Stoller Advice Please

ooh definetly the snap n go without a doubt. My daughther is 8 months and ready to move on but I'm not. I love it and it is so light. Not to mention inexpensive. I also have the Chicco and I like it as as well.

We love the Graco Metrolite. It's a "travel system" so the car seat fits right into the stroller in the beginning. Then when he outgrows the seat, he can go right into the stroller. It's fairly light, easy to steer with one hand and has a large basket on the bottom which makes grocery shopping easy. Good luck!

J.,

Hi! Congratulations! You might want to pick up Baby Bargains. This is such a great book that reviews quality and pricing of just about everything you need as a new mom. I love my Graco because it is fairly light weight and I can break it down with only one hand. Good Luck!

Hi J., we have the Chicco system. The car seat fits into the stroller and then just the stroller can be used when the baby is older. It's really great but we just use it for the neighborhood. What we do when we go out (and I highly suggest this) is we use a Snap N'Go. It's just a frame that the car seat fits into. They're like fifty bucks, I think and work with all car seats. You might also want to check out the Baby Bargains Book- it compares all sorts of baby products by price, quality, etc. And it also gives a very good indication of what you will and won't need. We found it invaluable. Whatever stroller you get, I would check it out in person so you can see how easy it is to fold and lift. Congratulations!

The ultimate stroller, if you can fit it in the budget, is the BUGABOO FROG...
I know its about $1,000.00 but it is so portable and manouverable..When we are out shopping, we have so many people stopping us and admiring it and asking questions about it...It comes with a Bassonet, as well as 3 other attachments.
It completly collapses, and even comes with a carry bag, so you can throw it over your shoulder...If you think its too much, look at all those people pushing those strollers the size of a shopping cart...They are so impracticle and they are hard to navigate...
If you need more info, e-mail me at ____@____.com
Thanks for checking out my website. www.xooma.ca

We loved the MacLaren strollers. They're very easy to move around, as well as lightweight, and easy to fold--and they're somewhat small when they fold. Good luck!

We LOVE our Orbit. The infant system is easy to use and great for walking. We couldn't be happier with the Orbit. I'd highly recommend trying it and other brands in person. We didn't like the Bugaboo - couldn't open and close it easily.
Good luck & congrats!

I got a Bugaboo frog when I had my first baby 4 years ago & it is still in great condition...we love it! They have several different models now, but all of them are extremely light, easy to manage & easy to handle with only one hand. So you can drink your coffee & steer at the same time. :) Anyway, we love it. And we just recently got the wheeled board that clips on the back when your oldest needs a place to ride...they can stand on the back & hold on with you. It's pretty cool.
here's the link if you want to see all they offer.

http://www.bugaboostrollers.com/

good luck!
~mama C.

The Graco Metro Lite with the Snug Ride carseat is great. You can get it at Babies R Us. Just make sure you get the one with the pull down basket at the bottom of the stroller for easy access to the storage area. Also, for the carseat, make sure you get the Snug Ride with the front strap adjuster so you can adjust both straps on the baby's shoulders at the same time. Don't get the Snug Ride with the 2 back adjusters you have to adjust individually as this makes putting the baby in the carseat nearly impossible. I have purchased the above stroller for both my kids...one age 4(he no longer uses it, and my 7 week old.) Good luck, and congratulations!

THE ORBIT!!! If price is nt an issue I strongly recommend it. If you are near west la there is a store called traveling tykes where you can actually see it and play around with it. I saw the stroller/carseat online ans loved it for the simplicity..but when I got to see it in person I was sold. It cost more then my first car (i.e. 900$) but it is the stroller the carseat and the base for the car all together. WE love it.

i love mine it's called the orbit. research it!

I have a bugaboo gecko and a maclaren quest. LOVE LOVE LOVE the maclaren. Hate the bugaboo when I have to fold/unfold it & it's really big for my little car. The bug has a really nice, smooth ride but is more for my husband. I love the maclaren because it's easy to fold, get into the care, has a nice size basket and organizer (buy seperate) and lightweight. Plus mine is designed by Kate Spade and is super cute! :-) Good luck!

Congratulations J.!

