Stroller question

steelerfanva

I am reading reviews on strollers but still struggling. We live in a townhouse with 11 steps to the front door, and no garage. I am thinking that the stroller will always be in the back of one of our cars (we have a ford edge and a ford escape, so bigger cars, but not huge). There is no place to store it in the house. I feel like easy to fold and not too bulky would be important, but DH is looking at durability as well. Don't really need a jogging stroller, we would use it for the normal everyday activities. Anyone have a stroller they liked or did not like in a similar circumstance? Really appreciate the suggestions!

LauraElizabeth85

I have the baby jogger city elite. It would meet all your criteria. I don't "jog" either but it's a great stroller

Stargirlb

What's your budget? If price was no real deal breaker, I would say the bugaboo cameleon would be a good fit. Durable, easy to fold, fits in most trunks.  

elleswarth

Contours Bliss!

GromMom

What about getting a frame for the car seat and then getting an umbrella stroller when baby can ride in that style. I will admit I have a very expensive stroller and I prefer the el cheapo I bought for traveling, its light and easy to take places and the only issue is no storage, perfect for shopping in narrow aisles unlike my huge jogger.

steelerfanva

@Stargirlb‌ We honestly have not considered budget but the bugaboo is probably more than we would want to spend.

@GromMom‌ did not think of umbrella stroller but we figured we needed storage space.

Will look at these suggestions, thanks all!

GromMom

steelerfanva said:

@Stargirlb‌ We honestly have not considered budget but the bugaboo is probably more than we would want to spend.

@GromMom‌ did not think of umbrella stroller but we figured we needed storage space.

Will look at these suggestions, thanks all!

Also there are expensive umbrella style ones too, mine was $30 at tru, and is often free worth baby purchases, but my friend had a really nice one that can be made into a double stroller, I think hers was $100-150, but I can't remember the brand. Hers can carry something like 50-60 lbs, mine only technically goes to 35. Hers also has cup holders and storage.

Lanatir

My parents got us a travel set when I was pregnant with DD.  The stroller was semi monstrous, but it worked and fit in the trunk of my Mazda2.  So if you have that on a registry or someone gifts you one, it would probably fit.  I used it fairly frequently and didn't hate it enough to buy anything different, but if you plan on using it a lot, you might want something different.  We, too, have no garage and it's 14 steps to our front door and that thing was heavy up all the stairs if I needed to bring it in.

Now that we're looking at having 2, I'm semi sad I didn't the first time around get something like the City Select by Jogger Baby.  It has kits to upgrade it to a double stroller and another kit to add a sliding board thing if you have 3 so the oldest kid can stand and ride.  That would have been a super smart choice for me because my small car trunk means normal double strollers do not fit at all (largest dimension I have to work with is 40").  So if you're planning on keeping smaller cars and possibly hoping for/considering having a second or third, it might be smart to pay a little more for something like the City Select I'm now trying to convince is a better buy than a new car.  hahaha.

Maebb

Is there a Buy Buy Baby near you? They have a bigger selection of strollers that you can try.

I really wanted the Baby Jogger City Mini GT, but DH vetoed it because of price. We have a Graco one that we got hand-me-down (free), and it's ok but not too easy to fold and maneuver. Honestly I don't use it that often, so I'm kind of glad we didn't spend the money, but now I'm thinking about double strollers.

9513

If you go with the Chicco KeyFit 30, check out the lite way plus.

ZooCrewMom

I'm somewhat of a stroller junkie and for what you are describing I love our Baby Jogger City Mini. We have the citi select, which I have configured for two but it is quite bulky and heavy. I'll say the same for joggers, we have the BOB revolution (duellie) and their Sports Utility (single). Heavy and bulky, not for dragging in and out of the trunk every day. 

liladelphia215

We got a regular old graco and kept it in the trunk of our Ford Fusion at all times.

AlfiesMOM

We have the city select, it folds week (we have an escape it easily fits in the trunk). The only negative is it is kind of heavy, I can lift it but it's not super light.

Shortstack06

9513 said:

If you go with the Chicco KeyFit 30, check out the lite way plus.

This is what we are doing. I liked how light and easy to fold it was. You can also use it with the infant carrier so that was a bonus for us.

mom2case

I know you said the Bugaboo was more expensive than you'd like, but you can often find them on Craigslist.  I got an older Bugaboo Frog for $150.  It's very similar to the Cameleon.  I LOVE it.  We originally had a snap n go with the car seat, then had a Maclaren Techno XLR (souped up umbrella stroller).  We used a free jogging stroller for walks but they're huge.  I suggest you weigh what matters to you in a stroller and go from there.  I wanted a bassinet option and for the baby to be able to face me.  Those two things are why I ended up not using my Maclaren.  Once we got the bugaboo, all the other strollers were given away or stored.  The bugaboo has a car seat adapter, is rugged enough for walks, and is just a good stroller.   

