My parents told John and I that they would like to gift to us the car seat that we would need for our baby (this was before Carly was born). So as the inexperienced parents-to-be that we were, we skipped off to Babies R Us to pick one out! We spotted the travel systems with the infant car seat attached and thought, what a steal! We could get our car seat and stroller together! I've seen travel systems forEVER and figured that's what you were supposed to get.
Mistake #1: I didn't do research and ask other mothers
what they preferred and what was popular.
So we picked out this travel system:
Now, let me say this: First, I love the car seat and we are not getting a different one until she is in the next sized seat. Second, there was nothing wrong with this travel system and we did use it exclusively until we got our two new strollers! Carly rode in the car seat snapped into the stroller, and even started to sit in the seat of the stroller. There is also a lot of great things about these travel systems, so for some families they work great- I just had a few things I wanted out of a stroller that this would not satisfy. I did love how simple the car seat and stroller fit together, of course later finding out that you can hand pick your stroller of choice and buy the car seat adapter for any stroller out there.
Mistake #2: I didn't venture past the travel systems in the store.
I started to get stroller envy. It's a real thing people and it's NOT covered in What to Expect When You Are Expecting! The things I started to notice about other strollers I saw out there was how stylish some of them are! I also noticed (after test-driving some of my friend's strollers) that the wheels/tires on strollers make a HUGE difference. After watching other moms do the baby-load-and-go I started to take notice how small and convenient other strollers folded up. At this point, I was creepin' down parking lots as I watched in amazement how other strollers seemed to fold up to the size of a napkin in comparison to my boat.
Mistake #3: I didn't take time to fold up other strollers to compare compactness and weight.
Now the hunt was on. These were the things I was looking for in a new stroller(s):
1. It had to fold up to a convenient size, preferably without being too heavy.
2. It had to be more stylish than my current stroller.
3. I wanted a stroller that would be enjoyable to take on walks, with a more comfortable ride for Carly.
4. I wanted a large canopy to protect Carly from the sun.
5. Decent sized storage basket.
6. Two cup holders in stead of one (John and I always battled for the cup holder).
So after MUCH research, I discovered that my needs would be met by two different strollers. So I picked out a BOB Revolution SE and a Baby Jogger City Mini! LOVE them both. They are truly amazing and I feel like I couldn't be happier with my choices. They each serve a different purpose.
Our first walk with the BOB!
My BOB Revolution SE works excellent for walks and jogs because it is equipped with large, air-inflated tires that glide over any surface like a dream creating an easy push and comfortable ride for Carly. The canopy is nice and big on this stroller and the seat is spacious with plenty of room for Carly to grow. This thing is so smooth and silent, that Carly can always take a nap in it- my secret tool for my stubborn little nap fighter! My other mommy friends all have one too and we plan on doing some hiking play dates. Once the weather warms up, we will be taking it over to the beach where I heard they perform like champs. I chose to purchase our BOB used, off Craigslist because they are such well made strollers that I knew I could find a used one that was up to my standards. I picked orange because it is bright and I wanted to be easily seen by cars while taking it out in our neighborhood which is where it will be used the most. Funny thing was, when we were looking at the new BOB Motion, I couldn't stand the orange which my husband loved. After doing research on jogging strollers, I read some interesting takes on why brighter is better and it made perfect sense to me. Now I enjoy the fact that Carly is surrounded by safety orange...like a cone! The one I found is a 2010 model in new condition and it was half the price of a brand new one, plus it came with the console (that has 2 cup holders!)! Winning!
If only the BOB folded up smaller, didn't weight as much, and wasn't such a beast, I would use it as my daily stroller. I didn't get the BOB for use as a daily errand runner, but for the record I did try it out for a few weeks and it is just too bulky. That's where my City Mini comes in!
Carly's first ride in the City Mini
Loving the Belly Bar accessory!
The other stroller we purchased (this one we purchased new) is the Baby Jogger City Mini . This stroller is AMAZING. Now, if you remember from a previous post, I said I wanted the Baby Jogger City Select. That stroller is seriously awesome, but too large and heavy for my single baby purposes right now. I figured I would live in the compact, lightweight world while I can! If we do expand our family one day, that is when I will reevaluate my stroller situation and see if any changes need to be made. The nice thing about the City Mini is I can purchase the glider board which provides a "skateboard-like" step attached to the stroller for a toddler to stand-ride on.
This stroller completes my life. I love it. It truly makes me want to go run errands. It is compact, lightweight, folds with one hand, has a HUGE canopy (with two windows), is super stylish, has a decent sized storage basket that holds anything I have needed to store down there, and is just so fun to push around. The only two accessories we purchased with it are: the Baby Jogger Adjustable Belly Bar and the Skip Hop Grab & Go Stroller Organizer. I looked at the Baby Jogger parent console, but it only had one cup holder which is an issue for us. I like the Skip Hop one for it's two cup holders, extra zipper wristlet, and the fabric is nice.
I hope that this information was helpful to you or someone you love. My best advice for parents-to-be is to really check out and mess around with several strollers of different styles before making a purchase. The stroller is a big baby gear item and if you just pick one without researching a little, you will probably be stuck doing what I did! If I only knew then (8 months ago) what I know now....
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