Since strollers are one of the most researched purchases for new parents, I thought I’d talk about the three strollers that we’ve owned in Charlie’s 23 months of life. There is no “best” stroller because where you live and your lifestyle will determine which stroller best suits your needs. For instance, someone who lives in the suburbs and drives everywhere is going to have very different needs from someone who takes public transportation and needs to carry a stroller up and down stairs.  These are the strollers that worked well for our city needs, where our stroller essentially functions as our car.

1) Graco infant car seat + Graco Stroller frame


Most strollers are designed to be used from 6 months and up, unless your stroller has a bassinet option. This car seat + stroller frame set up is great if you don’t know what your stroller needs will be until your baby arrives.  We used this exclusively for the first 6 months of Charlie’s life.

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The pluses for this set up include: 1) it’s cheap (~$60) since you’ll already own a car seat, and these frames are compatible with many different car seats, 2) it has a ginormous basket on the bottom (great for groceries), 3) it can be used from birth, 4) when you don’t have a car and take cabs like New Yorkers do, a car seat+stroller in one is quite handy (it’s also great for traveling), 5) the frame folds up easily and the car seat snaps in and out easily.  The main downside is that the handling isn’t nearly as good as it would be with a nicer stroller.  A stroller with a bassinet would definitely have better handling, but those types of strollers are also usually pricey.  Another option is to buy a kit that allows you to attach your car seat to a regular stroller . The only downside to that is that the car seat can’t be removed as quickly and easily as it can with a stroller frame, but you do get the benefit of better handling.

2) City Mini

It took Charlie a little while to get used to facing forward in the City Mini when he’d faced us for the first 6 months of his life in his car seat stroller.  But once he got used to it, he hated the deep recline of the car seat stroller so we never used it again.

The City Mini has dethroned the Bugaboo as the stroller of choice here in Park Slope.  After a lot of research, we purchased a City Mini because it has the smooth handling of a much more expensive stroller, it’s affordable ($200), it has hands down the easiest one hand folding action, and is relatively lightweight at 17 pounds.  We have stairs that lead up to our apartment entrance, so a lightweight stroller was one of the most important factors in our stroller decision.  Other features include an easy drawstring recline, a huge sunshade, and two peekaboo windows so you can see what your baby is doing through the sunshade.  The only downside of this stroller is that at its most upright position, your baby’s view to the left and right is slightly obscured by the sides of the stroller.  It started to bother Charlie as he got older, and he’d hold onto the belly bar to pull himself more upright.  Still overall I’m very happy with the City Mini and would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a great stroller at a great price.  I even asked a stroller expert at Buy Buy Baby if money were no object, which stroller they would purchase for their own child, and they said the City Mini.

Stroller accessories I purchased include the belly bar ($30), Sunshine Kids cup holder/organizer ($20), a 7am Enfant footmuff (used), and a rain cover ($40).  With all the accessories, the City Mini came out to about $400.

3) Maclaren Quest

We needed an umbrella stroller asap for a trip, so I hit a local store.  I knew I wanted an umbrella stroller that reclined so Charlie could sleep, and the popular UPPAbaby G-luxe (~$180) and Maclaren Quest (~$230) were the only two reclining options my local store carried.  These are probably two of the most popular umbrella strollers.

The UPPAbaby stands on its own when it’s folded, comes with a cupholder, has a large sunshade, is 11 pounds (a pound lighter than the Maclaren), and is more affordable.  But the Maclaren looks sturdier, has an extendable leg rest so younger babies won’t have their legs dangling (it’s folded down in the picture above), and comes with a rain cover.  I went with the Maclaren because it seemed sturdier, and all store clerks seem to prefer the Quest. But knowing what I know now, I would have gone with the UPPAbaby G-luxe.  The small sunshade on the Quest is practically useless, so we have a Protect-a-bub sunshade which provides great coverage, but is a hassle to take off every time we close the stroller.  The brake for the Quest is also located in the back of the stroller, which makes pulling the stroller up and down stairs difficult for city dwellers like myself that take the subway and have stairs to their apartment buildings.

The Maclaren costs more than the City Mini, but I vastly prefer the City Mini day to day because you can maneuver with it one hand while the Quest requires that you use both hands. But Charlie now prefers the Quest because he can climb in and out of it more easily.

We sold the stroller frame long ago, so we currently own two strollers — the City Mini and the Maclaren Quest. The City Mini is great for daily use on the bumpy streets of Brooklyn and in the wintertime when the streets are covered with snow. We use the Quest for travel and the subway since it’s lighter than the City Mini.  Now that we have two kids, we have to add another stroller to our arsenal — a double stroller!  A separate post on that coming soon!

How many strollers have you owned?  Which ones have you loved or hated?

Strollers & Stroller Accessories part 2 of 7

1. Stroller Comparison Guide by Mrs. High Heels
2. Stroller Saga by Mrs. Bee
3. Double Strollers by Mrs. Bee
4. Best Stroller Accessories by Guides
5. Stroller Review: Jeep Liberty Stroller by Mrs. Pen
6. Infantino Stretch by Mrs. Bee
7. Maclaren Globetrotter by Mrs. Bee