Using a pouch for 9 months exclusively & not buying a stroller <-- stupid plan?

[cellenly]

I am a 1st time mom (due mid april/~4 weeks) who was debating which stroller to get. I was thinking about other mothers I knew and how they usually tend to dump their more full feature stroller for a Maclaren Triumph or some other type of lighter stroller later on.

I'm wondering if the following plan is stupid (meaning, I know it may be possible, but am I just making my life much harder than it should be?)

My plan:
I was thinking of not buying a full featured stroller at all (was considering the zippy) and carry the child everywhere. Then when baby got to about 20-30 lbs, buy a Mac Triumph or Quest.

Is this unrealistic? (can you tell me the pros & cons of this plan?)

How long can you go w/o being too tired of carrying? (i.e. 2 hrs at mall too long?)

When do I need a stroller if I carry? Or when is it that you use your stroller vs. carrying?

pardon my ignorance, but is a 20-30 lb baby still too small to put in a triumph or quest? (i know it's a stroller question and it varies w/ the size/age of your child, but if you could give me a little clue based on averages or your experience, it would be extremely helpful).

Other details:

I have budgeted for a stroller & it's not like I can't afford it, but I tend to be a bit minimalistic, and I know my husband will give me grief if I want to buy a lighter stroller in 1 year. And I have this feeling that I would want to buy a lighter stroller in 1 yr.

we have inherited a jogger stroller w/ recline, so it's not like we totally don't have a stroller. However, this stroller is not practical for malls and such since it has fixed front wheels & is a bit large (kool stride/stop 20" wheels).

We live in Dallas, TX & live a suburbian life.

I guess part of the problem is that I haven't seen anyone around me really carry their children so I'm not sure when you choose to carry over choose to put the child in a stroller. I guess that's the crux of my confusion.

Thanks in advance for any imput.
- ellen

[lkarp]

I only have a 4 month old so can't fully answer your questions. I have a pouch that I use exclusively. We got a full feature stroller at our baby shower, but I have yet to use it. I find it too big and bulky to take anywhere and found the pouch to be much more convenient. It is so much easier to pop DD in and out of the pouch rather than trying to struggle packing the stroller and getting it in and out of the car. We plan on getting a lightweight stroller when she is about 6 months. I think by that time she should be able to ride in it without any problems.

[npace19147]

We had a full-featured stroller (P3) that was useful at first before I discovered carriers. If you're going to do the stroller thing, a carseat that goes straight into the stroller is a good thing. And that might be a consideration for you - if you live in the burbs and are in and out of cars all the time, you will have less chance of waking the baby by going from car seat into stroller than car seat into carrier. BUT that being said, a baby will generally calm down and sleep easily in a carrier.

IME, once I started carrying, the P3 was a big old waste of $$. We live in the city and I carried her everywhere until about 15lbs or so. When she started getting too heavy to carry everywhere and also carry packages, etc. I tried the P3 and it was just too much stroller! So we went straight to a lightweight, and the P3 sits in the basement. If I could do it all over again I would not buy it.

Strollers are plentiful, you might want to start out carrying and see if you feel like you need it. You can always get one then. Or you can get the stroller frame that the Fields recommend, it's pretty cheap, and obviously you need a car seat anyway - that way you'd have all the bases covered without spending tons of $$. Good luck!

[lenad]

I got a stroller before my dd was born, then I discovered carriers (alas, not early enough). Strollers are great for carrying things other than the baby: clothes, bags, diaper bag, toys, ... If you don't have the stroller you will have to carry all of that plus the baby by yourself. But for carrying the baby, carriers are infinitely better.

You can easily carry a small baby for hours in an MT (and even a big kid in a wrap).

When my dd was smaller I used to take the stroller to carry the stuff (mainly the diaper bag) and a wrap to carry my dd. Now that she is older (17mo) I only use a carrier, as we don't *have* to have the diaper bag (it's usually in the car, just in case). I stick a bottle of water and a jar of cheerios into one coat pocket (Suse's Kinder coat, childrensneeds.com, invaluable for the winter), and my wallet and car keys in the other. I also got a diaper bag that works both over the shoulder and as a back pack. That way I can easily carry my dd and the bag (though I still find the bag a pain).

