Baby transport system (Photo credit: Mahatma4711)
You will probably buy your baby’s first stroller during your pregnancy. A stroller is a key piece of baby equipment. Don’t be surprised if you amass a collection of strollers throughout your baby’s first year. This will often happen as the reality of moving around with a baby (or two) hits you. One of the most common complaints with strollers is that they are too heavy, and what does not seem too heavy in a shop often seems much much heavier when you are using it every day.
Some things to consider when buying a stroller are:
- Weight – can you lift it by yourself if you need to? Up stairs? Into the trunk of a car?
- Is it easy to fold? Could you fold it one-handed if you needed to hold on to baby with another? (Especially useful for airport travel.)
- Age-appropriate – a newborn should be able to lie flat.
- Reversibility – do you want your baby to be able to face you? This is more for the beginning because as baby gets older s/he will want to look out at the world.
- Manoeuvrability – do you live in a crowded area? Can your stroller move quickly through crowds of people?
- Tyres – rubber tyres are essential for rough walking. Plastic wheels are fine for smooth, flat areas like shopping malls.
- Handles – personally I find strollers with a bar for a handle better than ones with one handle on each side as it is easier to maneuver one-handed. Those with handles on each side tend to fold up smaller though.
- Does it fit a car seat? If you have a car this is essential for the first few months when babies sleep a lot and in many places (they are less likely to do so as they get older). It means you can just take the frame with you (less heavy) and don’t need to disturb baby if they fall asleep in the car – take advantage of the quiet time to have lunch / shop / run errands….
Enjoy!
afterninemonths 