Strollers...

[vespergirl]

Date: 3/1/2010 5:04:30 PM
Author: E B
We have the UppaBaby Vista and a lighter umbrella made by Combi.

The UppaBaby has *awesome* basket storage underneath the seat. A huge plus for new moms: it comes with a bassinet attachment for teeny babies, then converts to a full stroller for bigger babies. I know Sophia''s past the teeny stage, but for anyone else reading...

We use the UppaBaby most of the time. I keep it unfolded in our garage for our daily walks. It''s big, however, so if our car trunk is full, or we''re in a situation where we''d need to carry the stroller around a lot (at the airport, a long trip, etc.) we either take the Combi or go without. The Combi is super light and has a shoulder strap for easy carrying once it''s folded.

I wanted to mention that I had registered for the ultralight Combi that I intended to use once DS was out of his travel system. Even though it would probably be a great stroller for most people, DH and I are very tall (I''m 5''9", he''s 6''3"), and not only did I have to stoop over to push it, but my leg strides were too long - I would trip on the wheels with every step. I ended up using it once and then I gave it to a friend of mine who had a baby - she is 5'' and her husband is 5''8". They really like it, because it''s a better fit for her. We ended up with the McLearen Techno with adjustable height, and love it.

So, make sure that you test a stroller for height and stride length before you buy one.

 

[NovemberBride]

Date: 3/3/2010 2:45:35 AM
Author: violet02
Question about umbrella strollers:


We were at a store recently that encouraged us to look at getting the city mini for our umbrella stroller vs the Quest or the Gluxe. Now that I''ve read through this post I''m wondering if the city mini is way too big to be used as umbrella stroller It didn''t seem like it at the time when we checked it out and it had a lot of functionality. Our primary stroller will be the uppa baby vista.


Would anyone recommend it for that purpose or should we be looking at the Quest and Gluxe again?

Violet,

The Citi Mini is almost 17 lbs. The G-Luxe is 11 and other umbrella strollers are in that same range. I know 6 lbs doesn''t seem like a lot, but it is a ton when you are talking strollers. I think the City Mini is a good choice if you are looking for one stroller to do everything, but I don''t consider it an umbrella stroller. I think you would end up using the UppaBaby Vista and the City Mini for the same type of things and end up still wanting a lighter umbrella stroller.

 

[violet02]

Date: 3/3/2010 8:41:45 AM
Author: fiery
Violet: It depends on what you are looking for. The Quest (can''t speak for Gluxe) goes up to 55lbs vs the 50lbs of the city mini and weighs about 4lbs less. However, I would imagine that by the time LO is 50lbs, he/she wouldn''t be interested in riding around in a stroller. The city mini has a lot more storage in the bottom than the Quest but the Quest is cheaper.


ETA: BTW congrats on the pregnancy! I didn''t know you were expecting

I''m going to go take a look again and try out the other ones at a new shop that has more variety.

And yes I''m expecting! I have been off PS for awhile so I didn''t make any announcements here. We''re due July 13th.

NovemberBride- Good point about the weight I think if we want one to cart on airplanes etc it might be the better choice to go with the lighter ones.

 

[fieryred33143]

Congrats again! July 13th was DD''s due date!!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

I have taken both my BOB and Volo on airplanes. Actually the Volo was probably more tricky b/c I had to fold it and put it through the x-ray (while holding my baby and traveling alone). With the BOB they scan it like they do wheelchairs. Besides that all you have to do is fold it right before you get on the airplane (gate check) so I would not determine the size based on air travel.

 

[violet02]

Good point Tacori...

I''m thinking that we''re going to go with the MacClaren Quest. I checked it out again today and I liked it better overall than the gluxe and the citi mini was definitely big compared to those two!

 

[violet02]

Date: 3/3/2010 5:32:50 PM
Author: fiery
Congrats again! July 13th was DD''s due date!!

Cool! Here''s to hoping he actually comes out on that date! (not 100% likely)

 

[NovemberBride]

Violet - I think that''s a good choice. I was torn between Quest and the G-Luxe. I opted for the G-Luxe, but I think they''re both great strollers. FYI - I think new 2010 colors come out soon, so if you wait you might have (i) more options or (ii) be able to get a great deal on a 2009.

 

[violet02]

Date: 3/3/2010 11:18:12 PM
Author: NovemberBride
Violet - I think that''s a good choice. I was torn between Quest and the G-Luxe. I opted for the G-Luxe, but I think they''re both great strollers. FYI - I think new 2010 colors come out soon, so if you wait you might have (i) more options or (ii) be able to get a great deal on a 2009.