I got a Maclaren Quest when my dd was 5-mo old. It's a great stroller, folds small, and pushes beautifully. Because they are umbrella strollers, Macs are not great for carrying things (other than in baby's seat): the basket is small and if you hang things off the handles without the baby in it, it will tip. (I also had a Zooper Waltz when she was teeny, but that one doesn't push as well w/ a bigger child in it). If I were you (suburban living), I'd get a P3 as my one and only stroller. And then use it or not as needed. (Besides, someone who does not want to carry the baby will want to push it in the stroller.)

Sorry this is so long, HTH,

LD

[o_mom]

We used a Chicco London (now the C5?) from about 4 months old. I put in a head support, but it had enough recline at that age for them to sleep, and the leg rest was great so the legs don't dangle. I think the Quest would be similar. The Triumph is not as supportive (we have one of these too) and wouldn't be good for long rides until about 12 mos or so, though I do use it for short trips with DS2 (10 mos).

I would say that with the first one, you wouldn't need a big stroller unless you wanted to use the travel system aspect of it. A pouch would be just fine. By around 4-5 months, one of the lighter strollers would be fine. When #2 comes along, however, I found it much harder to sling a baby while chasing a toddler. :-)

[gour0]

I prefer carrying her to using a stroller. I have one single and one double, but they don't get a lot of use. I bought both strollers used and it's nice to know I have options. How does your dh feel about carriers vs. strollers?

[MommyAllison]

My DD is only 4 months, so take this FWIW. We have one stroller (P3) and one carrier (Peanut Shell). I find that I always reach for my PS for grocery shopping. I used the stroller once for grocery shopping but much prefer to wear DD and push a cart. Wearing my DD at the grocery store is the easiest, best way to grocery shop - I always try to (rather than bringing the car seat in).

When shopping at the mall, I always bring both. I start out w/DD in the stroller but if we're not moving, she wants out. So we split the trip probably 50/50, half the time in the stroller, the other half being carried (not necessarily in her pouch, but being carried). Even if I carry her the whole time, I still want my stroller - like PP said - to carry the "stuff" (coats, blankets, toys, diaper bag, stuff I'm buying).

When we go for walks in the neighborhood, I always use the stroller and DD enjoys it. So, I like the flexibility of having both, for sure. You can always sell the stroller if you want something lighter or find you're not using it. Or, you can wait til your DC is here to figure out if you need a stroller. HTH!

Allison
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[tarahsolazy]

My son didn't give us a choice, he strongly preferred to be held. He wouldn't sit in any stroller for longer than maybe 20 minutes? So, if you wanted to go anywhere, you carried him. He was over 20lb by about 4 months, so I got strong, LOL. I don't regret that at all. My DH is a SAHD, and he has never used strollers. DS still rides (2yo 30lb) in a frame backpack all the time, or walks with Daddy. I have a Mac quest, which he'll ride in for a while if bribed well with food, ie one hour max in a mall.

So, its definately possible to do it. Not being able to try stuff on while shopping sort of sucks, but other than that it wasn't a problem for us.

[megulis]

I have a 18+ lb baby at 7 weeks, so I think definitely I need him in a stroller. It differs heavily depending on the baby and your comfort level. I mean if your baby stays under 20 lbs for the first year or more maybe you could do without getting a stroller till you are comfortable with the Mac Quest.

I would research what stroller you would get, where you would get it, and wait till you have the baby to see what your needs are.

Good luck!

[Oregonmother]

Me too!! Both of my DC do not like to be anywhere other than in arms or sling/baby bjorn. I carried my DS in the BB till he was well over 1 because it was the only place he would fall asleep while we we're out. Neither rarely fell/fall asleep in the infant seat. In fact, both scream the entire car ride in it 98% of the time as infants. DS still does not like a stroller to this day. I have a P3 and it gets used a lot to carry bags etc. while shopping. Now that I have 2 DC, DS has to ride in the stroller or wear his monkey harness and DD I carry in the sling.

[Karenn]

Your plan makes sense to me. I almost always wore my DDwhen we were out until she was a year old. It was easier for a lot of reasons, mostly because the places we were going were challenging to navigate with a stroller. 2 hours at the mall was easy to do.

