SuperstarNanna
01-06-2011, 07:07 PM
I've been reading through pages and pages of posts for a while as a lurker now, and I think I just need direct input from the stroller gurus! :bowdown: I hope you bear with this novel and can help - I'm trying to give you as much information up front as I can to see if you can give me good suggestions.
We have 2 children and are expecting our third in April (we'll be just shy of 3 under 3). #1 is almost 3 and is 38" and 32 lbs. #2 is 17 months and 31" and 22 lbs and is currently not walking. I am a SAHM and we use our stroller pretty much every day.
We currently have a Baby Trend Sit N Stand Double that, while practical because of its seating configurations, I detest because of its long wheel base, heaviness, difficulty steering, and the space it takes up in the cargo area of my SUV. I do like that it is narrow enough to navigate fairly easily through the mall (though we mainly go just to walk around, not really to navigate racks of clothes while we shop). #2 rides in it happily, and #3, while perfectly happy and able to walk very long distances, does use the platform to sit a fair amount. Neither of my kids are or have been stroller nappers.
I want:
1. a stroller that can accommodate #2 and #3 for primary use with the possibility that it could still fit #1 if he wanted to ride and I could carry #3. My dream would be that I could easily snap in the Graco Snugride infant seat we have, ala Snap N Go, but that's not a deal breaker since I would consider something with a flat fold or just carry baby in the Moby/Beco until she's big enough to go in the stroller with something like a Snuzzler.
2. Easier to push and steer for things like walks around the neighborhood and to the park and around the zoo (we go to the zoo a lot!); we less frequently but still also attend museums and take trips to the mall, etc. I had a BT Expedition jogger that I loved because of how easy it was to push/steer with the air-filled tires. We don't go on any walks right now because the Sit N Stand is so terrible to push around on anything other than completely level concrete.
3. Somewhat decent to fold and put into a vehicle as this will likely be our one and only stroller since the H will probably want me to sell the other strollers that we have to get this one. There are no "garage strollers" in my future, I fear.
4. Something that isn't too long or too wide so that my H can't gripe about how hard it is to steer through doorways while out shopping.
To please my husband, who thinks my quest for a perfect stroller borders on insanity and I should be happy with what I have:
1. Keep the price reasonable (I think I can placate him if I keep it under $450).
2. Make the folded size decent enough so that it doesn't take up too much room in our cargo area and we can fit the stroller and maybe the stuff we pick up on a trip to Costco or the stuff for a weekend trip all in the back of either our old Trailblazer or maybe a minivan.
One more thing: even though we live in the Denver metro area, for some reason we have no stores I can find that carry BJ, MB or Valco strollers for me to see or play with in person, and even the doubles selection at BRU is scant, so I feel like I'm making this decision blind without a chance to play with or test drive any of these. Pretty much everyone here has a BOB - you see them everywhere - but I don't know if that's because it really is the best besides the fact that they seem HUGE and hard to push or if it's just because they are the only ones readily available around here to buy in person.
Thank you all in advance for your thoughts/input - I'm ready to make a decision and stop obsessing over this!
We have 2 children and are expecting our third in April (we'll be just shy of 3 under 3). #1 is almost 3 and is 38" and 32 lbs. #2 is 17 months and 31" and 22 lbs and is currently not walking. I am a SAHM and we use our stroller pretty much every day.
We currently have a Baby Trend Sit N Stand Double that, while practical because of its seating configurations, I detest because of its long wheel base, heaviness, difficulty steering, and the space it takes up in the cargo area of my SUV. I do like that it is narrow enough to navigate fairly easily through the mall (though we mainly go just to walk around, not really to navigate racks of clothes while we shop). #2 rides in it happily, and #3, while perfectly happy and able to walk very long distances, does use the platform to sit a fair amount. Neither of my kids are or have been stroller nappers.
I want:
1. a stroller that can accommodate #2 and #3 for primary use with the possibility that it could still fit #1 if he wanted to ride and I could carry #3. My dream would be that I could easily snap in the Graco Snugride infant seat we have, ala Snap N Go, but that's not a deal breaker since I would consider something with a flat fold or just carry baby in the Moby/Beco until she's big enough to go in the stroller with something like a Snuzzler.
2. Easier to push and steer for things like walks around the neighborhood and to the park and around the zoo (we go to the zoo a lot!); we less frequently but still also attend museums and take trips to the mall, etc. I had a BT Expedition jogger that I loved because of how easy it was to push/steer with the air-filled tires. We don't go on any walks right now because the Sit N Stand is so terrible to push around on anything other than completely level concrete.
3. Somewhat decent to fold and put into a vehicle as this will likely be our one and only stroller since the H will probably want me to sell the other strollers that we have to get this one. There are no "garage strollers" in my future, I fear.
4. Something that isn't too long or too wide so that my H can't gripe about how hard it is to steer through doorways while out shopping.
To please my husband, who thinks my quest for a perfect stroller borders on insanity and I should be happy with what I have:
1. Keep the price reasonable (I think I can placate him if I keep it under $450).
2. Make the folded size decent enough so that it doesn't take up too much room in our cargo area and we can fit the stroller and maybe the stuff we pick up on a trip to Costco or the stuff for a weekend trip all in the back of either our old Trailblazer or maybe a minivan.
One more thing: even though we live in the Denver metro area, for some reason we have no stores I can find that carry BJ, MB or Valco strollers for me to see or play with in person, and even the doubles selection at BRU is scant, so I feel like I'm making this decision blind without a chance to play with or test drive any of these. Pretty much everyone here has a BOB - you see them everywhere - but I don't know if that's because it really is the best besides the fact that they seem HUGE and hard to push or if it's just because they are the only ones readily available around here to buy in person.
Thank you all in advance for your thoughts/input - I'm ready to make a decision and stop obsessing over this!