Stroller Drama

[pocket1_pita]

It’s time to get a stroller and I am confused. I’d been all excited about the Baby Jogger City Mini (BJCM) because of the one-hand fold. Now I am reconsidering. Here’s our deal – Pita and I both run but we probably wouldn’t take Lilah running since that’s each of our special time with Ari. We go to several parks with gravel trails regularly and we go hiking pretty regularly too. We also only have 1 car so the stroller has to be public transportation compatible. I’m not interested in any stroller that needs to be deconstructed for folding. I don’t want a stroller to cost more than $400 (even that seems excessive, but we got some gifts from friends specifically for a stroller) but if you have a great recommendation talk to me about it.

I’m thinking about the BOB Revolution, the Baby Jogger City Elite or another one of their strollers and maybe the Valco Trimode although that breaks the bank a bit. Or is this silly and I do want an urban stroller like the BJCM?

Comments

[carolc.livejournal.com]

I don't jog, but we're pretty outdoorsy. We had a jogging stroller for this reason (to take on trails) and I found it to be a total hassle and just not worth it. You had to take the wheel off to put it in our (small!) car and it just was so big. No way would I have taken it on public transit. It was not a fancy one, though--Baby Trend, maybe?

In the end we just used baby carriers (Ergo, especially) on hikes till the kids could walk. This summer I hiked up a smallish mountain with Owen in the Ergo. Even a great sroller wouldn't have made it on that trail.

[carolc.livejournal.com]

BTW, I do have a stroller--a Maclaren Quest. It's really easy to steer, but other than that I am not crazy about it. I generally tell people who are not big stroller types (you don't seem like one) to just get a nice, light, high-end umbrella stroller. If you travel at all, you really want something as light and small as possible. The only issue is that most of those don't have much recline, for before they can sit.

[prudies.livejournal.com]

Yep, that's my feeling too - high end umbrella stroller that folds up easily and is light.

[emmawoodhouse.livejournal.com]

Ditto this. We used the Snap n Go until M outgrew her baby carseat and now have a Maclaren Volo, which I heart and cost something like $70 but weighs only 8 lbs!

[pocket1.livejournal.com]

We have an ergo and use it all the time. We don't usually leave the house without it. It's just that she's getting bigger and while that's not an issue for Pita, I am starting to notice that she's kind of heavy. Yesterday I wore her in the Moby to the park and had a hard time. I know my mom and MIL wouldn't be able to carry her at all. But will they ever take her hiking? Maybe not.

[bre-sarah.livejournal.com]

soon she'll be big enough to put on your back though (or do you do that already?) and that is *way* more comfortable for hiking. I started putting them on my back around 5-6 months, once they were sitting up, and hiked with them that way until 1-1.5 years. Not strenuous hikes, but moderate/mild ones.

I've never tried the BOB, but have found our jogger a total PITA to take anywhere- they just aren't meant for easy folding really. We don't have to take the wheel off but we have a station wagon- I'd certainly never take it on public transportation. I agree with the high end ubmrella stroller, or maybe take a look at Zoopers- we have two of those, one is an umbrella and one is a regular one that reclines, and those have fit our needs well.

[carolc.livejournal.com]

Yeah--Owen was a peanut, so I kept him on my front forever, but most people find the back carry much more comfy pretty early on. It's def. worth learning to do. I can still carry Owen comfortably on my back in the Ergo at 28 lbs--not that he really puts up with it. Sniff! I miss babywearing.

[nostriliza.livejournal.com]

BOB Revolution rocks! I had that plus a Maclaren, and used the BOB 95% of the time. I even traveled with it, and it wasn't that much more difficult than the Mac.

[carolc.livejournal.com]

Yeah? Could you get it through doors easily, when solo? I didn't dare even try to go into stores with my jogger. It was just so freaking massive.

[pocket1.livejournal.com]

This is my basic question about the bob. How large is it really? Can you imagine, say, taking Bart to the city with it to go to a concert in GG Park? Would a bus be completely out of the question?

[mayap1025.livejournal.com]

i love my bob but it's not an easy stroller to fold up. i think it would be tough to get on and off public transportation (quickly, at least). plus, it's heavy so if you have the stroller and the baby it would be hard.

