Having more than one stroller...

[hollymamma]

I have read many posts/replies on this board that mention buying another stroller or owning 2 or 3 strollers. I am wondering if I am one of the only people that has only one stroller!? I feel like I'm missing out on something by not having more than one! I'm just wondering for those of you with 2 or more strollers if there is a need for them (depending on where you live) or if you just like having a choice?

Thanks for feeding my curiosity!
Holly

[egoldber]

I think the short answer is that different strollers are good for different things and sometimes people prefer a particular stroller for one thing vs. another. It is also difficult to know what you will want/need in a stroller BEFORE you actually have a baby, especially for first time parents. To me, the 2 big baby items that are most influenced by personal tastes and preferences are strollers and diaper bags.

My story is that I did a TON of research prior to buying a stroller and ended up with the PP Venezia. I was convinced that this was the perfect stroller for me. Not too heavy, took a carseat, but was also great as a stand alone stroller, etc. I really believed that I would not need more than one stroller. The reality is that after using the stroller for 6 months, it is generally a much heavier stroller than what I prefer to use every day. So I ended up also getting a Maclaren Mistral in a store closeout sale. Now I am starting to look at jogging strollers with envy... :-)

HTH,

[hipmaman]

Funny thing, I started out with a PP Venezia as well. It was an un-researched purchase. This was before I discovered discussion boards on the internet. While it is a nice stroller, I would not buy it again. I found it heavy for everyday use, didn't handle the pavement/road too well, was great for the first 6-7 months, mostly indoor kind of stroller.

I also walk a lot, so I started seeing people with joggers and bought the Dreamer Design single. Then we started to travel when my dd was about a year. We wanted to get an umbrella, light-weight stroller (read Maclaren,lol). But we inherited a Pliko.

Then baby #2 came. We bought the Graco side-by-side stroller. This was bought used from a neighbour while I decided which double stroller I would need. We bought the Dreamer Design Ditto for walking the trails. Then I decided on the Maclaren for everyday purpose as well as for when we travel. Got it.

I still use the single strollers for when I run errants with only my #2 baby. But I found the Pliko is impossible to steer with one hand (while the other is occupied with either a toddler, a fussing baby or shopping bags). So, I am looking into getting a single Maclaren (haven't decided on which model yet).

Now I am down sizing. Just sold my Venezia, Graco side-by-side and having some people over to look at the Pliko. Hopefully, I will sell it too. This makes the tally at 4: 2 joggers and 2 Maclarens (singles and doubles).

Confused yet? If you visit the Stroller Board on Parent's Place, you'll see I might be considered a light-weight when it comes to owning multiple strollers.

I admit I am a stroller addict. I drool at strollers like some men would look at cars. Hahaha.

Be happy that one stroller meets all your needs. That is very rare.

[strollerqueen]

OK, I've got some expertise in this one, ***LOL**! Here's how it starts: You're a first time mama, and you get these romantic, old-fashioned visions of baby carriages and prams. So you work o.t. and save up and buy a real beauty. Then the baby comes, and you get ready to take her out for her first proper walk and show her off to the world. But wait--you have STAIRS! Now how do you get a heavy buggy and a baby down those steps? Not very easily. Now you actually have to drive someplace. How do you get a pram in the car? DUH.

So your brother comes to the rescue and buys you a travel system. The monster is so heavy you can't even lift it, let alone figure out how to fold it. So you go to the closest baby store, carrying your baby in your arms, and buy whatever they tell you to. The wheels go every which way and steers so horribly that you don't know if you're coming or going.

So FINALLY you find out about Baby Bargains, buy a copy, do what they suggest, and buy a Combi Ultra Savvy. WHich is great for the car and errands, and you love it, but not so great outside. And by now your baby is too big for the pram. SO the search expands to find one for the great outdoors. You follow the Field's recommendations, you buy a Pliko, it's great. OK, you think, you're done.

But wait--both of the strollers you're using now have lousy baskets. worse than lousy. The Pliko has none. ANd you start suffering from "Basket envy", every time someone passes by loaded to the gills. You, meanwhile, are struggling to carry coats, blankets, purse, diaper bag and shopping purchases. They're strolling leisurely sipping a coffee, with their entire nursery tucked beneath the baby's seat. GRRRRR!!!! So you buy another with the HUGEST basket you can find. The basket is great, but the stroller is crummy and falls apart within 6 months.

Still with me? You think you're done with strollers, and will never buy another as long as you live. Until, you find out, baby #2 is on the way! Could it mean, oh no, can't be, not--A DOUBLE STROLLER!!!!

