Your choice of stroller is kind of like shoes: it really depends on your lifestyle. Do you live in town or in the burbs? Do you travel a lot? Will it be one or both parents doing most of the strolling? Are you going to buy a separate umbrella stroller in addition to the infant stroller or would you like to combine the two with a car seat attachment? The possibilities are endless.
G did all the research on the pram, and we decided on the thing below for several reasons. However, we didn't even use it until Mr. Delicious was several months old. The thing with having a winter baby is that there isn't much opportunity to go for walks in the stroller. Or maybe there was, but I was too afraid, tired, and lazy to do it. In my defense, it was a bitterly cold winter in DC. Delicious brought the frigid temps with him when he was born. (I mean, I did go out "wearing" him in various carriers, but that's different.)
It wasn't until the middle of May, when baby was five and a half months old, that we broke it out for the first time. Note the plastic still on the handles in the first photo.
Breaking out the stroller, the UPPAbaby Vista, for the first time this past May
Delish's very first stroller ride (he was five and a half months)
As you may already know, we registered for the UPPAbabby Vista. My mom and G's mom went in on it together. I'm embarrassed to say that it wasn't a value purchase. At almost $700, it's a substantial commitment.
For us, the selling point was the solid construction. But that meant a heavier stroller - not good for city dwellers. Perhaps it's just another reason we didn't break it out until *after* we moved out of the city. (Ironically, it was also when we went downtown for a little visit a couple of months after our move). I can't imagine lugging this thing up a flight of stairs. At around 25 lbs, it is not easy to carry. Having said all that, we LOVE it.
The second point was the cargo space. The basket below the stroller is large and can accomodate our big diaper bag along with other things. The handle telescopes, so it's perfect for couples like us where there's a substantial height differential. It also has large wheels that provide a smooth ride. We push it across bumpy, broken sidewalks, across grass and gravel - you name it - and it feels smooth.The Citymini - a close contender, and very nice option - felt rickety in comparison. But at a fraction of the price and weight, you can't lose if you live in the city.
Another great thing about the Vista is all the configurations. The seat sits high up; it can face the front or the back; tilts at the center; has a variable foot rest; comes with a bassinet (at the recommendation of Fay - shhhh, don't tell anyone - we used it as an additional sleeping bassinet the first few weeks he was home); and finally can adjust for a RUMBLE SEAT for a second child (not that we're planning on that -but a nice to have).
Smooth ride over bumpy city sidewalks
The canopy on the stroller is great; it also comes with a clear, plastic rain guard. But for extra sun protection, we LOOOOOVE to drape the muslin swaddle blankets from Aiden and Anais over the top. They're breathable and airy, so there's no worry of baby getting overheated or suffocating. (But I don't like using them as swaddle blankets so much, as in my experience they come undone too easily, and a couple of times baby was all twisted up in it - kind of dangerous.)
This is in Logan Circle park in our old neighborhood - just had to throw in this picture. He was so little!!!!
The second stroller: the UPPAbaby G-Luxe umbrella stroller. Look how big Mr. Delicious is now!
So about that SECOND stroller. Apparently, after baby is a bit larger, you should consider getting a travel or umbrella stroller. That is, something that folds up like an umbrella for short little jaunts - something you leave in the car. We are UPPAbaby fans. G had been keeping an eye out for sales on the internets and offers on Craigslist. Sure enough, two weeks ago there was post for a brand new UPPAbaby G-Luxe, still in the box and we got it for $40 off the retail price of $190. Did I mention it was still in the box?
It's awesome at just 11 lbs. You're probably wondering why we just didn't get this in the first place. Well, it's not an infant stroller. It's best for babies who are at least three months old. Now, had we known we wouldn't use the Vista until Delish was five months, then maybe. But then again, this thing is JUST for quick trips and travel. I don't think it'd be comfortable for the little guy to ride in this across town. Anyway, it's nice to have in the car. It has a couple notable features, including fully reclining seat, stands when folded and is the lightest full-size umbrella stroller in the US.
We used it for the first time today when we went to visit a friend in the hospital. It's very convenient and seems comfortable for Delicious...at least indoors on smooth floors!
I never, EVER, wanted to spend this much on strollers. Thankfully, we have generous family members and great deals can be had on Craigslist.
What kind of stroller do you have, and what do you like about it? Please share.
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15 comments:
We have the Orbit Baby (infant carrier, toddler car seat, and toddler stroller seat) for our main stroller system and we also have the UPPABaby G-Luxe. I love the Orbit Baby because it has so many unique features and I love the fully rotational base. I chose the UPPABaby for the same reasons you listed.
We considered getting a Vista now or the City Select (because it can grow with us if we decided to expand our family), but it's hard to give up the Orbit Baby (especially since the investment cost us well over $1,500 inclusive of the other accessories we bought for it).
I, like you, have two strollers. The Bumbleride Queen B and the Bumbleride Flite. We like ours for the same reason. I love the brand (it surprised us that they were even from our hometown woot!) and they are really sturdy well put together strollers. I love that they both full recline and the canopy is amazing. I also love the tires they go over everything.
We have the Uppababy G-luxe too and we bought ours as a good condition sample from a local baby store. Love it...so easy to steer and travel with. We also have a stroller frame for our Grace car seat. Don't love it as much, it's so hard to steer but it does the job since we do a lot more walking here. Smart purchase about getting a stroller that can accommodate two babies! When/if we have #2, we'll have to get a 3rd stroller for two of them!
Perfect timing on this post as we just got a new "day-to-day" stroller yesterday! N is growing out of her Graco carseat + snap-n-go that we were using the first few months so we needed something more all-around. The contenders were the UPPABABY g-luxe, maclaren quest, or britax b-agile. We went with the b-agile. People say it's the better version of the city mini. It JUST came out this July so it's brand new... we love it!!