[nostriliza.livejournal.com]

Honestly, you don't want to take any stroller on the bus. Even the lightest of umbrella strollers is a PITA as you inevitably put stuff in the basket then have to unload when you get on the bus. BOB was no problem on BART.

[carolc.livejournal.com]

A baby carrier is much better on the bus, true. I have done stroller on bus, though, but only with an umbrella one.

[nostriliza.livejournal.com]

No problem at all. I'd take it to malls/coffee shops all the time. Joggers with fixed wheels are entirely different beasts.

[carolc.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I thought the fixed wheel was part of the issue for sure, but it was also too wide. KWIM?

[nostriliza.livejournal.com]

Too wide to fit through doorways? Really? Or was it just not manouverable enough for you to open the door and go through?

[carolc.livejournal.com]

That, but also, too wide to go down aisles in small stores. I just felt like an elephant in a china shop with that thing.

[sandia212.livejournal.com]

We have the BJCM and I actually do run with it occassionally, and it makes a nice all-in-one stroller for us. Good for the train to the center of Athens, good for a (slow!) on roads & sidewalks, good for trails as long as they aren't TOO too crazy (we took our Phil n Ted on a crazy rough steep trail with steps, and the tires haven't been the same since).

That said....are you thinking about another baby? Because if I had it to do all over again, I'd have got the Phil n Ted single back when I bought the BJCM. The fold is a major PITA compared to the one-hand BJCM fold, but I ended up having to buy the PNT as the base for our double-stroller, and now I have *two* 3-wheel, pseudo-running strollers, and that just seems....wasteful. If I'd bought the PNT back when I bought the BJCM, I could have snapped on the doubles kit and had a double stroller for only $99 more.....

[sandia212.livejournal.com]

In that second, sentence, I meant to write "...good for a (slow!) 5k on roads & sidewalks...". Tired!

[pocket1.livejournal.com]

I am thinking about number 2 but have infertile-anxiety about getting anything that might be a sign to the universe to send bad ju-ju my way!

Did you look at any of the other BJ strollers? The City Elite and City Classic have the 1-hand fold and are pseudo joggers.

[portlandbride.livejournal.com]

I have several strollers since I rent them for my business. I have a BOB (although it is a double, but man that thing is huge and weighs a ton, not sure about the single), a P&T, a Combi, the Maclaren Triumph, and a Peg Perego P3.
I use the Peg the most, it is a really well-made stroller and sturdy. I also like the P&T, but it has a pretty crappy fold I'd say. But if you are going to want a double I'd probably go with that one.
As for hiking and stuff I recommend the Ergo or a Kelty. We took a trip to Portland this weekend and only brought the Kelty. It was super easy to use. The only problem with it on public transportation is that it sticks out pretty far off your back and you have to watch out for people when you turn.

[polarama.livejournal.com]

Oof, this is a hard question. I think you will get a million different answers. :)

We have a Peg (P3) and a light MacLaren (I think the Volo). For city maneuvering, I would go with the MacLaren. Even my P3 which wasn't wide and really easily steered would have been annoying to me in the city. Esp. in DC with Metro elevators being unreliable and all, I wanted a light stroller.

I used my carrier a lot in Natalie's pre-walking days. I spent a whole day in San Fran after my sister's wedding with just the BabyHawk.

[emmawoodhouse.livejournal.com]

Honestly, if I were you I'd get a lightweight umbrella stroller for city walking, travel and public transportation, and then keep your eye out for an air wheel stroller deal for the hiking/gravel etc. (though we've had our maclaren on gravel and cobblestones and it's generally fine.) I think if you're going to rely on one stroller to do it all it's not going to do it all well.

[bundlebee.livejournal.com]

I was going to suggest a Maclaren (I only have a double, so not sure what the best single is). It should be fine on gravel and will fold up great for public transportation. I can't imagine using a stroller hiking- I'd use your Ergo for something like that. I can sympathize with the babywearing. I wanted to be a big time babywearer but I just never found it comfortable past the small baby stage even in an Ergo.

[vernacular-life.livejournal.com]

We have the Baby Jogger City Single (basically the classic) and I adore it. I can jog sort of with it (i'm not a jogger, but kind of trot) and its still on the smaller side to not be obnoxious indoors. I really like the easy way to lock the wheel straight, which isn't an option on the Phil&Teds (not sure about the Valco) Perfect for the parks, as it just bounces easily over the grass and gravel of parking lots.

