Strollers, are they practical??

MouseInLux

So I just got back from a weekend in Venice. We wore DD the whole time and it made life so easy. Everyone else had their kids in strollers, even the locals. Hauling a stroller over a bridge every 100m has to be a PITA! So it got me thinking...are strollers the practical answer where you live or do people insist on using them anyway?

Tofumonkey

Strollers are common here, though they are a nightmare on public transport. I'm really worried about what we will do when we do our drive through France, Luxembourg, The Netherlands and Germany next month. Do we bring the tandem, the side by side or two single umbrellas? Two years old is too young for them to walk everywhere. I'm tempted to bring the Tandem. Thoughts?

BlushingMama

My son is 4 years old and still occasionally goes in his umbrella stroller, but I walk easily 5-6 miles most days. Anything under 2 miles he has to walk himself. I realise that some people could side eye me for still using a stroller for him, but we don't have a car and I like to walk most places. We are also not in a big city centre, rather a big town that we live on the outskirts of, so even just to get to the shop or gym is a mile walk.

MouseInLux

Tofumonkey:

Strollers are common here, though they are a nightmare on public transport. I'm really worried about what we will do when we do our drive through France, Luxembourg, The Netherlands and Germany next month. Do we bring the tandem, the side by side or two single umbrellas? Two years old is too young for them to walk everywhere. I'm tempted to bring the Tandem. Thoughts?

Is your tandem one of the super long ones? I'd be tempted to say the umbrellas because if you want to go in any stores a single stroller is hell, I couldn't imagine a long tandem

MouseInLux

Tofumonkey:

Strollers are common here, though they are a nightmare on public transport. I'm really worried about what we will do when we do our drive through France, Luxembourg, The Netherlands and Germany next month. Do we bring the tandem, the side by side or two single umbrellas? Two years old is too young for them to walk everywhere. I'm tempted to bring the Tandem. Thoughts?

Is your tandem one of the super long ones? I'd be tempted to say the umbrellas because if you want to go in any stores a single stroller is hell, I couldn't imagine a long tandem

welshgirl

MouseInLux:

Tofumonkey:

Strollers are common here, though they are a nightmare on public transport. I'm really worried about what we will do when we do our drive through France, Luxembourg, The Netherlands and Germany next month. Do we bring the tandem, the side by side or two single umbrellas? Two years old is too young for them to walk everywhere. I'm tempted to bring the Tandem. Thoughts?

Is your tandem one of the super long ones? I'd be tempted to say the umbrellas because if you want to go in any stores a single stroller is hell, I couldn't imagine a long tandem

This. Although if one wants to walk, it might be more of pain, as you'd hAve two strollers and a toddler, but I do that a lot out and about. I would still take them. A tandem would be more difficlt to fit on public transport, in a hotel room folded, and even travelling.

 I use my strollers to death, literally, but I also do a lot of walking. I have a full size one still, whereas most people I know by this age swap to light weight umbrellas. But I do all my shopping on foot, so need something to hang bags off off, balance the weight, etc,  

lorryfach

Yes. I have definitely had those moments where I was really glad to be wearing DD instead of carting a stroller, but I've also had moments where I wished I'd brought a stroller, or where I was glad I did. I think there's a place for both. Younger DD didn't like being worn, for one thing. She screamed non-stop in a carrier but was chill as a polar bear in the stroller. I don't see bridges as a particular problem to strollers, but I've never been to Venice so maybe I'd change my tune.

What I do not get at all are the prams that are basically beds on wheels. I'm convinced Danes only use them because everyone else does, and then after they throw thousands on kroner at one, they feel like they have to use it as long as possible. They're a PITA to steer, they take up too much space (I laugh every time I see someone putting one in or out of the back of their car), and I've found exactly zero advantages to having one over having a pushchair that can also lie flat. My ILs bought us one and I tried to find a reason that it was worth it, but it just wasn't!

Obsession

We used a stroller all over Venice and it was fine. My husband would grab one end and I the other. The only place we didnt do that was over the big bridge.

pandi02a

Here the stroller is more practical. I wore Dominic when he was younger but now it's better to have my stroller to carry groceries and/or other things that I need with me. I haven't found a good way to wear him and carry a diaper bag.

AmericanInOz

some people just don't have a choice though - I have a bad back & bad shoulder, and dh has a bad neck, shoulder and back so we did carry dd in the carrier sometimes, but I couldn't carry her all the time or my back would be in agony

we also lived in an area where we were out most of the day walking, and quite some distance, so it just wasn't possible for me to carry her all of the time and I LOVED my stroller

we had a huge moutain buggy that I used day to day and although its not very practical in stores, it was GREAT for walking to the beach, etc. I used the HECK out of it. Now that we're in the burbs I don't use it as much, I have a smaller stroller in the back of my SUV, but I do still use our big stroller for when we go to the park, etc as it's nice to be able to carry along the stuff we'll need and dd often likes to ride on the way there

frlcb

Both strollers and carriers serve a purpose, and different things work for different families. I love wearing my kids, but there are times where I can't imagine not having a stroller. I think asking if people 'insist' on using them anyway is a loaded question, since not everyone loves babywearing.

