Strollers/Gear for Tall Parents

aesimp · December 2013

My husband and I are expecting our first child in June and we're totally overwhelmed by all the baby gear (add to that that we live abroad and don't have access to BRU or BBB). The main issue is that my husband is 6'9" and I'm 5'9" and we're trying to find a stroller that fits both of us well. We tried out the City Versa, the Stokke Xplory, and the Bugaboo Buffalo. The Bugaboo is definitely the tallest stroller at 43" handlebar height (and also ridiculously expensive) while the other two are around 42". I really liked the ease and weight of the Versa. 42" sort of works for DH but it would be great to find something taller if possible. Are there any other strollers we should be looking into?

For some info, we live in Singapore so it's lots of public transit, cabs with small trunks, escalators, city walking, etc. I plan to babywear but would like the option of a stroller for when/if it's too warm to carry. I know a lot of the joggers are really tall but realistically they're not compact enough for us. I am also likely to be taking the stroller on public transit so it'd be nice to be able to fold it myself (with baby in one arm or on me) and carry it up or down a few steps.

Unrelated, I'd love to hear from any very tall parents who have suggestions on other things that have made your life easier...we're headed home to the States for Christmas and will try and get some research & shopping done while we're there.

Thanks for any help!

JilllyBean · December 2013

We have a uppababy Cruz. My husband is tall and I am not, the handle is adjustable and works for both of us. It's also nice and light, we live in Chicago and it's great for maneuvering around the city

LittleFish1 · December 2013

DH is 6'2" so am going off of him for thinking of handle bar height because I am short. We have City Mini GT. Love weight & ease of fold is nice (but I still need 2 hands to move it into my vechicle). The handle bar is 41.5" max so you are probably looking for something taller (that is still on the side of being a lighter weight stroller. Also my stroller has 24inch width which I wouldn't want to go wider... have you considered Valco brand? They are Australlian so may be more readily available in Singapore.

The Valcp Spark max handle height is 43 inchess, weight of just under 24 pounds, and strollers 23" width is a good size for maneuvering.
www.valcobaby.com/products/strollers/model/spark.html

Valco also has Snap4 (am guessing you want 4 tires based on the strollers you mentioned), which is ONLY 15 pounds, comes with carrying strap which would be good if carrying down/up stairs to get onto metro & has compact fold! Am really thinking this is best option for you. Height not adjustable but is at 42 inches (which is same aa the City Vista's max height). The seat folds in on itself so if you brush up against something, won't be concerned about getting gunk on it (yes, Singapore is very clean, however things do spill). They say when folded will do standing fold or you can pull it behind you as well.
https://www.valcobaby.com/products/strollers/model/snap4.html

The other is Valco's Zee... weight of 18 lbs, adjistable handle that has max of 40" and looks like a compact fold. Think this is another great contender for your needs -
https://www.valcobaby.com/products/strollers/model/zee-2.html

Others have liked the Valcos on here before. Amazon carries them, and there are a few places around the US but not many carry them. Good luck!

FmrAFBrat · December 2013

::Lurking::Buy Buy Baby carries Valco and usually has the Zee in store. I'm on Amazon mom (& get free returns) so I was able to get a Snap Dual that I love. It's amazing. Lightweight, super easy to use, and wipes clean really easily...almost like it repels dirt. Check out Valco Baby's website because they have an amazing sale going on there right now since it's the year end. I highly recommend their strollers...they have great customer service too. It's probably my favorite baby item to date.

cavalier79 · December 2013

The maclaren techno has adjustable handles as well. I believe they go up to 43". It has a compact fold, light weight and suitable from birth to 65lbs.

