I can’t believe I am here trying to help you pick your first stroller, when only a month ago I had no idea which stroller I was going to pick for myself.
But what a difference a month makes, especially if it is spent researching every possible brand and model out there, and test-driving as many strollers as the people at Babies R Us let you.
If you’ve been looking at strollers and you’ve felt overwhelmed by the endless choices out there, don’t worry, you are not alone. We’ve all been there.
See, a lot of the things you’ll need for your new baby, you’ll be able to pick in a heartbeat: that adorable diaper bag, that cute pair of socks, the little dress in the window, baby bottles, diaper rash creams, bibs, blankets, and toys.
But not a stroller. You definitely can’t pick one in a heartbeat!
It takes some researching and a lot of patience. It’s almost like a rite of passage for first time moms.
These are some of the questions you should ask when picking your first stroller:
- Can I use this stroller with my newborn?
- How about when the baby gets bigger, can I keep using this one or do I need to get another one better suited for him/her?
- Is this stroller heavy compared to other ones? Is it easy to push around?
- Is this a good brand of strollers?
- Can this stroller be folded easily with one hand?
- Does it come with any accessories?
- Does it have a nice size basket underneath?
- Does the canopy shield the baby completely, if necessary?
- Can the baby face both front and back when in the stroller?
- Is the footrest adjustable to allow for growth?
- Are the wheels reliable or do they spin in every direction whenever they want?
You get the idea… million of questions, and if you are anything like me, you want at least 95% of your questions answered before you make this kind of decision.
Because if you don’t do your math right, you could end up buying three different strollers before your baby turns three years old! And why would you do that to your wallet?
I will try to simplify the process for you and share some of the things about strollers that I’ve learned along the way.
As with most of this blog, I’m targeting this article to first-time moms, just like me, overwhelmed by the endless strollers choices out there.
Seasoned moms have the experience we are lacking, and have already tested a stroller or two, so they know better what they like and dislike. Even so, this post might help them too by familiarizing them with some new strollers that were not around when they had their previous babies.
So let’s get to work.
First of all, remember that a newborn can’t sit straight up by him/herself, so you can’t buy just any stroller, especially not a toddler stroller. You need a stroller that can accomodate a newborn.
One of the most common options is to get a travel system, consisting of the stroller plus the car seat.
These travel systems come with an infant car seat, so you get two items for the price of one.
The Chicco Cortina here on the left is my favorite. It looks sturdy, it comes in many interesting colors, and at around $300 it doesn’t cost an arm and a leg like some other strollers out there!
The infant car seat goes directly from the car onto the stroller, making it also very practical to carry the baby out of the car into the world with you.
The stroller seat is also adjustable, so it fully reclines for an infant, even though it is a better idea to use the car seat for your newborn.
All in all a good system, but keep in mind that the car seat will need to be replaced as soon as your baby grows out of it (after the baby reaches 30lbs.), which means more money spent for another car seat.
There are other travel systems similar to the Chicco ones, and
Graco seems to be the other big favorite of baby registries. And at a price even more affordable than the Chicco’s, it’s easy to understand why.
Considering all these pros, it makes sense to wonder if these travel systems are perfect or if they have any cons.
Well, one of the cons could be the fact that these systems are a bit on the heavy side, difficult to maneuver in small places, and tough to handle in general.
They might also lack the high-end stroller look, some have wheels that don’t respond well, some don’t guarantee the smoothest ride for a baby, and just in general, the whole look of the car seat on top of the stroller might be a little too much for some fashionable mothers.
One last complaint I hear from seasoned moms is “why would you want your baby always in the car seat?” With the travel system, in fact, there is the chance of overusing the car seat (on top of the stroller, in the car, and just to carry the baby around).
While I am not sure why this would be a problem, it makes sense to listen to the voice of experience, so you’ll want to try to move the baby around a little more, say between the car seat and a separate stroller when getting out of the car. Just something to keep in mind.
If you have a bigger budget, you can look into something nicer like the Peg Perego.