KJsbabe

Another vote for the city mini. I love ours and it's a great stroller. It folds up easily and is very compact. It works great on sidewalks, grass, and pavement. We've taken it to the fair, the zoo, and all over the neighborhood and it's held up great. For the quality you get it's well worth the money.

avaquinn

Attach a cool skateboard ! https://mobi.orbitbaby.com/en/products/sidekick-stroller-board/

NatureLovers

steelerfanva said:

I am reading reviews on strollers but still struggling. We live in a townhouse with 11 steps to the front door, and no garage. I am thinking that the stroller will always be in the back of one of our cars (we have a ford edge and a ford escape, so bigger cars, but not huge). There is no place to store it in the house. I feel like easy to fold and not too bulky would be important, but DH is looking at durability as well. Don't really need a jogging stroller, we would use it for the normal everyday activities. Anyone have a stroller they liked or did not like in a similar circumstance? Really appreciate the suggestions!

I'd get a citi mini or britax b agile. It collapses with one hand and you can carry it like a suitcase.

9513

Shortstack06 said:

9513 said:

If you go with the Chicco KeyFit 30, check out the lite way plus.

This is what we are doing. I liked how light and easy to fold it was. You can also use it with the infant carrier so that was a bonus for us.

-------Quote fail-------
My husband was set on a jogging stroller and was looking at the Bob, the city, and the one by Chicco (Activ3?) Then when we went to the BRU to knock car seats off of our list, he played with the strollers and decided this was the way to go! Someone walking around the store had it and LOVED it.

ShuShubee

I think we are going to get the Chicco Activ3. We are also planning on getting a Chicco car seat, so they work with each other. I don't jog, but my husband wanted an all terrain stroller.

9513

ShuShubee said:

I think we are going to get the Chicco Activ3. We are also planning on getting a Chicco car seat, so they work with each other. I don't jog, but my husband wanted an all terrain stroller.

I was very impressed with the quality of this stroller. We're going with the lightway plus but if we decide to eventually buy an all terrain stroller, this will be the one!

devinandmichelle

My best friend has this Graco stroller and carseat which I absolutely love! She uses it almost every day with her 5-month-old. The stroller is lightweight but durable, and folds small (sounds like a must!). I love the fold because you grab a handle in the seat and lift, and the whole thing folds UP--most other models I've tried fold DOWN onto the ground and you have to bend over and pick it up. This one is super easy while holding baby!

It sounds like in your situation you might want to find something that you can afford to buy TWO of, and keep one small stroller in each car. (Or a Graco in yours and umbrella in his, for example.) I would hate to be without one when I really needed it because it was in the back of the wrong car!

https://m.target.com/p/graco-fastaction-fold-click-connect-travel-system/-/A-15286335

meganjtriplett

We have the Britax B-ready and absolutely love it! We have a few attatchments because we have two little boys (and a little one due in January)... You can hook the britax car seat right into it when baby is young and can use the seat as baby grows. The stroller is really wonderful and grows with your family. Also, folds down super easy, isn't too bulky and not very heavy!

BellaDame

I have the city mini gt stroller. I truly love this stroller and it's super easy to close (with one hand). No sweat!

LaStella25

Another Britax B Ready owner.  I like that it stands once folded. You can use the frame for the car seat (and remove the child seat).

LuckyPenny1231

City mini

banana2020

Yep. City Mini vote here, too. 

I also have a Maclaren umbrella that's pretty great as well that I enjoyed using when DS got a bit older (closer to 1.5-2).

But my favorite when they were in the infant bucket was the snap-n-go.  I swear, that was amazingly convenient!  When DS was sleeping in the bucket I could just pull him out of the car and snap the seat into the SnG frame and never disturb him.  The new Graco Snugrides with Click Connect will not work with our 2 SnG frames since they are older and not equipped with the "Click Connect" technology and I'm actually making sure we get a bucket seat that WILL work with our existing SnGs.  You can grab a great quality SnG on Craigslist for cheap. I got one for our shower (I think they retailed around $60-$80) and then grabbed a 2nd one for MH's car for $25 on CL.  SO convenient it's not even funny and they open/close really easily.

But the City Mini was fantastic once DS was pretty much all set with hanging out in the bucket (maybe around 6m) and wanted to look around more while in the stroller.

BackseatDriver

I have a city mini and it has worked great. I keep it in my trunk just because it is convenient. It is light weight, folds compact and is easy to fold. I think if I were to go back I would have gotten the Britax B agile with a britax infant seat because I like how they fit together better. I don't care for the city mini adapter. Another one that looks awesome is the Cybex Onyx which is an umbrella stroller with a lot of nice features. It can accommodate an infant seat as well.

However if you think you might want a second child soon I think the Britax B ready might save you some money in the long run. The city select and uppa baby vista are two others that I would look at. Convenient because they can easily be converted into a stroller that accommodates 2.