Thursday, January 5, 2012

Becoming Parents 101

Last weekend, Tim and I decided to venture out and look at baby stuff for the first time! How fun!  There is soooooooo much stuff!   *yikes*.

We stopped off for lunch and I confessed to Tim that I felt really overwhelmed by all the choices for different things.  How in the world are you suppose to know what to buy?  What is the best thing?  What will be right for Eleanor?  He said he wasn’t stressed at all! haha!  Of course not. He said we will just research it.  The only thing is…..research kind of stresses me out too! :) 

So, I am enlisting all my blog friends for help!  You ladies (that are mommas) have so much info to share.  And I know a lot of you have written special posts about baby products etc.  Every now and then I am going to post about a certain item that I am “stressed” about and I would LOVE LOVE your info and input!  Or if you have already written a post about that item feel free to post the link so you don’t have to retype anything. 

Baby item #1:

Strollers!

Goodness….they make a billion different types of strollers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*Is it possible to only buy one stroller and have it work from infant to toddler???

*Can a jogging stroller hold an infant and can you take it into stores as well???

I just recently received some advice from a seasoned mom that said she advised to buy a jogging stroller because it will work for everything.  She said her regular stroller just didn’t work for them when they would have to go to baseball games etc. 

I found this gem on Babies R Us website….

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It seems like it might cover all the bases?  But I’m not sure!

So ladies……please share your nuggets of wisdom with me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lets talk strollers! :) 

xo,

Amanda

10 comments:

LC said...

I'm in the same boat as you...I have NO idea what to buy, what's best, what will last the longest. I hope you get some good responses...I'll be checking back:)

Theresa said...

You can get a three in one stroller which you use the car seat with when the baby is real little. It is great because you just pop it into the stroller from the car and baby stays sleeping :) If you can get a cover that zips around the car seat then you don't have to worry about unbundling the baby, just zip it off when you get indoors. As the baby gets bigger you just use the stroller without the car seat. I would invest in a good three in one and maybe find a jogger second hand if you can't get both. My jogger was too wide to manuover comfortable indoors, but the one you showed here looks like it would work. If you plan on jogging with the baby it is worth it to invest in a good one, otherwise the three in one is probably all you would need. Hope that helps and didn't confuse you more :)

Ryan V. said...

Ok, I am no experienced mama yet, but I did do tons of research and got lots of opinions! We opted not to get the "travel system" (stroller and car seat combo) because those strollers are usually very bulky, heavy, and don't fold down very small (BUT they do have the best under basket storage space). We got the City Mini Select by Baby Jogger. It's a jogger stroller by name but doesn't technically have tires that require air (a plus in my opinion). You CAN jog with it...it is built for that, but it probably has a more bumpy ride that the large joggers. What I love about the city mini: it turns on a dime!, large canopy that comes down so low that it can cover baby's face if walking into the sun, the patented one-hand fold up (it is seriously SO easy), light weight (11lbs), universal car seat attachment bar (we haven't decided on graco or chicco car seat yet, but both will fit on the stroller, among others). It is also narrow enough to fit in clothing aisles in stores which makes it great for shopping or being in crowded places like the zoo, etc. The downside of the city mini: slightly smaller storage basket, so you can't fit a humongous diaper bag in the bottom and no cupholder for parent (but you can buy a universal attachment). Honestly, look on craigslist (especially if you live in a large city). We got ours gently used for 3 months and it looks brand new, for $100. They retail around $230 I think. But I would say it's still worth the money anyway because you can use it from infant (just attach the car seat) all the way up to 50 lbs, which would be a HUGE toddler! :) Hope this helps! Good luck researching and shopping!

Jessica said...

I think the stroller you pictured is a great option! Like Theresa said, there are many models that are 3 in 1. I didn't get a jogging stroller yet, just the stroller and carseat that combine.

When I did my registry on babies r us, I just clicked the highest rated items! Hahaa I was clueless. It can really be overwhelming but think of it this way, the baby doesn't need much the first few months. A carseat, some outfits and food (Formula or breastmilk) plus diapers and wipes.

Natalie said...

We didn't do a TON of research in this particular area but we knew we wanted the 3-in-1 travel system just because it was most convenient! We got a Graco brand which is top rated and we have loved it so far. The stroller can be used from infant-toddler because their little car seat carrier thing snaps into it when they're little and you can just put them in the main part like a regular stroller when they're bigger (we just started doing this with Callyn). Honestly we never even contemplated buying a jogging stroller. I know you can buy just the frame and snap the car seat in there when you want if you wanted that for when she's an infant and jogging stroller for when she's older or something :)

The Smiths said...

We tried to be frugal with buying baby stuff just because I knew we would only use it for a short time. But we did splurge on a stroller and it was the best decision EVER. We have a BOB Revolution. I LOVE it. Walk, jog, stores, football games, pretty much anywhere! It's a little pricy. But we got the infant car seat attachment and have been using it since Keller was a week old. It should last him well into his toddler years. We got ours from Stroller Depot (google it). They had the best price and excellent customer service. I recommend you check them out! Congrats!

Beth Ann said...

We have a 3 in 1, and the stroller is quite bulky. I would explore the jogging stroller option if I had it to do over again. You will definitely want the infant carseat attachment. Also, I suggest getting a good baby carrier to use instead of stroller/car seat when shopping, too. We just got an Ergo and love it. Holden sleeps better in it than the stroller and no tricky maneuvering to get around!

Courtney @ One Fine Wire said...

We love our citi-mini!

Becca Murdaugh said...

I have the stroller and car seat you have pictured. We LOVE it. I really don't jog with it much (my hubby does) but since the tires are so sturdy and not plastic, I can go anywhere with it. Plus, with only three tires it makes shopping in stores easy. Also, I LOVED the triangle handle on the car seat. When we got it, I didn't think it would matter but it did. I am 100% happy with that stroller and have a lot of friends buy one after they pushed Zeda around in mine. We took her in it when she was 1 week and still put her in it at 2 1/2 years.

Jamie Leigh said...

I wish I had some advice for you, however I want to say good luck with all the shopping...looks like so much to get! You and your hubby will make great parents!!