Now that she's approaching 18 months, she goes in the stroller most of the time. (PP Pliko) I'm not totally sure why I made the switch. I think part of the reason is that since she stopped nursing as much and started eating more regular food, I needed a place to carry her snacks and the stroller was good for that. I think she's also starting to get too heavy for me to wear for long periods of time. (around 25 lbs)

[mshen]

I'm so glad you asked this question! Because this is exactly what I'm doing. :) So far, DD is 5 months, 14.5lbs, and the plan is working. I do have a Snap n' Go for emergency stroller needs. I carry DD everywhere, sometimes 4-5 hours, at the mall (I have trouble leaving the mall) and at the trail. And I have no problem at all. The money I saved on the stroller, I put it all towards carriers, and lots of them. :) My problem with strollers is that I CANNOT decide on one. All the ones I like (like MBUS, Bumbleride Rocket, BJCS, P3) are so heavy to me. But I'm not really sure if I like the lighter strollers either, I kinda want these features too... Thus, the indecision... :)
________
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[joyelyse]

We bought our MacLaren the week before I discovered baby wearing (and months before my DD arrived LOL). I’m glad we got a good deal on it, because I almost never use it. I carry her everywhere in a wrap. She is 8 mo and 17 lbs. That said, I first put her in it about 3 months and she was fine. (Back then she was only 10th percentile too, so she was tiny.) If you get bone w/o full recline, they just need to be able to hold their head up. Also, I did use my Snap-N-Go more than I’d planned, because it was convenient if she was asleep and for the airport (great big basket! Plus I was able to carry my DD and put all of our luggage in the car seat). The one time I really need her in a stroller is the few times I go clothes shopping for me. She gets cranky being taking off and put back on a lot.

So here’s my dirty little secret, I was a total stroller snob. Wouldn’t consider a Graco for anything. Well, I bought a really cheap one when she outgrew the infant seat a few weeks ago, because I didn’t want to let the airline gate check my MacLaren (they messed up my Snap-N-Go) and because the basket on the MacLaren is so much smaller and more difficult to get into. I prefer my Graco! It’s all about the giant, fold-down basket. Of course, I’ve only used it for the two trips to clothes shop we’ve taken. I wouldn’t take it on a walk. But then, I wouldn’t consider taking a walk with a stroller. Maybe that’ll change when she starts walking and needs a rest, but mostly I’d only take a stroller at this point if I needed a lot of stuff with. Then I’d carry her and push the stuff.

Joy Elyse

[KrisM]

DS likes his stroller. But, he hates shopping carts, since he wants to see where he is going. So, I started carrying him grocery shopping at about 15 months. I wear him on my back and can do it for a long time. He's about 30 lbs now, so if you get a good carrier, you can definitely carry for a long time.

DS was 20 lbs at 6 months and he went into a Chicco Tuscany then just fine.

[cmdunn1972]

It depends on your DC and the lifestyle you plan to lead.

We bought a Baby Bjorn Active model that I used almost exclusively for the first 4 months or so. As DS grew, I found that even with back support he was getting heavy for long trips when he got around 15 pounds. Also, DS is an active guy and seemed to not always want to snuggle when we were out. Around that time, we also started going to Gymboree classes, and all the other Moms brought their kids in strollers, so peer pressure may have had an effect on the stroller thing. At that point, we started using the stroller.

After DS learned to cruise, at 7 1/2 months, he got too active to rely on being carried all the time. At that point, a stroller was definately the way to go since it gave him greater freedom of movement.

That was our experience, but it all depends on your child and how much your child wants to be carried.

[new_mommy25]

When my Ds was younger I was naieve and always tried to put him in the stroller. He would cry. I would carry him while pushing an empty stroller. Idiot!

Since DD has been born I have used the stroller once. And that was for my 6 week OB checkup because I thought I would need something to put the baby in. Turns out the nurses all fought over who would get to hold her :) . I am so glad that I decided to hold off on the double stroller.

I think your plan is great. I know when my DS got older he did enjoy riding in the stroller a lot more and an umbrella like Quest is great.

Plus if you change your mind you can always order one off the internet.

[MissyAg94]

This is exactly what we do. I still use the carrier for grocery shopping b/c the baby doesn't always want to stay in the cart. When we go to the mall, zoo, etc. we always take both.