Stroller for Winter baby? Do we really need one?

OurJellybean

So DH and I have been debating strollers for the last few weeks and finally decided we are going to wait until spring to purchase one (baby is due december). We live in Canada and it snows A LOT here and it can get really cold until around April. We wont be going for walks with a newborn in the snow and the only place i can see us really using it is in the mall, but we dont shop that much and when we do cant we just put the car seat in a shopping cart? Im thinking of getting a snap n go but even that DH is against so we decided to wait and see if we need it and buy it if we do when she gets here. Anyone else not geting a stroller for their winter baby? Do you think we will regret this?

We are definitly getting a car seat!

CalMum_Momma

Do your malls have carts??

I would say you likely won't need one before spring.

mylove2005

I had a December baby and I used it a ton even though it snowed here I still used it in the malls and in places we just needed to get out of the house a bit.  It is all personal choice.  I loved the one we got with our car seat and still to this day my 4.5 year old uses it and we will use it with this baby.

tosh24

DD was a late fall baby and we also live in Canada...we definitely needed a stroller.

We don't shop that much either but I was at the mall about 2-3X per week just so that I could get out of the house and see other human beings. I hardly ever bought a thing - I would just walk around, window shop, and meet other moms with LO's. Not a whole lot of other stuff you can do when there's 6 feet of snow on the ground.

I also joined a "mom and stroller" exercise group (they have one at almost every mall). A bunch of moms will get together when the mall opens (or even half an hour before) and they exercise by speed walking around the mall with their strollers. Some groups are even lead by an instructor and every so often they'll have you stop and do things like lunges etc. It's a good way to get out so you don't go stir crazy sitting inside for 4 months.

Definitely, definitely, definitely, get a stroller.

jerseybroadwaybaby

I agree with PP. I had a NOV baby last year and there were times we just wanted to get out! we would go to museums or the aquarium and just wander around. Also you dont think about places that you will need it. For instance Kohls does not have regular shopping carts and I didnt know that...thank god I had the stroller with me when I went to places like that....Not to mention its great for holding all your bags when yo go to the mall!

jennylove1084

You could also wear your baby in the mall, but I hated the idea of possibly waking the baby up to move them from the car seat into the carrier.  And you'd also have to sit in the back seat to do it and cover them up really good to keep them warm until you get inside.

I'd probably at least get a snap n go.  Maybe you can find one used.

My cousin did just fine without a stroller and her Jan 1. baby though.

NoodleM

I'm in a similar situation, in Canada and due in December! I just moved up north to Prince George and the snow earlier this year was nuts.

I've thought of baby wearing and purchasing a stroller later, but I'll probably buy one before the baby is born just so I'm prepared for when the sidewalks are clear again and it's no longer -30 out.

Ashley&Scott

We're getting the Britax B-Agile. (I don't plan to use it until Spring either.)

5bears

On Craig's List, it seems like you can get a Snap N Go for about $35-40 (US).  We're going to wait until we find a car seat, then hit CL.

BunnyJenny

You want a stroller.... you will need one eventually. AND you can find a travel system so you don't have to wake baby and strap him/her to you every time you get out to go somewhere. Yes, you will be going somewhere....

Strollers are not some stupied gimic that the baby industry has put out... they are useful and people buy them for a reason...

 

weberm05

I had my baby in december and thought I didn't need a stroller.   So we bought just the carseat.

Then we realized how heavy that thing is to lug around in the mall etc.

So we bought a stroller. Wish I would have bought the whole travel kit at once....could have saved money!

BunnyJenny

weberm05:

I had my baby in december and thought I didn't need a stroller.   So we bought just the carseat.

Then we realized how heavy that thing is to lug around in the mall etc.

So we bought a stroller. Wish I would have bought the whole travel kit at once....could have saved money!

This....

  

frasey

we got a 3 wheeled stroller with the big wheels that are supposed to be better for navigating through snow, as Im sure we'll use it at some point. I live in Canada too!

miababy

DD was a summer baby, so we already have one from her.  Plus, we don't live in a very cold climate.  However, I'm thinking I'll be wearing this baby a lot this winter.  You could easily do that and skip on the stroller.  A snap and go would also be a great alternative.  I've seen them used for $20 and I think that's well worth it.  You can use it for a year or so, then decide what kind of stroller you really want. 

