Baby Strollers

[Oz-]

We have 2 strollers left now. 1 Chariot and an umbrella type one that looks similar to what Sputnik posted.

We started out with the Graco for our son and used it when my daughter was born a couple years later. Once she started to outgrow it, we sold that and went to the Jouvy Caboose and a double umbrella that we got at Zellers.

Now the kids are almost completely out of strollers (YES!!) and looking back the best one we purchased was the double umbrella from Zellers. I would definitely take what Sputnik is saying seriously. Use the outdoor stroller for outdoor stuff and then have an indoor shopping stroller.

[89coupe]

Originally posted by sillysod

The most annoying thing about an expensive stroller is you feel like a douche bag with it when you are out in the mall. All the moms with strollers seem to check out each others strollers.

Really? I could care less what other people are thinking or looking at.

Thank goodness I have relatives and friends, we haven't spent a dime on our baby...LOL.

All our clothes, supplies, cribs, strollers, toys, you name it, gifts...lol.

This whole baby thing has been a breeze...haha.

[SilverGS]

Originally posted by sillysod

The most annoying thing about an expensive stroller is you feel like a douche bag with it when you are out in the mall. All the moms with strollers seem to check out each others strollers.

Does that mean you feel like a douche driving a nicer car?

People check out other peoples stuff all the time. I am sure you check out other peoples cars as well but will that stop you from buying or driving a nicer car?

As many has already alluded to there seem to be 3 main different types of strollers that people utilize.

1. Joggers: Chariot, City Jogger, maybe Valco - Generally very sturdy and heavy with big wheels and a smooth comfortable ride for many terrain use. Unless you actually jog not much point getting one of these since they are generally very large, don't fold that well if at all and are quite heavy.

2. Large Multi-purpose Strollers: Bugaboo, Uppababy, Peg Perego - Generally a fairly sturdy stroller. Some come as a travel system some with adapters so you can put most car seats on it. Most fold into an ok size but still quite large and not a convenient size for traveling or small cars. Decent for most urban terrains. Most seem to fall in between 17-25 lbs which for smaller women could still be a bit heavy and clunky to deal with.

3. Umbrella Style: Combi, Maclaren, Capella - There is always the true umbrella stroller we all grew up with which is very small, is just a seat and can be bought for $20. However, nowadays there is a hybrid umbrella style stroller which usually ranges around 8-12 lbs but have more features like full reclining seats and full cover canopies. Also a bit larger then a traditional umbrella so you can actually hang stuff off of it. I find these great for traveling. Lightweight but still have some handy features, generally fold quite small, not as small as umbrella but smaller than valcos and bugaboos. The major concern is these strollers tend not to be too sturdy since they sacrifice material strength and features to make the stroller as light as possible. They also tend to have smaller wheels so not great for outdoor excursions that don't have paved areas.

I personally have a #2 style and #3 and use both depending on the situation.

As for price, as with cars it is clearly your own preference as to which one you like in looks, quality, and features. Bugaboo strollers are bloody expensive but are highly customizable, lots of features, fairly light for the size, nice handling, and nice ride for baby. You can also get a much cheaper stroller that will do most of what you need at a fraction of the price but it's like buying a Kia versus a BMW.

In the end getting a stroller is much like buying a car. Set your budget and buy the one you personally like best in that price range. There are a ton of used ones on kijiji in great shape since many people just go to the mall or walks outside on nicely paved sidewalks.

[KLCC]

+1 for uppababy...

[goat_killer]

We started off w/ the chico for our new born and moved up to the Valco. Sorry i can't remember the model names. But the Valco was an easy sale for easy. Bigger wheels, great for every day use and jogging. And compact folding. Plus there was an adaptor for our original car seat which was a plus.

[s_havinga]

Still got a few months before the baby shows up but the wife and I bought a 2010 model of the Peg Perego Skate

http://www.growingyourbaby.com/2010/...kate-stroller/

Because it is "last years model" we got it for 30% off and with a free bassinet stand. The wife did a bit of shopping around and decided this was the one she wanted so we bought it.

