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

[Russic]

I'm in the same boat as Sliver. We bought a Phil & Ted's off Kijiji for half price. It had already been used on two kids before us and we've put that thing through quite a bit over the last couple years. Unfortunately we bought it not realizing the attachment for kid #2 wouldn't fit, so we had to buy another one.

I can assure you if you buy a decently priced one and sell it on Kijiji when you're done for a reasonable price (probably half), you'll sell it within 12 hours.

[Ashartus]

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.

There are more than two types:
1. Bucket seat. Not strictly needed, but a convenience when the baby is very small.
2. Rear-facing car seat. Used once they outgrow the bucket seat (or from birth if you don't get the bucket seat) until about age 1. Some experts are now recommending rear-facing until age 2, but with my kids I was finding their feet were scrunched up against the seat by age 1, plus they wanted to see where we were going. In some provinces the law requires that a rear-facing seat is used until they are at least 20 lbs.
3. Forward-facing car seat. Used from around age 1 (or 2) until they can use a booster seat, which is either 40 lbs or 6 years in Alberta.
4. Booster seat. No specific laws in Alberta yet I believe, but in most provinces it has to be used until the child is either 4'9" tall, 80 lbs. or 9 years old.

There are lots of 3-in-1 or 2-in-1 models that convert from one form to another though.

[albertGQ]

Here is my contribution from my experience. You’ll need at least two strollers (three if your wife likes to jog). You’ll need a compact umbrella stroller and a Cadillac one. The umbrella for short convenient trips. A huge one is important. You can use it instead of a shopping cart if you’re going to the grocery store. She can place her diaper bag, extra jackets, hat, etc. If you’re planning on having baby #2. I would straight up get a double stroller now. Not a side by side one, but one where they sit behind & in front of each other. This way you won’t have to upgrade to a double in a couple years. Plus, that extra seat now can be used for extra storage. Trust me, that is my #1 suggestion.

[sclitheroe]

Originally Posted by IGGYRULES

Disagree completely! Get a voice one. Your kid does not need to be monitored 24/7 by cctv and you have a life to live after he/she goes to bed.

Agree on the disagree. I'd go so far as to say the audio monitors are not needed either, but I also remember how it felt/the perception with #1 to not have it - so for the few months when it might, ever so slightly, help with the sanity & new baby OCD, you might as well get one, they aren't terribly expensive.

The under-pad breathing/movement thing sounds sooooo good, what a brilliant idea right - except when you are dead tired, it's middle of the night, and the baby is in that half-sleeping quiet mode, and you pick her up to do whatever, forget to turn the pad alarm off, the warning chirps start, nowhere to put the baby down in the dark quickly, and BOOM, it goes full Chernobyl warning, and then everyone is awake and screaming.

Good times, good times. I think we used that thing for maybe 2 weeks before we realized we were no longer competent working it, and _everyone_ including the baby, was sleeping better without us causing it to go off.

[Table 5]

What are those pads for anyway? Why is that much of a problem if the baby moves? What exactly are you monitoring for?

Sorry if these questions sound stupid.

[sclitheroe]

Originally Posted by Table 5

What are those pads for anyway? Why is that much of a problem if the baby moves? What exactly are you monitoring for?

Sorry if these questions sound stupid.

Sudden Infant Death syndrome...basically, because they are so primitive developmentally, babies can go into so deep a sleep that their autonomic nervous system can go to sleep as well, and they stop breathing.

Edit: Well I guess there's lots of other theories as to what causes it, but basically it will detect a child not breathing which would be the symptom of SIDS, even if the cause isn't really known/well understood.

[Table 5]

So basically they have to be on their side or back? Or are you literally just waiting for them to stop breathing at any moment? That doesn't sound nerve-wracking at all, ha.

