apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

The three-wheeled cart will handle the sidewalks better than the four-wheeled carts. Large wheels are also preferable.

The bug is good for newborn up to 1 or so. I don't think it is good for older than 1 yo. Too hard for them to climb into. The McClaren Volo you have pictured is great for a lot of reasons. Lt weight, folds up easily and affordable. However, the Volo is not so good for newborn to 8 mo or so. It doesn't recline and doesn't provide a lot of support. It is good for 1 yo to 5yo. I know, I know, sometimes I let me 5 yo ride. If you can afford, get 2 strollers. One for NYC streets and younger baby, the other for toddler and travel.

What I said before about Maclaren vs urban buggy still stands. BTW, we kept the urban buggy and got rid of the Mac - contrary to what I wrote two years ago. All the classes, play dates, parks etc were in walking distance and, besides, the rear wheel of the MacClaren broke almost completely off.

If you are going to walking around your hood and you won't need to travel by subway or cab anywhere then you can't beat a stroller with pneumatic tires. If you need to go on a subway then the MacClaren Volo is the best but it is only good for 6 months and up babies.

Friends of ours have the Phil and Ted's E3
http://store.barebabies.com/phtee3busist.html
and this seems like the ideal stroller. Air filled tires, foldable, smaller than other strollers that have big wheels, expandable for a second baby in such a way that makes it ideal for when there is a gap of 1-2 years between babies but not good for twins - which is not an issue here I know. I have never seen this stroller folded so I don't know how well it folds. The Maclarens are the best strollers for folding and unfolding one handed.

If we did not have twins then the E3 is the stroller we would get.

If your back can stand it, I would get a sling also. You will need to carry around a bag of stuff instead of hanging that off the stroller but while the baby is light enough, you get ease of transport as well as the best feeling in the world when your baby falls asleep next to your chest.

We got a bugaboo and it was great for our daughter when she was little (up to a year old). Her car seat clipped right in and it was a breeze. Plus the bassinett feature was great, and you can turn them to face away from you or towards you.

That being said, it is pretty bulky, and i find myself not taking it on trips in favor of a cheap umbrella stroller from babiesrus.

If I had to do it all over again, I'd probably go with a Maclaren. I believe they have some models that you can use from birth on up too.

Once the baby can sit up on his or her own, then the Volo, the Volo, a thousand times the Volo. We intially purchased the Baby Bargains recomended Zooper Waltz (160.00 to the best of my recollection) -- reclined fully, solid construction, reasonable price, good on uneven sidewalks -- until our building management cracked down on people leaving bikes strollers etc in the stairwell. The Zooper was too heavy for one person to lift up and down stairs and deploy while holding a baby. By then our baby was sitting up, so the Volo (100.00) was an option. Pricey for an umbrella stroller, but what a stroller it is: carrying strap, one handed deployment (I doubted this, and it took a few trial runs while holding the baby with a spotter nearby, but it really works), feels like it will last as long as we'll need it, very bright colors so as to avoid being hit by distracted drivers... Haven't tried the volo's rain/snow cover yet.

With hindsight, I woud have purchased a used stoller for the first six months or so, then switch to the Volo.

whatever carriage that isnt used as a battering ram against nonbreeders or breeders to be, is fine with me.

i'm just sayin.

Yeah, my sister in law has the Volo and it really is the best umbrella type stroller out there. You can usually get last years model around about this time of the year for about a $30-$40 discount.

As I and Shelly have now said, I can't stress enough how easy it is to do that one handed deployment thing (much better description than mine - thank you Shelby).

Seconding jamie pup's suggestion of a sling or carrier. They are a perfect way to fill that gap time before sitting up and potentially avoid having to buy two strollers. After posting above, I realized we rarely used our stroller until my daughter was older, the baby bjorn and later the Ergo carrier worked beautifully (we also have friends who swear by their slings but we were a carrier family).

Yeah we've heard all that before NONBREEDERYET and discussed it ad nauseum.

Let's stick to the question at hand shall we? We all know about and have encountered the inconsiderate batterers - nothing new.

