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If you owned just 1 stroller, what would it be...


kbpaulie
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We are looking to foster & adopt. We're looking at ages newborn to 5, so we need to be covered for all ranges. Our youngest is 7.5 so it's been a while since we had a stroller. I don't want to stock up on strollers, although I may change my mind later.

 

Are there any strollers out there that can do all of this?

* are affordable

* lightweight yet rugged

* can hold a newborn (hopefully their car seat too)

* can hold a 4-5 year old (not their car seat :) )

 

Ok, if I'm asking for too much, what strollers do you recommend otherwise?

 

thanks!

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Can you do one with an attachment? I'd get something you can put a universal attachment on for the infant seat (most non-car seat brand strollers offer this), and then something like a sit n stand attachment for the 4-5yo. I saw one around here that was like a bike attached to one side of the stroller.

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I have a Mamas and Papas umbrella stroller. It ran, if I recall, about $200. It is by far the most rugged, durable, lightweight stroller I've ever owned. It does NOT fit a carseat obviously, but I had no problem propping my son (when he was a month or so old) around the sides with a couple blankets until he could sit up more comfortably. My almost 4 year old also rides in quite comfortably.

 

ETA: looking on Amazon, it looks like I might have the Tour, I'm not sure (they haven't my color on there, I'll have to check Babies R Us' website since that's where I purchased it).

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My favorite stroller of the seven(!) I owned, and the one I held on to as a just-in-case when my three kiddos outgrew strollers, was a Peg Perego. The specific model isn't made anymore, but it was lightweight (I could lift it into the back of my minivan with one hand), durable, easy to clean, opened and closed with one hand (pulling it closed against my hip), and steered nicely even with one hand... do you see a pattern here? :)

 

If you have a store nearby that has floor models, or friends who would let you "test-drive" theirs, that can be a great help in finding one that works for you. IMO some of the newer brands with trendy designs are not nearly as functional as the old standards.

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The Sit N Stand is affordable but not light. The Joovy caboose is lighter but more expensive.

My older was heavy when he was four. We had to switch to a double jogger. So it really depends on weight. The Sit N Stand weight limit is 40lbs if I don't remember wrongly.

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Well, I babywear, so we didn't use a stroller at all until a baby was too big to comfortably back carry in an asian-style baby carrier, and our carseats stay in the car. In DS's case, it wasn't until he was almost 2 that I even bought a stroller.

 

For us, the important features were:

 

1. DS could sit comfortably without hanging by his crotch.

2. It had a reasonable amount of cargo capacity, more than just a wimpy mesh basket.

3. It folded quickly and compactly to carry on the bus.

4. It had a shoulder strap for carrying.

5. It should be sturdy and lightweight.

6. Five point harness.

7. Maximum possible weight limit/length of time it can be used.

8. Not overly padded because it's getting used in Arizona summers.

9. Reclines.

 

We have a Maclaren Volo. It meets all my criteria except reclining, and was the nicest thing at Babies R Us that did in our price range at the time. it is, however, a non-reclining umbrella-style stroller not suitable for infants who cannot sit independently. I'd have preferred something that reclines at least partway, but it does have side walls so DS seems comfortable enough in it. It also has a shade top and vents in the seat body so it's suitable for hot weather.

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We have the Joovy Caboose Ultralight sit and stand stroller for our three year old and six month old. It does hold a car seat, and it is relatively small and lightweight, which is essential because we have a tiny compact car. We like it, although we didn't try any other double strollers. Its canopy actually provides shade which we love.

 

We also have the Graco stroller frame that holds a car seat, but it cannot be used after the carseat is outgrown. We had that for when our dd3 was born, then when she outgrew that, somebody gave us a Maclaren umbrella stroller which we still use. Its shade canopy is useless. Maclaren has horrible customer service, fyi. The stroller had a broken axle and we couldn't purchase a replacement part because we weren't the original owners. DH ended up fixing it himself.

 

When we go on walks around the neighborhood, we take DD6mos in the umbrella stroller or a carrier and DD3 walks. When we go to the zoo or somewhere like that, we take the Joovy. We have never used the Graco stroller frame for our DD6mos. Hope that helps!

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Phil and Ted stroller. I get so many comments about it and love it. My 4 year old easily fits in it still. They are my favorite double stroller option.

 

 

Everyone I know with a Phil & Ted's absolutely raves about it. OTOH it is pretty expensive (even used).

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If you like Maclarens like Ravin's Volo, they have other models that recline. Several times lately I have seen it suggested to buy a stroller frame that holds the infant car seat and a separate stroller. I had a Peg Perego and a Baby Jogger City Mini and like them both for different ages and reasons.

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The Maclaren Quest is my one and only stroller, and I'm very happy with it. I babywear, so I didn't need a stroller until my LO was about two. The Quest wouldn't work for an infant, but it met all if our needs. I love the shoulder strap, how easy it is to fold up, and that it's nice and light.

 

I would probably consider getting one of those Snap and Go things you can put an infant seat in and then a nice umbrella stroller.

 

ETA: I bought the previous model year (new) from an online seller and saved almost $100!

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Feel free to ignore this since I am not answering your actual question. I would consider baby/ toddler wearing for at least the first few monthsif you are looking to bond with a traumatized child. Maybe you could find a used stroller for an older preschooler and then buy whatever you need after a cocooning period if you get a smaller child.

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Feel free to ignore this since I am not answering your actual question. I would consider baby/ toddler wearing for at least the first few monthsif you are looking to bond with a traumatized child. Maybe you could find a used stroller for an older preschooler and then buy whatever you need after a cocooning period if you get a smaller child.

