New mommy w/stroller frustrations/questions....

[CopperDieter]

I have been using this board for several months, prior to having my baby & still doing it now that she is 3 months. Based on all the positive feedback, I got a Indigo. Loved it the first 2 months, now not so much. I had my baby in Oh, but currently live in Guam. I had to fly back w/her at 9 weeks by myself. That part went well, considering 24 hrs of flights. Only problem was the Indigo collapsing once I had it open & the car seat strapped in! Thank God my daughter was in the Ergo at the time. I told my husband & think he thought it was user error, until it would not even stay open last week... basically the handle needs twisted to close it & it appears to be shifting to that setting w/on turning the handle (hope that makes sense). I have emailed First Years about the airport incident, but hope they will give me a refund so I can get another stroller altogether. The indigo is just not made well- foam is ripping off of car seat adapter, snap on the seat ripped out, & minor but really annoying, paint is scratching. We are planning to take a video for First Years.

OK, now to my questions :). We just found out we will be moving from Guam to Japan in the next month. I will be in Oh for Christmas, gotta love traveling w/a baby, lol. We are planning to take the Indigo home (as it was purchased on Amazon and they don't ship to Guam). I am 5ft 9in and my husband is 5 ft 11in and I also have had back surgery/need to watch lifting anything too heavy/awkward. I think I have narrowed it down to a Baby Jogger City Mini 2011, Uppababy G Luxe 2011, or Maclaren Triumph or Quest. I am thinking the G Luxe would be best for Japan/airports, and that the Maclaren may be to short/hard to push w/our heights.

Any feedback would be great!

[sweetsoul99]

Hey,
I'm sorry your Indigo collapsed on you, that must be so frustrating!! I remember that was the stroller to have here on the board. I've noticed that some strollers get raved about for a month while they're new, and then you rarely hear about them again. like the indigo. I've notice a few lightweight strollers that have stuck around, and assume that they will be a good buy.

BJCM (if your baby doesn't mind slouchy, which mine don't)
Maclaren (or a large variety of cheaper umbrella strollers)
Bugaboo Bee

Which you choose is up to what features are important to you, and what you will be using it for. For japan I picture a big city, so I assume you'll want something light and compact. I also believe that sidewalks there are not super bumpy, so you're probably not going to need big hefty wheels.

Also, do you want something that you can snap your car seat into? If so, perhaps you could get a snap n go, and then get something there once you can get a better idea of what your needs will be?

I choose the Maclaren Techno out of the three b/c the bee was too expensive, bjcm was just a little too wide for shopping, and i needed the larger wheels and canopy (as opposed to the triumph). It is 17 lbs, which some may think is a little heavy. but it also has the extendable handles. I am 5'9 and dont' mind the regular handle height. Except when I have my buggy board attached to it, then I pull them out.

Hope this helps, just something to chew over.

[arivecchi]

I think I understand what you are saying - so the folding button on the handlebar permanently shifted to the folding position? That is crazy! Definitely report it to First Years and the CPSC. I think it is a really nice stroller at that price point and posters here own it as well - but yeah - that should NOT happen! Scary.

I would look at a Maclaren Ryder. They are fairly lightweight, some have full recline and are a pretty nice ride.

Let us know what happens with First Years. Good luck.

[legaleagle]

How scary! I think all of the previous suggestions are good but I would consider waiting until you get to Japan and getting an aprica. They're really nice, lightweight umbrellas (I've seen them in real life and they seem to be really high quality) and have seats that are very high off the ground (so easier to get her in and out). I'm sure they have more exciting colors on the Japanese models as well.

http://strollerqueenreviews.blogspot.com/2010/09/aprica-presto-review.html
http://www.mystrollers.com/shop/product.aspx?ref=froogle&sku=1776148
http://jzool.com/product.php?productid=19065

Adding: a little more googling seems to show the ones available in Japan have shorter handles so maybe get it here but I still think it would be a great option, esp with that standing fold.

Adding again: Seems to be available in-store at BRU http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4202184