UAbride31007

OurJellybean:

 cant we just put the car seat in a shopping cart? 

This is very dangerous as shopping carts are not designed to hold car seats and can tip over. At least get a snap-n-go to hold the car seat. 

OurJellybean

Thanks everyone! We are just kinda overwhelmed with strollers and thought when the baby gets here atleast we would be able to test them out with her in them? Im still not sure what to do but I think your right about wanting to get out of the house. I get bored pretty easy lol

llc730

Agree with all the PP. Get a stroller. I had DD in January and live in MN (so I know all about the snow and cold. I was way too stir crazy to stay home for 8 weeks of mat leave. We used our travel system stroller a ton. I liked it better than the snap and go because it seemed more sturdy for going through sloppy parking lots, etc. I also loved that I could pull the canopy on both the stroller and the carseat to really protect DD from the wind.

92405bride

I got the snap n go but could have gotten by without a "real" stroller for awhile - 6 months at least.  I had a January baby in MN.

Like previous posters said, I used the snap n go ALL THE TIME - I was in a mom & baby group and used it to go there because it was kind of a long walk through the hospital to get there, used it to walk the mall (not to shop) during maternity leave, to go to Ikea, and other indoor places. You can get by without it, tons of people do I'm sure, by using a carrier (moby, ergo, etc) instead but I was glad to have the snap n go. I'm sure you could get it used for like $20.

pinksweetpea2

You won't need a stroller (I personally wish I had waited until I had Lily to pick our out, because I would have gotten a different one).  What you need is a Snap and Go.  It was my best friend that first winter with Lily and I live in NE where it snows very frequently.

 

shortstuff15

UAbride31007:

OurJellybean:

 cant we just put the car seat in a shopping cart? 

This is very dangerous as shopping carts are not designed to hold car seats and can tip over. At least get a snap-n-go to hold the car seat. 

It's dangerous to put a car seat ON TOP of a cart, but to put a carseat in a cart is perfectly safe.  I have never taken my stroller shopping because I would always put the carseat into the cart (like in the actual bucket part) and it was no different then filling the cart with stuff.

OP - I also live in Canada (northern AB) so snow and cold are very familiar to me!  I had a Feb baby and am having a Jan baby this coming Jan.  We bought a travel system and used it in March actually!  If you get a warm day here and there you can walk on the cleared parts of the sidewalk/street and it at least gets you out of the house!  We used that stroller for a LOT come spring/summer/fall so you will definately want a stroller eventually and I found that I loved my travel system one because it reclined.  Even if you don't use the stroller for a few months I find that the travel system is usable in way more situations then an umbrella and usable for much longer then a snap-n-go.

dottymobo

We had a stroller for my October DS, and I wish we had waited to get one and spent our money on a nicer lightweight one that didn't need to be newborn/car seat friendly.  I found a carrier to be more convenient for longer trips like mall, and put the seat in a cart for groceries or Target, and either left him in there or used the carrier.

KRISTA555

car seats are super heavy usually.

You might consider a Moby wrap for shopping anyway. I LOVE MY MOBY. I can't say that enough. Especially when my DD was a newborn, I would just put her in the newborn hold in the Moby, and she would sleep the whole time we were shopping. Plus, they are warm next to mama. And the bonus is that you don't have to deal with the bulky car seat if you don't want to while you're shopping.

Moby's LOOK really complicated to figure out, but if you carefully read the directions and practice a couple times, you will LOVE it.

precbaby3

I would go with NO..only bc you are not gonna want to have LO out in the cold weather, but if you are really active, or go to a mall or something a lot, just get one on the Lightweight ones..not umbrella but not the ones that come with a travel system. They are bulky and kinda heavy:( That is what i am getting for my little one bc it is much easier to handle and does not take up as much space:)

guccikat

I'm having a December baby and live in Canada as well (Calgary) but I'm postive a stroller will come in handy even during the winter months.  I plan to only go to malls with underground parking and I feel that not having a stroller will restrict the places I want to go to.

 Also, when you get to a mall without a stroller, you might have to look around for a shopping cart, or limit yourself to only going to malls that have shopping carts. 

Even if you don't go shopping at the mall, it's still a good oppurunity to get out of the house and get a little bit of excercise over the winter months.. a walk around the mall for 1 hour still burns calories