It's sooo smooth and because it's a 3-wheeler the turning is phenomenal. It has a great recline and huuuge canopy and the 5-point harness is impossible to escape from. You can also close it with one hand! At 16 pounds, the stroller is mid-range in weight but I like that it doesn't feel flimsy. The only thing I wish was maybe a bigger basket, but this stroller is pretty amazing as is!
We have two strollers.
1) A Snap-n-Go. It's a super lightweight frame that you can snap your infant car seat into. Perfect for running errands and going out on the town for a day where you'll be making several stops. Cost $70 new.
2) Our fancy Britax B-Ready. Alexa finally is old enough for it, it's a little bulkier, though, and doesn't easily fit into the trunk of my Beetle, so it only comes with us when we know we are going for a loooong walk on the strand or something. I suspect we would use it more if we had larger cars. This one a friend of ours won in a raffle. We totally lucked out.
Or next purchase will be an umbrella stroller because that Snap-n-Go might not be sturdy for much longer.
I'm coming at this from a bit of a different perspective because our 'baby' is now 2(!) and we have another one on the way in November. We have the 2009 Uppababy Vista and I love it. I live in a section of Boston that while still inside city limits is pretty residential. This means I needed something that could rude well on cruddy city sidewalks, plus go easily in the car, plus fit on the bus/subway! The Vista fit all of that for us. We used the bassinet for little G to sleep in for about a month and I no longer feel guilty about it because Uppababy now sells a stand for the bassinet for just that purpose.
We got the Uppababy G-lite umbrella stroller specifically for airplane travel when Little G was too heavy to 'wear' bit still not walking. It is one of the only umbrella strollers on the market hat is TALL enough for this 5'11" all-legs, no-torso mama to use...and I still kick te tires when I'm walking quickly.
At two, we still use the Vista whenever we leave our house to walk any distance longer than a block - I'm not able to pickup a 31 lb child while pregnant, so catering to the toddler's I-don't-want-to-walk-anymore-whims isn't an option. We'll probably do the ride-on attachment over the winter for Little G once the baby comes...and in the spring, I'll expect G to walk since he'll be almost three.
By far, without question, Uppababy has been the best company to work with from a customer service standpoint...I wouldn't give that up for the most expensive BumbleBee option on the planet!
Ride...not rude :)
We started out the the Inglesina Zippy and, while I loved it, I wanted something sturdier so we bought the Uppababy Vista in a Gilt sale and absolutely ADORE it. That being said, it's a PITA to get loaded into our Tahoe and, with a trip to Cali in a couple of weeks, I just bought the G-Luxe off of an Ebay sale (they are sold out EVERYWHERE) and I can't wait to use that as well. I think we are Uppababy converts, and I'm excited about the rumble seat feature so that both kids can use the stroller once we decide to have another!
I LURVE the look of the uppa baby, so many mums seemed to have it in Chicago, I love the height and the fact the baby can face you. It came onto the market just after we bought Lily her city jogger which we do love for its easy fold, tripod style, durability and massive canopy. I can fold it and put it in the truck with ease whilst carrying Lily. Only down side is that the back wheels can be a little wide for some buses, the bad thing about that being the scathing looks from other passengers.
And, yes, we have a travel one too (UK brand, silvercross) which is crappy feeling and a pain to fold but it is a little lighter and it seems to be pretty comfortable for her. I would not care if it did not come out the other end of baggage claim which is perfect for travel items! Glad to say that we've graduated from taking a stroller through the airport though - that used to be a nightmare.
BTW - jeans, you look good in them.
We are expecting, so we haven't used our strollers yet, but we ended up getting the City Mini with a car seat adapter and the Uppa Baby G-Luxe for when baby is bigger and we have light walks. My hubby, like yours, did TONS of research. We were wanting the Vista, but decided we wouldn't use it enough to justify the price, and I wanted a jogger type of stroller as well.
My Husband is currently knee deep in stroller research- so thank you for posting this!! Yesterday I final said that no matter what- there is no such thing as the do everything perfect City stroller. But he's determined to find it. He's waiting to check out the new UppaBaby Cruz.
All those specs make selecting strollers sound like shopping for a car! No wonder G did the researching - I bet he enjoyed it too!
(By the way, you look so awesome with Delish. Yummy Mommy!)
Up until recently, I was happily using the Graco infant car seat + snap & go frame. For the next stroller, I debated between getting just an umbrella stroller vs one of the travel system strollers.
The top contenders were the Orbit, UppaBaby Vista, and Stokke Xplory. I think the Uppa gives you the most bang for your buck, and the Orbit felt very sturdy, but I ended up going with the Stokke. The adjustable height feature did it for me...I hope my baby will feel the same way! I haven't used the Stokke enough to really comment on whether I like it or not. I have a bit of buyers remorse for not going with the Uppa, but I'm sure the Stokke will work out fine for us.
Well, you know my love for the Uppa Vista. We have the red one and I can't wait to use it! Living in Seattle we do a ton of walking and I think it's going to work out great. Combine that with the basket (that can hold 4 grocery bags full of food I've been told) and I was sold. We bought it ourselves since neither of us could imagine registering for it...
On the other hand, we had no issues asking for the money for the second stroller, although I can't decided whether or not to go with the G-luxe or the G-lite (which doesn't recline). You can't use either until they are what, 6 months, so I've just sent the money aside and will tackle that one early next year. Thoughts?
We have the BOB and I wished that we got it before we spent so much money on other strollers. Oh well, lesson learned :)
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