I agree with alot of the posters that you need to go to different stores and try out ones you are interested in. That is what helped us make our decision, after trying the Bugaboos and the Chiccos, we finally decided on the Stokke Xplory. http://www.stokkeusa.com/xploryhome.htm is the web link. It was expensive, but after 9 months of using it, totally and absolutely worth the money. It has a great warranty and built to last. The best thing about it is that the baby rides up high and you can turn the seat around in or out to have the baby face in or away from you. It is light and easy to fold. I do recommend getting an inexpensive Graco fold up or travel system for when they are infants, it is just easier to move the car seat out of car onto stroller when they are tiny than to disturb them.

Good luck in your search!

Go to a store & test them out but I LOVE my Orbit. The easiest stroller out there for car (folds up with one hand and is a car seat too), walking(has diaper bag at bottom, maneuverable with one hand, height adjustable, seat rotates & room for coffee!) and grows with baby (so you don't have to buy another when he gets bigger). Pricey but worth every single penny! www.orbitbaby.com
Hope that helps!
M.
____@____.com

I love my Combi stroller. It comes with an infant car seat and stroller. The car seat pops out of the base in the car and right onto the stroller for easy walking when the baby is little and then quickly and easily converts to a regular stroller when the baby can sit up on his/her own. It's very light weight, easy to handle and folds in a snap. It has recline features, a shade hood with a peek-a-boo window, a large basket underneath and beverage holder and pockets near the handle. I got it when I had my first baby 6 years ago and I'm still using it now with my youngest. It has held up incredibly well. It more or less still looks new (if I were to clean the crumbs out of it!) and it has literally been from one end of this country to the other. A LOT of use! All of my mommy friends have been through two, three, even four strollers in the time that I have had my Combi. I will be sad when my youngest outgrows it and we have to say goodbye!

Congratulations on your little boy! Good luck!

J.,
Congratulations! And in answer to your question I love the Bob series. You can check it out at bobgear.com, and for other models to compare against try joggingstroller.com. I settled on one of the Bob models because it was compact, lightweight and great to use for walking or jogging. One of my issues was fitting it into our older model Prius, and thankfully this one did. Also I was able to get it open using one hand while holding the little one in the other. A pretty amazing feat considering I'm 5'2"! Hope this helps.
Sue (kittymonsterdesigns.blogspot.com)

I would check out babygizmo.com, as they have videos and review of strollers. They are unbiased, honest reviews from moms who know. That's where I got info on the stroller I have, the Inglesina Zippy. See here:

http://www.amazon.com/Inglesina-Zippy-Stroller-Ebano/dp/B...

http://www.inglesina.com/us/products/details.php?sectioni...

It comes in various shades, but the photos on Amazon makes it look like the sides of the stroller are grey or almost white. Mine is a charcoal, almost black color on the same stroller. Maybe weird lighting? Or maybe because mine is a 2007 model, teh 2008's look like that?

Anyway, It is sturdy, yet lightweight and easy to use. At the time, in November, it was the only stroller that closed up with one hand. Let me tell you, that is a life saver. Plus, it takes up very little space in our truck. I don't have lots of room and with this stroller I don't need it. The only con is that the undercarriage hardly has space to hold anything. Good luck stroller shopping!

One more thing, I did see several mom's with the Orbit stroller system. VERY expensive, but comes with EVERYTHING you would need, carseat, carriage which is your stroller, diaper bag. It's beautiful!

Everyone told me to get the snap-n-go strollers and I love mine. I got the Graco one because that car seat got a good safety review. They also have one that fits the Baby Trend car seat which also got a good review. I test drove it in the store and practiced opening and folding it and putting the car seat in and out. It's only for up to about 20lbs, so the baby will grow out of it in like 7-9 months (depending on the size of your baby), but it's very inexpensive so you totally get your money's worth. They're very easy to fold up with one hand and also light weight to take in and out of the car. Just don't get caught up in thinking you have to spend a ton of money to get a quality stroller. I still can't believe there are $900 strollers out there!!

good luck.

The pliko 3 by peg perego is the best i can suggest.. that's what we have... actually 2 of them because we loved it so much.. it runs about $300 but worth every penny!

the graco and eddi bauer ones are soooo heavily your back breaks.. which you don't consider before you have a baby.. the bugaboo is great too.. but it's just soo big and heavily as well.. and expensive too..

the mc clarens are really light weight... but not cushiony enough for the kids.. and you can't go on like walking expeditions with them...

i was the same way as you... i went walking almost everyday when i had my daughter and the stroller was GREAT!.. also.. if you buy it from babies r us you can buy a protection plan for it.. and if ANYTHING happens to it within a year you call them up and they send you FULL refund.. and you can just get another one again!

