Everything You Need To Know to Buy the Perfect Stroller
Spring is here! Well.. not technically. Meteorological spring has arrived which is a totally manmade construct. But who cares?! Spring means babies and warm weather and getting outside for fresh air! And whether you have one little person or a few, that means you’re going to need a way to get them from Point A to Point 3. Exactly.
In my seven years as a mom, I’ve spent a ton of time doing all the research and had lots of buyer’s remorse. I’ve also spent countless hours on walks – clocking in three miles most days, even in labor. I can’t tell you what a perfect stroller for you looks like, but I can help walk you through some important considerations in making that investment. And let us be clear: it is an investment. So today I’m here to talk to you about strollers and all the burning questions you should answer to narrow down the perfect one for your family.
Should I buy a travel system?
Let’s get this out of the way real quick. A travel system only applies to situations where you have a newborn or there is one on your immediate horizon. I can see the glory in being able to transport your sleeping infant from the car to the wherever without disturbing their slumber. Unfortunately, this scenario has not once played out in my life. My children have never slept in the car where a boob wasn’t inserted in their mouth for at least 53 minutes, instead, screaming the duration of any and all car rides for the entire first year. That means, upon arrival at said destination, I want my babies to GTFO of that seat ASAP.
For that reason, I do not recommend a travel system. That, and the suspension on the strollers that come with travel systems aren’t all that great are total garbage and then you’ll feel guilty getting rid of it. Do you plan on having another baby down the line? Because travel systems almost never accommodate multiple children. I engaged in this charade with my first and it’s gonna be a no from me, dawg. Your chiropractor will thank you for cruising right past the idea of lugging that seat around.
What’s your child’s growth percentile?
Yes, your child’s growth rate is important in determining the type of stroller you need. Strollers are weight rated for safety and comfort. If you have a little one that is consistently measuring in the 90-99th percentile, you’re going to want to think long and hard about the stroller you ultimately purchase. Ask me how I know. If you have a 50th percentile child, this is going to matter a lot less because you won’t have a kiddo that’s the size of a 12 year old still needing to sit on walks.
If you have a newborn, I recommend skipping a stroller altogether and baby-wearing while you walk or do outings. There are a few reasons for this. First, people will respect YOUR boundaries, even if they won’t respect your baby’s. You’re a lot less likely to have some weirdo breathing germs on your baby if they’re strapped to your chest. Second, it’s great for your core (hello, rucking) and third, it’s basically an extension of kangaroo care. Besides which, you have absolutely no idea how quickly your little one is going to grow or what your life together will be like. I recommend waiting until the kiddo is at least four months old before making such a huge purchase.
If you absolutely insist on utilizing a stroller with an infant, you have two options:
Option A: buy a stroller that you can outfit with your car seat after-market.
-OR-
Option B: Buy a stroller with a fully horizontal bassinet.
If your infant days are in your rearview mirror or you need a hybrid, check your heaviest/tallest child’s height and weight against what the stroller is rated for. Double strollers have a combined weight allowance, and your heaviest kid may make it impossible to add a second child into the mix. Also: it really stinks when your kid needs a break from the sun, but they can’t fit under the canopy.
How much are you walking?
Listen. I love to walk. I’ve been walking since wayyyyy before it was made cool during COVID. I’ve been walking on my own for exercise since I was a child. I’m not even kidding when I say that I pushed two kids in a stroller uphill after a three-mile excursion up until the day I delivered my last baby (and I went for a 2-3 mile walk during each labor).
If your idea of going for a walk is just an occasional 20-minute walk around a paved neighborhood on a beautiful day, your child’s booty and back are not going to suffer the same consequences as a kiddo who is riding in a stroller for an hour or more per day. In that situation, I wouldn’t recommend spending $600 for a stroller, because you just aren’t going to get your money’s worth.
That said, you’ll want to consider the lifespan of the stroller. While paved, a trip to Disney is a very different beast than a trip around the neighborhood.
Where are you walking?
The other thing you’ll want to consider is where you’ll be taking your adventures. In my experience, anything outside of pavement or mall-walking calls for air-filled tires and suspension. You (and your child) are just not going to be happy with solid tires on gravel or grass. Last year, we went to a festival on a farm and saw lots of parents really struggling with solid wheels in the field.
Make sure you have scoped out your preferred walking path and, heck, go for a bike ride on it to see what wheels on that particular path feels like. If it isn’t comfortable for you on a bike, it won’t be comfortable for your kiddo. That means your walks aren’t going to be very pleasant, if they happen at all.
Does your stroller need to be easy to transport?
