Thursday, April 1, 2010

A Strolling We Will Go

If I can make up my mind on a stroller that is! That has been the big question the last few days--what stroller to get?

Originally I had thought of just registering for one of those travel system things with the infant car seat that attaches. But then after considering it some more I don't think that's the best idea. For one, they're really heavy. Two, they take up a lot of room, and we have cars on the smaller side and we're not particularly planning on buying a new car in the near future. I just question how beneficial they will really be in the long run. Besides, a lot of mom posts I've seen lately have been all about how they would not recommend buying one. Only downfall, buying some of the options below actually cost total more than just buying one of the big travel systems.

So, that left me back on square one--what do we get? Obviously I want a stroller, even though I do plan on registering for a carrier and/or wrap as well. But there are places and circumstances where strollers are very much needed. Also, we obviously need a car seat. I like the infant carriers for their carrying versatility, so I would prefer to get something along those lines to begin with.

Basically I've narrowed it down to one of two options. (still waiting for my husband dearest to weigh in on these as well)!

Option 1:

Get an infant carrier/carseat. Register for something that seems to be mostly called a Snap and Go that basically is a frame for hooking an infant carrier into and that acts as a stroller until Blueberry is big enough to fit in a regular, lighter umbrella stroller (the kind that are much more compact and lighter). Here's a pic of the frame I'm talking about. This one is the Jeep Universal Car Seat Stroller.



Option 2:

I did find one of the umbrella strollers that I was looking at that actually can fit an infant carrier on the front of it. So basically it acts like one of the travel systems, has a lot of their amenities, and will even recline (which not all umbrella strollers will), but it's much lighter and smaller to begin with. Downside: it's also a bit more expensive.

Peg Perego Si Stroller

And then to top it all off, there are so many brands and kinds of strollers to actually choose from! Again, it's been a lot of reading reviews, evaluating what I want, etc, etc, etc. And the prices! Oh my goodness. They range from $20 to $800! For a stroller!!!!! I'm thinking that stroller better come with a maid who will do the grocery shopping for me if I'm going to pay $800!


Any ways, for those who are interested or who might actually have some information that I could weigh into all of this, these are the options of strollers and car seats to which I've narrowed it down.

Obviously the ones above are included in this mix. Click on the links if you actually want to see what they look like. They range in price from $130 for the Keekarro one to $220 for the Mclaren Quest to $250 for the Peg Perego one I mentioned earlier.

And that's the other question I have. What if we get one and then we hate it?! Strollers aren't cheap! But it also seems that you get what you pay for to a certain extent.

KeeKaroo Karoo Lightweight Stroller

Maclaren Triumph Stroller

Maclaren Quest Stroller

Here's the infant seats I've been looking at. These run in range from $80 to $170. And honestly, on the stroller front, I would have no problem buying a stroller that is used but seems to still be in good condition, as long as it would suit our needs. But obviously the car seat is something I want to buy new. And yet at the same time (not to seem like someone who isn't going to care about my child's safety), are the more expensive ones really that much better than the cheaper ones in an accident?

Graco SungRide

Graco SnugRide 35
Thoughts?

4 comments:

HAPTeach said...

I honestly didn't consider many options when looking for my stroller so I might not be too much help :) The ones you highlighted look like great ideas especially if you don't want to go with a travel system!

My pros for travel systems: When the baby is sleeping you just unsnap them from the car and snap them into the car seat and go! There is so much storage in them that it's easy to fit all the baby stuff and your own stuff (but then again I do take a lot of STUFF with me lol). Plus it is quite durable! We've been everywhere with that thing and it hasn't missed a beat. Not to mention the minute the little ones needed to get out of the car seat and into the actual stroller--we didn't have to spend more money on another stroller.

The heaviness depends on the stroller. My single stroller really wasn't very heavy and it didn't take up nearly the room my double stroller does. Now that double stroller is a monster, but I'm still in love with it!

Can't wait to see what you decide on :) BTW I still have my single stroller if you would like to check it out...it's got cute little lambs on it.

Ouph said...

Hmmmm...I might just have to do that. Thanks Heather!

Hillery said...

I like the Keekaroo except for the braking system. Having to hit two brakes, can be a pain. IMO. I like the 3rd one, except for the price! ha!

I had the Graco Snugride for Gabbie and Davy and was happy with it. Got another snugride this time. My problem with Evenflo is that they look and feel uncomfortable, to me. Very little foam padding and a different shape than Graco. The only reason to do the Snugride 35 is if you want a 35 pound kid to still be sitting in it rear facing. Main problem with this is that it is still an infant seat, you will not be carrying them in a seat at this point, and they lay too far down. By the time babies have good head control, around 6 months when they are sitting up, they are happier in a carseat that sits more upright, which is usually at the age that they weigh enough to be in a bigger seat. Though still rear-facing. That is when you get the convertible seat that will last either until they are out of a seat completely, or until 3 or 4 when they are big enough for a booster and you need the carseat for a sibling, ha ha! With carseats you get more features and padding with more money. Not necessarily more safety. Safety is usually all about how it is installed. Just remember, if you have questions about installation, our local fire station can check the seat for you and make sure it is right!

Hillery said...

So I have a Chicco umbrella stroller that I have used and been happy with for several years. Though I did see some room for improvement. Which they have now done. I did some research, and found a very interesting find from Chicco. It is a step up from the bare umbrella stroller, but still compact. It will not hold a carseat, but it will hold an infant. It reclines and has a cover for babies to keep them snug and warmer if needed. It also has several other very clever features that I know I would love! Here is the link on Amazon http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=chicco+liteway&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&show=dd&cid=12613965857404618166&ei=FOy3S6mbBIHcwAWvjsSoBw&sa=title&ved=0CAcQ8wIwADgA#p. If that doesn't work look up Chicco Liteway. I found it listed for about $100 on Amazon, depending on color. Not bad!

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