This time, you vow to do it right. You figure, OK, I love the COmbi. I'll just buy a double like that. It's nearly $350, OUCH! And you're still pg, baby isn't even here yet. But hey, you want this stroller business over and done with. So you grit your teeth and shell out the dough. Everything is great, until you use it for the third time, just a new baby Doc check-up. The handlebar cracks completely in half, making the stroller impossible to push.

No worries, you figure the store will just take it back. WRONG!!! They point to the sign. It's been more than 60 days since you purchased it, too bad. But obviously I didn't use a DOUBLE STROLLER when I was still pg! You protest. My baby's only 3 weeks old! TOo bad, rules are rules. Talk to COmbi, they say. Well, says Combi, obviously YOU did something to break it! No, no! I explain and beg and plead 'til I'm blue in the face, to no avail.

OK, no problem, you think. DD will ride on the back of the Pliko. You walk to a store about a mile awaY, Then DD decides she wants to ride. SHe's tired. REFUSES to stand on the back of the Pliko. So in the seat she goes, and you're carrying new baby son. THAT'S when you discover, YOU CAN'T PUSH A PLIKO WITH ONE HAND!!!!Something you never needed to know before, but know now, a mile from home, A very LONG mile, when you're trying to carry a baby, and push a stroller w/ a toddler in it w/ your chin, shoulder, stomach, and any other body part you can think of.

Back to the Big Baby store you go. Every single double you try is huge, bulky, hard to push, and you can't lift it, unless you're a weight-lifter. Fortunately, the 4th Edition of Baby Bargains is coming out. But you can't wait for it to hit the stores, so you order directly from the Fields. It comes in a hurry--YAY!

They say there's a tandem jogging stroller that's easy to push called a GOzo. Great, you think. THAT will be sturdy and won't break. So you call and order it. $550 including tax and shipping. AUGH! GASP! GULP! But you're still sore from that LONG walk home. So you tell DH it's your Mother's Day, Anniversary, and B-Day present combined. It ARRIVES! YAY! Sooo exciting! Can't wait to take it to the beach!

But wait. It doesn't fold. AT ALL. So DH ties it down in the car trunk. You're sailing along, the ocean is in site, when suddenly, you hear a THUNK! You look out the window, and see your BRAND NEW Gozo bouncing through the traffic lanes. You pray REALLY hard it doesn't hit anyone. Fortunately, it doesn't. ANd it doesn't break, either.

So NOW, you have to find a double that FOLDS. ANd folds EASILY.And pushes easily, and reclines fully. You think THAT'S easy? HAH. I literally searched the WORLD, courtesy of the net, determined to get it right. Finally. My journey led me all the way to New Zealand, and the Mountain Buggy. WHich is what I bought and am using with great success, so far. But stay tuned....

Now that you know more than you ever wanted, and wish you hadn't asked, satisfy MY curiousity. What is this ONE, WONDROUS stroller that can go everywhere, do everything, and make you so happy that there's nothing more you need?:o

[strollerqueen]

Actually, the story HAS continued. But I thought the point was made,and it had gotten too long. Let me know if you want to hear more, or ENOUGH ALREADY!!!!
x( }>

[egoldber]

PLEASE, PLEASE TELL US MORE!!!! I was rolling on the floor, hyterically laughing. (And empathizing!!) My husband thought I was dying!!! You have to finish the story!!!

[mommymaria]

I agree with Beth...don't leave us hanging here! And thanks for the laughs this morning. Sorry they are at your expense, though.

Feeling pretty grateful that (so far) the Ultra Savvy has met my needs,
Maria

[hollymamma]

I'd LOVE to hear the rest of your story...

I have a 1998 Milano. I did TONS of research using my Baby Bargains book and the internet before deciding on this one. I use it every day for a one mile walk...sometimes I go in the morning, afternoon, and evening...I use it in the malls, Wal-mart, etc. When #2 came along I decided that I did not want a double stroller, so I bought a Buggy Board...problem solved!

I love my stroller, but keep thinking that I "need" a MacClaren!!! However, I take good care of my Milano...wipe it down every few months, wash the seat cover about every 6 months...so, I just can't justify buying another one!

I guess "if it ain't broke...don't fix it!"
~Holly

[KathyO]

Me too, me too! Tell more! Tell all! Think of all the angst and anguish you're sparing us, your sisters, here! (And all the laughs you're giving us too, which we also sorely need...)

KathyO

[hipmaman]

Janet,

You have to tell everyone about your Amica Sherpa, Maclaren, etc. Now, now, I don't know the full story, but I know it does not end there. And you are not done with strollers. Yet! lol

Tam