My Combi stroller was really lightweight and sturdy, fit in the tightest spaces, and was a BREEZE to take on airplanes. It even had shock absorbers. Storage space wasn't as good (back then), but the newer generation strollers apparently are better.
http://www.combi-intl.com/

I'd also consider the snap-n-go, especially because it is relatively cheap, fulfills it's purpose, and has decent storage. Although I liked my Combi travel-system, it seemed silly to stick a car-seat on top of an expensive stroller and put all that wear and tear on the seat before my baby ever used the stroller seat. (If I could do it all over again, I'd put the snap-n-go on the baby registry, and STILL get the nice stroller).

Peg Perego Pliko was a big consideration for me too. All around good stroller and makes a statement.

Hi J.,

I would recommend a "snap and go" stroller that you can put the baby's car seat into. They are inexpensive and easy to drag around. When your baby is asleep in the car seat you just pop the whole thing right in the snap and go without waking them. It's a dream!

My next recommendation is to wait to buy THE stroller until after you have the baby. I felt the same way you do now when I was searching for a stroller. There were so many options! Once I had my daughter it seemed like the whole stroller thing, which had been such a mystery, suddenly became really obvious.

The problem is that there is no "perfect" stroller. Different strollers work for different people. I liked my jogging stroller. It worked great for me but I had a friend who had one who couldn't use hers because the trees in her Santa Monica neighborhood shed spiky things that made little holes in the tires. I also had a regular stroller that was very nice. Unfortunately the wheels were kinda small and the sidewalks in my West Hollywood neighborhood are a mess. I could barely walk around the block with it. I know women who love their mega-strollers, and women who only use an umbrella stroller. Once you have the baby believe me it will all come together in your mind! You will know exactly what you want.

The baby will grow out of the snap and go pretty fast. The nice thing about that is that you will have a much larger selection of strollers to decide from once your baby is sitting up. The infant to toddler strollers tend to be much more expensive.

In the meantime focus on getting a glider style rocking chair. They will make life so much more comfortable both in late pregnancy and after you have the baby. The price is about the same as a good stroller so it's a good group baby shower gift. A baby bjorn is another great way to take the baby with you without a stroller.

Enjoy and stay active! This is a fun time.

H.

Dear J.,
Greetings!!!

CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR VERY EXCITING NEWS!!!

I know you are looking for the "PURR~FECT" stroller for your son, but I highly recommend researching and looking into the art of BABYWEARING!!! There is a phenomenal BABYWEARING group here in L.A. called KOALA L.A. led by the very AMAZING Traci Cummings. Her monthly meetings are incredible, and she offers a BABYWEARING LENDING LIBRARY where you can borrow slings/ wraps to try for yourself. Her # is: (213) 300~8275. She is truly a BABYWEARING ADVOCATE and all her help is free!!! : )))

Enjoy these most dazzling of times, J.!

L. (Mama to 20 week old Dylan Orion) : )))

For the first six -seven months the travel system style is the way to go. It's so nice to pop baby from the car to the stroller in their babyseat. Then he is more likely to continue sleeping (if he's asleep :) ). After six months the Travel system stroller is great for long day trips when you need a big basket to carry everything. It's kind of heavy for just getting in and out of the car for quick errands. Baby will be awake more after six months and start to sit up. Then he is ready to be in a stroller just on his own and kind of heavy to carry in the baby seat. Then you need an umbrella stroller. My biggest suggestion for this is to find one that is tall enough for you. I just bought a cheap umbrella stroller at Kmart and the handles are too short to push around comfortably all day. It's great and lightweight for quick trips and doesn't take up all of my trunk space like the travel system. I am only 5'6" so I am not unusually tall. For the stroller part of both of these check out second hand stores or Craig's list. You can often get a great deal on a good stroller that way. Of course I wouldn't recommend getting the baby seat that way unless you know the person who hands it down to you and know they haven't been in any accidents and that the seat isn't past it's expiration date (the plastic degrades over time but they last about 7 years).

Hi J.,
Congratulations! I loved my Peg Preggo Pliko travel system. It has great wheels, it's not too heavy and it came with the infant carrier that snaps in and out and into the car. Also, I suggest going to Babies R Us and practicing opening and closing the different brands to see which works best for you. Make sure you get one with storage space on the bottom and a cup holder!

I also stopped every woman I saw with a stroller on the street and asked her opinion.

Good luck!

L.