Stroller Advice - Big Wheels vs Compact Fold on Local Streets
Hi all!
I am pregnant with my first and wanted to ask some of you veteran parents for stroller advice. I have narrowed brands down, but am still torn between getting a stroller with bigger wheels and good suspension versus getting a compact, lightweight stroller.
I live in Temescal (North Oakland) and the streets and sidewalks around here are pretty awful, bumpy and pothole-filled and I do anticipate going for daily walks in the neighborhood and going to parks when the baby is older. For this reason, I feel like a more heavy duty stroller is useful in this area. The heavy duty strollers are also expandable to multiple kids and we anticipate having 2 children in stroller age in the future - but not sure if this is a completely necessary consideration at this stage (advice on this welcome too!). On the flip side, we have family overseas and will be doing airplane travel with baby (as well as road tripping and frequent trips to closer bay area suburbs) to visit family and as such I am also interested in the compact strollers that can fit in the overhead bins (heard some stories about damaged strollers from checking in).
I have pretty much settled on the Nuna line of strollers as well as the Babyzen Yoyo as the top candidates. I am wondering if you all think it's realistic in this part of the city to just have a compact stroller like the Babyzen Yoyo and for that to be a durable option for multiple children or if it makes more sense to go with a heavier stroller with better wheels and suspension?
Alternatively, I could do both (this is a solution I am considering) and am wondering if anyone has experience with other compact fold strollers (like the Pockit for instance) - the Yoyo is definitely not the cheapest compact stroller (though it seems very nice for it's function) so I would be willing to reduce cost of the compact and go for a 2-stroller option (Nuna Tavo + compact stroller) if I found the right thing. Is it crazy to consider a 2-stroller solution? I am about minimizing waste and eco-friendliness/minimal toxicity for environment and for humans (ie the baby that will sit in the stroller) so am also planning to look into second hand solutions (I still have time so will not buy anything second hand right now, but need to finalize registry soon).
Thanks in advance for your advice! From a fellow parent :)
Parent Replies
I consider the Babyzen Yoyo to be possibly the best purchase I've made since our daughter was born. When I first saw the price, I thought there would be no way I would talk myself into buying one, but after doing a series of "test drives" and trying out the folding, it was a clear winner for me. I live in the Mission in SF, and we've walked with it through much of SF and Oakland. I've never felt like we needed anything more heavy duty. We're in a small apartment, so being able to fold down the stroller so much is a huge advantage. The folding mechanism is a little tricky the first couple times you do it, but once you get it down, it's super easy to do even one handed.
We LOVE our Yoyo, and it's our go-to over our Uppababy Vista. Now that we have two kids, the Yoyo isn't as functional, since the second seat option isn't ideal. But we still use it all the time anyway. The basket below is small, but you only need during infancy really, when you tote a lot of stuff around. The best part about the Yoyo is that it fits in the overhead bins of an airplane -- we wheel our daughter right up to the seat!
We have used the Babyjogger CitiMini (not a jogging stroller btw) since our daughter was born. She is about to turn one and it has served us well. It folds up and fits in the trunk but has still been great for walking around Oakland (we live by the lake). We did end up getting a used uppababy which is nice for carrying more stuff, but we never bring it with us anywhere because it’s too big. We have even taken the babyjogger on two different trips by plane and one of them I was traveling with the baby alone. It is very easy to fold and open with one hand. I also think you can add a seat for a second child
My only warning is look at how your stroller matches up with the car seat you have. We ended up getting a Chicco Keyfit30 and the stroller adapter was rather cumbersome. I would not recommend that pairing.
Hope this helps. Whatever you get will work!
We ended up with 2 strollers. A Baby Jogger City Stroller- the SUV. And a $99 Chicco stroller for Target, the Honda Civic.
Baby Jogger: One handed unfolding- very easy to yank out of the back of the car with child in arm and unfold. Has the mother of all shades. Comfy ride. Only thing- pricey, and a little heavy. We've gotten a LOT of use out of it (2 kids), so we've been pleased.
Chicco: smaller, lighter; we chose it because it also reclines nearly flat- important for sleep. Crappy shade- had to get an additional one on Amazon that straps on with velcro.
When it comes to flying, I've not seen a stroller ever go into the overhead bin. They'll require that you check it at the gate- like at the end of the jetway, just before you board the plane. And it's fine. You get the $99 one and if it's damaged, it's not that big of a deal. We actually flew with our big one recently (the "SUV") and it was fine. Checked at the gate; it was there when we arrived. No problems. And it folded up quite easily for the xray machines.
TL;dr: it's not crazy to have 2 strollers.
Hi there, so exciting, congratulations :)
We have tested and tried a variety of strollers in North Oakland and have loved our Uppa baby stroller (Vista or Cruz). We walk a lot and the basket has been great for errands and baby gear along the way. The mountain buggy nano may be another one to look at.
Also wanted to mention that Craigs List is a great source for a stroller second hand. Highly recommend a great carrier as well such as an Ergo.
All the best to you!
We were in exactly your situation twenty years ago, so although the top brands have changed so much that I have no useful advice there, I absolutely have hard-earned wisdom to pass on regarding stroller types. We started out with a high-end collapsible stroller. It was uncomfortable (for us to push and and I'm sure for our child to ride in) on our bumpy neighborhood sidewalks, and when we flew, we discovered that most airlines make you check the stroller at the gate anyway (and then inevitably damage it in the baggage hold). The one time I was actually allowed to bring the stroller onto the plane it was incredibly inconvenient -- passengers and flight attendants glared at me (!), it barely fit in the aisle, and in that tight space it was a challenge to collapse it and get it into the overhead bin. Plus you will likely want to bring your child's car seat into the plane for safety, and that's a lot to carry! So we ended up doing what I wish we had done in the first place -- getting a sturdy "jogging stroller" (as they were called back then) for daily use and a cheap folding stroller for travel (and of course the airlines never damaged the cheap one, and it lasted through two children and many trips).
Coming from someone who owns 3 strollers for one kid (Thule Glider for jogging + Uppababy Cruz for daily + Mountain Buggy Nano for plane trips), no you're not crazy for considering a 2-stroller solution. I would say that our Cruz has consistently gotten the most use since we are able to walk out our door to get coffee and the large open basket is a super handy feature. The jogging stroller has been useful more rugged trails, but we don't use it even on a weekly basis because it's bulkier. The compact Nano became a must for plane trips and navigating crowded city sidewalks/subways, and it was handy that it had the infant car seat adapter built in (rather than the Yoyo).
With that said, we're expecting baby #2 soon, so we're looking to part with our gently used Nano now if interested!
Thank you to everyone for the advice! This is all helpful and seems to be more subjective than anticipated. I recently came across the Uppababy Minu, a new 2018 stroller, and it seems to also be a great compact option - bigger than the yoyo when folded, but still lightweight and fits in many (not all) overhead bins. It appears to be a bit more sturdy than the yoyo, but so many parents that have the yoyo also just love it! In any case, many thanks to you all!