Strollers are, in my opinion, one of the best baby/toddler items ever invented. I mean really...right up there with the infant carrier and pacifiers! Obviously, I feel this way, since my garage is now home to FOUR strollers (yes, for ONE child...). Let me explain our stroller evolution...
Our first stroller purchase, while I was pregnant, was a Jeep jogging stroller, similar to this one. I bought it for $50 off of Craigslist. A wise and fruitful purchase, I must say. When I bought it, I was still into running. And although I haven't gotten back into running (YET- see last post), we use this bad boy on family walks around the neighborhood. It comes fully loaded- a speaker system for your ipod tunes, a nice large sunshade, and a multi-function timer/odometer/speedometer. Not too bad for fifty bucks! The only down side is that it will not fit in my trunk. I can get it in my backseat, but it is wedged in there and difficult to load and unload.
STROLLER #2: The Travel System
This is our travel "system"...the Graco Elyse. It is an adorable print- we have a matching pack-n-play. And the infant snugride carrier was great! But the stroller is HUGE. Like GINORMOUS! And I have used it a total of 4 times. It is just soooo big. And for the size and mass of the stroller, not very functional. It does have nice parent's cup holders (x2), but that is the best thing I can say. It is really too much of a hassle. Lesson learned. I will say that, when Ava was still in her infant carrier, I LOVED this system. Because if I needed a stroller, I didn't have to get her out and into a separate stroller. The only redeeming quality, in this mommy's opinion. :)
STROLLER #3: The Umbrella Stroller
This is our umbrella stroller- the Chicco Capri. It is a "mid-range" umbrella stroller, I would say. It is nicer than the cheapo ones. The seat is a little more padded. But it is still light and easy to fold. This stroller has served me well over the last 4 months or so. But after using it for a while, there are some glaring problems that were not something I could really fix easily. First, the seat didn't recline more than you see in this picture. Not good if you want a baby to nap on the go. And the sunshade is little more than a joke. Really, it blocks nothing and is too flimsy to be able to rest anything on (something I do often...). The "cargo" area under the stroller is also a bit of a joke. It is too small to really hold anything other than my dirty burp rags. Which is what I used it for. This stroller is now becoming a hand-me-down to my mother (per her request) because this baby just came into our lives...
STROLLER #4: THE Stroller!
Ok, I will admit. I have only owned this stroller for a couple of hours. And haven't tested it in a "real life" situation. But Peg Perego has an amazing reputation (for quality and safety) and I got an AMAZING deal on it! Really, it was a steal! This baby retails from between 350.00-450.00. Any guesses on my price? Less than $130.00, including the optional 18 month warranty! Whoop! I went to Babies R Us looking for a replacement for our umbrella stroller. Something that would steer better than a mack truck and fit our needs better. I had decided on a pretty red MaClaren umbrella stroller. Then I saw this guy. He is neutral, can hold a PP car seat (for future babies) and has all of the options I was looking for. The sunshade is AMAZING, and covers almost the entire seat if needed. I also love that the seat lays all the way down, and is very cushioned for extra comfort! Hopefully there will be some naps in that puppy! HA! It is a little hard to fold until you get the hang of it, but I get better each time I try, so I feel confident that I will get it down in no time!!! Oh, and it folds down to about the size of my Chicco umbrella stroller! How cool!!!
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