Do I really need a stroller?

nackie · September 2015

DH and I are in the process of registering and are torn on the stroller issue. We live in a townhouse with a fair number of stairs leading up to the front door and no garage. The main level of the house only has one tiny coat closet that is nowhere big enough to fit a stroller even folded up.
We plan to baby wear as much as possible and have an infant car seat we can popin and out for car trips. I just can't imagine lugging a stroller and baby up and down all those steps every time I leave the house. Am I a crazy person who will regret not getting a stroller or is it doable?

nlwz123 · September 2015

Well, it kind of depends on your lifestyle. If you are frequently walking to and from places then yes, I'd recommend a stroller. You don't have to take the stroller with you every time you go somewhere, but I think it'd be nice to have the option.

Mommyduclos · September 2015

I baby wear and have no need for a stroller for the first year- with both my previous babies. But my babies LOVE to cuddle and be held, but other friends I have their babies have liked to go back and forth or whatever so it may depend on your child's temperament if baby wearing 100% works for you. Also realize your baby may not like some carriers so that could be tricky too. I used ergo when I'm wearing an awake baby and the moby when baby is already asleep, but if my kiddos have been awake and I've put them in the moby they HATE it. So there's some thoughts for you.

Knottie1452445632 · September 2015

I would say yes you need at stroller but that's just my opinion. However have you seen these - it's a car seat that turns into a stroller!

https://www.coolthings.com/doona-car-seat/

kducharme · September 2015

I wouldn't have survived without my stroller - at the very least I would get an umbrella stroller so you have something

somewhereinafrica · September 2015

You definitely don't need one, many people go without happily. But you may find it convenient and the baby may enjoy it. I wasn't up for getting one and if I had to buy I still wouldn't but someone is giving me a three wheel off road kind of one, which I can see may come in handy even if it isn't day to day.

Weigh it up. Cost, convinence and use. Also you can get a real small cheapy one after a few months if you find you want to try it out. Or buy after baby is here if you feel it will help.

SummerFall03 · September 2015

Once the weather got nice, I used the stroller to walk every day with the kids so I could get back into shape. I personally loved it and used it constantly!

Grace213 · September 2015

We mostly use one of the cheap, umbrella strollers- got ours at Walmart for $20. It folds up super small and can hide in a small closet very comfortably. I had post partum depression with DD (my biggest thing was that I did not want to be without her ever and I wouldn't leave the house) and my doctors biggest recommendation was to go out and get fresh air so we took a walk every morning while it was nice out.

So, if you don't want to shell out much for something you don't think you'll use much or have the room for, definitely get an umbrella stroller!

littlebean1 · September 2015

You could always leave the stroller in the trunk of your car........that's what I do.

ashs88 · September 2015

I think the baby wearing completely depends on both you and your baby. My DS was never really a huge fan of the carrier and he was also a fairly large baby so he got too heavy to wear comfortably pretty quickly. I would recommend at the very least getting an umbrella stroller. Even if you don't think you'll have times you need a stroller things often tend to come up where they are necessary. Just going to the mall would be difficult without one. DS is almost 3 and we still occasionally use the stroller if we're going to be somewhere that we have to walk a lot. In just the past few months we've used it when we went to the zoo and when we went around garage sale shopping.

CandKS · September 2015

Without even reading your full post, my first thought was OMG YES!!!!!! Our stroller permanently lives in the trunk of my car, but I have seen hanging things that go inside the back of a closet door.

I rely on my stroller for almost every outing! Plus it acts as a diaper bag/purse/coffee/phone/shopping bag holder!

klbh · September 2015

Remember that you don't necessarily need to buy it before baby is born! We plan to get a stroller but will wait a couple of months, as I can't imagine we'll do much strolling on ice and snow-covered sidewalks with a January infant in New England. Our plan is to use slings for the first couple of months and then go stroller shopping in early spring.

Snoopylovesbelle · September 2015

Lugging a car seat around without a stroller is a pain in the butt if you are walking any distance. I have a stiller and keep it folded in my car so no storage issues or lugging up and down.

Monilee1017 · September 2015

I say it really depends on your lifestyle. With my second i never got a double stoller so my first sat in the stroller and I wore my second. My second was rarely in a stroller until he was one, at which point he could have been in a cheap $10 umbrella stroller. The one thing I will say is having the basket under the stroller is great. Lets say you go to the mall with baby, you have to wear your baby, hold your bags and hold your diaper bag. Mind you most malls have strollers you can rent but do you want to waste your money on that every time? This might work for you, it is smaller then a regular stroller when folded and then you can switch to an umbrella when baby is older. https://t.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=28879546&camp=PLAPPCG-_-PID17431752:BRUS&cagpspn=plab_17431752&eESource=CAPLA_DF:28879546:TRUS

nackie · September 2015

Thanks ladies! I think we'll look into an umbrella stroller once the our little guy come. All the ones in the baby stores just seem so huge and bulky.

kaos16 · September 2015

nackie said:

Thanks ladies! I think we'll look into an umbrella stroller once the our little guy come. All the ones in the baby stores just seem so huge and bulky.