Mixed feelings about the battering ram comment. Not only was my foot run over today (no big deal really, I can confirm that inflatable nubby tires are not unpleasant to be run over with), but I was on my way home from seeing my wife's 1st trimester sonogram.

we found there wasn't 1 perfect stroller. for the 1st 6 mos., we really liked the snap and go type stroller - just a frame which you put a car seat into - Graco makes one, I think Maclaren came out with one, Universal has one, etc. We used the Graco with the Graco car seat and it was fine. You want lots of space below for storing stuff, light and a cup holder if possible. After our son was 6 mos. we really like the BOB. It's easy to bounce it up and down subway steps and it's wonderful on rough sidewalks and streets. It is a bit bulky and heavy though.

What is Maxwell getting for his luvbug?

I think the stokke is great... what is the orange 3-wheel stroller?

For urban use, I recommend a frame for your infant carseat (e.g. Kolcraft Universal Carseat Carrier) for the first 5-6 months followed by the Volo. (We actually used a third stroller (the Maclaren Quest) in between the two. It's not as light as the Volo but it reclines, which I thought was important while my son was still prone to falling asleep in the stroller.)

The main downside of the frame with carseat is that it's bulky and bit difficult to get up and down stairs. On the plus side, tons of storage, very easy to hop in a cab since you have the car seat with you, and the baby faces you, which is great while their small.

The Volo is great because it's so light. I take ours everywhere, up and down stairs, in the subway, etc.

A lot of this depends on your living situation, and if you are going to be a full-time caretaker. If you have an elevator and are going to be with your baby fulltime in a very bumpy, cracked pavement, cobblestone environment, I say go with a Bugaboo. I loved that you can make the stroller face you when the baby is little, so you can make sure your precious cargo is tended to more easily. Also, you can switch the seat around if you are going for a long nap-inducing walk and don't want the sun in your baby's face. When doing all your errands around the hood, you can push the Bug with one hand while talking on your cell with the other. I have a Volo and you can't do both at the same time. That said, I've often thought the Phil & Ted's would be a more prudent choice for long-term family planning.

What about Peg Perego P3? Or Inglesina Zippy? They are both nice folding strollers you can fold with one hand, with lots of padding and recline for newborns. The Zippy can take many different carseats, and has an amazingly huge canopy that keeps the sun out for those nap walks.

In general, if you are spending day in and day out with the kid, I find the Macs kind of a pain because they tip over if you have stuff hanging from the handles and your kid gets out of the stroller. They are GREAT for the subway, restaurants, and travel, but for everyday use at the playground and running errands, they are a pain.

3 wheelers are unstable, so nix those.

We got a bugaboo frog when they first came out in 2003, and have used it until quite recently (we'll be trotting it out again for babe#2).

We also have a McLaren Volo, but it is not as flexible or comfortable as a bugaboo -- it is only for foreign travel (we bought it for a trip to Europe) or emergencies. It is very uncomfortable for napping -- their heads plop forward and bounce as you go down the street -- very bad! -- and the seat position cannot be adjusted -- their is no suspension, the ride is very rough, and it is not manoeuverable.

We found the bug great for NY, and great for just about all situations -- it is relatively narrow in camparison to most strollers (even pegs, and especially the north american ones), and so is good for urban sidewalks (doesn't use up too much space), getting into stores, etc. Plus, in restaurants, it folds up, and you just lean it against a wall. Taking it up and down stairs in the subway isn't a problem -- the inflated tires make it a breeze, and if you feel like it, one person can carry it (how my husband usually does it -- although whenever I get near a subway, some nice gentleman always seems to appear and offers to carry the stroller & child for me). No way you could roll a child in a McLaren down subway steps -- you have to either removed them, or carry the whole thing. And frankly, I don't find it as easy to carry the McLaren with my daughter in it -- I avoid doing so.

So after 3 years of regular use, 2 emphatic votes here for a bugaboo frog.

And this note: friends who have purchased other strollers, are now on their 3rd strollers. The cheap North American ones tend to fall apart, and even a friend who buys nothing but Pegs, is on her 5th peg and 2nd child. Something to consider in the decision-making process.

I have a 9 months old and my friend has an 8 month old. I opted for the "most cost effective and effective route" ( graco car seat and frame for early months, Mac Triumph for 6 and older) and my friend went for the expensive Bugaboo.

