Three Stroller Must-Haves for New Moms

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​Last year at this time I was in full on nesting mode, anticipating the birth of my son, A.C.  My baby shower was behind me and I was frantically trying to collect all of the necessary equipment for my first child.  There were many things I bought in preparation for his arrival that were perfect.  Then there were others that just didn’t work for us.   There is just no way of knowing exactly what will be needed and useful before the arrival of a baby.  One of the things I did not get quite right before the baby was what I wanted and needed in my stroller.  I  thought that my one well known brand convertible stroller and car seat would be the only one I would want and need through the entire stroller using phase of my son’s childhood,  but I was definitely mistaken.

Now that A.C. is nearly a year old, I own 3 different strollers that I can’t live without.  Each has it’s own purpose and all get used on a very consistent basis.  I have highlighted my favorite things about all 3 in this article.

Must Have Stroller 1:  Quinny Buzz Extra 2.0

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This is my most recent stroller purchase, I got it when A.C. was about 8 months.  I found that once he was getting too big to remain in his car seat and click into his first stroller.  Unfortunately, that particular stroller without the car seat attached was really not giving him enough head support, especially when he fell asleep.    I also found that popular name brand stroller a little clunky to fold and unfold and quite frankly, just not fashionable enough for us.  I wished I had invested in something a little more sophisticated from the get-go, but I decided at this point it was still well worth the money because we would still have plenty of stroller days ahead.

After much research of all the designer stroller brands that are carried at high end baby stores and Nordstrom’s, I landed on the Quinny Buzz Extra 2.0.  If you go to the Quinny website, there is this really cool evaluation tool to determine the best stroller for your baby and lifestyle.  I found this really useful in determining the model to buy.  Reasons why I choose this one?

First, I like the way the seat is molded.  It seems very comfortable, like the bucket seat in a luxury sedan. I also like the different positions baby has in this stroller.  While the upright position allows the baby to see the world,  the reclined position makes for a very comfortable sleeping scenario.  There is also a feature where you can turn the baby around to face you.  This is typically position reserved for small infant strollers, but I have found this feature very useful, even as my son has approached his first birthday.  When he is getting fussy, is having a bad day due to teething,or is just simply needing a nap, I have found that turning him around so he can see me works wonders.   Next, the Quinny has an air system that makes it elegant, easy, and seamless to fold and unfold.   I don’t look or feel stressed out when I am transferring the baby in and out of the car because of this ease. Lastly, I chose this light gray color both for it’s sophistication and lightness that makes it more comfortable on hot days.  One word of caution with this stroller is that it is a little heavier to pick up than others, and it is also quite large when folded.  It works great in my Land Rover, but this may be an issue in a smaller car.

If I had it to do over again, I would have purchased this stroller in a package with the coordinating car seat and bassinet, and I would have used this entire system from A.C.’s first trip home from the hospital.  That package is linked here

Must Have Stroller 2:  Pockit Stroller

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This amazing stroller is a life saver in small spaces.  The Pockit Stroller is the most compact on the market when it is folded.  It is small enough to fit in a backpack and even could fit in an airplane overhead compartment (provided your flight attendant doesn’t try to argue with you on this).  I keep this in my car most of the time, and I use it for quick stops into restaurants and stores that are hard to maneuver with the full sized stroller.  I also use it when I visit people at their homes because it acts as an easy place for the baby to sit when I don’t want him crawling around.  A.C. likes sitting in this because he has a nice view and is sitting up, but is comfortable.  It is actually upright enough that I can feed A.C. in a pinch when there is no high chair available, but because of that positioning, we really didn’t use it until A.C. was about 7 months.  As you can see in the video above, the folding and unfolding of this innovative contraption is pretty simple.  Basically this is the new generation umbrella stroller that our mothers used when we were kids.

Must Have Stroller 3:Baby Jogger City Mini

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The third and final stroller I own is the Baby Jogger City Mini.  My main reason for owning this is because it performs beautifully on the beach.  Because we live at the beach part-time, this is a must for us.  We walk on the beach for miles in this stroller and there is nothing that puts A.C. to sleep faster at nap time than a stroll along the ocean.  This stroller has nice big fat tires that do great on packed sand.  It is also very easy to push, and there is a very large sun shade, which is a must on the beach.  There is also decent storage space in the bottom of this stroller that allows us to pack all the essentials for our day at the beach.  As an added bonus, this is a jogging stroller, so when I want to take a run and there is nobody around to watch A.C., he comes along for a ride.