Please help with stroller

lemonlimes · January 2010

I am in my 2nd trimester. I recently came to the US, and in my country we don't have as much stuff and choices for the baby. Life is pretty simple. People usually buy one stroller that lasts them till the baby does not need one. When the baby is young, baby is carried in arms.

When I see the stuff here, my mind boggles and I dont know what to buy and how. I tries looking up online but no luck.

Can someone help me with strollers? What kind do I need to buy? I understand there are different kinds- travel system, heavy strollers, lightweight strollers, umbrella strollers etc etc etc.

- I am petite and arthritic- I need something I could maneuver easily and that is not too heavy.

- I would prefer something thats not too expensive.

-I have a sedan so it will need to fit in the car.

- preferably something to keep baby stuff so that i dont have to lug it around with the baby.

Any recommendations on what I should buy? Do I need to buy a complete travel system? There are so many brands and so many types in each brand.....

Also, could anyone explain to me how different strollers work? What kinds are used for what? I know these are a lot of questions but any info you could provide me with would be very helpful

thanks a lot in advance.

staycee · January 2010

I'd recommend reading Baby Bargains. It has a section on strollers that would probably help you answer all those questions to find the best fit for your needs.

the one I have (Uppababy Vista) is pretty versatile, but not exactly lightweight. But it does fold and fit in our Accord.

ALittleBirdy · January 2010

I'm not much help,but I will say that we did the travel system thing (Chicco) and while we (obviously) use the infant car seat part a lot and really like it to use in the car, we have never used our stroller. If you are used to babies being carried, why not do that? Most like itbetter anyway (DS hates the stroller and I find it insanely annoying to deal with) and it's much easier and good for them to be worn! If you're interested in that, check out a Moby Wrap or the Ergo carriers.

FirefightersBride · January 2010

Welcome and congratulations!

I'll tell you about my stroller/travel system, I have the Chicco Cortina travel system with the Keyfit30 car seat. The stroller isn't to heavy, and is pretty easy to fold. My favorite thing about it is that the stroller will serve me until my child doesn't need to be in a stroller anymore.

The carseat is wonderful! It will hold DS until he is 30lb or 30in long. The carseat was rated top by consumer reports for safety and the straps are so easy to pull out for putting baby in. I love it!

monlyn9 · January 2010

FirefightersBride:
Welcome and congratulations!

I'll tell you about my stroller/travel system, I have the Chicco Cortina travel system with the Keyfit30 car seat. The stroller isn't to heavy, and is pretty easy to fold. My favorite thing about it is that the stroller will serve me until my child doesn't need to be in a stroller anymore.

The carseat is wonderful! It will hold DS until he is 30lb or 30in long. The carseat was rated top by consumer reports for safety and the straps are so easy to pull out for putting baby in. I love it!

This!

tabi_ja · January 2010

We got a travel system for an incredibly great price, but we haven't used it enough to recommend needing one. Mostly, we just use the carrier and set it in the cart at the store. Anything else, we use the wrap. I would suggest getting a wrap that works for you - DS HATED the Moby-style, but LOVES his Mai-tai-style. Use that until your LO gets a little bigger. Then, you can switch to a simple umbrella stroller with a basket. These fold down really small, and can be used for years.

GL with your decision, and feel free to drop me a PM if you have any other questions!

tdalbey21 · January 2010

We have the Graco Snugride 32. I LOVE it! The car seat just snaps into a very lightweight frame when you want to use a stroller. It has a nice basket underneath to put things in. It folds does really flat too! We just have started putting DD in the Maclaren umbrella stroller and she loves it too.

easyBreezie · January 2010

First I will say it all depends on your lifestyle. For me, I don't get out all that much. Originally I purchased the Chicco Keyfit travel system. This is a good system BTW if you are wanting to go this route. It helps keep the baby from car to store w/o having to take it out. I however, always carried my baby in a sling when going in somewhere. From what you say, the travel system would not be something you need.

The umbrella strollers are more for older kiddos and for short trips. They are good to have handy if you're away from home for a quick trip out or to a parade or something.

Here is what I suggest: I would've bought a convertible carseat from the beginning since most you can put a baby in that weighs 5 lbs or more. You will be able to use this for a while. (most up until they will no longer need a carseat) Then buy a lightweight stroller (some are still called umbrella as well) than fully reclines, is compact, and still has storage in it, such as this (It's a Combi Cosmo) It weighs 13 lbs and folds up to about as small as the umbrella strollers. If you plan to carry your LO in anywhere you go, you can use a sling, carry in your arms, etc. but have a lightweight stroller that is small and can be kept in your car w/o taking up all kinds of space but still has everything you need.

The jogging strollers are more for people who exercise. strollers.com is where I would start. I hope I haven't confused you any more but you will get it all figured out. Don't stress it.

SkypekWithoutAC · January 2010

I love our Baby Jogger City Mini. https://babyjogger.com/city_mini_lp.aspx

It is very lightweight, can be used in many situations (I've used it on city sidewalks and a museum so far, but I'm sure it'd be good over rougher terrain as well). It has a true one hand fold and is very small (about the size of a suitcase) when folded flat. It's design makes it very easy to move around, since it can do 360 degree turns due to the front wheel. It's also got a nearly flat recline, so you can use it pretty early (we started using ours at about 3.5 months). I'm only 5'1" and its height is perfect for me, so I'm sure it's a little short for taller people, but would probably work for you since you said you're petite. My only complaint is that the basket underneath isn't very big. However I can and do fit our diaper bag and my jacket underneath, so it's OK, just a squeeze.

lemonlimes · January 2010

thanks for your inputs.

dragon_chica · January 2010

Although pricey the Bugaboo Bee is excellent and here's why:

- only 18 lbs

- excellent steering and manueverability, one-handed steering

- easy to break down and open

- seat has 4 reclining positions, you can have it facing you or outward, and it's removable

- you can remove the seat and place a carseat adapter, therefore you can use this for a few years

- depreciates a lot better since it's a "brand name" stroller

- we bought ours used off of craigslist. I suggest you look there and ebay for good prices

Want a personalized experience?

Please help with stroller

Re: Please help with stroller

Choose Another Board

Search Boards