Skip to main content

... of dreaming about strollers

Actually, I did dream about strollers last night. Double strollers to be precise.

Until yesterday, I had this subconscious delusion that I didn't need a double stroller. I have a great, lightweight, compact Peg Perego Aria stroller and a fantastic Beco carrier that could carry either my 17 month old on my back or my newborn in the front. That's all I needed, right? Well, the more I thought about it, the more I realized how much I needed to be able to just put Selah's car seat into a stroller for the first few months at least. You can go anywhere when they are that age because when they're sleeping, you can just take the car seat out of the car, slip it into a stroller without waking them up and be on your way. Abram is getting so much better at walking right now, so by that point he's going to be wanting to walk more, but not all the time for sure. So as much as he likes to ride on my back, I don't think he or my back could handle regular backpack rides.

But, finding a double stroller just isn't that easy! There are soooo many options out there, you'd think I could find one that fit all of these qualifications:

-Under 25 or so pounds.
-Compact-ish fold
-Able to hold one infant car seat
-An actual seat for a toddler (not just a bench)
-Able to fit through standard doorways
-Maneuverable (not crazy long)
-Relatively easy for airplane travel (we will be doing a lot of that)

But I can't.

Also something that seems like common sense would be that the older child would not be facing the child in the car seat - able to kick, wiggle, touch, scream or spit into the car seat.

This is my solution (which I will tell you right now, doesn't exist). The sit and stand strollers (Baby Trend and Joovy) right now only accommodate the car seat in the front seat. The only real seat. And it requires a car seat adapter (included). Then the toddler has to sit on a bench or stand in the open area in the back. The not real seat. I think my 17 month old would benefit from a real, strapped down, temper-tantrum controlling seat. So why, oh why, couldn't they make a car seat adapter for the open area in the back with the bench? Then the toddler can face out in the front, mom can watch and attend to the baby in the back and everyone is happy? When they both get older, the younger one can have the front seat and the older one who is more self sufficient could use the bench/stand feature in the back. Am I being crazy here or doesn't that sound like it would be possible?

Of all the strollers I have found, these are the top contenders at the moment:

Baby Trend Double Sit n Stand:

-32.5 lbs (heavy)
-Car seat can go in back
-49" long
-Not a very compact fold
$150

Kolcraft Express Rider Tandem:

-26.5 lbs
-Car seat goes in back
-One hand fold
-49" long
-Fairly compact fold
-$130

Kinderwagon Hop:

-21.5 lbs!
-Cannot fit car seat (but back seat lays back almost completely)
-Umbrella fold (foot and hands)
-40" long
-Very, very compact fold
$300

I have to say that the Kinderwagon Hop seems like a really great stroller for two kids once the younger one is at lease 3 months or so. I would love to have it a few months after Selah is born when she is older and we are traveling more. But then I would need another stroller for those first few months! So it doesn't really seem that practical.

I don't know!! Anyone else out there have a great stroller that I'm missing that fits my needs? Oh, and not being $1000 dollars would be great. Sheesh, strollers can get expensive!

Anyway. That's been my last night and this morning. I'm trying to decide because that will probably be our only "big" purchase for Selah, so I want it to be the right one. Abram and I might be taking a trip to Babies r Us today to do some stroller testing. Hopefully he'll enjoy that :)
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

... of the tipping point

 I haven't blogged in so very long, I can't remember when and I'm not going to stop this thought train to go and check. Suffice it to say, it's been awhile. But I showed up here to share (and document) a major event in the life of our family.  Before Moses came home, I would see adoptive families posting about their kiddos' "Tipping Point Days". I recently heard it called something else as well, but I'm too tired to think of it right now. Basically, it is the day when your adopted child has been with you for as long as they were not  with you. For kids that were adopted at 1 or 2 or 3, that seems to come quickly and maybe feels eventful, but not monumental. Well, when we got custody of Moses he was about 4 years and 9 months old. I remember coming back to America and seeing someone in my adoption group post about their 2 or 3 year old's Tipping Point Day and thinking I should figure out when Moses's would be. So I did. I sat down and figured ou
Post a Comment
Read more

... of a patent

... or maybe, just maybe , I'm jumping the gun :) A good friend told me the other day that she and her husband have been leaving church after the worship because she can't sit for an extended time in the folding chairs. Our church did a great thing and bought inexpensive folding chairs for our sanctuary in order to 1)save money and 2)be able to use the empty room for community type events in the neighborhood during the week. This is awesome. I support their decision and so does my friend who is leaving after the worship (and watching the previous week's sermon from home). But she is pregnant. She already had back problems and now (of course!) they are worse. My back is just starting to bother me and I know that there are many pregnant women with back problems and normal people with back problems who whimper inside a little every time they enter a room and see folding chairs. Until now, I had just sort of reconciled myself to the fact that sitting in a folding chair was
6 comments
Read more

...of a name

If you've been tracking with us for awhile now, you may remember that when we were pregnant with Selah, we had a boy name chosen .  This time, we had a few boy options, but the old standby won out, because we really do like it a lot.  But just like two years ago, we still can't quite agree on a middle name for this kid. That's where you can help. His name is Simon.  After Simon Peter, the apostle.  It's five letters and it's Hebrew (like the other kids) and we like  it. But, here's the thing: We have four options for middle names.  The two that Quinn really like, I have been vehemently opposed to.  I will share them with you in the most unbiased (yeah, right) way possible and you can tell me if I'm wrong.  For real.  I won't be mad. He likes Simon Quinn and Simon Peter. Now, you may be thinking "Wait a minute... isn't Quinn Abram's middle name?" Why yes, yes it is. Much to the credit of his beloved parents, Quinn likes his na
1 comment
Read more