Strollers- teach me please

goodgalpal

There are so many options and as a first time mom I am a little overwhelmed. How do you know what kind of stroller to get?

I love the Baby Jogger City Select, it is so customizable and handles really well, and it is on sale since they are clearing out their inventory for the newer models.

However, there are umbrella strollers that seem light, small, but not as comfortable looking, less durable in general from the looks of them. And there are the jogging strollers with the large "real tires"- those seem like they'd be comfortable to ride in but bulky. Dh thinks they'd be good for going to various fairs and festivals, and maybe for neighborhood walks even though we don't actually jog.

I've seen the travel system and have no interest in those. They seem large and have a lot of plastic on them, and I generally don't like the way they handle.

I have no idea what to pick. I don't want to waste money but I also don't want to buy a bunch of strollers until I find what works for us. How many strollers is normal to have and which category of strollers do people generally prefer?

ebp913

How are you neighborhood sidewalks?  Do you do a lot of grass, mulch, etc?  I find air tires so amazing for walks.  Our sidewalks are pretty bad and we do a lot of up and down curbs and I adore my BOB.  I jog a little but I mostly walk and still love that stroller.  Once you try air tires.... you'll never want to go back to foam.  It's just SO easy to push.  It's also big though so not really great for in and out of the car.  I think a nice combination is a walking/outdoor stroller and then a car stroller.  For the car, you could do an umbrella or something lightweight like the Valco Snap.  Here are some of my personal favorites

Jogging - BOB, Mountain Buggy, Baby Jogger Summit

Car - Valco Snap, Uppababy G-Luxe, Maclaren, Bugaboo Bee

Everyone here at the Bump is obsessed with the City Mini from Baby Jogger but I think it's really not great so that's why I didn't include it.  You could also do something like the Baby Jogger Versa if you want to try and have just one stroller. They sell GT (all terrain) tires for it which would be good for walks and it's still a decent choice for the car.  I loved my Uppababy Vista while I had it but now looking back, I think I would have preferred 2 strollers with different purposes than 1 that tries to do it all.  The Vista is really great though if you decide you don't need air tires.  The bassinet is so nice for walks and then you could still get an umbrella for the car.  

I also wouldn't recommend the Select for 1 baby.  It's really long and just big and I think while it seems like a nice idea that you can make it a double later, by the time you are there, there will probably be newer and better stuff on the market that you would rather have.  There are lots of similar options that are better suited for 1 baby. 

cavalier79

I have many strollers (vista, city mini, maclaren quest, city mini gt double and city select double). Of all the strollers I have I should have just purchased the city select and city mini. The city select makes a much better double then the vista does, if you plan in having more children the I'd def suggest the city select. The city mini is small enough to be considered an umbrella stroller but pushes better ans has better accessories for kids (belly bar and snack tray). The basket is small but it would be small on an umbrella anyway. The canopy is awesome and it folds flat.

FmrAFBrat

If your on the go a lot I highly recommend the Car strollers she mentioned, I have a Valco Snap Dual & a Uppababy G-Luxe and love them. I also saw a Joovy Ultralight Groove at my moms group and think that is a great lightweight stroller as well. I've had my G-luxe for 2 years and it still looks and works great.

It really depends on your lifestyle too. If your out doors a lot or live somewhere with a lot of snow your going to want something more rugged and with big wheels like the BOB.

If your really not sure you could you could start with a Snap N Go stroller. I still use mine for daycare and pharmacy trips since it is so easy to use (& I need to hang on to a toddler with the other hand). I use and recommend the Safety 1st Clic It since it has a huge basket, nice parent tray, & built in sunshade. I like the Chicco Keyfit Caddy too..but some of the other SnGs suck, so beware if you do go that route. They just look flimsy.

LibbyVille

We hated our Graco travel system stroller and it is now at Gramma's if she wants to take DD out when she babysits. We loved our Bob and used it as our main stroller. We also have an umbrella for quick mall trips. Now that we are having 2 we got a City Select double and a snap and go. I think it is impossible to find one perfect stroller.

spinsoffresonance

We started out only with the infant car seat (Chicco Keyfit) and Keyfit caddy. We used that for 9 months. It gave us a chance to figure out how we use the stroller., and where we need to take a stroller to.(We pretty much don't, I ended up babywearing most of the time).
Then between 9-12m we tried to figure out what stroller we should get. DH really wanted a BOB because everyone told him it was the greatest. So we got one which ended up being a total disaster. It's an awesome stroller and I love it. But we live in the city, have to keep the stroller in the basement and it is just way too big for that. It doesn't fit through our door, it is heavy and huge to carry down the stairs, and it is way too large to push around city shops and restaurant. It now lives in the garage at grandma'shouse where we keep it in the garage and use it for walks in the country.
I have totally been eyeing the UppaBaby vista at the playground but decided there was no reason to spend so much when I barely use the stroller at all. The city mini is too big to fit through our door as well. So we ended up with the Chicco Echo umbrella stroller from target.
If you start out just with a snap n go/ car seat caddy for the newborn stage you can skip the fancy expensive stroller with all the bells and whistles and go straight to a cheap stroller once your LO can sit up.