First time mom needs stroller advice

[TheTomato]

I've been trying to research stroller options and am totally overwhelmed. I am due with my first in early June and was hoping to try and get some registry work done while I have some time off for the holidays. I need some Mom advice! I'm super practical and I hate the idea of having to buy (and store) a bunch of different strollers. I also am planning to have a second baby within a year or two of the first. Is it crazy to consider a stroller now that converts to a double? I've checked out the Baby Jogger City Select (BJCS? if I'm getting the lingo right) and the Phil and Ted's Explorer.

Either way, I am starting from scratch. Here's some info that I'm hoping will help:

I don't need a jogger but like the idea of something that can handle at least a little bit of rough terrain.
I need it to support a car seat (which is next on my list to figure out- feel free to chime in!)
This is my first baby but I'm considering a second in the next year or two.
It should be able to fold up to put in a car (decent size car)
I'm not opposed to spending a little money if it means not having to buy a different stroller down the road or other accessories but I don't want anything too excessive. (I'm not opposed to buying used if the condition is suitable).
We're moving to the burbs so ease of use for public transit isn't really a priority.


Can one stroller really do it all or should I assume I'll need 2 or 3?? If you think I should get a single that converts to a double, do I buy the double kit now or wait till I'm blessed with another?

OMG- way too much to consider and too many hormones raging to deal with it. Thanks everyone for your help!:bowdown:

[legaleagle]

I don't think it's crazy to consider a single-to-double stroller as long as you really like it as a single as well, otherwise you'll spend the first year + cursing it. Plus that's such a hot area of development (along with doubles in general it seems), who knows what awesome strollers will be coming out in the next year or so before you need it. I would definitely wait to buy the doubles kit unless you believe it will significantly add to the resale value (or you have money to burn/extremely generous friends).

I would not assume that you need it to support a car seat with a summer baby. Those infant seats get really really hot plus many babies hate the bucket. I think it's reasonable to buy with that in mind but I wouldn't plan on using it excessively.

Have you considered the Vista? I think that would be a great choice with what you list. Covers everything you list, huge basket, huge canopy (very important for summer newborns!), adapters for popular seats, parent facing with a bassinet and excellent resale value.

[roseyloxs]

Have you considered the Vista? I think that would be a great choice with what you list. Covers everything you list, huge basket, huge canopy (very important for summer newborns!), adapters for popular seats, parent facing with a bassinet and excellent resale value.

and the Vista converts to a double with rumble seat... just in case you didn't know that.

Some Britax B-ready owners on here seem very pleased with their stroller. However I have the impression that the BJCSD is not as nice, push wise anyway. There are a lot of Vista owners on here who love their stroller so I would definitely check that one out. Finally if you have the dough, Bugaboo (http://pressroom.bugaboo.com/) is coming out with a single(or mono as they call it) that transforms to a sbs double(duo).

[TheTomato]

Zoinks. I like that the vista (uppa baby right?) has a bassinet but it seems pretty pricey. Seems like for that amount, I could buy 2 strollers that are more "specialized" rather than one that tries to do it all?? It's a good point though about car seats being hot in the summer. I read a lot about how people like the car seat to stroller thing because it avoids waking a sleeping baby but I can see how it would be warm in the summer.

Thanks for the information! BTW I had to look up a rumble seat. They really need to standardize the language in the stroller world!

[roseyloxs]

Haha.. if you think the vista is pricey (and I agree it is) then don't bother looking at the bugaboo donkey.

If you like the vista though pishposhbaby has some 2009s available for $550 (black or red). Get a rumble seat for $100 and you are at $650 total for a double which is pretty standard. The ladies on this board may be able to find you an even better deal, they are pretty good at that.

Also you can sell the stroller once you are done with it and get some money back. Resale value is good but also depends on how well you take care of it and how long you use it.

[mackmama]

From your criteria, I'd recommend the Vista. You can probably get some good deals on the 2010 model once the 2011 comes out.

[Beth24]

I'm going to agree and recommend the Vista, which I chose for our summer baby. I love it. We used the bassinet all the time for our baby until he was 4 months or so both on the stroller and in the house.

[purpelina]

I would also recommend going to a few stores and try out strollers yourself, especially since you'll have some free time on your hands. Vista is a very good suggestion and seems to fit your needs very well, but still don't rush with your decision. Better take your time choosing and get the right stroller. There are other things that you can put on your registry (say, baby crib and bedding, etc). It's very important to get the right stroller, since you'll be using it yourself every day.