It is too big to travel by plane with, but other than that, it would have been our only stroller. (we bought a quinny zapp when Ben was about 18mo as we had a bunch of travel)

I'm a huge fan of air-filled tires - they make a huge difference and the steering on the BJ is awesome. I test drove SIL's Phil&Teds and didn't like it nearly as much.

finally, if you want to go with the Classic versus the Elite, its on sale on Amazon for $219

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001O0D76O?ie=UTF8&tag=babycheap-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001O0D76O

[sandia212.livejournal.com]

Just to comment on this - I *have* flown with our BJ. It isn't as easy as flying with an umbrella stroller, but you can do it. You'll have to take the wheels off to put it through the x-ray machine, but again, it is do-able.

When I bought our BJ, it was October 2006, and I think it was just the "BJ City" then, they didn't have all the "City" offspring models. But I think it is basically the BJCM single.

I agree that the BJ is such a pleasure to "drive" - so maneuverable. Really it's a far superior stroller to the PNT.....except that the PNT snaps into a double, effortlessly. I understand your anxiety about signaling any second-baby intentions to the universe....but you could buy the PNT single stroller now, by itself, and maybe the universe would only sense you buying a single stroller? I dunno. I don't want to push you into the PNT because like I said, the BJ is a much better stroller, the PNT is a PITA to fold, etc etc.....but if you *do* have a second baby, you might just find yourself kicking yourself if you don't consider the PNT. (I did.) Also, for what it's worth, the PNT is just slightly more narrow (in the back wheel base) than the BJ. It isn't much of a difference, but it was enough that the PNT fit into our teeny-tiny elevator at our old apartment, and the BJ didn't. Can't tell you how much I swore every time I'd have to unload the BJ storage basket, pick up sleeping Zoe, and then fold and pick up the damn stroller, too (one-hand fold be damned) and cram them all in the elevator, trying not to wake sleeping baby. Can't tell you how I EXULTED with not one but TWO sleeping kids in that PNT, and having it all justbarelysqueeze into the elevator, and rolling it all smoothly into the apt with both kids still ASLEEP. God that's a beautiful thing, and I LOVE the PNT at moments like that.

[sandia212.livejournal.com]

I should also say here, I never even consider taking the PNT (without double kit) when I'm going for a run. I *always* choose the BJ, and I don't think I'd try to run with the PNT. It just isn't as stable. I guess in the end I'm glad we have both. But George was definitely pretty pissed when I came home with the first $350+ stroller (BJ was a lot more expensive then!), and was raging when I told him, two years later, that I was then spending $500 on the PNT.....oh well? We definitely use both, ALL.THE.TIME.

[landr02.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry, but all this talk about the "BJ" is sending me into hysterics! And I'm not even a "potty brain" kinda gal. ;)

[juneypie.livejournal.com]

I love my bob and take it everywhere, but for a weekend stroller user I would probably say maclaren quest or thereabouts. Running behind a stroller sucks. You can't take any stroller hiking. The ergo is just like a frame backpack on your back, in terms of weight distribution-awesome. The only thing I would say about the bob is it can go down Bart stairs with a baby in it which macs can't. Actually for walking around downtown sf I preferred the bob, but an umbrella would have been better for buses. I take our bob to concerts in the park- way better than umbrella wheels. Hmmmm. Maybe I am changing my mind. I guess the more you walk and hang out in parks, the more I'd say bob. The more you run erra
nds or use the bus instead of bart, the more I'd say umbrella. Don't consider hiking or running.

[sandia212.livejournal.com]

Again, to comment on this, I'm not a hard-core runner, but I do run nearly daily for exercise, and I *do* run almost every weekend, at least one 5k and sometimes two (Sat + Sun) with the BJ City. So, regularly. Yes, it is a PITA compared to running sans stroller, but I'm out there for exercise, not to achieve a personal best, and it is nice to have the option to just take the kid along, because otherwise there'd be a lot of runs that just wouldn't happen for lack of childcare options, you know? And, running with the stroller is a MUCH better workout, as strange as that seems since the BJ seems so effortless to push. When I take Marko along for a run, I am *wiped* at the end of a 5k which is ordinarily easy for me. One of these days I'm going to take Zoe along in the BJ....I want her to see Mama running and I want to get her started running young!!!

