Stroller Drama
Nov. 16th, 2009 12:19 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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?
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?
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Date: 2009-11-16 09:01 pm (UTC)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.
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Date: 2009-11-16 09:59 pm (UTC)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.
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Date: 2009-11-16 09:06 pm (UTC)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.....
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Date: 2009-11-16 09:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-11-16 09:33 pm (UTC)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.
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Date: 2009-11-16 09:35 pm (UTC)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.
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Date: 2009-11-16 10:13 pm (UTC)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.
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Date: 2009-11-17 01:29 am (UTC)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
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Date: 2009-11-17 07:15 am (UTC)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.
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Date: 2009-11-17 05:53 am (UTC)nds or use the bus instead of bart, the more I'd say umbrella. Don't consider hiking or running.
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Date: 2009-11-17 08:10 pm (UTC)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.
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Date: 2009-11-18 01:19 am (UTC)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.
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Date: 2009-11-18 02:50 am (UTC)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.
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Date: 2009-11-20 10:30 pm (UTC)I want a MacLaren, but there was just a huge recall on them, so be careful buying one used.