I'm a Baby-Stroller Shopper, and I want to ask anything...

[Regulator75]

Also, once you introduce solids / puree the poop changes for the much more stinkier.

My little guy has been exclusively breast fed and there was zero smell until he graduated to "real food".

[Fozzie_DeBear]

Originally Posted by Sylvanfan

If the kid is happy to sleep in puke, it's good with me. If it bothers him that much, he'll fuss enough about it that I'll go check on him. It's not like a video monitor let's you know they crapped their pants.

As for the comment someone made about the Porsche with a back seat....once they can walk, that's like the ideal car. I'm poor so I don't have a Porsche, but my 2 year old opens the door and pretty much gets himself in the car seat in my Mustang. We still have to help in get in the SUV. Since I put the car on the road for the summer...my back pain problems have been solved.

+1 to coupes being surprisingly good toddler cars

We changed cars from a Forester to a coupe (Acura CL) and was totally surprised at how good a car it is for carrying kids. The front seats flip forward which actually made loading and unloading kids much easier than in the old Forester. And it has an epic trunk which is a big bonus...it swallows the stroller with room to spare.

Not so good for the dog though...

[Mccree]

Originally Posted by Regulator75

The AC1100 is an amazing monitor.

http://www.angelcare-monitor.com/Can...monitor-AC1100

I highly recommend it as well.
It's not crazy audio sensitive either, can't even hear him until he's actually talking / crying.

Those are great until the no movement sensors goes off in error at 3am. Scared the poop out of us.

[Fozzie_DeBear]

A baby monitor feature which we used a lot was the lullabye feature...the Phillips unit played non-cheezy music which saved us from having to get up countless times.

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by tete

If I recall correctly, you guys live in Beltline, right? Are you planning on staying in the area? We live in Beltline and I find I get great use out of our larger stroller (Bugaboo Frog) for long walks up to the river/around downtown, and keep our umbrella stroller (Maclaren Quest) in the car for trips to the mall, etc. We used the bassinette attachment and car seat attachment on the Frog for the first three months or so, then moved to the regular seat. While I really like our Frog and am happy with it since we bought it second hand off a friend, if I was spending a chunk of cash on a new one, I think I'd look at either the City Select or UppaBaby Vista.

Yep, still going to be in the Beltline, so I assume it will be used heavily in urban areas. Those Bugaboos and Uppa's look nice on paper, but might be getting a bit high in terms of process. I've been taking quick looks at Kijiji, but to be honest, Im not really seeing too many good deals. Saving 100 bucks on a 3 year old stroller doesn't seem that hot of a deal...but maybe I just haven't found a good one yet.

Thanks for the feedback, appreciate it!

[Titan]

Newborn diapers are a rip off. You will buy one pack. compare it to the next size up and do the math and you will see the rip off.

You say you are going to hit the kac? Isn't that why your wife got pregnant?

Kidding. It is called Kacz' Kids.

Definately go there and test drive all of them. The one hand steer is great advice. Also, don't be shy to fold them down and carry them a bit to see which is easiest.

For cribs, make sure the rail can be raised with one hand QUIETLY. This is very key.

They didn't have fancy video monitors 7 and 11 years ago but I rigged my video camera with night vision and ran a cable to a tv. My wife totally mocked me and said it was useless, until the baby came home. She thought it was awesome. Also, you can see if they are fussing or need help. If they are just fussing and you walk in then they are awake. do that twice and you will get a video monitor. We did have the angel care as well and found it gave us peace of mind.

Congratulations. Don't be afraid to travel. The first couple years are easiest to travel with. Then it gets hard until they are 6-7 and it starts to get easier again.

[Ace]

I based my stroller selection on which car seat I felt was the best, and then got the stroller that matched (and the bassenet)

For us this turned out to be the Britex Chaperone. We really like it, it's a pretty good size and changing from the car seat, bassenet, stroller seat is super simple.

