On the other side of the main street is Bugaboo Village. Same story, different brand. The Starbucks I like to go to is in the middle of Bugaboo village square, and again, I'm the odd one out.
Features to look for
1. Age range - not all strollers are compatible with newborns, or with bucket seats.
2. Car seat compatibility - many strollers need adapters to fit car seats, and most have only a limited number of brands they work with. If you have a car seat in mind, make sure it will fit your stroller, or vice versa.
3. Basket - at the very least, it will need to hold your diaper bag, so it should be big enough and easily accessible.
4. Lifestyle - stroller should be light enough and narrow enough to fit your needs. Do you need larger wheels for rough terrain or snow? Do you need an option to attach a second seat for another child? Do you need an adjustable handle for a taller or shorter parent? How easy is it to fold - this is critical especially if you will be in and out of the car a lot.
5. Price - you will likely have more than one stroller over your child's first 3 years, so don't overspend.
6. Style - let's face it, you want to push a cute stroller. How you define cute is of course up to you
Brands
Uppababy
The most popular with the yummy mummy set, an Uppababy Vista will set you back about $800. It comes with a convenient bassinet and a seat that can be forward or rear-facing. It has the best shopping basket, by far, but is also heavy as all get out (25 pounds) and wide as a tank.
If you are not too fussed about the bassinet, the Cruz is about $300 cheaper, and 3 pounds lighter. It has the same great shopping basket.
Fun Fact: Marshall and Lilly's baby on "How I Met Your Mother" is sporting an ice blue Cruz in season 9!
Bugaboo & Stokke
I put these in the same category since they are both over a grand. Sorry, but $1,000 is a LOT of money, even if the stroller does look better than my first car.
On the plus side, these come with a wide array of fancy accessories, and in a rainbow of colours. The strollers transform into all sorts of convenient set-ups, and are ergonomically aligned for both mom and dad. The Stokke was on a special pedestal in my local mommy store.
However, at that price, they would also have to change diapers for me to even consider them.
Baby Jogger
As a proud owner of a City Mini GT, I love, love, love the City series. At $400, you get a smaller stroller that you can fold with the lift of a handle in the middle of the seat. Seriously, it is the reason to buy this stroller.
The only draw-back is the basket, which is a pain in the butt to access and is kinda small. But if you are looking to zip around town, or fold it in and out of the car all the time, this is a super easy stroller at a great price.
BOB, Bumbleride, Phil & Ted
Of the "Jogger" options, I would recommend the Bumbleride. It's the easiest to fold, and the slickest looking. Phil & Ted is the easiest to steer, but painful to fold. BOB is a bit of a mess, and feels unstable.
That being said, these seem to be the longest-used options. Many moms I talked to ended up switching their other strollers for either an umbrella stroller or a jogging stroller once their baby hit about 9 months. At $400-$500 each, the price is right too.
Graco
This was the choice of commuter moms. Apparently the Gracos are the easiest to get on buses and subways. They still offer good baskets and large wheels, with easy steering.
They also have the widest choice of compatible car seats which often come as part of their travel system packages.
The one complaint I have heard is that they start to look used a little too quickly.
Bottom Line
The best advice I got was from a friend of mine who has 4 kids. She showed me her garage, where she had 7 strollers lined up. She said, "Make sure that you are ready to change strollers as your child's needs and your needs change".
You may decide that you need a smaller, lighter stroller. Or you may have another baby and need a double. Or you may start jogging or hiking and need an all-terrain stroller. Or God knows what else might change.
In retrospect, I love my City Mini GT, but occasionally I still regret not getting a Bumbleride because I love the look of it. It may be shallow, but such is life.
The biggest mistake I think, is to overspend on a first stroller when you don't really know yet what life with a baby will be like. Buy something flexible that will allow you to go out of the house with your baby and be ready for a change.
I am now shopping for an umbrella stroller, and will do another review once I'm done with that research.
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