Help me find the perfect city dweller stroller!

BW1426 · May 18, 2011

We are moving to a big city for a year. We will live within walking distance of DH's work and will not have a car. A will be about 5.5 years old at the time of the move. She weighs about 40 lbs. No idea of her torso height, but she wears a size 5t and she's about an inch below the top slots on the radian. There is public transportation, but I plan on walking a lot of places. I obviously don't expect her to walk miles. I need a stroller with a big basket that will fit a bigger kid. I have a BOB jogger and a Maclaren quest. She fits in the Maclaren. I haven't tried her in the BOB this year but last year she had pretty much maxed out the hight. Love my Mac, but hoping for something a little more stout.

It also needs to be sturdy and not tip with bags hanging on it.

Price is not really an issue.

Must Haves:
Sturdy, not tippy
big basket
turns on a dime
fits bigger kids

crunchierthanthou · May 18, 2011

You may be surprised about her ability to walk. We moved here when ds was 5.5, and he walks all over the place. We mostly live our life within about a 1 mile radius, and until I got a cargo bike last week walk almost exclusively. He can easily walk two miles (round trip to the furthest stores or playdates), even carrying a backpack. Dd who is only 2 can even make the 1 mile round trip to the elementary school. She prefers to walk and explore, and I only make her ride on the stroller when we're on a tight schedule or going farther than the school.

Ds does sometimes ride in my BJCE when dd is walking. He fits fine, but I don't think I'd want to use it full-time in an urban setting. It folds and turns like a dream, but is heavy. I wouldn't want to be lifting it on and off a bus, or up the subway stairs. Plus, the basket sucks and I'm always bumping the wheels in tight situations.

Have you looked at the Mountain Buggy Urban? We had a double for a bit. Ds still fit, and the basket can't be beat. Again, it's not really public transportation friendly.

Oh, or what about a P&T? They are nice and agile with a great basket. Not sure about the seat height, though.

Kaylee31 · May 18, 2011

The TFK (new model) or Valco (old model) Buggster? I've heard it works well for older kids. It has a 20" seatback, and is 24" height to canopy. I've been stalking this one on Ebay (they are hard to find), but it's too similar to my BJCM to justify buying.
Older Valco model:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280679312416&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT
http://strollerqueenreviews.blogspot.com/2009/06/joovy-kooper-and-valco-buggster.html
Newer TFK model:
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Trends-Kids-Buggster-Stroller-Red/dp/B0013PXUXA"]Amazon.com: Trends For Kids Buggster S Stroller, Red: Baby[/ame]
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xstqtxWSqoo"]YouTube - Baby Gizmo Trends for Kids TFK Buggster S Review[/ame]

Babywearing Meghan · May 18, 2011

I lived in the city for ages, I found that by the time Julianna was 4 she was fine walking places, even the half hr walk to school and home each day. BUT one thing about strollers in the city, light weight and small is key, just in case you find yourself needing to hop on a bus or subway, you want to be able to fold it small or lift it if need be.

Babywearing Meghan · May 18, 2011

I lived in the city for ages, I found that by the time Julianna was 4 she was fine walking places, even the half hr walk to school and home each day. BUT one thing about strollers in the city, light weight and small is key, just in case you find yourself needing to hop on a bus or subway, you want to be able to fold it small or lift it if need be.

BW1426 · May 18, 2011

It will be interesting to see how she adjusts. She's not used to walking anywhere now, so it will be a big change. I was just hoping to try out some options with her so that if I decided we needed a better stroller I could go ahead and order once we were there without much deliberation. I also thought the basket would be really nice for hauling groceries home. The grocery store is about a mile and half walk and we will have no car.

gigi · May 18, 2011

I live in New York City. My son walked everywhere (like miles a day) last summer and he was 3. I haven't used a stroller at all since 3 years, 3 months when he stopped napping.

If you do need to use a stroller, your Maclaren Quest is about perfect. EVERYONE here has one. If you want lighter, since your daughter is obviously not in need of a recline, I'd go with a Maclaren Volo or Uppababy G Lite. What you want is a compact, easy fold and LIGHT to carry b/c they make you fold it up before you get on the bus and it is difficult to lug big strollers up and down the subway stairs.