I envy the versatility and ease of the Bug. Every time I go out with my child, I have to consider, hmm, will she sleep? Then carseat is better and more supportive. If not, Mac will be lighter and less bulky. Whereas my friend uses the same stroller for most occassions out. The bugaboo is heavier but it adapts very well to your/baby's need during the first year. The seat adjusts to many angles, making it convenient for sleeping, strolling and pulls up nicely to a table at restaurants. So it's a little heavier, I've never seen a Bug tip over.

Whichever one you choose, get a carrier. Nothing beats it for the subway......until the little one aren't so little anymore, then it's time for diaperbag therapy ( does he/she love, hate it or need it?)

oops! sorry for all the typos in my earlier post -- should have proofread before I posted.

Would just like to add to the comments about slings.

I have used slings and pouches (actually, much prefer pouches), but don't find them good for getting around with baby. I know some people swear by them, but I found them to be uncomfortable, inconvenient and a hassle.

First off, there are times when you want to put the child down -- when you are drinking a hot beverage, eating lunch, trying on clothes, bending for products near the ground or reaching for something on a high shelf.

Plus, sometimes I get too hot carrying a baby around for hours -- it is not something I would want to do for a 3 hour shopping trip.

As well, I feel very insecure in winter -- when there might be ice on the sidewalk -- or in construction areas with undeven pavement, carrying my child in a pouch. I just feel more secure pushing them in a stroller (which, I will point out, has the added benefit of STORAGE -- for the diaper bag, your shopping, your purse, etc.).

And finally, in winter, it is a pain to find a coat that tops you AND the pouch with the baby.

I just found pouching for outside trips to be a hassle - and whenever I would stop and chat with a mom who was carrying a baby in a pouch or sling, she would usually remark to me that she regretted not taking the baby out in a stroller instead.

Boy did we debate this issue FOREVER! We finally got an Urban Mountain Buggy and a Maclaren Volo. The UMB is great for navigating treacherous NYC terrain from curbs, to potholes to the CP Bramble. It's very comfortable and easy to push. We even use it at the beach where we push it right over the sand! I also like the fact that it reclines, allowing our son to sleep. I will admit though that we have an entryway where we can "park" the UMB. I would never get one if I had to fold it away. It also seems to me to be as functional as the Bug (minus the bassinet feature) at 1/2 the price. (Also, I don't have any personal experience, but it seems to me that the small wheels on the Bug would get stuck on curbs. Any Bug owner care to comment?)

When I take the subway or go to a small restaurant, I take the Volo. It's a great little stroller for quick trips in tight spots. When not in use, we keep it folded in the closest.

So for us the UMB/McVolo is a good combo.

I can't believe no one has talked about Micralite. They totally rock, are pro-urban, collapse beautifully and are 10x cooler than Bugaboo. You just have to import them from England. I have written about it and the Bugaboo
here.

Don't buy a stroller yet.

Just get a "SNAP N'GO" to attach the infant carseat to.

THat is all you need until the kid is older and you've got a better sense of what life (and travel) with a baby is like.

Ok, so the link didn't work. Check these out:
http://bourgeoisdev.blogspot.com/2006/09/guilty-pleasures-realized-edition.html
and
http://www.micralite.com/

We used McLaren Techno and recently switched to the Volo now that my son is almost two.

The MacLaren one-handed fold (for both the Techno and the Volo) is fantastic and really makes it easy to get the stroller up and downstairs (even while carrying a baby) or in and out of a car. I liked the multiple positions for the Techno, especially when my son was younger. The extendable handles were great for my husband and I, who are both tall. The Volo does not have the extendable handles and I miss them. The Volo is superlight and sleek, but even the Techno is pretty light. Both are narrow, which is important in the city.

As far as quality, our Techno has held up fine, but we switched to the Volo because the Techno is just more stroller than we need right now.

re: the small bug wheels -- no, in three years, they have never gotten stuck anywhere. That's because there are only 2 of them, and they are offset by the 2 large wheels. The bug truly goes anywhere -- including the Bramble.

