Just Us Girls

Just Us Girls

...one SMC's adventures in single motherhood.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Seeking advice...

Just a question to any and all veteran moms out there--

I am pondering the myriad of stroller options, and I can't quite figure out the desirability of a "travel system" (car seat plus stroller). When would I need to keep the baby in his/her car seat, then snap it into its accompanying stroller? I mean, I can't wait to go on walks using a stroller, but I'm leaning more towards a jogging stroller-type thing rather than a travel system. I can definitely see the advantage of not waking up a sleeping infant in a car seat in order to put him/her into a stroller, but as far as I can see, the only time I'd do that is if I were going shopping at a mall etc., something I so rarely do. And even then, wouldn't I just use a regular stroller?! More often than not, I envision a travel system-type stroller just getting in the way and taking up space, when it's just easier to carry a car seat for short distances.

Any thoughts?? I'd love to hear from other experienced moms out in the blogosphere...
Thanks in advance!!

4 comments:

  1. I use the carseat with snap & go stroller thing ALL THE TIME and my baby is 8 months old! I take the stroller part with me everywhere in the car, it folds and stores easily, it has a large basket on the bottom which is great for shopping. I have another stroller that I use for walks and stuff, which is a much smoother ride. I love both and feel that both are used a lot and come in handy for different reasons. Good luck!!

    Oh, also, carrying the carseat SUCKS. It is very heavy. Really. My arms have gotten a lot stronger just from carrying the thing (with my daughter in it) from the house to the car. I have tried to carry it a little further, but it really is very very heavy!

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  2. Thanks, Jess, for your feedback! That's really helpful! (I posted this same question on the WTE message board, and the feedback I received there was very similar to yours.) I think I've concluded that I'll be getting a travel system to start with, and hopefully a jogging stroller later on. :)

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  3. I don't know---obviously, I'm in the same boat! But I've been thinking about getting 2 strollers, too. Well, then I went to a killer yard sale and bought a practically un-touched stroller for when the baby is sitting up-through-toddler-dom for cheaps. So now I think I'm going to spend the big bucks on a first-rate infant car seat, skip the "system" but buy one of those snap-and-go things that Jess mentions (so it's not part of a system--sold separately, and much, much cheaper, but carries any car seat like a system would). Type in "snap and go stroller" on Amazon and you'll see what I mean. Have fun looking!! :)

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  4. I think I've changed my plans pretty radically...I'm six feet tall, and I recently read several reviews on a site specializing in baby gear for tall people. The only two strollers recommended for six-foot-plus are the Chicco Cortina and Trevi strollers (neither of which I'm all that fond of, even though I like the carseats) and the BabyJogger City Classic series, because they have adjustable-height handles, and the user doesn't end up kicking the back of the stroller as she walks. The BabyJogger seems like a great stroller based on the reviews, and I can buy a separate carseat adaptor that works for a lot of carseat models. I do think I'll get a lot of mileage out of this stroller for quite a while. (Of course, tomorrow I'll change my mind again...)

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