Stroller Mistakes
Knowing what I know now my stroller purchase would have went a lot different. When researching strollers, the single advice I received was: the heavy duty/large Graco strollers become cumbersome after sometime pulling it in and out your car because the stroller is heavy but holds a lot and very sturdy. Based on this information alone I knew I did not want the Graco, regardless of how spacious this stroller was. At the time I owned a compact car so this stroller needed to fold down small and leave room in the trunk for my baby bag, purse and whatever other miscellaneous items I had.
And then there was the Peg Perego….I heard nothing but wonderful things about this stroller it was light weight, easy to fold, etc., etc (*music playing in the background*). The selling point for this stroller was the carrier/car seat that completes this combo. The Peg Perego carrier/car seat has very high safety ratings including side impact – enough said. The downside is this carrier is heavy and not easy to carry. The safety ratings outweigh carrying this carrier because the carrier can easily be snapped to a stroller and rolled instead of carried. My child’s safety is the priority not the weight of the carrier.
Now here is where the uninformed shopping comes to play. I was not uniformed due to lack of research, because I read and can recite what most mommies said about each individual product in their reviews. The information I was lacking was a mommie’s lessons learned on buying gear. Because I was buying the Peg Perego carrier, naturally I assumed that the Peg Perego stroller is the only base for this carrier to be snapped to. At the time the stroller decision was still on point, remember I was sold on the ideas that this Peg Perego was so great, light weight, easy to fold, fold down very small etc., etc. so I was already sold. Not realizing that very soon this noir mommie is going to want a Maclaren, an even lighter weight sroller that is more suited to take your child until their stroller says are over. Some light weight strollers are not well made and do not looking comfy to sit in.
Once again I found myself researching a stroller purchase, but this time an umbrella stroller. And in my mind I concluded what else but a Maclaren, did I mention I was partially biased from the beginning? I immediately went directly to babies r us and then immediately went back to babies r us after shopping the net and realizing there are much cheaper ways to purchase this stroller. Many online retailers purchase the stores’ and manufacturers’ last year inventories and sell them cheaper.
Currently, I still use both the Peg Perego and the Maclaren, they are both very nice strollers. The Maclaren folds to the size of a large umbrella so it is not an inconvenience to have them both in the car. In the event that I will be out for a lengthy amount of time I opt for the Peg Perego. The Peg Perego has a cup tray to house bottles and a snack tray for toddlers to snack while out. The cushion on the seat also appear to be more comfy for sleeping. The Maclaren is most convenient for short trips.
If I could have a mulligan, I would reconsider purchasing the Peg Perego (not due to quality) instead purchase a generic stroller base that attached most baby carriers and go directly to a Maclaren.
Recommendations:
Consider your life style and how many hours in a day you would need the stroller
Ask yourself will he/she spend a lot of time in the stroller in one sitting or many multiple trips? (pulling the stroller in and out the car)
If you know you want more than one child. Consider what happens when the next child arrives? In the future will a sit and ride be the best option?
For large strollers and double stroller choose gender neutral colors
Choose a stroller you are going to want long term.
Savings Tips:
If you can wait until the beginning of the year to purchase (Feb./March). This is the time of year when the manufacturers release their new colors and fabrics. You can find many retailers online that purchase other store’s and manufacturer’s inventory and sell them for less. You can save even more money by purchasing fabrics/selections from two years prior.
If you are shopping from a large retailer wait until the sale or there are coupons for you large and small purchases.
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