In terms of strollers, I thought we had decided on this:
But we just test drove it again today at a boxy baby store and now my husband is concerned about a) its flimsy-ness (his words - a good wind could blow this over) and 2) the fact that my 2 year old's feet almost touch the wheels.I really liked this double jogger (same price as the above Combi!):
And then I tried to collapse it. It collapses easily enough. But how any woman is supposed to load it into her minivan without a moving truck ramp, I couldn't tell you. It weighed, oh about 8 million pounds.
We tried a bunch (side-by-sides - I've tried tandems, and even used the Graco Duo in real life, and I just find them too hard to push/manuever) a few months ago at a different boxy baby store and we ran into two problems - they were either priced like another car payment OR didn't have cup/snack holders. Price, I can deal with (kind of) - sales, ebay, maybe splitting with a grandmother. But who the heck makes a stroller (for children!) and doesn't have somewhere to put the kid's cup? Or goldfish?
So yes, back to square one.
Then, car seats. We are giving the current to the new boyo and so big boyo needs a new seat. I want something that will keep him in a 5 point harness for the longest time and something that doesn't cost an arm and a leg (think "B" brands!). Ag.on.izing. to shop for. I can't find any good comparison reviews and I sat him in the Evenflo Symphony, Safety 1st AIO and the Frontier (booster) and wasn't excited. The first two didn't seem like he'd be able to fit in it for very long - they seemed small.
But! The Frontier, which doesn't seem to be made for mini people, seems like the most uncomfortable - least amount of padding and straight back (think horrible airplane seat before you recline), with the largest price tag.
Argh.
Please, someone who floats through here or reads regularly, please tell me you have some suggestions. Please?
Howdy! Sara sent me your way...
ReplyDeleteI have a 2 1/2 yr old and 9 month old. I have a graco duo glide and I really like it. It's rather large when folded but that's the worse part. I am e
am think about a sit and stand stroller bc the 2 yr old likes to crawl out. I do have a friend who has the same one with a 4 yr old and 19 month old and liked hers too.
My 2 yr old has an Eddie bauer car seat with a 5 point harness to 50 lbs I think, then regular seat belt after that. Let me know if I can help more!
hi there! i recognized you from sara's blog - thanks so much for the help! you inspired me to ask her about crossfit when we move to bragg :)
ReplyDeletewe've tried the duo glider, but... i kind of hate tandems, lol. i used that one when i nannyed another kid my son's age and i found it really bulky to manuever and turn. it definitely folds up nicely, and more compactly than the jogger tho...
ive also thought about a sit'n'stand, but my 2 year old gets tired (lazy?) and doesn't want to walk, so i would worry he wouldn't want to stand either, thereby defeating the purpose!
thanks for the carseat recommendation, too. i will check it out; 50 lbs seems like the upper limits unless you fork out the 2 million for the britax :-p
I am so in love with this stroller. It's a sit and stand, but also has a bench seat for the stander. I'm buying it if I get a second kid.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=6793&parentCategoryId=85184&categoryId=85219&subCategoryId=86216
Oh, maybe that bench seat is a common thing, but this catalog was the first place I noticed it.
ReplyDeleteI'm a big fan of Britax roundabout till the child is too tall. I have tall kids and they sit in them till they're 5 or 6 years old.
ReplyDeleteWe got a dreamer ditto jogger back in 2003...they're out of buisness now. It's heavy, but I won't trade that stoller for anything, it worked so well for us when we needed to go somewhere with our two...then three.
I don't need a double right now, so I just got a bob revolution. It's so awesome! I know it's expensive, but the ease of poping it up, or folding is unbelievable. My BIL and SIL are having twins and their going to get the BOB double it's the easiest thing out there...and I use my BOB for everything.
So those are my recommendations.
oops, I'm sorry I meant to say Britax Marathon for the toddlers once they can face forward...I have the roundabout for the rear facing baby. Yeah, that's my formula.
ReplyDeleteAnother suggestion is the Graco Nautilis (sp?). It will harness up to 65lbs. and then turns into a high back booster. Best of all it also breaks down into a backless booster. We have my 3 year old (small for his age) in it and he loves it! It even has a cup holder :)
ReplyDeleteGood luck on your hunt!
Stroller ~ my vote is baby jogger or valco. I really thought that it would be a big deal with no cup holder, but Kinsley just puts the cup next to her or hands it back to me and uses one of those snack cup things for her snacks. Does she make a bigger mess, yep, but I figure it is a stroller and I only giver her dry foods so it isn't a huge thing. Yes, they are EXPENSIVE, but they are very easy to use and have made life soo much easier. I don't know about the weight of the Valco, but I know that I have successfully been able to hoist my baby jogger up into the back of my Jeep without to much trouble ~ mini-vans are lower :) The car seat attachment is a pain, but I am pretty sure you are anti carrier anyways, so it won't matter.
ReplyDeleteMy friend bought the Baby Trend Navigator Double Jogger Stroller which has all of the luxuries (cup holders, parents console, speakers, etc) but the seat ripped in just a few days!!!! (Her son is an average sized 2 yr old.
I have heard and read great things about the Nautilis, but I am not there yet. I haven't found the Symphony small, but as the doctor tells us ~ we are growing a peanut farm, so we don't have big kids to try it out.
Good luck!
hey sara - the baby jogger is the one you fold by pulling the strap between the seats? that seemed like a cool feature. i actually liked the baby jogger when we looked at it buy buy baby, but yea, woo, what a price tag :) and yea, carseat attachments don't matter to me :)
ReplyDeletenever heard of the valco - its much more pricey, tho. do you know anyone who uses it - what are the perks?
yeppers on the baby jogger. see if you can find a city classic ~ i don't believe they make it anymore, so you can often find them clearanced.
ReplyDeleteI do know two people that have the Valcos, but besides "extras" that they come with, I don't really know of the perks. I have seen one in action and it was just as easy to steer as my Baby Jogger and very heavy duty ~ not flimsy like some of the cheaper ones. I didn't fold or lift it though.
I know the two things that were huge for me were the weight and ease of folding ~ that is why I went with the baby jogger. (If you REALLY want light weight, go with the mini or micro!! ~ we opted for the classic because it had bigger tires and better storage. We would have gone Elite, but found the Classic for sooo much less because of it being an '09 model.
Hi. I just came across your blog. Anyway, I am in a similiar position--AF wife and a momma to a 2 yr old and now a 1 yr old. I researched and researched and researched. It is challenging to find the perfect stroller for the perfect price. Here is what we bought:
ReplyDeleteSchwinn double jogger--love it. It is easy to collapse and put up, but not very practical for taking to the mall, etc. I can do it, but it takes up the back of our cross over vehicle (just as any side by side double jogger under $600 would :) Love it for long walks, runs, or whatever.
Joovy lightweight sit and stand--love it too. Perfect for trips to the mall or out and about. My 2 yr old loves to walk, but gets tired then rides. She can sit or stand, which gives her options--which we both like. It has a 5 point harness in the back as well as the front seat. The sit and stand platform is even padded, so it is comfortable. Definitely a great stroller. Folds up flat and very easy to open and collapse.
Carseats:
We bought our 2 yr old the Graco Nautilius. If memory serves me right, it wasn't the top rated, but always performed well. It has a cup holder, adjustable head rest and cushioned (not so much that it becomes very warm). It has been a great seat. One other nice thing is that it is appropriate for 20 plus pounds. It will fit her for a long time.
Ok, I guess that is my two cents. You have a great blog. Good luck shopping!