I presented the idea to my DH tonight and he was super disappointed. He really had his heart set on the City Mini and was insisting he''d be the one to carry/fold it up in airports anyways and the extra weight wouldn''t bother him. I still see it as being bulky when folded. Argh!

 

[NovemberBride]

Violet,

It''s not just airports - if you ask most of the moms on here, once the babies are a little bigger (and certainly once they''re 1) they are almost exclusively using the umbrella stroller for everything - trips to the mall, walking around town, etc. I love my Vista, but that thing is heavy and bulky and I can''t wait to stop loading it in and out of my trunk. You won''t find many moms who own something like the Vista or Bugaboo and then the Citi Mini as a second stroller because the Citi Mini isn''t that much easier to put in and out of the trunk. I think if you get the Citi Mini you are still going to end up wanting a lightweight umbrella stroller down the road - there''s a reason almost every mom on here has a MacLaren or similar. Just my opinion, but once you are hauling around the baby and all their gear, weight of the stroller is a big thing.

 

[swimmer]

Violet! Fantastic news! Mazel Tov!

OK, just to throw some random thoughts out there, I want to plug the bumbleride, wired dad review I just got our 2009 model with a coupon for $299 and free shipping. I might get the carrycot, haven''t decided yet ($88 on amazon)... But our thinking was that our part of Boston is barely paved, lots of sidewalks and puddles, and while we aren''t joggers, we are serious walkers. It has the locking front wheel like the bob, but tons lighter and a smaller footprint for going into coffee shops...

My sister has the Uppa in silver, so pretty (not yet dingy!), but not the smoothest ride if you are going somewhere other than the mall or suburbia I found...others might totally disagree and perhaps Manhattan strolling had messed with her shocks already? But we want a comfy ride that is nap conducive. The bumbleride comes with a converter so the graco snugride snaps right in, and yeah, half the cost of the uppa, so if/when we destroy it, we won''t feel as badly. They also seem to hold their value for resale on craigslist. I''m also going to get an umbrella stroller off of craigslist or a baby consignment shop eventually. But for city life I just really need a go everywhere stroller that was 20lbs or less, not a huge footprint, but solidly comfortable, and pneumatic wheels of course.

Congrats again!

 

[neatfreak]

Hey Violet,

We have both a Maclaren and a Bumbleride (as swimmer mentioned it's a great stroller), both twin strollers of course. Love both of them.

I think I have to bring the kiddos next weekend so I can bring whichever one you want to see if you want to test one out in person.

 

[PrettyBlues]

Glad to read some positive reviews on here for the Bumbleride, as it doesn''t seem to come up much in discussions, and it is the one we have ordered.

Speaking of colours, we got our Indie in Seagrass

and I am slightly worried about it getting dingy (especially with the winters here) but I just wanted to avoid black because everyone in this city loves everything black all the time, and I thought the Seagrass is just such a fun and vibrant choice.

We still have to decide on our umbrella stroller, but I figure it''s not a necessity to have right away, so I will do that later.

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 3/4/2010 8:22:25 PM
Author: PrettyBlues
Glad to read some positive reviews on here for the Bumbleride, as it doesn't seem to come up much in discussions, and it is the one we have ordered.


Speaking of colours, we got our Indie in Seagrass

and I am slightly worried about it getting dingy (especially with the winters here) but I just wanted to avoid black because everyone in this city loves everything black all the time, and I thought the Seagrass is just such a fun and vibrant choice.


We still have to decide on our umbrella stroller, but I figure it's not a necessity to have right away, so I will do that later.

We have the seagrass and LOVE it. It's a great color and doesn't seem to show dirt too badly. But then again we live in CA so we aren't dealing with snow, just rain. FWIW they were at least smart about it and didn't put the aqua near the bottom where it'll get really dirty.

 

[PrettyBlues]

Thanks Neat! You are right about the aqua not being at the bottom, I hadn''t thought of that but I guess it is good. Not only will I have to deal with snow, but also all the salt they use on the roads and sidewalks.

Oh well, I won''t be using it until May, so I should get a good few months of it before I have to test out how the fabric holds up in winter!

 

[swimmer]

PB! not only are our due dates just days apart, we have identical strollers! Love the seagrass! are you going to get the carrycot?