[juneypie.livejournal.com]

I run every day too! But on weekends pita would take lilah while she runs, and during the week I don't think she's home much when pita isn't. I only run with the bob when I'm home alone with penny, which won't happen much for her. And the bay area is like Seattle- windy and hilly with spotty rain that irritates a kid in a jog stroller. Blech.

[yaya-mama.livejournal.com]

I don't know about any of the strollers you asked, but it sounds like you could use two strollers. You could probably get an umbrella stroller for cheap, like the lightweight Maclarens, maybe on craigslist or something. And then spring for something more substantial....?

[juneypie.livejournal.com]

This is what most people settle on. There is no uber alles stroller.

[quartercentury.livejournal.com]

I don't know anything about any of those stroller models, but do make sure you test out the one hand fold in person. We considered a couple that claimed to be one hand fold but weren't at all - even the lady in the shop couldn't one hand them.

We have a Maclaren Techo Classic and it's been just right for us - very very light use until about 18ish months (mostly in the Ergo or another carrier before then), by which point the kid was able to stand by me while I folded it up if I needed to take them both (stroller and child) on public transit.

[irish74.livejournal.com]

We have two Maclarens, the Techno XLR (the big one) and the Volo (the light one). Love both of them. We also had a Bob SUV but it was simply way to big for city living and we don't have a big car to load it into to take somewhere that it could really be put to use, so we sold it on craigslist.

As for BART and MUNI, the elevators are frequently broken so I either expect to walk to the next station for a working elevator or use the Ergo (of course my 1 year old is still not quite 17 lbs). A few weeks ago I walked from Powell to Embarcadero since I had the Techno with a full basket plus the baby and both Powell and Montgomery had broken elevators.

I did however recently admire a friend's BJCM and if I was doing it all over again, I'd look at it seriously.

[knzbound.livejournal.com]

I have been freed from the tyranny of the stroller existence, but I lived it for a good long time in two different cities, so I will weigh in on my stroller opinion!

I loved my Maclarens for city living. There are minuses, but for public transit, it is easy to carry baby in one hand and stroller on shoulder, plus other crap (diaper backpack, sippy) lift and stash into trunk of car, put through security at airport, etc. We wore out our Maclaren Quest after five HARD years of daily walks on SF and NYC sidewalks. We also have a Mac Triumph we are holding on to for another winter (in case of sickness and having to walk kids to doctor's office). Both were great daily workhorse strollers for us. I used it on some trails (really more like unpaved paths) in the Arboretum in GG Park and also Crissy Field, and it was fine, maybe not the smoothest ride for anyone but worked okay. I think for real hiking you are better off with a backpack or Ergo carrier.

I also had a P&T double, and although I loved it, I don't think it's a great jogging stroller, and also not particularly practical (very heavy, hard to fold) unless you really need to squeeze into small stores in New York City and are pushing two stroller-age kids around long distances. I wouldn't buy it just to use as a single, although you can bounce it down a short flight of steps pretty easily with baby strapped in. I had mine for three years, but really only used it for one year because it was too much of a PITA to fold and store. It's very expensive, and if you don't really need a double (kids less than 2yrs apart in super urban area) or really need the small width on a daily basis, I wouldn't bother.

I would see if you can get a jogging stroller on craigslist or local parents listserv for cheap. I was a runner my entire life, until I had kids (at 33). I just could never get into running with a baby. We felt like we *had* to buy a jogging stroller, spent $$$ on a Kelty Jogger, and literally used it five times. We would jog through GG Park and the baby would cry from all the wind and be miserable and cold, and inevitably end up with a runny nose or cold after every run. DH hated it, too, so if we wanted to run, we ran sans baby. But I know some people use them all the time. I really thought I would, but I felt like it was waste of baby gear money.

[cricket-pg.livejournal.com]

I'm way behind, here, but we have a Jeep Liberty stroller (Kolcraft). It's not as high-end as a BOB or BJCM, but it was very affordable, plus it fits in our car, it maneuvers easily and has a great suspension for off-roading. I do wish it had a slightly smaller footprint for Metro use, but that's about it. Actually, I also wish DS could face me when he's in it, since he really likes to talk to me, so I end up using the Snap n' Go for those two reasons.

I want a MacLaren, but there was just a huge recall on them, so be careful buying one used.