[tete]

Oh and another option for carrying the babe is to buy a carrier. There are some really great baby carriers out there, soft structured ones like Ergo, Boba, MeiTai(Babyhawk) and then wraps and ring slings. The biggest thing I'd stress about carriers is DO NOT BUY A BABY BJORN. I can not stress this enough. They are TERRIBLE. They don't give the baby enough support in the hips and can contribute to hip dysplasia - and they're also one of the few that allow a baby to be worn forward facing, which again, should NOT be done, it is not good for a baby's spine/chest/hips. Babies should be worn chest to chest on the front or on the back.

There is a store down by Chinook called Babes in Arms that has tons of options and offers babywearing classes.

RE: SIDS. One theory about SIDS is stomach sleeping puts the baby into a much deeper sleep than on their back, which can limit their ability to wake themselves up if they have a small apneatic episode. Back sleeping is the recommended method. Those Angelcare monitors can be helpful from what I've heard if you're paranoid about SIDS, but I just never bothered with a monitor at all, so I don't really see the point.

[sclitheroe]

Originally Posted by Table 5

So basically they have to be on their side or back? Or are you literally just waiting for them to stop breathing at any moment? That doesn't sound nerve-wracking at all, ha.

They recommend newborns sleep on their back, because it seems to correlate fairly strongly with SIDS reduction. There's still a rate of about 0.5 SIDS deaths per 1000 births in the US though, so dead baby time is any time.

[Grimbl420]

Audio monitors have their uses, like when baby is napping and I'm outside doing yard work. We had one for our first(6) who had gastroesophageal reflux, and barely used it for our second(2).

I can see why people want a video monitor and motion pad, but I'll stick to my opinion that they are for ultra paranoid parent, who've bought into the "your baby's going to die of S.I.D.S. if you don't have this" fear advertizing that come with them. I guess if it gives you peace of mind then spend your money.

[Bigtime]

Yeah, if that alarm goes off in the middle of the night it can really freak you out as a first time parent. I think we had two false alarms with our first kid, and none with the new one.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by SportsJunky

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.

Sounds like we had the exact same one. I could count the number of times we needed the 4x4 tires on no hands....I guess we tried a hiking trail for about one second with it and went to the carrier.

I feel bad for new parents. I just look back at how much money we spent and how many things we bought because we thought that they were must haves, when in reality we didn't need most of it. I'll never forget some of the trips to Bo Bebe (which might be out of business now?) and the guy there basically preying upon first time parents telling them about kids with deformed heads from being in a bucket for too long, or how amazing these strollers are/were or whatever other product he had. It's not that these concerns are legitimate, or that there was no merit at all to what was being said. It's just that there are so many concerns for a first time parent as it is that the last thing people need is a salesman pouncing on them and monetizing those insecurities and fears.

[octothorp]

I strongly agree with the other comments about getting two strollers, one high-end, and one umbrella-style stroller (which can actually be pretty nice too, if you want to pay). This is especially true if you're travelling. It's worth noting that some airlines (including Air Canada) will charge you if you want to travel with a stroller that doesn't fold up compactly, or treat your stroller as one item toward your baggage limit, and you won't be able to use the gate-to-gate service.
We really like our bumbleride stroller for our high-end one, and we had the bassinet for it as well.

We got by without any sort of baby-monitor, but we live in a small house where we can hear any noise he makes in his crib from the far end of the house.

[macker]

Put thousands of KMS on a Schwinn running stroller (double). Just sold it last week and one of those items that you still think you have a use for years after you are done using it Guess you could load it up to go to BBQs etc.? Anyways Schwinn has good quality in my experience as I used that thing in everything from 45 minute 10K races with two kids riding to going up to the treeline on many area hikes/scrambles. Didn't have to have one repair done in the 8 years I owned it. Even a spot to let the dog ride at the bottom

I would also get a cheap walmart http://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/the-firs...RCH%3Astroller stroller also that you can use at malls/amusement parks etc. This type of stroller handles well in crowds and will get you less dirty looks from people vs bringing in the heavy artillery. Not the type of stroller that anyone is going to steal and you can just park them anywhere and go off to do other things. People who push strollers in crowds can be very annoying and this is comming from someone who used to do it all the time Try to push something shoulder width apart and use force when necessary Also be careful with these low profile strollers when you have some good momentum and hit a door entrance etc. as your kid could go for a tumble if not belted in

[RedMileDJ]

Our little guy turns 7 months tomorrow, and is already 18 pounds.