As for the Bassenet, It was quite worth it for us, but I think this might depend on when you are having the baby. If it's going to be in the middle of winter you might not use it much for walking and it might be a waste. For us it was used a lot as a portable bed (when traveling), and for walking around the Neighborhood.

We bought all the attachments because we figure we'll likley have more kids so everything should get used more than once which makes spending money a little easier.

[Buff]

Originally Posted by 4X4

But ask yourself where you're really going that you need much crap? The maximum amount of time your newborn is going to be away from home is 2-3 diapers, a half a thermos of formula, and a thing of wipes. It's not like you need to pack a sleeping bag in the stroller. Maybe an extra sleeper.

With three young kids we find that the extra storage on the stroller is needed. Our oldest doesn't need much anymore, but the younger two do. If we're doing a day trip, like to the Calgary Zoo, it's nice to pack a lunch for the family, have the diaper bag for the young'un and some other stuff like hats, room to put crap you buy etc.

[ma-skis.com]

Originally Posted by Table 5

Man, some good advice in this thread. Who knew CP knew so much about babies.

sadly, after you have your baby, the only thing you will be able to do anymore is surf CP.

my two cents is jogging stroller, easier to push around and roll outside on curbs bumps and everything, small wheeled strollers were designed for malls.

[KTrain]

We've gone through a few strollers to find one that works well for us. My advice would be to find one that you can use with the kid for a couple years. A travel system is good because it comes with the bucket seat for newborns and usually has a car attachment that you can clip them into with ease. Buy an extra one of these attachments if you're transferring the kid between cars a lot. Once they're out of the bucket seat that can use the regular seat in the stroller.

I like the inflatable rubber tires (like a bike) as the tend to be better for all sorts of terrains. The Valco I sold kermitology was great for this. They're typically heavier though so make your wife lift the stroller in the store as if she was putting it into the trunk of your car. The bumper of our VW would look much better if we had tested this or my wife had better upper-bidy strength.

[Sliver]

Don't waste your time looking at used strollers as the chances of finding a good one are too remote. We retired our Phil and Ted's after hauling two kids around in it (simultaneously for a spell) for 3.5 years. By the end it was held together with glue and a hose clamp. That thing was a war wagon...trips to the zoo, heritage park, beach, etc.

Big thing is don't cheap out. Rubber inflatable tires for sure. Good storage for sure. The Phil & Ted's is one to look at and isn't overpriced for the quality. It's three wheeled but will feel tippy exactly never.

[Slava]

I'm going to chime in and suggest you don't go overboard on a stroller. I can't recall how many hundreds we spent, but in hindsight it was a waste! We looked at the Valco and were sold on it (and eventually went with another brand), but frankly as soon as your child can walk it becomes a challenge to keep them in a stroller for an extended period of time. That and when you want a stroller you are likely packing it up to bring in a car or vehicle somewhere; you really want something smaller. Same goes when you get to wherever you're going; an unwieldy stroller in a crowd of people or busy store is just frustration.

Lastly, I found that the bucket seat was great, but if you're going somewhere with a grocery cart the stroller is staying in the car anyway, you just put the bucket in the cart and do your thing.

As for the video monitor, I can't help but chime in. You really don't need to watch them go to sleep. If you're rationally that concerned about where they're sleeping and them being safe then you ought to be reconsidering where it is you are putting them down! As for the convenience, as soon as they're twelve pounds or 3 months old you can put them down and not go back in until morning (or a huge amount of fussing). The video monitor at that point is really just to watch them sleep....even if it's your kid I think I can say without offending anyone that that's pretty boring!

[Bigtime]

We bought a Valco 3 wheeler before we had the first kid, it has made it to kid #2 3 years later with minimal problems (we actually had them replace the frame and it was no problem).

We didn't bother with the car seat attachment for it, both kids were able to be layed down in it by 4 weeks no problem. Why spend money of something that you don't need by one month in? Plus newborns shouldn't spend more than 1 hour in those car seats, so if you are out for longer than that you'll need to take them out anyways.


I only skimmed most replies, but we bought the Cuddly Wrap (http://www.peapodcreations.ca/ ) to use as a carrier. Great for the mom and the dad to use!