 

[PrettyBlues]

Swimmer, don''t forget we are also both having boys! Maybe we will end up naming them the same thing too

I''m not sure about the carrycot. I was thinking about it, especially as in the beginning I will be getting around mostly by foot and I thought he would like it for the long walks. Also, it comes with the footmuff, which we will likely get in the fall anyway, so it''s not that much more cost wise. But the place we bought it from actually talked it down, saying "no one here ever buys the carrycot, and you won''t need it anyway because you can put the carseat in it (even though you wouldn''t use them for the same things

)..." so I''m not sure. Are you getting it?

 

[swimmer]

PB, I''m thinking of a name that starts with E...

I just don''t know! I''m in Boston, but ordered it online from CA because of some insane coupons so didn''t get any insight from the salespeople. I too get around mostly by foot and public transport! We could walk the baby home from the hospital, but I think have to show up by law with the carseat anyway? Yes, we will need the footmuff I suppose, haven''t really thought past this summer I must confess. My sister uses her carrycot a ton with the uppababy, so I think they would be useful if you are going to take him places and have a bit of a nap. I have no idea how long a baby can be left in the infant seat, but a fam member who is a pediatric OT warned about misshapen skulls b/c of that so I''m paranoid. So I''m thinking a carrycot to take for naps to the inlaws and friends might be useful when he is too little to need the pack n'' play... But they are a bit spendy so perhaps just the pack n'' play? since that will be needed for ages? Gah! the amount of stuff that a baby "needs" is overwhelming!

 

[PrettyBlues]

Swimmer, ok, so we might not match in that respect. Top contender right now starts with an M (although we do have an E name on the list, so I guess you never know)!

I''m not sure for you if you need to show up with a carseat. I know where I am in Canada you do have to have one by law, regardless of how you are getting home. I assume it''s probably the same for you though. I think the issue of misshapen skulls happens when people end up leaving their babies in car seats, swings, etc all the time without giving them tummy time. You are also supposed to switch which side they face in the crib (look towards the wall first, then away from the wall) to help with the problem. So I don''t think the carrycot in itself is bad, but I understand the paranoia as I have it myself. I was sort of thinking the carrycot was also good in the beginning for naps, but you are right, is the cost worth it? And I''m trying to not have *too* much stuff, and not get everything that I''m told a baby "needs". It is overwhelming!

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Maybe I''m paranoid, but I was a little concerned when I saw that the carrycot/bassinet didn''t have straps for the little one. Granted I plan to be next to my stroller at all times, but theoretically who''s to say someone won''t reach in and snatch your baby while you''re turned away? Or what happens if for some reason your stroller tips over (I know, not likely with the UBV)?

 

[meresal]

Date: 3/9/2010 9:08:16 AM
Author: Hudson_Hawk
Maybe I''m paranoid, but I was a little concerned when I saw that the carrycot/bassinet didn''t have straps for the little one. Granted I plan to be next to my stroller at all times, but theoretically who''s to say someone won''t reach in and snatch your baby while you''re turned away? Or what happens if for some reason your stroller tips over (I know, not likely with the UBV)?

Yes.

 

[janinegirly]

Date: 3/9/2010 10:14:23 AM
Author: meresal

Date: 3/9/2010 9:08:16 AM
Author: Hudson_Hawk
Maybe I''m paranoid, but I was a little concerned when I saw that the carrycot/bassinet didn''t have straps for the little one. Granted I plan to be next to my stroller at all times, but theoretically who''s to say someone won''t reach in and snatch your baby while you''re turned away? Or what happens if for some reason your stroller tips over (I know, not likely with the UBV)?

Yes.

I would agree that straps to prevent kidnapping are probably not necessary, you will maintain a vigilant eye for that!

In terms of tipping most strollers have locks I believe that assist with that? Of course still good to be careful of overloading straps with bags etc. The bugaboo has a strap for your wrist in case you really want to be prevent absent mindedness or a brief moment of distraction, but I never used it.

 

[sugarpie honeybun]

HH- I wouldn’t worry too much about the stroller tipping or baby theft. As a first-time mom, I was sooo paranoid during the first few months, that I hardly took my eyes off DS, regardless if he was in the bassinet or not. I also found that DS outgrew the bassinet pretty quick.

We loved the bassinet on our UBV. Early on, while in the midst of the ‘sleep-deprivation-sleeping-on-couch’ period, we even detached the bassinet and put it on the floor next to us. It came in very handy and I was sad that DS could no longer fit in it.

 

[Bev]

We have two strollers.

Maclaren, which is our smaller stroller and used for quick outings.

The other one is a Bob. I absolutely LOVE this thing. I run daily with my son but also take this to amusement parks, the beach etc. It turnes on a dime. I''d love to get a double bob stroller whenever we have lo#2, but I don''t know I feel about the stroller being so wide!