Help picking a stroller....

[Sayble]

I'm doing some very early research on what stroller to get. I'm due at the end of August but I would really like to get this decision out of the way. At the moment I was thinking of getting a Peg Perego Venezia but now that I have read some of the topics in these forums I am not sure. I'll give everyone and idea of my circumstances and hope for some good suggestions.

- The baby is due at the end of August and I plan to take about 9 months off of work.
- We own only one car and my husband will be using it to go to work so having the stroller fit well or easily into the trunk of the car (a Nissan Sentra) doesn't matter to me all that much.
- Since this will probably be my primary source of baby transportation when I leave the house I am willing to spend the money necessary to get a high quality stroller that will last.
- I would like it to last and be useful quite some time.
- It can be very cold and snowy in the winter and the ground will probably be covered by snow from the beginning of December to the middle of March at the absolute minimum. This means the sidewalks may be difficult to push the stroller on.
- I will happily walk distances that most people probably wouldn't so I will probably end up walking to the doctors office, mall, library, community league etc even during the winter.
- It would be nice not to have to have to attach a car seat to the stroller in order to use it with an infant.

Hopefully some of the more experienced people in this forum will have some suggestions or comments.

Thanks a bunch.

[mamagoosie]

I just got a Mountain Buggy Urban Single. LOVE IT. I got a Bowron lambskin stroller fleece to top it off and my dd adores it. It pushes like a dream over uneven sidewalks, does well over gravel and grass (and presumably snow) and, unlike most 3-wheel strollers, it maneuvers well in tight supermarket aisles. The basket is a good size. It also has a high weight limit so I'll be using it for a while. I can't recommend it highly enough.

I'm not sure whether you can attach the carseat. However, I have a Kolcraft universal carrier and use that happily when we go out in the car and need to transfer a sleeping baby to a stroller. (I just keep the Kolcraft in the trunk of the car to avoid clutter in the house)

Good luck!

Alex mom to Louisa 11-26

[jfolker]

In addition to the Mountain Buggy (which I've heard very good things about), you may want to look into the Bugaboo Frog (www.bugaboo.nl) and the Bertini Sport (www.bertinistrollers.com). We have both of these, and either one may be suited to your needs.

The Bertini is relatively heavy (30+ pounds), but it has all wheel steering that helps to make it turn better. It's got big air tires, and a nice springy suspension. We've had ours out in the snow several times, and it's worked really well. It's also got a big wire basket (great for grocery shopping, including heavy stuff like 12-packs of soda and gallons of milk). We bought a JJ Cole Snuggle-Me insert, which works pretty well keeping our son warm. On the down side, since the stroller is so heavy and large (even when folded), it's a bit tricky to get it into the relatively small trunk of our car.

The Bugaboo is lighter (around 20 pounds, or less), and smaller, so it works better between narrow aisles in stores. It turns super well also. We just got it, so we don't have as much experience with it in snow, etc., but we have already taken it out in the cold with the sleeping bag, which is really nice and warm --lots warmer and more luxurious than the snuggle-me. (My wife said that she'd like one for herself!) The Bugaboo fits better into the trunk of our car, but it may not be as good at the huge bumps as the Bertini (although more experience may prove me wrong on that count).

You may also want to look at some of the European all-terrain types available on www.pramsonline.com (among other places). The Teutonia Y2K, Quinny Freestyle and Mutsy Urbanrider are all worth a look.

Good luck stroller shopping

Jim
(Dad to Nate 12/20/02)

[strollerqueen]

There is nothing like a lovely pram w/ a cozy boot for the type of situations you describe. Most have incredible sprung suspension, so you can rock or bounce your baby just by pushing down on the handle. Don't let the fixed wheels scare you, I can easily spin my Silver Cross around with one hand. I have also owned and loved Emmaljungas, Inglesinas, and Teutonias. Oh, and a couple of Mountain Buggies for the beach!