Desperately seeking stroller help!

[proudnewmama2002]

I have decided to take the plunge and get some sort of an all-terrain/jogging stroller that will be better for walks than my Peg Venezia (which I love for indoors). Here is what I need:

1) Something reasonable in cost. I know many people will inevitably recommend that I get a MBUS or something similar, but I plan to have another child in a year or two and I would rather splurge on the MBUD at that point. So for now, I would like a cheaper single. One $300 stroller is really enough for now.

2) Something that will be comfortable for a large child. DS is 6 months old and 21.5 pounds (and 97th% on height) and I have no reason to believe that he (or his future sibling) will ever be small for his age. (DH is 6'5")

3) Something that will accommodate a tall parent (as I said, DH is 6'5" and I am 5'7"

4) The stroller will mainly be used for walking. Neither of us are runners. I would like to take it around our suburban neighborhood, up to my inlaws in New Hampshire, and down to the beach. That said, it would be nice if it would fit in the trunk of my Jeep Grand Cherokee without too much hassle so that it could go with us up to NH or to the beach.

5) We live on Long Island near the coast. Is rust a problem for a steel stroller? Do I have to get aluminum to ever take it to the beach?

6) How important is a swivel wheel? I don't think I'd use this for shopping, except perhaps if we had it away with us as our only stroller (i.e. at the in-laws). Our neighborhood is a grid with sidewalks and 90 degree corners.

Thanks!

Alicia & Johnny (12/6/02)

[egoldber]

I have an Instep Safari that I adore. It is a terrific swivel wheel walking type stroller. I can't say enough how much I like it and am really not sorry to not have bought a more expensive stroller. I never use it indoors, but I have seen people using it in the mall. It retails for around $125. I have found the swivel wheel to be invaluable in many situations, but others don't feel they need it.

Many people are very happy with the Baby Trend jogging stroller that can be found at BRU. I think it runs new around $100.

Another option for light outdoor use are fixed wheel prams like the Emmaljunga EC Sport. They no longer sell these new, but can be found on eBay for less than $200. This may not be the best choice for the beach where larger wheels tend to work better.

HTH,

[proudnewmama2002]

I actually looked at the Instep Safari today at Buy Buy Baby and it looked really comfortable. I sort of like the idea of a napper bar because DS is addicted to his Busy Bug Toy Bar right now and it would be nice to be able to attach that to the new stroller (since we'll only be walking, not running). My only concerns with the Safari were that the sun canopy looked kind of small (not really much better than the one on my Venezia) and it's steel, not aluminum, which might be a problem with the coast. Thoughts?