BW1426 · May 18, 2011

gigi said:
I live in New York City. My son walked everywhere (like miles a day) last summer and he was 3. I haven't used a stroller at all since 3 years, 3 months when he stopped napping.

If you do need to use a stroller, your Maclaren Quest is about perfect. EVERYONE here has one. If you want lighter, since your daughter is obviously not in need of a recline, I'd go with a Maclaren Volo or Uppababy G Lite. What you want is a compact, easy fold and LIGHT to carry b/c they make you fold it up before you get on the bus and it is difficult to lug big strollers up and down the subway stairs.

Thanks!

I'm not worried about the fold. I plan to use the stroller when we don't utilize the metro. If we're using the metro I'm not worried about her having to walk.

Annabelle still consistently naps 1.5-2 hours a day and isn't showing signs of giving it up yet. That of course will likely change at some point during the next year. When she's awake she is super active, but when she runs out of energy she crashes. We do utilize the recline in the Mac still when she falls asleep.

I'm not going to buy a stroller before we move, so will likely take my Mac and then go from there. Was just curious about the options. Even if she doesn't need a stroller most of the time, it would be nice to have one when she does and one that would be a nice bag carrier as we won't have a vehicle.

poohbear · May 18, 2011

Gilt has the 2010 vista in maya right now for $390 shipped...

BW1426 · May 20, 2011

We tried some strollers out yesterday. So far the BJ City Elite is the only thing we tried that is in the running. I really liked the B-Ready but the seat just needed to be about 2 inches taller. We are going to check out a Mutsy as well.

It certainly isn't something that will be used for short trips. Just longer day trips where I want a place to put stuff and where she'll get tired.

In my search for a stroller I'm shocked by all the nastiness elsewhere on the internet about kids over the age of 3 using a stroller. WTH?

crunchierthanthou · May 20, 2011

I adore my city elite. The fold! And it pushes like a dream. But it is heavy, and the basket stinks. We use a hiking backpack for a lot of our grocery getting. Not like a huge framed one, but good sized with nice support and padding.

cbf123 · May 20, 2011

BW1426 said:
I'm shocked by all the nastiness elsewhere on the internet about kids over the age of 3 using a stroller. WTH?

The issue is with the kids that end up getting no exercise because they get pushed everywhere, and that since they're in the stroller they get less interaction with other people and they learn less independence.

As for walking, your daughter should have no problem walking miles a day once she gets used to it. You could also look at cycling--a bike with a trailer would be much more convenient for grocery trips as most strollers aren't really rated to carry much weight in the cargo area.

glowworm · May 20, 2011

BW1426 said:
In my search for a stroller I'm shocked by all the nastiness elsewhere on the internet about kids over the age of 3 using a stroller. WTH?

cbf123 said:
The issue is with the kids that end up getting no exercise because they get pushed everywhere, and that since they're in the stroller they get less interaction with other people and they learn less independence.

As for walking, your daughter should have no problem walking miles a day once she gets used to it. You could also look at cycling--a bike with a trailer would be much more convenient for grocery trips as most strollers aren't really rated to carry much weight in the cargo area.

I think the age a child stops using a stroller is different from kid to kid. Some kids simply can't walk long distances. And sometimes kids have walked long distances and are tired and need a stroller. Some kids stop using a stroller at 2. Not mine.
Everyone's needs are different - bottom line.

Jennifer mom to my 7 · May 20, 2011

What about a micralite?

http://www.micralite.com/superlite.asp

And, it is no business of anyones if my 3 4 or 5 year old still rides in a stroller sometimes. People do NOT know the home life of children that they sometimes see in a stroller.

My kids have plenty of exercise, but they do still ride in strollers, especially when I want to get my exercise.

Oh, the Stroller Queen's review:

http://strollerqueenreviews.blogspot.com/2010/07/micralite-fastfold-superlite-review.html

Help me find the perfect city dweller stroller!

BW1426

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crunchierthanthou

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Kaylee31

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Babywearing Meghan

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Babywearing Meghan

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BW1426

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gigi

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BW1426

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poohbear

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BW1426

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crunchierthanthou

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cbf123

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glowworm

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Jennifer mom to my 7

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