Really, the bug is the most maneouvarable and versatile stroller out there. Compact for urban areas, flexible for all stages of childhood (we are now getting a running board for our 3 year old to stand on for when the baby gets to sit inside), and all road conditions (even sand).

Another really great about the bug is that you can change which direction your child faces -- looking out at the world, or looking at you.

O.k., o.k., guess I sound like a bug advert :-) sorry, don't mean to -- it is just that my husband and I are HUGE fans -- it is the best product we got for our child, and it has served us well for over 3 years, and is still going strong (narry a sign of wear or tear on the thing).

BD, you can't believe no one has bumped into a British couple with a micralite before and then imported it from the UK within the last couple of months?

OK, so after a quick google it appears that there was a limited shipment into the US on August 1st.

Maybe explains why we're not talking about it much? But thanks for the heads up. Always good to see alternatives.

BTW, (and I mean no offense by this) all I could think of when I read BFD on your blog was Big effin' Deal. What does it really stand for?

I have had several strollers at this point and my daughter is only 19 months. I use the Mountain Buggy Urban most days if I am going far or I know that she will nap in the stroller, it reclines completely and handles like a bike. Everyone that has pushed her in it can't stop exclaiming how wonderful it is. I initially used it with the bassinet which is lovely when the baby is small, but not really needed with this model.

If I am taking a quick trip to the store, to walk the dog or just know she won't be napping, I use my MacLaren Volo, it is a dream of an umbrella stroller.

I also have a Peg Perego Venezia which I really liked for a while, it has a handle bar that can go either way and the seat can be a bassinet, however as she got older it just didn't work as well and in comparrison to the Mountain Buggy, it sucks. I almost never use it anymore.

There were others but I can't talk about it. ;-)

All of these strollers break down to a very small profile and I am an obsessive organizer so I made it my goal to store them in my home out of site (we just moved so I am still working it out in the new place). They all also fit in the trunk of our Audi A4 which is nice.

I travelled with the mountain buggy to Nantucket, which means a small plane and tons of cobble stone/broken 600 year old streets, it was perfect. I knew that it would be, and it would be great in Europe too, but the size will kill you. Otherwise we take the Volo.

As for looks, people have stopped me on the street to ask about my Mountain Buggy, it looks good, sometimes I catch a glimpse of it in a window and think, yeah, man. It is not crazy looking like that high one and it just plain works. I like the design of the Buggaboo but only with the bassinet, I think that with the regular seat, which will be the most oft used one, it looks like a child's wheelchair, which makes me sad. :-(

Ok, I'm done.

Monika: The 3 wheel models are more stable than 4 wheel models because of the larger wheel base and weight distibution, frankly, that is why the Bugaboo is so stable, it has a very large wheel base. I know it handles well, and many of my friends like it for that alone, but it is almost as large as my mountain buggy, the wheel base is only a few inches wider on the MBU. I do love the reversable handle bar on the bugaboo, I wish all strollers had this feature, it would really be great.

The REAL question is, which stroller saved that baby from the falling rubble that killed the nanny last year?

Mountain Buggy Urban Double - the one we have and the double version of the single that Colleen has.

Nanny did not die. She was credited (along with the stroller) with saving the 7 month old's life.

http://daddytypes.com/2005/07/15/nyc_building_collapses_on_mountain_buggy_baby.php
http://www.wnbc.com/news/4722210/detail.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/15/nyregion/15nanny.html?ex=1158984000&en=ac918299dfc1201c&ei=5070

We do not live in NYC but in center city Philadelphia and I believe our bugaboo frog was the best thing we bought for our daughter who is now 15 months old. The bassinet was great when she was a newborn. We used it as her bed when we traveled. The Graco carseat adapter was perfect when traveling and elimated the need for a snap n'go. I really appreciate the ability to turn the seat around to face outwards or towards me, especially if the sun is in my daughter's eyes. The seat reclines so my daughter doesn't have to worry if she falls asleep. She also has no difficulty climbing in and out of it. I use this stroller every day, through rain, snow, and sunshine. We've taken it on airplanes (checked at the gate)and I can push the stroller and walk my two dogs without difficulty. The turning radius makes maneuvering in small places a breeze. The bug has more miles on it than our car and was money well spent.

