Stroller chronicles

It's come up a few times in the last couple months, so I've been thinking over my stroller ownership.

5 years ago, we started with a travel system (car seat & stroller combo). The stroller was a single jogger and it was great. It took up the entire trunk, but was perfect for most of our stroller needs. Since it was a gift, it cost us ZERO dollars.

We also got a small flat-folding budget stroller for trips in that first year of parenthood. We took it on our cruise when Jenna was little and it worked fine. David couldn't push it and even I had to hunch over to make it stroll. Another gift that cost us nothing, so we used it without too much thought.

At some point we acquired another flat-folding stroller that was a little larger. It was used and wasn't anything special, but it easily replaced the other one since we could both at least push it.

Just before Jenna turned 1, I started watching my niece (who is a year older than Jenna), 8-9 hours each day. A double stroller quickly became a necessity. I didn't know much of anything about double strollers, but knew I didn't want a giant tandem one. I quickly found out that double's were super pricey, and was grateful when my sister-in-law said she would pitch in half. I found a pretty awesome side-by-side double umbrella for about $200. It was lovely, not too heavy and didn't take up the entire cargo area of my car. Perfect! This became our main stroller, since I watched my niece until Adam was about 2 months old, and then he took her spot. We took it to Sea World, Lego Land, zoos, aquariums, the library. Sea World was the first place that I noticed double-strollers and the variety there was. The sun shade wasn't too great, it didn't push one handed, storage was a joke, but all in all, it served us well. We tried a simple trail hike with it, and that was when we decide that we really should get a double-jogger.

In shopping for a double-jogger, I was blown away at what they could cost! The idea of a mortgage payment for a stroller was crazy. I watched Craigslist for awhile, but was over joyed when I found the Schwinn. For $250 we got an awesome double-jogger. Once we got it I remember thinking that we should have bought it much sooner. Neighborhood walks were a breeze, and it was comfortable for both kids. We even took it on vacations since it stores fairly flat when you pop the wheels off. We love it.

Around the time Adam turned 2, I stopped packing/storing a stroller in the car. He just preferred to walk. For zoo trips, yes, but for everyday things, nope. So when we were expecting #3, I started reevaluating my stroller needs. I sold the single jogger system for $40, donated the two smaller ones, and sold the side-by-side for nearly $80 (not all at the same time, but over the years), and started 'shopping' for the perfect fit for a new baby. I knew I wanted a nicer umbrella stroller that would work for taller people (the $15 Walmart ones are not an option when your over 6 feet tall, and I did want him to be able to push it) but I still needed something to work with an infant carrier.

I saw the snap-n-go and thought it would be perfect. It has been! I hate carrying the infant carriers, and the snap-n-go is light weight, flat and just easy. It was around $50 brand new, and we used it at least 5 times a week for the last 6 months. I could have found one used, but we had some gift card money in our Amazon account, so we just bought it new.

Alas, I still wanted the nice umbrella stroller that would get me through the duration of stroller-dom. I read reviews and asked around, and picked one. The First Year Ignite was it. It folds lovely, is sturdy, and is maneuverable with one hand. Jackpot! It will easily get us through the next 5+ years, so the price tag of $55 is a great investment. Glad I didn't insist on the fancy $200 one!

I'm not sure what my point is, other than to each their own. My sister has had one stroller for 10 years and 4 kids, and it wasn't a $400 one (probably less than $100). I had said that I wish I would have bought a super nice one originally (i.e. the $500 Phil and Ted), but I'm revoking that statement. Now if I found one for a smoking deal, or someone gave it to me, wonderful, but we've made it work.Seven strollers in 5 years does sound silly, but I'm glad that we are down to three... and two here once we switch the littlest miss from her infant carrier to a convertible car seat.  Maybe someday we'll downsize the double for a single jogger again, but I'll surely find a cheap on on Craigslist.