That being said, this is what we have been using:

When he was first born we used the following "bucket" type system:

http://www.safety1st.ca/eng/Products...-Travel-System

This travel system comes with one bucket, stroller and base for the bucket. This is great, because at this stage the kid is light enough to easily carry around in the bucket. When you want to drive, just snap him in, and off you go. Same thing goes for the stroller.

Basically he stays in the bucket, until we need to snap him into the car or stroller.


Now that he's a bit bigger, we're finding the stroller with that system a bit big, and cumbersome. So we purchased the follow, this past weekend:

http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/prod...x-stroller-541

Much smaller, and easier to pack up and move. But by this point, you've retired the "bucket" system and are using a "real" car-seat.


Now we have the following installed into each of our cars:

http://www.sears.ca/product/eddie-ba...289363-8696KBT

This is a 3 in 1. Rear facing, forward facing and booster. It's all you'll ever need after the "bucket" system. We love it. VERY easy to use, adjust and install. I actually took our cars over to the fire-hall and had them inspected for proper installation. They said it was perfect.

Since he's graduated to this seat, that's why we bought the smaller and lighter stroller.


Here is the current version of the "bucket" travel system that Walmart is selling. Same as what we bought, just a different colour:

http://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/safety-1...Box=&addFacet=


There are a lot of different options. We're just finding out now that you can buy the travel system in a smaller deal, kind of like the stroller above. Rather than the big Safety 1st travel system. Oh well. Do your research. Hopefully I've been some help.

Cheers!

ps. The Combi strollers are on sale at Kacz' Kids.

[undercoverbrother]

Table 5 I reckon you should get something like this:

[Ace]

If your looking at breathing monitors, I have this and it is IMO the best invention ever. Easy to travel with you, and works great.

http://www.amazon.com/Snuza-Halo-Bab.../dp/B002ITOC7S

As For SIDS, this is the best theory I have ever seen on SIDS...at least some science behind it:

http://www.cotlife2000.com/

[onetwo_threefour]

Might have skipped a few posts, so I don't know if any one has suggested consignment stores yet. There are at least a couple in Calgary and they sell this type of thing as well. Probably a bit more expensive than Kijiji, but they also filter out the crap so you don't have to...

[Ashartus]

Originally Posted by Red-Mile-DJ

Now we have the following installed into each of our cars:

http://www.sears.ca/product/eddie-ba...289363-8696KBT

This is a 3 in 1. Rear facing, forward facing and booster. It's all you'll ever need after the "bucket" system. We love it. VERY easy to use, adjust and install. I actually took our cars over to the fire-hall and had them inspected for proper installation. They said it was perfect.

I had that seat (or their equivalent model about 3 years ago) - it was fine as rear facing, but didn't sit as well in our car forward facing as the other model we bought (a Britax Marathon) and after a few months the straps started to fray and get jammed, making it very difficult to loosen and tighten them. We ended up getting rid of ours and replacing it. I found the Britax way easier to install and adjust, and are still in great condition after about 3 years of use. It was a bit more money, but there are sales pretty often.

[Russic]

Originally Posted by Ace

If your looking at breathing monitors, I have this and it is IMO the best invention ever. Easy to travel with you, and works great.

http://www.amazon.com/Snuza-Halo-Bab.../dp/B002ITOC7S

As For SIDS, this is the best theory I have ever seen on SIDS...at least some science behind it:

http://www.cotlife2000.com/

With respect, that seems insane. Since the beginning of the "back is best" movement and people realizing second hand smoke is harmful, SIDS rates have dropped heavily. Your source says that sleeping position and cigarette smoke have no impact.