Research

There are so many things to research when preparing for a baby, especially for the first time.

****Long Post Alert****

Me? I like to check out safety ratings and reviews of things online while at work in my free time; after asking friends, family, (women in Target) how they like their stroller, baby sling, car seat, whatever I happen to be obsessing about at that moment. (Wait, we have to buy one of those too?!? )

Of course a lot of baby items can be totally unnecessary, but easy for first time moms to fall prey to - hence why I ask everyone under the sun about what I really need. Don't think you are going to fool me baby industry tycoons! I will triumph! Unless of course it is really cute and I want it, which in that case, whatever, your marketing worked.

Anyway, most people agree that a stroller is something that we will need, though I plan to do my fair share of babywearing as well (I know, Wikipedia is not a legit source, and there are tribal boobies on there, but whatevs).

A and I perused a few strollers and travel systems while walking by the miniscule baby section at the Navy Exchange one day, and found ourselves completely overwhelmed. We could not figure out how to detach the baby carrier part from the stroller part. It took 20 minutes of pushing different buttons, etc. for us to figure it out. Not to mention this was the day before pay day, and the stroller section is conveniently located next to the main thoroughfare. So, we were "those" new parents that people smiled at and some even shook their heads indulgently. Ugh. Abandon ship!

So, this weekend, we headed to Babies R Us (grammatically I cannot get behind this store, but it is the only store that we knew of off hand that we could try out these things in person).  We tried every.kind if travel system and stroller that they had in stock. Except one.

Ugh. We missed out on trying the Peg Perego Si in person! I looked at it and thought, hmm, there is no price tag and I don't feel like I have heard of this brand. Plus, it was sort of over by the side by itself, so I was sketched, even though it looked super cute.

Imagine my shock and dismay when Google revealed to me that this was a "cool" stroller! Ack! I am way behind on the cool mom stuff. The one in-store at our Babies R Us was a return, which is why it was randomly placed etc. I plan on heading over on my lunch break to try it out to see if I like it.

Reviews are mixed, mostly because of the straps, rather than the lock in place convenience of most travel systems. But, it seems to be a good long term stroller for older kids and has saved some moms from having to go the travel system and then umbrella stroller route. Bonus? it's Italian. Ciao.

The system we liked the best in store was the Chicco Cortina Travel System.

We liked the "Discovery" just fine, but we LOVED the "Limonata" pattern.

Sadly, that one does not come in a Travel System so we would be out extra money buying everything separately = lame. It is so bright and cheery and fun though. We may have to go for it if we decide on this one.

Things we loved about this system: clearly the reviews are great, the system is safe and most people love the convenience, ease of use, etc. It was a little bulkier, but both A and I felt like it was the most solid system that we played with. More on the Graco systems later, but A was really concerned with how securely everything stayed in place.

The biggest complaint on the review boards is that the stroller itself is bulky and large for those who travel often (which is a problem that the Peg Perego Si is not known for). To me it didn't seem any larger than anything else we were trying. Clearly the super expensive UppaBaby Vistas and things of that nature fold down smaller, but to me this thing seemed solid and safe.

The other complaint to ponder is that the car seat doesn't sit on the seat part of some grocery carts, etc. Attention moms: how long before babies justs it in the carts? Doable to think I can sling Baby G until then while shopping? (Apparently it does fit on a Target cart, and that's where I spend most time anyway...) Or, am I totally naive? Clearly I may be opening Pandora's Box here, but COMMENT AWAY. I need halp pleaze.

Bonus factor: When we were playing with this thing Buble's version of "Save the Last Dance For Me" came on the store radio and we were able to dance about with the stroller. It moved smoothly and made tight turns, etc.

A close second in store for me was the Graco Alano FlipIt Travel System (in Wilko).

This was the print we saw in the store and loved, so cute and fresh for both genders. Yellow and gray, swoon. We played with this one first. And, it was nice. Now, people REALLY love Graco and all, which is totally cool, so that's why I went for it first. I LOVED the flipping handle feature so that you can face baby. Awesome. Also the system locked into place really easily, it folded down smaller than the Chicco (not by much) 

All in all, we liked this guy. But, A was really concerned that the bottom of the infant seat doesn't lock into the stroller (like where the baby's feet would be). I tried to convince him that no one is going to be trying to flip baby out of the stroller like that, but he was sort of adamant about it (all of the Gracos are like that). So there's that. Any Graco loving moms or dads who can chime in here and tell us if this is actually a big deal would be helpful.

Also, reviews seem to think that the system is harder to steer when you do use the system "flipped" because only one set of wheels actually pivots (the front ones) and then they are in the back. Lame. 

It's light and sporty and folds down with one hand. The handle motion is slightly awkward as you need to pull and twist the handle at the same time, but totally doable.

Everybody has pros and cons of course, so we will see where we end up. Of course there is the whole debate for not doing Travel Systems at all, but we will get there later.

Preliminary research, done. I need a drink.

17 weeks, 1 day along

...and last night I slept with my humidifier on, Breathe Right strips and Vick's and I could sort of breathe! Triumph! Too bad I can't walk around all day like that.