Just received the compatible car seat i bought online yesterday (also 2010 model so 25% off) so as my wife said "all we need now is a baby".

[visualk]

Great posts, this has been quite informative, and has opened me up for more questions.

I guess size is the biggest concern for us, I see alot of posts on the city select, which we have seen and appears to be a great stroller. We have looked also at the following two strollers from Babies R Us:

http://www.toysrus.ca/product/index....eeEnabled=true

http://www.toysrus.ca/product/index....ductId=4356243

Any feedback on these ones?

[benyl]

The city mini folding is nice and easy for anybody.

The problem is that it won't stand up on it's own. This might be an issue in the slushy winter time. The small wheels will also make it hard to get through snow / gravel.

We were thinking about getting it as a "mall" stroller. It goes on sale once in a while for $199.

[sillysod]

Originally posted by SilverGS


Does that mean you feel like a douche driving a nicer car?

sometimes yes. Ed Hardy makes some pretty expensive stuff too though.

anyways everybodys got their own opinion, I just have a hard time spending a lot of money on something I know I will be sending to the dump or giving away in 3 years. I am not the kind of dad that plans on using it for pushing his overweight 7 year old kid down 17th ave because he is too busy eating cheeze puffs to walk. After 3.5 years old there is no need for a stroller.

And yes I find the "designer moms" in their Lulu Lemon pants with $1000 strollers and fake LV diaper bags in the mall extremely annoying.

[codetrap]

Originally posted by SilverGS

1. Joggers: Chariot, City Jogger, maybe Valco - Generally very sturdy and heavy with big wheels and a smooth comfortable ride for many terrain use. Unless you actually jog not much point getting one of these since they are generally very large, don't fold that well if at all and are quite heavy.

Disagree with this to a point. The Chariot isn't just a jogger. I don't use the jogger bit at all (can't you tell?). It's also a walker, and a bike attachment, which increases its usefulness a lot.

I do agree that it's folded footprint is larger than the umbrella ones, but it's not larger than the "transport systems". Also the mass is less than most "systems" I've come across. I checked with Westjet, and our chariot is actually an approved stroller for taking on the plane with you.

One other big advantage the Chariot has over all the others is the time you can use it. We've gotten 3 years use out of ours so far, with one child. I priced out used ones, and they're going on kijiji for $500 used. That's a depreciation of only $35 over 3 years. Simply can't beat that.

[sputnik]

Originally posted by codetrap
One other big advantage the Chariot has over all the others is the time you can use it. We've gotten 3 years use out of ours so far, with one child. I priced out used ones, and they're going on kijiji for $500 used. That's a depreciation of only $35 over 3 years. Simply can't beat that.

When we priced out a Chariot (with the jogging wheel and bike trailer attachment) the entire package came out over $1100.

[codetrap]

Originally posted by sputnik


When we priced out a Chariot (with the jogging wheel and bike trailer attachment) the entire package came out over $1100.

That's more than I paid for my Chariot "cougar", with the infant sling, walking/bike attachments. I think it came out to $800ish total for all of it. But I've since sold off the infant sling for $5 less than I paid. I'm also sure the other attachments will fetch a nice price too.

The infant sling sold in just over 12 minutes on kijiji. I had almost 30 replies too. Those things move fast.

[ddmmak]

upababy rocks..

[89coupe]

My little guy is almost 3 1/2 months old now and we have used our stroller maybe 5 times...lol.

We use the car seat every day, but rarely use the stroller.

When he was really little I just used the baby bjorn.

When we go grocery shopping I just pop the baby seat in the shopping cart, and if its just a small run, I just carry the car seat.

I don't know how you guys blow so much money on stuff that won't be used in a couple years.

[lint]

Originally posted by 89coupe
I don't know how you guys blow so much money on stuff that won't be used in a couple years.

I don't know how you blow so much money on lunch when you're just going to shit it out in a couple of hours

[89coupe]

Originally posted by lint


I don't know how you blow so much money on lunch when you're just going to shit it out in a couple of hours

Easy, its not my money.

