $500 Cdn Phil and Teds E3, bought 1.5years ago.

The things I valued were light weight-ness, easy to fold/stand up/store, and big basket with cup holders.

My Graco fit all that. The more expensive P&Ts turned out to be a royal pain. Fabric ripped, pinched fingers when you fold it down, heavy (30lbs), and just overall finicky.

So overall, write down your priorities, your deal breakers and test drive a ton before you buy. Oh and get a good sling!

[syd'smom]

You need to try them. Ask friends who've had them a year plus. I bought a high end one and it has turned into gargbage. Very upsetting. I have *ahem* a few baby carriers and almost always choose those over the stroller for convenience, closeness, etc., but I did like my stroller for some things. It has been used very lightly (b/c of all my bwing and all the snow here!) and taken care of and still it doesn't work very well now. I wish I had just bought a regular stroller so I wouldn't feel like I wasted that money. Just start asking around to see what different people like about different brands.

[robugmum]

I always had a carrier and a stroller at hand. My number one priority for a stroller was that it had to allow the babe to face me (and not just when they are an infant in a clip on carseat,!)! There were times when I couldn't (or didn't want to) carry him or her, it was so nice to be able to see each other while we were having conversations. I think its very important for a child's social development to be able to study our faces. As for portability, I usually had one for home (I walk pretty much everywhere) and a smaller, easy to fold one for the car. I never did find one that did everything. My oldest is almost nine though - there's a lot more options out there today! Good luck!

[dawncayden]

I had a lot of strollers, the first one we were given as a shower gift, a Graco one. Then there were a series of craigslist finds, jogging stollers, light weight strollers etc. And now we have gotten rid of all strollers except the original Graco.
I have also found that there is never one perfect stroller.
My list of demands are:
I can run with it
cup holder for me and baby
easy peasy manuvering
large basket
reclines flat
light
one hand collapse
and faces me

With the Graco, it has all those things except I can't run with it and it doesn't face me.

I had lots of carriers (and found that a good thing!) and would say to focus more on carriers as they get used way more. Slings, wraps, soft front/back carriers.

[robugmum]

My absolute favourite stroller was the first one we had; I bought it when I was pregnant with ds. It was a Peg Perego Elegante. It was lightweight, easy to push with one hand, seat could face either way, laid flat, had a huge basket underneath for groceries and was delightfully bouncy with fabulous suspension. I spent countless hours pushing that thing along Commercial Drive over eight years! Stroller designs have changed a lot in the past decade but I don't think any of the newer ones are as good.

[ex-stasis]

One bad review here for the Phil & Ted's, but I would urge you to consider it, especially living in Toronto. If you're thinking of having another baby in the future, the Phil & Ted's is the only double that will easily fit on the TTC and in stores. I wish I'd gotten it for my first and saved myself a bunch of money on all the others I ended up getting rid of later.

[fridgeart]

Like others have said, look at what you need in a stroller. We had a Bugaboo with our first, and loved, loved, loved it (it was worth every penny). Lightweight, versatile, travelled well, transitioned from newborn-toddler well. My only issue with it was when I got pregnant with #2, and knew we'd need a double at times. I sold the Bugaboo and got a Phil and Ted's sport-which we love! Yes, it's heavier and bigger, but it can be a single or a double, can go anywhere, and is pretty durable.
We also have an umbrella stroller (Maclaren) for when we're just toodling around the city.