 

:iagree:

 

I would get an umbrella stroller and something to wear a baby with. A new umbrella stroller is cheap, and they work up to age 5. Get a neutral color if possible, although most are either blue or pink.

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  • 1 month later...

I haven't been in the stroller business for several years and the last one I had I bought in China, but when I had my first two kids (now 15 and 13) I LOVED my Peg Perego Plinko stroller. It folded up very small, but still had ample room when open to store things.

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I would go with something like a Phil & Ted's or a Babyjogger city. It is very hard to find a stroller that does everything eve reasonably well for all ages at a lower price point. At a lower price point Peg Perego makes nice, relatively sturdy strollers.

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It won't work for an infant but I love the Maclaren Volo. I purchased mine when DD11 had just turned six because it was the only umbrella stroller I could find that would hold a child over 40lbs. We were taking a trip to Washington DC and everyone else in our group was adult size and I knew her little legs would not be able to keep up and she was too big for me to carry. The stroller was super easy to push even with a six year old (and I am not a very big person 5'2" 115 lbs.).

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I've bought and sold many strollers, however I keep going back the Peg Perego P3. You can easily find them on most CL for about $100.

 

Our current line up for a 2 year old and 5 year old is a Peg Perego P3 Switch with a Valco Hitchhiker(which lets you turn just about any stroller into a sit and stand stroller) we've been using this since the 2 year old was born.

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I am on the other side of the camp. We got rid of our strollers after never using them with our first and got a cheap $10 umbrella stroller instead. I babywear all my kids until they're at least 1 1/2 and then they walk. We only use the stroller for ocassional zoo trips and races while traveling.

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We had Maclaren something or other, but not for an infant. The kids and I use public transit exclusively, so I needed something compact enough to tuck under a seat or hold between my knees, and that I could easily open and close with one hand.

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Are there any strollers out there that can do all of this?

* are affordable

* lightweight yet rugged

* can hold a newborn (hopefully their car seat too)

* can hold a 4-5 year old (not their car seat :) )

 

Ok, if I'm asking for too much, what strollers do you recommend otherwise?

 

thanks!

 

 

I'd buy a stroller/infant car seat combo and an umbrella stroller to cover all of those needs. If you already own an infant car seat, I'd get one of those universal car seat carrier strollers. In theory, I like the idea of carrying your child everywhere, in practice I got a backache and the baby woke up when I took it out of the car seat.

 

I live in the suburbs, so I didn't use a stroller that often. I'd just clip the car seat onto the shopping cart when T was a baby, then used the cart seat itself until the kids wanted to walk.

 

I just had the Walmart cheapie umbrella strollers. We went through 3 of them over 6 years, but I lost one of them and ditched another because the cloth was just too gross. They're surprisingly durable and practical given their price.

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a maclaren!

 

I have a cheap umbrella (given free with purchase)

a single peg aria

one of those that you stick the infant bucket in to make it a stroller, but by itself it is not a stroller

and a double maclaren

 

The double maclaren rolls better, fits in the same space in the car as the single aria, it is light for a double stroller. If I had known about maclarens when I bought my single, I would have purchased that over the peg aria.

 

My perfect combo for infant to 5 would be the bucket seat stroller thing and the maclaren.

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a maclaren!

 

I have a cheap umbrella (given free with purchase)

a single peg aria

one of those that you stick the infant bucket in to make it a stroller, but by itself it is not a stroller

and a double maclaren

 

The double maclaren rolls better, fits in the same space in the car as the single aria, it is light for a double stroller. If I had known about maclarens when I bought my single, I would have purchased that over the peg aria.

 

My perfect combo for infant to 5 would be the bucket seat stroller thing and the maclaren.

I agree and for me it was the Maclaren Quest.

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I also lived my MacLaren Quest. If I had space, I would rank my items, in order of importance:

1) Ergo baby carrier

2) Phil and Ted Jogger w/ carseat adapter & cocoon if you have or plan to have two children close in age and jog / walk for exercise a lot

3) A double MacLaren or single if you don't need to accommodate two kids for travel when trunk space is tight. They are awesome. Compact, study, and smooth.

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I have a sit and stand (the one that holds two children. I did borrow the one for three kids and that was nice, but....). It can hold two infants to two six year olds or any combination.

 

I also have an expedition which is the easiest thing on earth to push one handed. I wanted one so badly and got one off our local garage sale fb page complete with carseat and two bases.

 

I would NEVER use an umbrella stroller....well, maybe if I were 6 inches shorter, I would consider it; but those things are uncomfy for average size women, imo.

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I am going to be bad and recommend two strollers. However, combined they are less expensive and take up less space than some of the other suggestions. My favorite stroller for sitting up baby through very large preschooler (up to 50lbs) is the First Years Ignite which I bought a few years ago and recently saw recommended as the best inexpensive stroller in Mary Hunt's Everyday Cheapskate. For infant carseats, I prefer a lightweight frame like this Jeep one.

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We had one main stroller for our younger son- Maclaren Techno which has a full recline and dan be used with infants. That was what was ideal from the zillions of strollers I bought and sold with my older son so when we found out another was on the way we bought a techno off Craigslist.

 

We also had a mountain buggy urban with him but it was barely used. We could have done without it. I usually used the techno for long walks.

 

We used the Techno from birth until he outgrew strollers altogether with no desire or want for anything else. With my older son we went through so many strollers until we found the Techno. Peg Perego, Emmaljunga, Graco, Chicco, Inglesina, Zooper, Dreamer Design, Baby Jogger and on and on. Yeah, I think I had a problem.

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