which accessories for BJCM? and where to buy?

[♥ms.pacman♥]

so yesterday i purchased my first "real" stroller..Baby Jogger City Mini in crimson/grey. today i tried it out for the first time and i love it. the one thing i really miss is having a cup holder and a place to put a cell phone, keys etc...so i ordered the universal parent console off ebay (everywhere else seemed to be out of stock).

anyway, there seems to be a range of accessories for this stroller (rain cover, bug cover, carrying case etc), and i was just wondering what are considered the "must-haves". the snack tray seems nice for when DS get a little older, but after reading some reviews it seems like it may be too high even for a toddler. the belly bar seems to get good reviews, though then there's nowhere to put snacks, toys etc.

also, another question is where would be the best place to get these accessories? at my local Buy Buy Baby (where i bought the stroller) they mentioned they were out of most of the add-ons. i checked amazon and diapers.com and they seem to be out of stock for most things too (some of the ship times for amazon items were 1-4 months!).

eta: also, i was thinking about purchasing covers for the straps..don't know if Baby Jogger makes these but i've heard of other people using covers for stroller harnesses. thing is, my DH noticed that when in the reclined position, the plastic hooks are right next to DS's ears and he was concerned that it will rub against his face/ears when riding. any suggestions??

[WatchingThemGrow]

We bag our strollers when we fly, so you may find one of those helpful. We actually have the bag that fits the Elite (double) and just use the same bag for the Mini also. We use toy links to clip on a snack trap and a drink/bottle tether, so no snack tray/belly bars here. We got a bug cover, but we don't use it a ton. Actually won it from BJ in the photo of the month contest. i'd just wait to see what else you need. I like the organizer.

[twowhat?]

The belly bar is really nice for when your DS is starting to pull up to a sitting position. Gives him something to grab onto to sit up and look out. Also a nice place for attaching toys, etc. On the double it's adjustable in height so I assume the single would be the same.

I dunno about the single, but the double came with harness pads - what I did was fold up all the excess length from the harness (there's a lot of it when babies are small!) and tuck it into the harness pad. Then I slid the harness pad ALL the way up so that it also covered the metal hook.

Once my babies wanted to sit up, then I stopped using the shoulder harness part - I just unclipped them and looped them back around to the D-rings located on either side of the PULL folding strap. It's a makeshift way of converting the 5-pt harness to a 3-pt harness. Though the new BJ city minis might have buckles that enable you to make this conversion, I'm not sure. The Elites do have a center buckle that lets you convert the 5-pt to a 3-pt harness.

If you ever run into "slumping" issues when baby is a bit older, I have more tips for that

[♥ms.pacman♥]

thanks guys for the responses!

watchingthemgrow - i will definitely get the carrying bag, since we plan to air travel a few times year and i've had bad bad experiences with checked luggage getting damaged and/or wet/dirty in transit. and good tip re: the toy links. though i may get a bellybar just so so DS has something to grab on to when he sits up eventually..

twowhat - wow thank you soo much about the tip re: the harness pads (yes the single comes with them too). i didn't even think of tucking in the excess strap into the pad and sliding it all the way..just tried it and it works great (i showed DH and he was like doh, that is so smart! ). and yeah, i thot my DS was big but there is a LOT of excess length on the straps, i had to adjust the straps so many times until it was remotely secure enough that i didn't feel that my DS would slide right out, LOL!

[Melbel]

Congrats on your new BJCM! We have the following:

The BJ Parent Console (original one) works well for holding my drinks, keys, phone, etc. Apparently, they have a newer version with speakers for a MPS player that is in stock on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Baby-Jogger-Pa...2537909&sr=1-7. It is a little pricey though. The original one appears to be in stock at Stroller Depot but I have not ordered from them before: http://www.strollerdepot.com/items/b...arent-console/

BJ Snack Tray: The tray may be a little high, but DD2 has no problem reaching it and she is and has been on the small side. We use the tray virtually every time we use the stroller, so it is a "must have" for us. I found a deal through Right Start but it took a very long time to actually receive it.

Mommy Hook: http://www.amazon.com/Keen-1005-Momm...2538149&sr=1-1 This has been great for holding my purse, our pool bag, packages, etc. One advantage of the BJCM is that it is not tippy with reasonably weighted items hooked on the back.

[♥ms.pacman♥]

wow, that new parent console (with speakers) looks pretty cool! though i already ordered the original..but i will definitely think of this new one for when my DS is older (right now he seems content listening to his Sleep Sheep in the stroller

and yeah i need to get one of those Mommy Hooks. I saw one in BRU that came with a smaller "baby hook". pretty nifty idea.

[Eris1995]

I love the parent console!

We have the snack tray but never use it. It is very high up and blocks DS's view. I wish we got the belly bar instead.