SunAndRain · December 2013

For baby wearing I have to recommend Ergo. I have the performance model. So easy to adjust. I'm 5'10" and my torso is really long. It is very comfortable, versatile And easy to adjust. I even breast fed dd in it. Now that she is a toddler and heavier I wear her on my back.

aesimp · December 2013

Thanks so much for all the suggestions! I ordered a bunch of stuff on amazon for when were home (including the ergo performance for the hubs) so fingers crossed that works. I haven't even heard of Valco before (which is only strange if you knew how many hours I've been obsessively researching this).

Any experience with Phil and Teds Promenade? It's a NZ company so I don't even know if they're common in the states. We haven't seen one in person yet but they're crazy tall.

Singapore is the worst for baby stuff. The City Versa is about $300 on amazon now and the one we looked at here was $999 (omg!!!) so we're going to try and import everything we possibly can.

eyenigh · December 2013

Are you looking for one all around stroller? I never managed to get down to one stroller for everything so I ended up with a BJ City Micro for every day trips and a BJ City Elite for more "off road" trips. I'm 5'11 and my husband is 6'4-- both work well for us but he definitely prefers the City Elite. The main reason I wanted to post was to bring up that I found that just as important as the handle height is where the supporting footbar is at the back. I went through 2 other strollers before these because I found I was walking into the back of them constantly since my stride is so long. My husband still bumps into the back of the City Micro regularly but the Elite is great. Unfortunately, it's just not a great every day stroller since it's pretty large for a daily driver but it does fold up easily and, especially for larger people, isn't too heavy to deal with for its size. It rides like a dream and is great for rough terrain, trails, snow and even the beach but trying to move it around racks in a store isn't fun.

RosyGlow · December 2013

Uppababy Vista for us! We are 5'9 and taller in my family!

aesimp · December 2013

eyenigh said:

Are you looking for one all around stroller? I never managed to get down to one stroller for everything so I ended up with a BJ City Micro for every day trips and a BJ City Elite for more "off road" trips. I'm 5'11 and my husband is 6'4-- both work well for us but he definitely prefers the City Elite. The main reason I wanted to post was to bring up that I found that just as important as the handle height is where the supporting footbar is at the back. I went through 2 other strollers before these because I found I was walking into the back of them constantly since my stride is so long. My husband still bumps into the back of the City Micro regularly but the Elite is great. Unfortunately, it's just not a great every day stroller since it's pretty large for a daily driver but it does fold up easily and, especially for larger people, isn't too heavy to deal with for its size. It rides like a dream and is great for rough terrain, trails, snow and even the beach but trying to move it around racks in a store isn't fun.

Thanks for the tips about the foot bar. I've heard that mentioned a few times and DH has a massive stride so we'll need to be careful. We're trying to get one stroller that will gets us from infant to toddler with the idea that we'll babywear quite a bit. The stroller is basically for trips to the zoo, the grocery store, or the mall. If we go hiking we'll babywear, if we go through airports we'll babywear, if we're travelling to a non-city we'll babywear.

There are basically zero umbrella strollers that will work for us--even the ones I've tried are too short to be comfortable for me (and then DH is a foot taller). So I'm aiming for something lightweight and comfortable without being umbrella.

LittleFish1 · December 2013

Being a shorty myself, dislike umbrella strollers because rhw make my back ache. Don't want to imagine how much worse it'd be for tall people.

ebp913 · December 2013

The Uppababy Vista is GREAT for tall parents but not sure it would be great for what you are describing. Maybe the Uppabably G-Luxe. I feel all their strollers are great for tall people.

klyann · December 2013

DH is 6'3" and really likes the G-luxe for umbrella/travel stroller. I wouldn't have it as my everyday stroller though. I personally am a fan of the britax b-agile. You can snap a carseat into it (we have a keyfit) and the bar at the bottom is inverted so you don't kick it. Basket is also decent too. Handlebar isn't adjustable but I think its quite high. And you can easily find it for under $200. I bought my first on amazon for $149 with a coupon deal they were having. And I just bought a second one to keep at Grandmas for $169. Also has a tray available to purchase separately.