Almost anything from Peg Perego is great. At least this is my conclusion after spending so much time researching their strollers.
The Uno is a convertible system, meaning it will convert from stroller to carriage, which is what we are looking for a newborn.
The difference with the Chicco and the Graco is that we don’t need the extra piece - car seat - but the seat of the stroller will recline all the way down, and with some magic and practice, the stroller will turn into a carriage.
Great no?To me this is the perfect compromise between quality, convenience, good looks, and affordability.
The carriage looks cozy, the canopy is big enough and the little legs and feet are protected inside that big and soft foot cover.
Also, compare the wheels on the Uno with the wheels from the Chicco and the Graco above. They are bigger and easier to steer.
Of course, now remember that you need to buy a separate car seat. The Uno, by the way, costs around $499.
If money wasn’t an object, I would pick the Peg Perego Skate over the Uno.
Not because I think the Skate is a much better stroller, but because I really like the way it looks.
It basically does just what the Uno does, converting from stroller to carriage, but the Skate makes it look even easier. All you have to do is recline the seat and you’re done!
I’ve had the pleasure of pushing the Skate around in a store, and it felt light and easy to manoeuvre.
And here’s your newborn’s carriage! All you have to do is recline the seat back and the Skate is ready for your newborn.
Even as a carriage, the Skate looks sleek, sturdy, comfortable and safe. The only problem is in the price tag, since $550 is not what you would call affordable anymore, even if you are getting an excellent stroller.
And while we are in the expensive range, another great stroller is the Uppa Baby Vista stroller.
The Vista stroller looks similar to the Skate, but it doesn’t recline down to carriage, in fact, you need to buy a separate piece, the bassinet, which means spending more money.
While the Vista doesn’t have an incredible color selection, I like that it has an organic lining. And compared to the Skate, the Vista has a much bigger basket under the seat.
At this point, I could stop mentioning any other strollers, because to me spending more than $500-600 on a stroller is crazy. But since not everybody shares my opinion, let me briefly introduce the higher-end strollers out there:
The Bugaboo Frog is one of the most popular strollers out there. It seems like everyone wants one!
I don’t understand why is everyone so eager to spend more than $800 for a stroller system that is available for much cheaper in the models we’ve seen above?
People even talk about stroller envy when referring to the Bugaboo, meaning mothers that don’t own one are envious of mothers that do own one. Ridiculous!
And if anybody mentions looks as the reason why, I honestly think the Bugaboo is uglier than the Skate and than the Uppababy.
Another little monster out there is the Orbit Infant System, which cost the exorbitant amount of $1,200 when it first came out.
Fortunately, the people at Orbit realized how ridiculous that price tag was, so they reduced it down to $900. Thank you for trying, I say, but I still can’t afford it…
Which is ok, because I think the Orbit is uglyish. I don’t mean to sound harsh, but look at it: all I see is cold metal and a lot of stiffness, while there is nothing sweet or soft about it. It was made with design and functionality in mind, but I think a stroller needs to look cozy and comfortable, too.
I do like it better than the Orbit, but you have to admit that it’s a bit weird looking, too.
It is so minimalistic to a fault.
It looks like the kind of stroller insects would use, if they used strollers.
I would say that it is functional, and I like the selection of colors, but since it costs more than $1,000 there is no way I would ever own such a stroller!
And there you have it.
I have tried to cover most of the strollers out there that deserve mention. There are plenty more, of course, but I didn’t want to write a book here, just a small chapter.
I hope this article will help you, even in a small way, in the quest for the “right” stroller for you. And please feel free to add your suggestions and personal favorites in the comments. Good Luck! 
UPDATE: I've had to change some of the links on this post because some of these strollers are no longer available. And the prices have gone up since writing this back in 2009. I ended up buying the Peg Perego Uno, but didn't love it. It was clumsy to move around and considering the pain it was to get into the car with the baby (off the stroller and into the car seat a million times a day), if I could do it again I would totally pick a car seat combination stroller.
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