[phreezee]

Originally posted by 89coupe

I don't know how you guys blow so much money on stuff that won't be used in a couple years.

Quality stuff has very good resale value, and you only lose a bit more money than what you would have spent on cheaper stuff.

Strollers like the Baby Jogger City Select grow with you when you have more kids and can be used 4-5 years spread out among multiple kids. You definitely get your value out of it.

Someone else talked about seeing a nice stroller being loaded into a cheap car, but I hate it when I see a mom with a designer bag and clothes pushing a $20 umbrella stroller.

[SilverGS]

Originally posted by codetrap


Disagree with this to a point. The Chariot isn't just a jogger. I don't use the jogger bit at all (can't you tell?). It's also a walker, and a bike attachment, which increases its usefulness a lot.

I do agree that it's folded footprint is larger than the umbrella ones, but it's not larger than the "transport systems". Also the mass is less than most "systems" I've come across. I checked with Westjet, and our chariot is actually an approved stroller for taking on the plane with you.

One other big advantage the Chariot has over all the others is the time you can use it. We've gotten 3 years use out of ours so far, with one child. I priced out used ones, and they're going on kijiji for $500 used. That's a depreciation of only $35 over 3 years. Simply can't beat that.

Well I put Chariot in that category because they concentrate solely on making a carriers for outdoor use. Not saying you can't use them indoors but the entire purpose of the company is to make a stroller for jogging, biking, skiing and other outdoor activities. It's fantastic for what it is designed to do but for regular use and travel I find there are other strollers way more suited for those things.

Honestly, I don't know a lot about the chariot since I never planned to bring baby to do any of those things until he was old enough to do it himself.

I suppose you could get a couple more years use out of a chariot since a bigger kid could fit in it but by then I would rather have them doing those things with me or walking. The strollers I currently have I can see myself using it from birth until he is 3-4 at minimum.

Originally posted by 89coupe
My little guy is almost 3 1/2 months old now and we have used our stroller maybe 5 times...lol.

We use the car seat every day, but rarely use the stroller.

When he was really little I just used the baby bjorn.

When we go grocery shopping I just pop the baby seat in the shopping cart, and if its just a small run, I just carry the car seat.

I don't know how you guys blow so much money on stuff that won't be used in a couple years.

lol Sounds like all you do is stay home and go grocery shopping. The mall, zoo, walking outside. None of those places have shopping carts so you need a stroller. Plus when your kid has grown out of the baby seat and you go out more you will be using the stroller all the time.

You might not use the stroller as often if you prefer the carriers. I have both but found I never used the carriers. Even when I went to HK we used the stroller 98% of the time over the carrier. You may be the opposite though.

That is how it is in the first few months. As they get older you will use the stroller more and more and the car seat will sit there collecting dust.

[89coupe]

Originally posted by SilverGS




lol Sounds like all you do is stay home and go grocery shopping. The mall, zoo, walking outside. None of those places have shopping carts so you need a stroller. Plus when your kid has grown out of the baby seat and you go out more you will be using the stroller all the time.

You might not use the stroller as often if you prefer the carriers. I have both but found I never used the carriers. Even when I went to HK we used the stroller 98% of the time over the carrier. You may be the opposite though.

That is how it is in the first few months. As they get older you will use the stroller more and more and the car seat will sit there collecting dust.

I think its just the time of the year, winter and all.

I can see us using the stroller more as the weather improves.

[sillysod]

agree on good car seat. It's something you use all the time.

We never used our strollers much either. At the shopping mall he would want to go in the buggys they have that look like cars.

At home depot/safeway/sobeys/lowes etc he absolutely MUST have the racing car cart and then we proceed to drive like assholes the entire time we are in the store.

However, going overseas with a small person it is vital to have a decent small foldable stroller. Nothing worse then overtired kid that can't sleep and you are trying to swap planes in Frankfurt. Zoo, Heritage park etc he always would rather ride in his wagon.