[TheTomato]

Thanks ladies! It sounds like the vista is definitely worth checking out. I did some digging and it sounds like the 2011 models will likely come out in the next month or so. The only change seems to be the addition of some new colors but I'm going to hope you're right- and the price of the 2010's will go down. Merry Christmas mommies!

[jerry_mishkata]

I've been trying to research stroller options and am totally overwhelmed. I am due with my first in early June and was hoping to try and get some registry work done while I have some time off for the holidays. I need some Mom advice! I'm super practical and I hate the idea of having to buy (and store) a bunch of different strollers. I also am planning to have a second baby within a year or two of the first. Is it crazy to consider a stroller now that converts to a double? I've checked out the Baby Jogger City Select (BJCS? if I'm getting the lingo right) and the Phil and Ted's Explorer.

Either way, I am starting from scratch. Here's some info that I'm hoping will help:

I don't need a jogger but like the idea of something that can handle at least a little bit of rough terrain.
I need it to support a car seat (which is next on my list to figure out- feel free to chime in!)
This is my first baby but I'm considering a second in the next year or two.
It should be able to fold up to put in a car (decent size car)
I'm not opposed to spending a little money if it means not having to buy a different stroller down the road or other accessories but I don't want anything too excessive. (I'm not opposed to buying used if the condition is suitable).
We're moving to the burbs so ease of use for public transit isn't really a priority.


Can one stroller really do it all or should I assume I'll need 2 or 3?? If you think I should get a single that converts to a double, do I buy the double kit now or wait till I'm blessed with another?

OMG- way too much to consider and too many hormones raging to deal with it. Thanks everyone for your help!:bowdown:

2 years ago I was in a very similar situation and I bought a Vista because it converted to a double and I regretted it. The baby hated the thing with a passion even though I loved it so I sold it 6 months after she was born.

Now I don't even consider getting another vista even though they improved it. I live in NYC but mostly use the car or walk to get around -- PT is no longer so important to me (esp. in the winter) but last spring we did a lot of PT travel with my mother and we used an uppababy g-luxe (a reclining umbrella stroller) for the diaper bag and I wore the baby in an ErgoBaby carrier. The Ergo was the BEST investment I made for the baby! I have two now so I can use one while the other is drying after I wash it... I wish I had known that my baby would get used to the Ergo and not get used to the stroller and didn't spend $700 on the Vista...

Now, I have a ValcoBaby Quad stroller: http://valcobaby.com/products/strollers/model/quad.html
and I plan to use the toddler seat once baby number 2 arrives (if he/she likes the stroller... from experience, that's not likely so I will probably wear the new baby again). My daughter started sitting in a stroller for stretches over 2 minutes when she was 8.5 months old anyway.

That said, though, I had the following issues which contributed to the problem:
1) Colic -- Vista's seat is a bucket seat (as are most reversible seats I have seen) which means that even reclined the baby's stomach is crunched up. Colic cleared up at 14 weeks for us and that's not such a small baby at this point and a crunched up stomach was definitely exacerbating the existing problem. I read only about 20% of children in the states are colicky but you can ask your mother and mother in law about your sibblings, yourselves and your sibblings in law whether you were colic. I am not from the US and most babies in my country are colic, so was I, my brother and my husband, so I could have foreseen that but I didn't know to look for the seat shape.
2) PT use. Like I said, PT, namely subway, became important for us and Vista is waaay too heavy for going up/down stairs. Also very heavy to put in/out of the car. I ended up ALWAYS removing the seat to make it a 2 piece fold so it was easier to put in the trunk.
3) Tires & Suspension -- I think my current stroller, the Valco Quad handles better than the Vista I had. My neighbor has a Vista and it is a)same maneuverable with her 3 month old as my quad with my 15 month old but b)MUCH more bumpy compared to the Quad -- not sure if it is the tires or the suspension or both that make the difference. Babies like to be jostled but I like to walk fast and I feel it was too much jostling for a small baby in the Vista.

So... Vista could be a nice stroller but bear in mind those things -- it is not perfect. Nothing is. The Quad doesn't reverse. Most strollers don't reverse or if they do they have bucket seats or are European and weigh too much or have fixed front wheels or something other. My personal recommendation is WAIT until you have the baby and then go and spend $700(Vista + car seat adapter in 2009) if you wish on a stroller that you try in the store with the baby. Or $400 (Quad) or whatever you determine.

About car seats, I think most strollers that take car seats take Graco, Chicco are less common (some strollers do not have a Chicco adapter but do have a graco). We got a Graco, and I think the buckle is by far the easiest to undo for the 32 lb model, it is carpal tunnel friendly. That's pretty much all that matters, they are otherwise very very similar in terms of safety, features and so on. But that's a whole other topic.