Soliciting opinions on strollers

If you’ve taken a baby out in public, or been out with us, you’ve probably experienced plenty of unsolicited advice regarding the baby. Here is your chance to dole out some of your own advice onto attentive ears! I’m looking around at strollers for Josie. New York City made me want a bugaboo, but I don’t think I want to shell out such a big percentage of our monthly income for a stroller. I do think Josie would love the bassinet feature, but she’s going to outgrow it so soon anyway. Neighbors have recommended getting a jogging stroller because we live on a street with horrendously bumpy sidewalks and the big wheels do better. My mom got a Baby Jogger City-mini which is easy to steer, has a good sun shade, and has the best fold on the market, but the seat itself isn’t terribly supportive. The uppa baby stroller at Isis was attractive as well and not quite the punch to the wallet as the bugaboo.

What do you have? how do you like it?

8 Responses to “Soliciting opinions on strollers”

  1. Marcus Says:

    We’ve got the Baby Jogger City Series Elite… it’s a beefed up version of the one your mom (heh) has. The fold is insane, the sun shade is great, the storage is awesome and I can say from experience that the Elite’s wheels can definitely handle your sidewalk. We love love love the thing.

    PS – What is the concern regarding a supportive seat? I don’t even know what that means and I spent a work-week’s worth of hours researching strollers. All I can say is that the Elite’s seat is no different than any other stroller we tried out before purchasing… better than most because of the easy recline on the new model, too.

  2. Cheryl Says:

    We’re insane and have three strollers. Our first was a BabyTrend Travel System, which is okay and has a cute giraffe on it, but it doesn’t steer too well. We got it because at the time we were looking the Baby Trend Infant Carseat was Consumer Reports’ top in terms of safety. I wouldn’t recommend it for bumps.

    Our second is a Schwinn jogging stroller that’s also a bike trailer thingie. I love the maneuverability of it, but I would not recommend it for regular usage because it is one inch short of fitting in my trunk (Honda Civic Hybrid), but it will fit in Lance’s Honda Civic (Not Hybrid) Trunk because he does not have the Battery Pack. Also, baby has to be at least 6 mos for stroller, and 1 year for riding behind a bike. http://www.amazon.com/Schwinn-13-SC767-Trailblazer-Bike-Trailer/dp/B000IOTM3Y/ref=pd_sbs_ba_1

    Our third stroller is an umbrella stroller and it is the one I like the most. It’s a Chicco C6. It maneuvers well, even when I’ve had to take it on non-stroller friendly surfaces (i.e. sand at Lake Tahoe, trail along the Chattahoochee River in Atlanta). And it did handle your bumpy sidewalk well when we were in Boston in April! Or at least I don’t remember fighting with it at all. Plus it’s $50, folds up nice and small for traveling, is comfortable for RJ, has a little recline feature (doesn’t go down far though), and comes with a bag and/or strap to carry it. The only negative is that Lance broke the sun shade clip while manhandling the stroller (he blames “bad design” but I thoroughly disagree). http://www.amazon.com/Chicco-05061459200070-C6-Stroller-Tangerine/dp/B000FFS9VM/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=baby-products&qid=1215726138&sr=8-1

  3. Joshua Says:

    We have the Bob Revolution and are insanely happy with it. Very similar to Koos’s stroller. The pushability is insane – one handed easiness. Also, the shocks (while you may think them unnecessary), are fantastic for smoothing out the ride. You are welcome to try it out if you want to see what it is like. It also accepts the snap in car seat very well which gives a very comfortable ride for the newborn.

  4. Stef Says:

    Until she’s older, like 6 months, I would stick with the infant carrier and a stroller frame like the Snap and Go. It is SOOOOO easy for shopping, especially quick trips, has a good basket and is lighter and smaller than a full sized stroller because you take the carrier part out. I still use this when running errands even though Xander is big enough for the full sized stroller. I very highly recommend this!!!

  5. Stef Says:

    To add to what Marcus said, out stroller back reclines fully, not just a little bit, so she could just lie in it. She wouldn’t be able to sit up in it on her own yet.

  6. jen Says:

    Thanks for the comments guys! We have a snap and go type frame right now, but it’s really bumpy on these streets and I’m often doing a lot of errands on foot for my own health and the frame doesn’t steer terribly well. Plus I think the car seat gets rather hot since she’s so snuggled in. She often fusses until i take her out and hold her facing forward (and pushing the stroller with my other hand) which rather ruins the point of the stroller. She really wants to look forward/outward in the stroller and the wrap.

  7. Sharona Says:

    We really like our Valco Trimode, and it was recommended to us as being similar to the Bugaboo but more affordable. We got it off Craig’s List, but you can also get it at Magic Beans in Brookline. It’s great – you can even take it over snowbanks and it can be converted into a double stroller in case you want another kid.

  8. Saru Says:

    We don’t have anything that can handle bumps, but if you’re in the market for a lightweight stroller at some point we highly recommend the Maclaren Triumph. Weighs 11 lbs, can easily fold up and doesn’t take up the entire trunk. Plus much easier to travel with than our huge travel system stroller.

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