Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Stroller Research, Part II

Wow. You guys have a lot of opinions on strollers, travel systems, etc! I think that post generated more comments than any other. Which I love, of course. I am an external processor, so I have to talk these things out with others, even if it is via the interwebs.

{P.S. Have you seen this clip yet? HI-larious. Though I must admit - in '94 I had no idea what the internet was either...though I was 9 for most of that year, so there is that.}

Anywho, back to where I left off. When I wrote the last post I was headed to check out the returned Peg Perego at Baies 'R Us.

Went over during lunch that day and tried it out. I actually really liked this one. It was so light and super easy to work. This one was discounted though, because some of the parts were missing - eek! - including one of the safety straps to keep the infant seat in. So I didn't get to see how secure it really was, but I got the feeling that it was pretty durn secure.

Also, as I was playing with it, a fellow mom came by with two adorable little boys in her basket and a bun in the oven and said to me, "Don't even think about it, just get it. We got the Peg Perego and would never buy anything else. It is awesome." And she walked on her merry way.

Well, thought I, that is a pretty solid review.

I went home to tell A all about it and realized he was on watch that day...whomp whomp. {For you non-military folks, that means he was spending the night on the ship with no communication to home.}

Fast forward to this past weekend, after reflecting on comments, etc about travel systems being a necessity, etc, and a whole new world of a direction to go.

Mainly because I wandered into this place and found this guy.

Swoon.

I had at one time allowed myself to dream about super cool strollers ala the Orbit System. (Shout out to andria from illinois comment - that video makes me swoon as well.Someday my life will also be that simple and cool, and I will wear skinny jeans and a green shirt with matching green heels while peacefully loading my baby in the car...) But, A in his infinite wisdom, immediately vetoed anything that expensive.

The UPPABaby Vista seemed like a dream to me as well, until I played with it in person and started running numbers. Now let me say first and foremost that A and I are not jumping into a $650 system without some thought first, nor will we necessarily end up going this route (someone may still need some convincing), but I can certainly see why some would go this way.

Points for the UBV:
  • First, that adorable pram attachment (comes standard in the package). Are you kidding me? Who doesn't dream of pushing a baby around in something that cute?
  • Second, the other seat flips both ways. Cooler and cooler.
  • You can put an infant car seat on there, but you have to buy an attachment to do so. Because of this, A and I would probably go the route of just doing a Britax car seat from the beginning (since we plan on buying on anyways, once Bay G grows out of the infant seat...)and not pulling it in and out of the car. I plan on primarily baby wearing at the beginning when I do manage to get out of the house, and those infant seats seem like a pain to haul around. The biggest plus for me on travel systems were not having to transition a sleeping baby in and out of a car seat, and having a place for baby to rest (that isn't attached to me) when we are in a restaurant or visiting friends or whatever. But, the bassinet attachment functions as a place for baby to be, so...
  • My biggest pro for this thing is the ability to add a second seat and a piggy back platform.  


  • 3 kids on one stroller? That just seems like good planning for the future, since we plan on having more kids, more than likely sooner rather than later, so long as everything goes smoothly. 
Anyway, those are the thoughts rattling around in my head right now. The UBV just seems like planning ofr the future instead of turning around and making tons of purchases...but then again it is a hefty investment off the bat, though the reviews are awesome. 

We will see what we actually end up with. If I am being totally naive on the whole lack of travel system thing, or if you feel that I am right on, please share. 


18 weeks, 5 days along

...and we have our Midwifery Center tour tonight! I am all sorts of nervous and excited. Shiz is getting real y'all.


4 comments:

  1. Not to sway you in any way but Ava did not fit properly into our Britax until she was 6ish months. Most car seats say they go from 5 pounds up but it all depends on the fit of the straps around the child. At 9 pounds she was a good-sized baby but the straps just didn't fit right until she was older.

    I personally am a fan of the infant seats for the simple reason of not transitioning my always sleeping babies into restaurants, dr office, friends' houses etc. My kids were great car sleepers so I took full advantage of that :) I really liked my snap and go to use with the car seat because it was so light and easy for quick trips. Again these are totally my preferences and it all comes down to what works for you guys :) I worked w. infants & their families for over 7 years and I can tell you I've seen a million different things done, every stroller and car seat and it really comes down to you and your preferences {and the baby's---they 100% run the show on what works and what doesn't and what you will use :) } Good luck---it's such a fun and exciting time!!

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  2. I hate travel systems, as you know. Infant seats are not as comfortable for little babies as a GOOD convertible. Zelda screamed bloody murder every car trip until I got the convertable. britaxes are great for older babies but they are not as good for infants. I LOVE Zelda's Graco my ride 65. It reclines more than the britax, making it better for her as an infant. This might sound crazy, but I kept a infant seat in the back of the car for when we went to restaurants. I also use it when traveling since it was easier to lug (it is one that you don't need a base for. you can attach it with a seat belt).

    before you spend a lot of money on a stroller, think about how often you are going to use and and what you would use it for. REALLY THINK. I know everyone has these visions in their mind of pushing their baby in the stroller. Maybe you will go on a lot of walks. Most people don't, which wouldn't warrant an expensive stroller. I walk my kids on trails, so we got a great jogger (a BOB). The only other reason I use a stroller is if I want to contain both kids at the mall, and I don't go to the mall very often. Target trips and grocery store trips, they are in the cart or on my body. Simply because strollers are a pain in the ass in stores. I hope this helps. I probably sound very militant. :)

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  3. Hey lady- We bought the Uppababy Vista. We obviously haven't used it yet but if you wait until April I can give you my full review. Obviously it's expensive, but for us, we don't love the idea of a baby always in his/her car seat so the option to have the bassinet was a HUGE plus for us (although we did buy the car seat attachment for travel and convenience). We also liked all the features and seat positions. In the end, even Dave couldn't deny that it's a fantastic stroller. But the post above is right, you need to think about what you'll use the stroller for and how often you think you'll use it. If you haven't bought anything by April, send me a note and I can give you a more informed review!

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  4. Oh Courtney. I too am essentially stumped on what to buy. It IS hard to know what our babies will like, and what will work for us as parents. (Where are those high school "carry a baby around for a week" dolls now?! I could use one!) And I'm not keen on breaking the bank for a system, but the fancy expensive ones look SO enticing! (Craiglist? Seems they are still expensive there too. At least they retain value?) Who knows what I'll do, but thank you for getting the ball rolling and reminding me that I need to be thinking about it!

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