Ruby Love Baby Picks - Strollers

This seems to be a very popular question the moment you know a child is coming into your life. What stroller should I get? I don’t want to waste money on something that is subpar… or something that won’t meet my needs. Or will I need two strollers? Three? One for each car? One for grandmas? Yes, these are all normal stroller questions and I have a confession to make. I have a hoarding problem… a hoarding strollers problem. Ah, felt good to get that off my chest.

For instance, in my garage right now we have 6. (And I just got rid of 2!) Yikes. And… We’ve passed some along over the last 8 years of our parenting journey. Again, I am by no means an expert. Everyone has preferences. However, based on my experience as a mom of three little ones, I’ve tested a lot of strollers and some are super rad and others are just a joke. (Or maybe I am too hard on them???)…

If I were to go back to registering for my first son, I would do things a lot differently. I have had a whole travel system with carseat and base, snap n gos, umbrella strollers, double umbrella strollers, a sit n stand, cheap single jogging stroller, two nice single jogging strollers, two double jogging strollers.

Here’s my opinion, which is not worth much. However... I would purchase two strollers with a few accessories.

1) BOB Single Revolution Stroller

BOB Revolution SE Single Stroller

This stroller is a rock star. You will not find a stroller that steers and handles better than this stroller. I guarantee it. A friend had an Uppa Baby and was going on and on about the turning radius and then tried the Bob and had no words! She was blown away by how smooth and how well it handled.

You can take this strollers on any terrain. I’ve trained for 3 half marathons with kids in tow (in either this stroller, or the Bob Duallie 2 seater). Running, walking, hiking, Disneyland, the zoo, the aquarium… and… this stroller works through the sand on the beach. Which you don’t realize how handy that is until you are in the situation and holding a kid across the sand is nearly impossible while trying to carry all of your gear. It is comfy, can recline to nearly flat (for napping or easy diaper changes), it has the best shade canopy on the market, and looks sporty and cool too. The basket underneath is not massive, but it does the job well.

I know many new fangled strollers can do all sorts of things and have iPhone speakers built in, or can flip around and have the seat facing whatever direction you choose, but if I only could buy one stroller for the life of a child, it would be this one. hands down. Strollers don’t need to be complicated.

Downside- It is a larger stroller however, it folds up just as small as any travel system stroller. The back wheels are large but have we fit both this stroller, and the Bob Duallie in the trunk of a Honda Accord. I think there were golf clubs in that trunk as well.

The wheels aren’t plastic, which is the best part about the stroller, but it also means the tires can pop. I’ve had to replace some over the years and I replace them with the heavy duty tires at the bike shop and they have lasted for almost 4 years!

It also doesn’t have a “parents tray” like many strollers, but we use the Bob console and this thing is awesome. Super sturdy and it comes with a pump for the wheels.

-Carseat Adaptor – You can purchase almost any carseat & base and use it in this stroller, you just need the right adaptor. It nicely clips in and makes it super easy to click in from the base in your car to the adaptor in the stroller.

Carseat adaptor for the Chicco Carseat we use

2) Maclaren Quest Stroller

For quick trips or when you need to fold a stroller super small to travel, this stroller has been a work horse! We invested in the Maclaren brand because it really is synonymous with quality.

Maclaren Quest Stroller

I just used this the other day to push my 7.5 year old son around Disneyland when his legs got tired. It is a steel frame instead of plastic which means you will get years more of use out of it compared with its plastic counterparts. It can be used with 6 month olds all the way up to 7.5 year olds.

The only downside to Maclaren strollers is the price. They cost double or triple compared to similar styles in other brands. However, there is a reason you can’t find these strollers very often on craigslist (same with the BOBs)… people don’t get rid of them!! They are stellar strollers with a proven track record of quality.

So, there is my opinion on single strollers. Take it for what it is worth, which, trust me, is not much!! I will post on double and triple (!!) strollers next.

Have a great weekend!

xo

Julie