Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Nursery Diaries: The Great Debate

okay I figured it was high time I get yall's feedback on the great debate 2011!!
You see I am having quite a hard time finding a stroller for our 3 yr old little girl and our soon to be here baby boy. 
Originally I wanted this...
encompassed in this group is the Graco DuoGlide, Chicco Cortina Double
pros:
gets great reviews
several seat configurations
not terrible to navigate with different weighted children
still moderately stylish and priced reasonably
cons:
has a per seat weight limit of 40 pounds per seat....
My very tall always 98%-tile child is currently 36 pounds...

Question here: Why buy a stroller my 3 year old is not going to be able to ride in....

So now the obvious answer is the oh-so-budget-friendly.
pros: 
I know my 3 yr old will be able to ride and I will have a spot for the baby.
cons:
not so stylish, not the most important but come on if I am laying down some cash on something I at least want to like it, right?
reviews say it is hard to steer with larger children
umm need I mention she is 3 and loves to run away right now??? For a mom trying to brave an outing with 2 and one run away leaving me to abandon the baby to chase after her? (we are in our wild let me test your limits stage!!)
ugh, in my book she needs to be bolstered in with a 5 point harness and with no point of getting out without my assistant.

**Any moms out there want to help me change my mind on this one?? I see tons of people using them but they are for an 18ish month old or way older kids who need an occasional rest.

Sidenote: my husband is traveling quite a bit these days, this stroller will be used on a weekly basis for even the simplest of tasks, ie trips to the fabric store, running in to approve pieces for clients, etc.

Okay back on task....
I have read of other bloggers selecting the Baby Jogger City Mini Double
I have done a lot less research on this stroller.
What I do know:
pros:
It seems to go on sale pretty often.
Baby Jogger is a great brand so I know it will hold up and last for quite a while.
Has a ginormo canopy to shade from the sun.
Several reviews show a 5 year old still fitting in the seat and how lightweight this is for a double. 
cons:
does not offer all terrain wheels
handle does not telescope for taller individuals like myself and my husband
The storage basket underneath is hard to access

For me the most impressive double stroller on the market is the Baby Jogger City Select
This stroller just really seems to meet every need out there. 
pros:
Baby Gizmo's video shows her 5 year old climbing in and out of the front and back seat without the stroller flipping over. (SCORE)
weight limit goes up to 45 pounds per seat.. That gives us 9 more pounds of growing!!
the storage basket is accessible from the front and the back
The rear wheels are larger for easier manuevering
The seats can be reconfigured into 16 different seating combinations.
Telescoping handle
Simple folding
I mean just watch this video: 
cons:
the price.... buhl makes my eyes spin...
people complain the rain attachment wasn't included. that is not a deal breaker for me.
honestly there doesn't seem to be hardly anything that bad for people to say about it. 

Now... the real problem, ie the great debate... do I "compromise" and get a sit n stand or the graco... or do I hold out and hope for a really good sale on the piece de la resistance??

Here is Baby Gizmo's video on the City Select if you need more convincing!

You know what I really need?? For Essex to just randomly have one of these at an unbelievably cheap price.

Any wisdom, advice or thoughts are greatly appreciated here. 
The best part of the City Select is it converts single to double and back very easily... All strollers down to one?? That would be nice huh??




2 comments:

Kirsty said...

As a mom of three jumping, climbing, very close in age boys, I would say go for the big guns. Save your bucks for the right stroller. If it is going to be used every single day, buy something that you love.

We bought a double mountain buggy and it is the best stroller in the world. We got it off Craigslist in NYC. We picked it up when we went for a vacation.

Check around Craigslist, near you or near people you know. They could pick it up for you and you could figure out how to get it from them.

My two cents on this kind of stuff is - you get what you pay for....

Good luck!

Anonymous said...

After having my second I tried to use a sit and stand stroller. It is fine however I quickly discovered not worth the time and aggravation.

1--takes up so much space in the car
2-- shopping in places such as fabric stores, clothing stores--stroller is to big for the aisles


I ditched it after a couple of months. If the older child didn't listen I said we were leaving. It took one or two times of that and the child would stay with me. I had to leave a twice.

When I added my third I didn't use a double stroller at all. The second child wanted to keep up with his big brother. By the time my third started walking. We ditched the stroller. She loved walking around.