Sorry about your foot, Enrique but that's great news. Best of luck.
Inglesina, btw, is terrible on stairs.

I know I'm not the only one with a Combi out there. It retails for about $99 and is the only stoller I've seen with an infant carseat that snaps right in. We have the City Savyy and are really happy with it! I think the carseat part was around $60. Definitely affordable, extremely light (that's why I bought it, for carting around the subway). We did not want to have to buy a frame for the infant car seat AND a stroller. The bugaboo was not even in question when we were shopping due to its price and when compared to the Maclaren, it was lighter, smaller and as I said, the carseat snap in was a huge selling point.

The mountain buggy urban double has been recalled at least twice. The Stokke looks like a hospital tray table carrying an infant, and the Bug is just a silly overpriced status symbol that has now trickled down to the projects in New York City. The upshot? Everyone will now have to get a custom over $1,000 stroller to walk around with in NYC. Sad but true

NYC Resident, that view has already been parodied by someone that Bourgeois Deviant linked to above:

http://www.dyske.com/index.php?view_id=860

I think dyske did it better, don't you?

BTW, if you read the responses you would see that this thread is the antithesis of the attitude that you see in your world. Everyone has given good reasons for recommending strollers which was the point of this thread.

NYC Resident: As Jamie Pup and I can attest, the Mountain Buggy is a great stroller and the "recall" was not exactly a typical recall, it was for specific models and only concerned the handle bars. I have a such a model and the company contacted me, sent someone to my home, around my schedule, to fix it on site. It took about 20 minutes and was, of course, completely free and the stroller is even better now. The new models, the 2006 and on, don't have the handle bar problem so it is not an issue for most people buying a stroller today.

Plus, it is so boring and overedone to trot out the status issue, anyone who lives in New York with kids has more money than the average person anyway it;s just a fact, so they can afford a more expensive stroller, so what? This has been argued for at least 3 years with the surge in Bugabbos and is totally passe to even care anymore, and as Jamie points out, it's been done better.

We are going for the Micralite too, in hopes that it will indeed combine the bassinette and pneumatic tires of the Bugaboo with the lightness and foldability of the Maclarens (plus it functions as a snap-and-go if you have the european Maxi Cosi infant car seat.) I had done extensive internet research on this stroller, but it was running into a British couple with one in Tompkins Square Park that convinced me-- looks very sturdy in person, and quite compact (smaller than the Bugaboo.) Sparkability.com is selling them stateside, but they are much less expensive in the UK if you can have someone bring one over for you (this is what we're doing.)

Does anyone have any experience with the Quinny Buzz?

Based on the three criteria - price, design and quality, I vote for a Peg P3 and a McClaren when the kid can sit up. But you cannot make a decision based on these three variables alone. There are several key facts that change the pleasurability of a particular model.

Height: Is the primary user tall or not? Because some strollers are just better for tall people. I have heard that the Bug is notably better in this regard, although some strollers have extendable handles (but I have heard that this does not truly compensate).

Collapsing: You cannot make a rating without considering whether this stroller is going to be collapsed and reopened during a particular trip. If you are going on a bus, you simple cannot take a Bug. It doesn't work. If you are moving your kid to the carseat and then collapsing the stroller to put it in your trunk, then buy a Bug. If you are only taking the kid from car seat to stroller and back to carseat, you should buy what looks good to you. If you have to collapse and store this stroller in a 250 square foot apartment, I think you should build a shed from scrap wood to store that Bug.

Surface: What is the quality of the surface over which this stroller will drive? If you are going to jog with the baby on a gravel road, I'd get something with pneumatic tires. If you are going to walk on a NY City sidewalk in the UES, this is not such an important factor. If you are going to walk on a sidewalk is an area where sidewalks are uneven, think about those tires again. If the sidewalk is narrow, e.g., caged trees on your street, maybe that Bug will put your precious cargo in close proximity to undesirable elements.

