Complete confusion as to which stroller/pram to pick!!

[JJ2]

Help!! :o :o

I'm due in 9 weeks with my 2nd baby. My dd is almost 6 so we need/want a new stroller. Last time when I wasn't in the know about all the wonderful choices I had a Graco that had swivel front wheels. It was fine and very light but now with me being due in Summer and thinking we'll be out and about all the time I was hoping to get a Pram that can then turn into a stroller when the baby is older. we live in the suburbs and will be in and out of the car (I have a subaru forester) and parks, soccer fields and zoo trips etc. as well as just walking around the neighbourhood. I'd really like to just get away with buying 1 really good pram/stroller as DH will have a complete fit if I say I want a 2nd stroller for the car at this point (maybe down the road)!! I will be home for at least 15 months with this baby full time so I will get lots of use of the stroller we buy.

My top priority is reversible seat so baby can face out or me (Zooper, some Bebecar and Pegs) which I didn't have last time and really regretted. I would also like swivel wheels but I like bigger tires for comfortable ride for baby. Weight is kind of becoming an issue too as some of these beautiful swivel air tire strollers weigh a ton....

I was all set to get either the Zooper Zydeco or Boogie but have yet to check them out IRL and upon hearing how huge and heavy they are I'm not so sure anymore. I will check them out just to be sure though

I checked out the Bebecar 3 wheeler and Tracker (4 wheels that steer but fixed seat) and they are huge when folded - would take up my whole trunk as well as being very heavy. They don't feel heavy to push but it is the car thing that I'm worried about.

So that leads me to Peg's with the Velo(classic chassis). There is either the culla bassinet system that comes with stroller seat or in Canada we have the Converse system which is a bassinet/stroller seat combo - faces both ways etc. I looked at the Caravel chassis and the wheels seem not as sturdy as the Velo chassis fixed air tires. The Pegs seem much lighter and fold much more compact than the Bebecar. I wonder if when going to the stroller seat you can still use the hood from the carriage - salesman demonstrated it that way but I was concerned about clearing the baby's head when sitting up. Does anyone have experience with this? Here is a link to the Peg I'm considering.
http://www.babyshack.com/details.cfm?prodid=122

I haven't seen any Ingelsina' pram/strollers but they look nice on the web.

My biggest hurdle is going from swivel wheels to fixed... Help me here - is it that hard to adjust? I know the ride is much smoother with the big wheels.... I was driving the Bebecar Tracker yesterday and the wheels steer but don't swivel - huge difference - you have to learn how to steer since they don't do a complete revolution when encountering obstacles like my old cheapy Graco did or the Peg Caravel do so I was bumping into stuff... Has anyone else gone from swivel to fixed big wheels and made out okay with steering etc?

Any advise would be so appreciated as I'm more confused now than ever before!!!! If I could just get away with one stroller now and then maybe closer to Christmas when I have to do lots of shopping I could get a smaller stroller like the P3 or something. sorry this is so rambling......Help!!! :o

Thanks
JJ

Mom to Emma 5 1/2 yrs
Due with #2 girl June 28/04

[american_mama]

You may be confused, but you have given this so much thought! I'm not sure what I can add. I know what you mean about wheels turning but not swivelling; I really don't like it, but all I've ever used regularly is swivel.

About whether the hood will hit baby's head once she's sitting up: I suggest you measure the seatback. My daughter is 2 and has a stroller with an 18 inch back, which gives her lots of room to rest her head and the canopy is nowhere near. I have a used pram with a 15 inch back and it is much too short. (I actually just measured and am surprised that it's only a 3 inch difference. Maybe seat height isn't everything, maybe angle matters.) I know people with 2 year old with the Zooper Sport (16 inch back) and they say it fits their kids fine.

Finally, just to add to your choices, I had an Aprica Windsor (or Quantum) when my daughter was first born. I didn't like it, but it does have reversible handle and came with a little boot that would enclose a newborn and look like a pram. I found my feet kicking the wheels in the reversed handle position, so that is important for you to consider. Strollers4less.com often has older Apricas cheap. As I said, I didn't like mine, but just yesterday that was a post about a new Aprica (costs $500) and many people responded to say how much they loved theirs.

[MamaKath]

The Peg carriages do seem tall enough even with the hood attached. My kids are both very tall, and it was never a problem. I have the Arianna system. I also loved the steering on it. If you go for the Peg, maybe think of getting the Converse with both the Velo and Caravel frames instead of the Culla with Caravel only.

I have always thought how funny people's reactions can be when they push my fixed wheel strollers though. I have a sister who calls them either un or non steerable, lol, where one of my friend's said she was so surprised how much easier they are to steer than the more traditional strollers that she bought a fixed wheel pram. The compromise is something from the hybrid type style- the MBUS, the Kiwi E3 (V1 or V2), Instep/Schwinn Safari or the Jeep, none ofwhich have reversible seats or handles, or the new Zoopers with reversible seats. Most of these are dreamy to push!!!

One thing I would suggest in addition to a reversible seat is to see if a Kiddy Board attaches to your stroller/carriage. Even at 6, your older child may occasionally want to catch a ride.

HTH~

[ShayleighCarsensMom]

Also, if you are worried about the lack of steering, Bertini makes a really nice sterable pram. I have been very happy with mine, although it is very heavy for in and out of the car type use.
If you did go with peg you could get the caraval chassis for in and out of the car and the classic chassis for neighborhood walks and such.
I also had a venezia that I loved! The handle reverses and you could attach an navetta to it to make it into a bassinet...

[JJ2]

ooops still getting used to posting here ... my message is below.

[JJ2]

Thank you ladies for your replies and wonderful ideas :)

Great idea about getting both the Velo and Caravel chassis frames! I never thought of that. Seems silly to purchase a new smaller stroller when a Caravel chassis will fit the Converse stroller seat. I really was in love with the idea of a bassinet you can take the cover off and the baby is still enclosed in its little world. I thought in the heat of the summer that would be nice for her to be able to sleep outside a bit with me watching my 6 yo. Also the idea of taking the bassinette off and carrying her into the house sleeping seems quite convenient. MamaKath did you find you used your Arianna bassinette a lot and for how long?
I did notice one store locally who had the Navette bassinettes on sale but they were close to $200 on sale. I'm in Canada so it is pricey. I believe they will clip to the velo frame.

Also does anyone know if Peg has Kiddyboards? I never even considered dd might want to catch a ride but that makes perfect sense and I bet she will want to.

I'll have to do some figuring and still want to check out my other options but I'm leaning towards the Peg.

Another question - is it worth paying the extra money for the Peg car seat that snaps onto the Velo or Caravel chassis since we have a snap and go from last baby which we can use with a Graco carseat instead?

thanks so much for your help :)

JJ

Mom to Emma 5 1/2 yrs
Due with #2 girl June 28/04