PittPurple

Obviously I have no idea how this will actually work out, but I spent a ridiculous amount of time looking at strollers online. I ended up with one that's a bit bulkier than I thought I'd go for - but I figure we can then use it for off-road walks as well. For me, babywearing won't work for an every day thing - if I'm doing the grocery shopping, I wouldn't be able to carry everything and I'm not actually sure I could even carry a baby all day with my hip.

I would think if I'm meeting friends for coffee or lunch or whatever, it will be a lot nicer to have the baby sleeping/playing in the pram instead of lying on me the whole time.

We don't have a car so anywhere I go is by walking or on the bus. We're getting a baby carrier also but I imagine it will be mostly for DH - he loves hiking, etc and you can't really bring a pram to anything like that! He's way stronger than me though so I think he'll have an easier time carrying the extra weight all day. 

lorryfach

PittPurple:

I would think if I'm meeting friends for coffee or lunch or whatever, it will be a lot nicer to have the baby sleeping/playing in the pram instead of lying on me the whole time.

This is SO true. Trying to eat with a baby strapped to you is a PITA. 

MouseInLux

lorryfach:

PittPurple:

I would think if I'm meeting friends for coffee or lunch or whatever, it will be a lot nicer to have the baby sleeping/playing in the pram instead of lying on me the whole time.

This is SO true. Trying to eat with a baby strapped to you is a PITA. 

See this is interesting, I never had an issue...DD stayed asleep and happy while I ate with my friends when she was small while their little ones got fussy and ended up out of the stroller. When she stopped sleeping she hung out on my lap while I ate, which wasn't an issue , and played with a spoon and by the time she was 6 months she was in a high chair eating with us. 

kelly321

I always did a combination with DD - for short trips I wore her and for longer trips I used the stroller. Part of it was that my Baby Bj?rn hurt my back/shoulders to wear for too long. Now I've heard that that's a common problem and the ergo is much better? So it's on my Christmas list for LO2.

I think there's a place for both strollers and carriers, though. I walk and take the bus a lot and really don't like either of the double stroller options for a baby/toddler combination, so I'm hoping to wear LO while using the stroller for DD when I have to go out with both.

bugabean

It could be my clumsiness and poor hand-eye coordination, but I maintain that putting a baby, asleep or awake, doesn't matter, in between me and my food is just a bad idea. It's awkward to eat when you're an extra foot away from the table and you don't want to dump a forkfull of spaghetti on your kid's head.

expatmama:

Ha, we posted at about the same time and I said the exact opposite - I thought I would hate the giant Scandinavian strollers - but I love mine - Maybe it is the crazy price tag - but we use it all the time - and when LO falls asleep on a walk, I just park it in the hall and relax until LO wakes up - never managed that with the carrier.But if I lived in the center of my city I would hate it! I Usually leave it at home when I have to go somewhere with narrow sidewalks. 

I don't mind that they're huge. I mind that they only do one thing: lie flat. What's the advantage of a barnevogn over a klapvogn that can lie flat and also fold into a chair? You can still leave a klapvogn in the hall when LO is asleep. 

bugabean

We have an Emmaljunga and we originally just bought it with the klapvogndel/pushchair attachment, but my ILs insisted on buying the barnevogndel/pram attachment. It's the exact same frame on the bottom, literally. You take the pram top off and put the pushchair top on. So all the stuff about steering, off-roading, etc. is the same regardless. You can still use a voksipose/lift in a klapvogn when it's lying flat. I still don't get the point. I can't imagine making a 3-year-old sit in a barnevogn instead of a klapvogn with a nice adjustable back, foot rest, etc. Seriously, what am I missing?

Suse's Kinder make some nice winter coats for baby wearing, btw. I have used both stroller and mei tai during winter without any problems. 

LadyMadrid08

I love my umbrella stroller, my giant bugaboo, and my baby carriers all for different reasons.

My umbrella stroller rocks to use on long trips (airports and such) or for short trips like going to the mall.   

My bugaboo works great for navigating public transportation and being out all day long with DD away from home.  I love having the huge undercarriage bag to store things like a change of clothes, rain cover, umbrella for myself, extra blankets/coats, toys, food, etc.  I also carry a large skip hop diaper bag strapped onto the stroller for those kinds of days.  I literally could not survive an entire day out of the house with just the ergo carrier.  No freakin way.  And I will be out a whole day with DD where we don't have the option to pop home for something because we are 40+ minutes away by public transportation. So yeah, my stroller is practical!

The ergo and moby I loved for different reasons.  The moby I always kept with me when she was really little so if she got fussy I could just pop her in and it would calm her.  I also did tons of housework with her napping in it when she was tiny.  The ergo is great for using in the airport (in conjuction with my umbrella stroller), walking the dogs, hiking, etc.  I would never take her out for more than an hour of so in the ergo unless it was a hike.  I don't like wearing her in malls or meeting people inr estaurants like PPs mentioned because she doesn't like being worn and it's just plain uncomfortable in those situations.

I think it's silly to just do one or the other...like I said my modes of baby transportation are all great.  It just depends on the activity which one works best.

Probably in Venice it's silly to take a stroller, but if it's one with those huge wheels then you're probably not all that put out to have to pop it up and down stairs every few meters. I've never been to Venice with a baby though so I can't say for sure.