klyann · December 2013

Note: I also own an UppaBaby Vista, a BOB revolution, and a Bumbleride Indie Twin. Yep, I like to collect strollers.

klyann · December 2013

For some reason my edit won't work. But I also wanted to add, that I wouldn't count on babywearing. Both of my babies (especially my second, who is almost 6 months) HATE to be worn. I have tried the Ergo Sport, Baby K'tan, and the Beco Gemini. So I apparently collect carriers too.

laurel22 · January 2014

We are also a relatively "tall family" (5'-7" and 6'-4") and we're having a tough time deciding on a stroller for baby #2. We have the City Mini from our first child, but the handle height is 41.5", and my husband has always complained that it's short for him. I tested out the P&T Promenade, and it's a really nice stroller, but the info I got from the company says that the handlebar is only 40" tall in the "normal" setting. There's also an extended length, that makes it 42" tall, but that's meant for when the stroller is used as an in-line double stroller; the handle ends up REALLY far away from the stroller and the stroller becomes very long (although it might be OK for your husband with his long gait... or if you plan to use it as a double anyway).

In the end, I think we've decided on the UppaBaby Vista, which has an adjustable handle height of 42.5". I didn't want to spend that much money, but it seems like the best option for us. However, if you're looking for something very "city friendly" that can get through tight spaces, it might not be the stroller for you. I would also take a look at the UppaBaby Cruz. I have some friends who are Manhattan-dwellers who absolutely love their Cruz for its lightweight/narrow frame, smooth ride, and huge basket. Personally, the only reason I'm not going for the Cruz is because I want the bigger wheels of the Vista to handle the grass and trails at our local suburban parks.

bumpuser924057 · January 2014

I have the UB Vista and Cruz and the BJ City Select. The Cruz is my favorite stroller of the three, hands down. I am 5'9" and my husband is about 6'1" and we are comfortable pushing all three of those models; however, I don't know that any of them would be great for one-hand folding and carrying on public transportation. The Cruz is probably the closest out of the ones I mentioned, though.

AdalynnL · May 2014

I realize this isn't a new topic, but I searched long and hard for a stroller that my 6'3" husband would be comfortable with.

His brother, roughly an inch shorter, are happy with the Britax B-Agile. It is super light, compact, and easy to maneuver. The bar across the back from wheel to wheel is raised, so they don't kick it. My husband, however, looked like an old man hunched behind a walker and it was still too narrow for his gait.

We ended up going with the new Graco Aire3. Not only because it's awkward to get the same stroller your brother got a few months ago, but because it works for us. I think the height might be the same, but because of the shape of the handlebar it's more comfortable for us both. The storage is bigger, and the bar from the wheels is also raised across the back, so we don't kick it. It weighs slightly more than the B-Agile, but is still quite compact and super easy to fold and unfold (and you can hear a "click" every time, so you know it's locked in place). The maneuverability is awesome, and it comes in interesting and gender-neutral colors. The wheels are rubber (won't pop), and you have the option of locking the front wheel straight for jogging or rough terrain. Unfortunately the side joints are made of plastic, but we aren't planning on being rough with it and the stroller seems solid.

Other strollers we considered were a Baby Trend, with an adjustable handlebar, and the Graco FastAction Fold, but these strollers are monsters. Heavy, bulky, and harder to maneuver, although both still have the option of keeping the front wheel swiveling or locking it in place.

These are the strollers in the less-intimidating price range, but if you want to spend more, BOB is coming out with a stroller with an adjustable handle, and Phil & Ted have some neat models (the new ones have a great breaking system that is attached to the handlebar). The Valco Snap and Snap4 are trendy and 41" tall. Some of these strollers you can find, mostly in older models, on craigslist or ebay, and there is nothing wrong with that but make sure you know which model and year you're getting! Also, of course, don't use a used car seat, since you have no idea if it was even simply dropped or handled roughly and the safety has been compromised, the same way a helmet would be.

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