Baby Stroller Ratings
I've had so many newly pregnant moms approach me for advice about baby strollers that I thought I would put together a list of things you should consider BEFORE you buy one. These are the hard learnt lessons that I wish I'd known about when I was choosing my first baby stroller, because had I known about these little pointers I would not have picked the baby stroller that I did at that time!
After listing a few salient pointers on how to pick a good baby stroller, I will then provide baby stroller ratings on the most popular baby strollers on the market and where the best places are to get them over the net. Why bother buying on the net when you can get the same stroller in the shops? Because you can let your mouse do the walking - that's great news when the last thing you want to do when you are pregnant is to walk into 20 baby stores to check out the prices of strollers- sure recipe for an aching back and swollen feet afterwards. But how do you know which ones to buy if you haven't even given it a 'trial run' and looked at the overall design (and the colors)? My advice to you is to head down to your local baby store and try all the ones they have there and narrow it down to your favorite models (using the tips below of course) and then do some comparison shopping right here online! Then you will have the best of both worlds!
Tips on how to choose the best baby strollers
what are you going to use it for? Is it just going to be a general purpose baby stroller? Are you planning to jog with it? If so then you may want to look at jogging strollers. A point to note about jogging strollers - many of them are considerably bigger and heavier than the other strollers - heavy to lift and fold and a REAL DRAG when you go shopping with them - too hard to fit into crowded lifts and you will struggle through narrow aisles in the shopping centres.
How many children are you intending to have and how far apart? I know this can be hard to plan out - it doesn't always work out the way you want it...but if you are planning to have them really close together, you may want to consider baby strollers which have the capacity to attach a toddler seat...otherwise when number 2 comes, you will have to consider getting another double stroller or a tandem stroller. If your toddler is old enough to walk and doesn't mind doing so, a place for him/her to stand on the stroller when they get tired is a life-saver! If the stroller you've picked doesn't have this function, then a latch on kiddy trailer is going to be your next best investment. Believe me, even if your toddler initially walked fine before the baby, it's a whole new ballgame when baby comes and they'll want a free ride too!
You get what you pay for. Popular and more expensive brands like Pegperego and Mclaren strollers are worth every cent you pay for. They will last and last - I really mean it. Most moms I know will testify that their Pegperego and Mcclaren strollers lasted them 3 or 4 babies/children. These brands also have the added assurance of you being able to buy extra parts and accessories should the need arise. The cheaper brands don't have this option.
Do you want those car seat stroller combos? I've personally never used one. I find that with products that do dual things, they often don't do either functions better than stand alone models - that's just because they have to compromise on the quality of one to make up for some function of the other. However, having said that, I've had friends who rave about how great it is to be able to just lift baby out of the car and plug the contraption onto the stroller fitting without having to fiddle with straps and the dreaded 'transfer' which inevitably wakes the baby up. Nothing spoils an outing more than a grumpy sleep deprived baby...
How big is the boot of your car? Considering that's where the baby stroller is going to live most of the time, this is a major tip - don't choose one which when folded will take up more than half the boot space. Remember, that's where you will also have to pack the groceries and with strollers that fold up side ways - umbrella strollers as they are called, this will free up more space for you to fit other things eg the portable cot, luggage when you go travelling. Believe me, you'll be thankful you picked one that folds away really compactly when you go on holiday - there's always so much to pack!
Are you looking for a pram or a stroller? Prams are generally classed as ones where you can see the baby as you push - baby faces you. Strollers tend to be ones where the baby faces away from you. I personally never felt that the ability to look at the baby was any big thing - after all you are pushing the stroller and not gazing at the baby all the time. When baby wants to sleep, you find that you may have to put a blanket over the whole pram anyway to dim the surroundings and provide a non-stimulating environment for baby to sleep. Strollers can also last well into toddlerhood so I think it beats prams by a mile when it comes to functionality.
How many laydown positions does it allow for? Good baby strollers will have the ability to have different adjustable positions that will cater for when baby wants to sleep or sit up. Some of the cheaper umbrella strollers do not have a lie-down function so when you baby or toddler sleeps, they will have their heads lolling around - most uncomfortable if you ask me...
Choose ones with a five-point harness. Peg perego strollers used to only come with a 3 point harness ie no straps over the shoulders - fine when baby is little but look out when they turn into toddlers. Toddlers will climb out of these straps with ease and at the most inconvenient times - usually when they are throwing a tantrum and when you want a fast exit from the toy department...a 5 point harness stops this from happening. I believe Peg perego strollers now all come with 5 point harnesses after lots of mothers complained.
How will you fit the diaper bag onto the stroller? My first stroller had a full handlebar right across the top, unlike the double handled strollers (eg Peg perego and Maclaren) and to my dismay, my diaper bag strap wouldn't fit over the top so I ended up using the bottom section (where the groceries were supposed to go) to put the diaper bag. End result - no room for groceries...In fact, I only then realized what a big boon it was to have those double handles - you can hang plastic bags off them! Just be careful that you don't hang too much on as you will be in danger of tipping the stroller over.
Do you want to be able to fold it single handedly and I mean single handedly! Most strollers you need both hands free to fold up but there are some in the market that have a snazzy single hand fold down function. I personally don't think this is any real advantage because after all whilst you can fold it down with one hand, you will inevitably need 2 to get it into the boot of the car anyway, so all the hype about being able to carry baby on one arm and folding it down with the other is overdone in my opinion.
Does it have additional options like a drink tray - very handy when you need a place to put that sipper cup that seems to come in and out of the diaper bag otherwise...
Can you remove the chair pad for that all important clean out? Most strollers have this feature but not all do. VERY IMPORTANT. Your baby will throw up, wet and smear food on that chair pad in the first few years of his life...a chair pad that you can remove is a god send in these instances!
Can the handlebar in the front of the stroller be removed? A minor technicality? Only until you are stranded somewhere with no baby change room and no where to put baby down to change that diaper. If you can remove it, it makes this task less onerous...it's hard enough trying to change a diaper when the baby is wriggling let alone having to manoevre around a handlebar. It's also really handy to have it removed in those all important transfers from car to the stroller - you will find it SO mush easier to slip baby into the stroller rather than lift them over the handlebar (they inevitably hit the hood for some reason...don't laugh, it's happened to me countless times).
Okay, now that you've got all those tips and have done all your research, you are ready to pick your baby stroller! Click below for my top picks of : If you are planning to go shopping to check out prices, remember to bookmark this site so that you can return and save on your strollers!
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