For car seats we went with one Peg Perego Primo Viaggio (Italian made baby!) and bought two bases for it (one for each car). http://www.pegperegocanada.com/babyp...SEAT++SIP+3030

Also put me down as another vote for the umbrella strollers. When you do travel via plane somewhere, just hit up the nearest Wal-Mart, Target, Costco, Zellers, etc and grab one there. At most it will set you back $10 and you can just leave it when you head back home. We also keep one at home to take on trips where we don't want the big stroller.

As for the great monitor debate, we've only ever had an audio one. We bought an Angel Care that has the pressure pad you put under the mattress, if it doesn't sense any movement from the infant over 30 seconds it will sound an alarm. Really only need it for the first 6 months or so.

[OldDutch]

Originally Posted by Slava

As for the video monitor, I can't help but chime in. You really don't need to watch them go to sleep. If you're rationally that concerned about where they're sleeping and them being safe then you ought to be reconsidering where it is you are putting them down! As for the convenience, as soon as they're twelve pounds or 3 months old you can put them down and not go back in until morning (or a huge amount of fussing). The video monitor at that point is really just to watch them sleep....even if it's your kid I think I can say without offending anyone that that's pretty boring!

We bought an audio only monitor and used it for a year, then switched to a video one. We love the video, and would never go back.

It has nothing to do with where we put him down. Rather, he has a nasty tendency to throw up in bed from coughing. Even when he gets a cold, he will throw up. So it was a safety thing, and we were sick of getting up to check on him dozens of times a night when we thought he did throw up.

Another bonus, is the checking in on your kid when he makes noise. Now my wife just turns on the monitor and can see if he is up, or if he has gone back to sleep right from her bed.

Audio is totally fine, but I have had both, and for not having to get out of bet to check on every little noise, I give thumbs up to video.

Also, if you do get video, I have gone through a few. They almost all are garbage and will break within a few months. Except for this one:

http://www.theshoppingchannel.com/Mo...s?nav=R:673566

We have this me now, and it is awesome. Don't get the anything made by Summer Infant, that is a total junk company. 2 monitors broke on us in three months with them.

[Table 5]

I've ran out of forum thanks, but thanks for all the feedback everyone.

It seems like there are two types of car seats....at what age do they graduate to the older bigger-kid one?

Also, at what stage can a child go without a car seat? I have a feeling that's going to be a happy day.

[Bigtime]

Originally Posted by Table 5

I've ran out of forum thanks, but thanks for all the feedback everyone.

It seems like there are two types of car seats....at what age do they graduate to the older bigger-kid one?

Also, at what stage can a child go without a car seat? I have a feeling that's going to be a happy day.

Changing car seats is a weight/size thing if I recall. I think the weight may be around 18 pounds, or if they are getting too tall to fit in the rear facing seat.

[SportsJunky]

Originally Posted by fotze

You will want the thing that the car seat will attach too. The nicer the thing is the bulkier and annoying it is to transport.

We found this to be true. We bought a Quinney stroller with these massive 4x4 tires and all kinds of bells and whistles (literally) and it weighs more than your momma. I get angry at my child every time I have to load that thing into the van.

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

Changing car seats is a weight/size thing if I recall. I think the weight may be around 18 pounds, or if they are getting too tall to fit in the rear facing seat.

I always feel kind of sorry for kids when I see those rear-facing seats. It must suck to have to stare at mostly the back of a seat for the whole ride.

[Sliver]

40 pounds (4ish) until they're out of car seats and in a booster just using a regular seatbelt. It's the best!

Also, buy a carseat for each of your cars. We have three cars and had redundant carseats in each of them and now have redundant boosters in each of them. I own six booster seats for two kids lol, but it is so convenient and we will just kijiji them when we are done. Just sold my last carseat on kijiji last weekend.

[Bigtime]

It's too bad the forward facing seats don't have the detachable base like the rear facing, we ended up buying 2 car seats just to keep one in each car.