Based on cost, I cannot believe that anyone would say the Bug is competitive. The only argument is that this stroller at its $900 plus price point replaces about 10 other strollers that you might buy and discard. I have 4 friends with Bugs. One has not used it since the kid was little, because she is short. She should never have bought a Bug. She switched to a Peg. Another couple loves it. They use it to move the child from their apartment to their car, via elevator building and from car to friends. They occasionally put the baby in it and wheel it to the terrace for a nap in the fresh air. In other words, this is not your typical urban usage, although they live in NYC. Another friend used it a lot for the first year and has switched to a Triumph and is in love with that. She loved the switching handle. Finally, another friend swore by the Bug but finds it less useful for trips involving shopping. It is just too big and bulky for stores. She uses a McClaren for this. I don't know anyone with a kid older than 3 that still uses a Bug in NYC. At drop off, all the mom's leave the strollers outside to take the older kids in. The Bugs are all lined up, next to the UBs, and the rest of the strollers are hung up inside. So if you want to try a Bug, go hang out near a pre-school.

In terms of quality, I think that McC, Bug, Peg and UB are all about the same. Many strollers are recalled for safety improvements; this is probably not a huge criterion, but look at the recalls on the CPSC site. If you are concerned about tipping, stroller weights are available and are really useful. In terms of design, I think the Bug and the Stokke look more "designed" than the others. The others are function over form. No question about that. But I think that you can achieve the usefulness of the bug - e.g., flat sleeping surface -- with a smaller, less expensive machine, if: (i) you don't mind that you're not pushing a status stroller (ii) you don't mind that the design is function based, not viscerally driven and (iii) you are not tall.

I think that tall people really like the Bug and the UB vehicles because of the handle angle and location. Not clear to me if that is a variable setting.

I think the key component for ratings is to push the stroller around with 20 lbs in it and try and image your usage and determine whether that will work for you. When I picked my first stroller, we tried a few at Albees and determined that the McC handles didn't come to the right spot for us. The nanny loved the Peg, but as she's 6 inches taller, she really loved that McC when we got it. I have to say that every stroller needs some lovin to last. McClarens - if you have 70 pounds of luggage on two handles, and don't keep the tires fresh, you will get squeaks. Pegs - some hoods are not removable for washing or tossing. I don't know of any stroller that has an easily removable cushion (including the straps) for washing and that's the most annoying part - cleaning gunk from the straps.

Although on looks alone, I'm liking that Starck stroller on the chicago site.

I think Combis are great for being lightweight and I like their fold, but if you are tall you will kick the wheels and have a sore back from hunching over.

Anybody know about the Bumbleride Flyer? Saw one in my neighborhood and it looked great and has a reversable handlebar. I would look into them! Could actually be a stroller that takes you from birth to older, has decent wheels, and folds.

So, this post is growing mold its so old, but to reply to those who gave me a shout.

Jamie Pup: BFD is Brodie Finn Deviant. Deviant isn't my son's real last name, merely a vain attempt @ anonymity.

Agreed that though they are not readily abundant, ultimately the Micralite choice was just one of finding the right thing for your lifestyle.

And, Naomi is quite lucky to have someone bring one over for her. We actually got ours from Lullaby's. They have a US or Canada branch, but it had to be shipped from the UK. Despite the shipping, it still came in under the price of the Bugaboo.

I have only seen two other Micralites. One on Wooster Street and one in Prospect Park. Neither were using the infant carry cot, which has come in mighty handy. Again, its all about lifestyle and this stroller suits ours just dandy.

We just ordered a Micralite from the UK because we LOVED Bourgeois Deviant's review -- a children's store there called Soup Dragon (www.soup-dragon.co.uk) will ship them to the US. We got the whole shabang -- with the carrycot -- for a total of US $715 (that's including shipping costs). SO yeah, still hefty on the wallet, but still under the price of a Bug. (We live in Charleston, SC, where Bugs are a dime a dozen, but we've also got more room to breathe than those of you in the city.) I just hope we can figure out how to set the thing up when it arrives.....Happy Strolling.....

Heather, its really easy. All of it. Don't worry and enjoy. Also, enjoy the longing stars of all the Bug peole.

We received our Micralite and are TOTALLY in love with it! Setup was a cinch, and the thing looks AWESOME. Couldn't be happier -- thanks B.D.!