best carry cot stroller

[eda]

I read on another thread that one of you has spent more time looking for a stroller then you did your own car. I second that plus ad in buying our house. So please help.

I need a stroller with a carry cot. And most of the strollers I like are not available to actually “test drive” in the Central Ohio area. I have to drive 3 ½ hours to see them. So I have been researching online and reading other peoples opinions. This will be my first stroller purchase for our first child. I do not have an SUV so my trunk space will be limited.
my choices are:

Stokke—It looks cool, and has so many functions (which I have no idea if I will use) Also the reviews I have read on this website have not been so favorable.

Bagaboo—It seems difficult to fold and has the same features as less expensive models (I think)

Easy Walker—Less expensive then the Bugaboo but not as nice looking, although it is easier to fold and I think lighter.

Quinny- There is a deal online where you get a free car seat with purchase. But the seat does not recline. ( is it important that the seat is able to recline?)

Mountain buggy—The website says that this carry cot has a great mattress.

My husband and friends think I’m nuts for agonizing over this, I hope you guys will understand.

[mongo]

you may want to consider the firstwheels city elite from firstwheels of Holland. It's less expensive than the bugaboo and you can import one fairly easily from Canada, since they do not sell direct to the USA.

[strollerqueen]

Right now I use the EW Classic/bassinette for the beach. I just got a Mutsy Slider/carrycot so I am using that outdoors. I use the i'coo Targo for indoors. Before that, I was using the i'candy Cherry, until it got stolen at the hospital emergency room!~ :0 And I have a MBUD carrycot, but I've just been too busy to attach it. Haven't been out strolling as much as I planned this summer.

[BeachBum]

"Best carrycot stroller"...for who or what is a better question. Those are all nice strollers, but are different from one another. How you use the stroller, will it be your only one?, do you do a lot of off roading?, are you tall? how long do you plan to use it? will help you start to narrow down the list.

Buying a stroller IS a big purchase and I think you are right to research it to death. Even then you might not make a great choice. So sell it and do it again. That is why there is strollerswap on yahoo! :)



As for your question about the free car seat, my infant carrier didn't recline. I didn't even know some did. My Marathon (convertable) does, but I've never used that feature.

[wellyes]

I'll give my opinion but I don't pretend to be an expert..... just someone obsessed too.

Stokke—I've seen the Stokke, it's beautiful, but everything from that company is so absurdly expensive that I don't even really think about buying any of it. I'd feel foolish walking around town in a $1000+ stroller.

Bagaboo—I have an Uppababy Vista (comes with carrycot) that is very similar to the Bugaboo. I see on Albee Baby that the Bugaboo Cameleon is now only (ha!) $650, which is the same as the Vista. And I think it's a little lighter and less wide too. So I'd probably go with the Bugaboo from your list. The things I really like about these are (1) reversible seat (2) baby is higher up so further from the street, car fumes, etc. (3) telescoping handle so it's the right size for both 5'4 me and 6'1 DH.

Easy Walker—I'm not familiar with this one.

Quinny- it's very cute and in the chi-chi areas of town I see tons of these. It's the trendiest stroller I think. But I don't think it's good for newborns, you DO want a reclining seat. I don't think it's good to have the baby only in the car seat for the first few months..... flat head concerns, etc.

Mountain buggy—I know this stroller has a lot of fans here, but personally I found it to be huge. It's the most all-terrain *looking* of these. My 4-month old looked itty bitty sitting in one. I think it'd be great for walks but out of place in shops.


Aside from the Easy Walker which I've never seen, I think any of these would be great honestly so if you do see a good sale go for it. But personally from your list I like the Bugaboo.

[goldentwig]

So sell it and do it again. That is why there is strollerswap on yahoo! :)

What is strollerswap? Can you provide the address please? Thanks!! :-)

[barabashova]

I kind of went through the same process as you a couple of months ago. For me, it was really important to "test drive" them . . . I'm sorry that's not really possible for you! :(

I had done a lot of research online and had narrowed my choice down to the Bugaboo Cameleon or the Quinny Buzz. Then I went into Buy Buy Baby and probably spent 2 hours with a salesperson going over the pros and cons of not just the Bugaboo or the Quinny but tons of other strollers too. I don't think you'll ever find the PERFECT stroller, but it was helpful for me to have a list of things I really needed--I'm tall, so it had to be height adjustable, and I also needed something that could handle snow. I was actually rather impressed that the salesperson steered me away from the ultra-expensive Cameleon and persuaded me to get the UPPAbaby Vista instead.

I'm really happy with my decision!! As the PP mentioned, the Vista has a higher seat for the baby, a reversible seat and adjustable handles. Plus the large, no-flat tires should make maneuvering in the snow easier (although I haven't actually tried this out yet!). And removing the seat from the frame (as in the Bugaboo) seemed so inconvenient. The Cameleon frame might be $650, but once you add in all the extras, it's easily over $1000. As for the Stokke, I was so unimpressed with it when I saw it in the store. It seemed to be entirely made of plastic (to keep the weight down), which makes the price even more ridiculous, IMO. Although the baby isn't as high up in a Vista as in the Stokke, it's definitely higher than the Bugaboo.

Good luck making your decision!

[eda]

Thank you all for your advise. I never even thought of the Vista stroller, it has a great price and seems like a nice stroller with everything I am looking for.