Kids & Company Blog

The Stroller Purchase

Somehow strollers seem to be an overly interesting and addictive purchase for new moms (and dads!). We bought our first stroller more than 28 years ago and it was a protracted and exhausting process which ending with me telling my very patient and naive husband that it would be the first and last stroller that we would ever buy. It was so expensive that it would certainly be fine to use for all our children...:)!

No great surprise, we ended up buying seven more strollers which meant one per child! We bought the double "big stroller", the double "travel stroller”, “super small travel stroller” and then a few others because the old ones tired out. There just always seemed to be a compelling new one to purchase!  I do hope that no one reading this ends up with eight strollers...and here are some of my thoughts on the one or two strollers that you do purchase:

One of the first questions you may have is if you should invest in a double stroller or go for a scooter for your oldest child? Some believe that a double stroller is more convenient while others argue that a scooter makes more sense. Having so many young children at once made it difficult to take them all out on my own.  If more than one child was tired, it was nice to have a double stroller to carry them both but it was also hard to push around two children at once!  It ends up coming down to which you would prefer and feel more comfortable with.

The age difference between your two children is a large factor when it comes to deciding between a stroller and a scooter. If one child is around 3 years and the other is a newborn baby, you may want to opt out of a double stroller because your eldest child will soon be too big to ride in a stroller. If the children are only a year or so apart, a double stroller may be more convenient during the period that they are both unable to walk.

The biggest disadvantage I experienced while using a double stroller was its weight. It is a lot heavier, bulkier and significantly larger than a single stroller therefore making it harder to maneuver. But it also did have some advantages! Using it while shopping was great because it gave me extra room to store my bags so I had less to carry, which is always nice right moms?

If you decide not to get a double stroller, there is always the option of getting a sit and stand stroller. I never heard of these during my children’s youth, but it seems like a perfect combination of both a stroller and scooter! With a sit and stand stroller, your older child can hop onto the stroller when he/she is tired and get off and walk whenever they feel like. This also allows the child to feel older, since he/she is no longer being strapped into the stroller like their younger sibling. If you already have a single stroller, instead of buying a new sit and stand stroller, you can look into a buggy board which is an attachment for your stroller that works similar to how a sit and stand stroller would work.

Also, if getting a double stroller isn't for you, think about getting a baby carrier for your newborn during the first year. I found this very useful because I would carry my newest born for his/her first year, and once they were two heavy I could transition them into the stroller. While I was carrying my youngest, the stroller was open for one of the older children who were not fully ready to begin walking yet.

Just remember to try out each of your options and choose the one that you feel most comfortable with. There is no right or wrong when it comes to choosing a stroller!

Baby Mac loves's his first stroller...

 

Posted on: Tuesday October 8th, 2013

Posted by: Victoria Sopik