Almost all strollers are cumbersome. That’s the long and short of it. If you’re never ever going to travel with your stroller, skip this part. But I’m willing to bet at some point, you will. If trunk space is an issue, you’ll need to pull out a measuring tape. Or tape measure. Whatever the stiff one is. Why they didn’t teach stroller analysis in school is beyond me. For reference, one of the strollers we own is a double-BOB and we have a very cool Toyota Sienna. Our double takes up the entire trunk area. This really sucks when we are trying to play trunk Tetris on long road trips. Measure twice, purchase once, regret nothing.
Additionally, how capable are you at handling cumbersome materials? Not everyone’s frame is the same. I often have a hard time flipping the double into place. If you’re going to be going places alone and needing your stroller, this could change your mind from a clunky BOB to something slimmer like a Thule or Joovy. Though be forewarned that I tried the Thule for about thirty minutes and it is long like a canoe, but still lighter and easier to flip around.
If your primary stroller use will occur on-the-go AND your child is old enough to sit on their own (at least 10 months) AND they aren’t likely to fall asleep, you will probably be much happier with an umbrella stroller. It’s important to make sure it’s adequately padded and shaded, though. A hot, uncomfortable toddler will ruin your whole day. I have zero experience with this type of stroller, but UPPAbaby makes one that appears to have adequate padding from the pictures. That said, this umbrella stroller seems to be the winner across the board for many of the major review sites. I’m not sure if child comfort was used in their determination, as it doesn’t look very well padded. That’s just my two cents at quick glance with no other research.
Do you need weather proofing or other accessories?
Again, this will be largely based on what you consider a walk to be. If, say, you only go for walks on 72 degree days with ample sunshine and zero wind, then weather proofing maybe isn’t a concern for you. If you live in a windy area, you’ll probably want to find a stroller that a rain cover can fit over and a bunting can fit into. I’ve tried makeshift weather-proofing, and have learned that buying a stroller that has a cover made for it is the way to go.
Other accessories: yes. You’re probably going to want a water bottle holder for mom, and a tray for your kid. I almost always pair my walks with snack time to keep things quiet and civilized. It doesn’t always work, but I try.
UV-Protection & Colors
I like my stroller to have a large canopy. I don’t want them to have any chance of getting sunburned on our walks. Additionally, I want them to have a total break from the sun if they want or need it. Our stroller’s canopy is also UPF 50, so keep in mind this feature does exist if it’s important to you.
Additionally, I highly recommend you consider how things look when they’re faded before you pick a fun color. I have seen some blue or maroon BOB’s that look downright terrible after a few years of UV exposure. This is both for your own mental wellbeing, but also for resale. Strollers are an investment, and you want to ensure it retains it’s value. People will be a lot less likely to buy a stroller that looks like it’s been through the ringer.
Budget & Ways to Save
The cost of strollers is bananas. I guess it makes sense – they’re carrying precious cargo and you want them to be comfortable. Still. Inflation is real and it’s expensive to raise a little human to adulthood (another reason to save your money and avoid buying an infant car seat). I find Amazon usually has the lowest price because they’re able to buy them in bulk. Their return policies have gotten a lot more stringent, so that is a consideration with such a large purchase. My personal workaround is to visit Buy Buy Baby and check out the stroller in person, then purchase it online. Before you commit to anything from Amazon, I recommend checking the prices at Albee Baby, the manufacturer’s website and Facebook marketplace (yuck, Facebook) before making your final purchase.
Do not attempt to keep up with the Joneses.
The strollers that ended up working for our family were both a BOB Gear Revolution Flex 3.0 and a BOB Gear Flex 3.0 Duallie. We’ve had the single for approximately six years and the double for almost five. They’ve gone with us everywhere from daytrips to Disney. They wash well and have been very reliable. That said, nothing is perfect. The bottom basket, while gigantic, is very challenging to wash. And the canopies on the double are far inferior to the canopy on the single. It almost feels rickety by comparison. Also, there is no way to use the accessories (like the water bottle holder) from the single on the double or vice versa. All in all, we love our BOBs. Clearly – or we wouldn’t have purchased two of them. (To be fair, they were gifts from loving grandparents who live far away, but I digress.)
By now you’ve probably got a good idea of what you’re looking for in a stroller. What works for us, may not work for you, and that is t-totally okay. Whatever you do – don’t buy a stroller just because you’re fancy neighbor has it. Or maybe you’re the fancy neighbor, in which case, you don’t need a BOB just because I have one. Be a trendsetter and go against the grain – do what fits your family and your budget the best and get out there!
Happy adventuring!
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