I thought you couldn't use umbrella strollers until they were a bit bigger? Can an infant hold himself in place in an umbrella stroller?

Monilee1017 · September 2015

kaos16 said:

nackie said:

Thanks ladies! I think we'll look into an umbrella stroller once the our little guy come. All the ones in the baby stores just seem so huge and bulky.

I thought you couldn't use umbrella strollers until they were a bit bigger? Can an infant hold himself in place in an umbrella stroller?

Correct, you are not supposed to use them before 6 months.

TeamM678 · September 2015

Buy a baby carrier ditch the stroller.

ChrissyD1203 · September 2015

I have no experience. I'm getting a stroller because I plan to do a lot of outdoor walking with baby, including when she is older and will be too big to carry---- but I just wanted to say, I saw some strollers in Babies R Us that were so small and light weight. I think I have umbrellas that look bulkier when folded up.

Latina211508 · September 2015

I've always had a stroller. You could always leave it folded up in your trunk. So that way you don't have to keep dragging it up and downstairs.

katiedid0907 · September 2015

Yes I would get a stroller. Even if you don't use it much it is worth it to have one so if you are out somewhere (a fair, store, barbecue) baby always has a seat, is shaded, and can fall asleep in it. We took our son to an outdoor wedding when he was 8 months old and he slept in his stroller the whole time. It's worth having but you don't need to spend a fortune.

mamakculb · September 2015

I've always had a stroller. When my son was born we lived on the 3rd floor of an apt building with no elevator, so I left it downstairs in my car. I wore him occasionally but used the stroller a ton. He's now two and eve though he walks and runs we still use it. At the mall, the library, the zoo, the park, longer walks around our neighborhood, whenever we've traveled on an airplane, etc. Even if you baby wear it's nice to have as a backup seat and a carryall for bags and stuff.

l4rk · September 2015

littlebean1 said:
You could always leave the stroller in the trunk of your car........that's what I do.

Yes, this is where my stroller will live too! Literally, no, you don't need a stroller. But kids get bigger and heavier with time... I couldn't imagine being an couple kilometers from the car with no stroller and suddenly having a 3 year old refuse to walk anymore. They pull that crap. I don't think you need one right away but I would eventually get one unless you're up for long walks carrying 50 pounds.

missperky · September 2015

I have two strollers that we rarely use. A simple soft structured carrier or wrap gets the job done most of the time. Wear all the babies!

saraellenM · September 2015

I would get a stroller. I would get a step up from an umbrella. A small basket underneath to hold things is nice and an adjustable recline for baby/toddler is nice if they fall asleep. Just look for a compact one and keep it in the trunk of your car

Grassieta · September 2015

I was so glad I never spent any money on a stroller (it was a hand me down) because we never used it for the first 4-5 months. Then we switched to a semi-umbrella reversible one (Njoy Rever if you want to know what I mean but I don't think it's available elsewhere) but still didn't heavily use it (and if we hadn't had it, we could have managed it) until she was over one.
Babies need VERY little. Most babies in the world don't have strollers yet their mothers take them everywhere. If you regularly wear your baby your back strengthens with the increasing weight and it's not a problem at all.

And the best part about all this is that if you ever feel the need for a stroller you can always go buy one! It's not like they close the store once baby gets here.

franie · September 2015

I used a stroller maybe a dozen times with my first, it was just always so much easier for me to carry him.

thegingeravenger · September 2015

Lurking lurker with back/knee issues here. In my opinion, yes you need one at some point. Even just as a backup. It's very easy to think that "oh, 15-30 pounds isn't THAT heavy" and it's really not - for short spurts. Once you hit longer stretches of time though, it goes from "not so bad" to "I think my arm is just going to fall off soon". Also, if you get a bigger one they are absolutely awesome for storage if you're out and about on vacation. My nephew just permanently lost his stroller at around five years old. It's not that he needed it, it's that it was an excellent place to store the bags on a day trip/a vacation and he could take a nap in it if he needed one.

StaciaE · September 2015

We got a Chico echo stroller with baby #1. It is awesome. It is in the style of an umbrella stroller, but think bigger and sturdier. The back lays almost completely flat, so we used it with our daughter from week 1. Now she is almost 2 and we are still using it. We love in an apartment, so we leave it in the trunk of our car. It folds up pretty small. https://m.target.com/p/chicco-echo-stroller/-/A-14295448

StaciaE · September 2015

Oops. Live in an apartment I mean. Lol.

TifVB · September 2015

I bought 3 different strollers with my first child....a jogging stroller, a combi umbrella stroller and a graco Suv stroller (heavy..but super nice for shopping trips) that held her car seat...I used and loved every single one of them....I also brought All 3 of them with me when we moved to Taiwan for 2yrs...and brought them all back...
So I say yes to a stroller...I don't recommend 3 but 1. And I would just keep it in the trunk of my car. I would go with the umbrella stroller once your baby is around 6mos.

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