Looking for a Nice Stroller

I love my Chicco Cortina (http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3156651)! The biggest factor for me was that it was easy to fold/unfold with one hand and had an adjustable handle. I'm really short, and no other strollers were easy for me to fold/unfold without using two hands and lots of muscle. Also, they all had handles that came to about my chest. Way too high for me, but fine for my husband. It is heavier than other strollers, but I find it an acceptable trade off for the height. It has ample storage beneath and a viewing window in the sunshade too. It got awesome safety ratings from Consumer Reports.

I like the Grace MetroLite Travel System. It is cheaper than what you are eyeing. The quality is great without having to spend a ton. At BabiesRUs it runs between $209 - $240. With the Travel Sytem, you get the infant carrier is included as well as the car base. If you just want the stroller, you can get it seperately. I like it because 1) it folds up really nicely. It doesn't take much space in the trunk. 2) The handle has a height adjustment. My husband is 6' and I'm 5'. We change the height all the time to make it comfortable for each of us. 3) There is a snack and drink tray for the child. 4) There is basket underneath for storage. 5) There are 2 drink holders available for adults using the stroller.

I've had a few friends who have gotten different strollers that don't have much storage, a snack tray, or a drink holder. This has is all! I've owned mine for 4 years and 2 kids. I've only had a broken wheel due to taking it on an airplane and I was able to get a replacement wheel for about $35 (which, thank goodness, the airlines paid for it).

K.,
As a mom of young adults I am feeling really OLD!!!! The strollers we tried to use for our kids were in the less than $50.00 range and the kids did not like them at all.
I used front packs and back packs. I am so surprised at the cost of strollers you use for such a SHORT time.
old mom in the east bay,
A.

The Quinny Buzz Stroller is the BEST!! It has a hydrolic lift system so you just touch it with your foot and it unfolds itself! It's amazing and really convenient! We did a ton of research on strollers (the Bob which is huge and bulky and the Phil and Ted's which is great if you are planning on having another baby right away but it's still not as good as the Quinny). Even the Bugaboo pails in comparison! It can hold an infant car seat, a bassinet attachment and the regular stroller seat. It's SO comfortable (made of memory foam and very durable scuba material making it a breeze to clean!). And... it comes in really cute colors and with a bunch of awesome things like a pump for the tires, a wind guard, mosquito net and a rain cover. The front wheel locks so it can be a jogging stroller and the wheels are all terrain. We are big beach goers and have pushed it through many sandy areas without even so much as a snag! It's also great in urban areas because it's super easy to steer and it's not at all bulky like other strollers! The other great thing about it is that is folds almost totally flat and you can stand it or lay it down so it doesn't take up too much room. As you can see by my response... we LOVE ours! Anyway, if you have any questions about it feel free to message me through Mamasource. Good luck. What a nice gift you are giving!!!

I have the BOB revolution for walking and the Bugaboo Frog for around town. Both are wonderful! Totally worth the extra money. I have friends with the Chico discovery and Peg Preggo and neither push as well as mine. I feel a stroller is very important especially if your friend is on the go. The downfall to the Bugaboo is it is two pieces, but the came out with the Bugaboo Bee and it's a little cheaper and only one piece. I myself haven't pushed it but I've heard great things. The downfall to the Bob is it's cumbersome and a little on the heavier side. I wanted to be honest! I wouldn't have done it any differently if I started over. If I could only have one I think I would have gotten the Bob because it is more convenient.

I have the Bob revolution and the Peg Perego Pliko P3. I love the Bob for going on walks etc. and the Pliko is excellent for malls. Both have great sun shades and good reclines (the P3 is easier to recline than the Bob). Both accomodate an infant car seat (I have the snugride)...but you need an adaptor for the Bob. The Bob is cumbersome when folded (it doesn't have a latch to keep if folded) and it's heavy and takes up a lot of space...so it's not something I keep in the car. The Pliko P3 has an easy fold, doesn't take up a lot of space, weighs only 11 pounds (or thereabouts)...but it has a small storage basket and it's not the easiest to access. The other thing I love about the P3...as a small stroller, it does't tip over if you hang your diaper bag on the handles and then take your baby out.

Hope that helps.

I bought a Bumbleride (instead of a Bugaboo) and I love it! It looks good, it handles very well and it's light.

I love the Phil & Ted stroller. It is good for everything - shopping, trails, bike path,etc. And if they have another child you can purchase another seat for it. Plus, it comes in some fun colors!

It is all a matter of preference. I love my chicco stroller. I got it at Goore's, but they are also available at babies r us. Unfortunately you just have to go in a try out each stroller. Look for easily collapsable (sp), weight, drink holder, no drink holder etc. Good luck.

K.,
if you can get a Bugaboo, get it. I have not regretted one cent spent on that stroller. You can still find the Frog (the first model) for about 600$. Or ask for a "floor model" at a store, and they will give you a discount. Or, hunt it down on Ebay. We did not buy it because it was trendy, but because we found it to be excellent. We used it when we were in SF a lot, since we were mostly walking, and we are happy with it now that we live in Italy, because it's really good on cobblestone and on crappy streets.
IT is not extremely practical for traveling, although I have friends who use it regularly for that too. We ended up buying a MacLaren on the cheap end for out air travels.
M

I love Phil and Ted stroller. www.pishposhbaby.com love this one wish I bought it my self. I bought buggy mountain instead. I love it too but it is too heavy.

M.

I have a Inglesina, and love it. It has a great one hand fold and is light weight and durable. My girlfriend has the peg and she likes the Inglesina much better.

Like others, I highly recommend the BOB Revolution. Unlike so many other baby items, this one is solidly made, the Mercedes of baby strollers. Make sure it will work with the infant car seat. I bought my BOB last year and that model only worked with 2 car seats: Britax Companion and Peg Perego (can't remember which model). Make sure you check that. If you go with the BOB, do purchase the handle adapter which has 2 cup holders and a small zippered pouch. I also have the Warm Fuzzy, the Sun Protector and the Weather Protector. These are necessary, but I use my BOB for hiking in all weather. You will need to purchase an adapter if you want to use the BOB with an infant car seat as well.
The only con is: you have to wrap the wrist strap around the BOB to keep it closed when folded if that's important to you. When you store the BOB, if you put it "wheels up" it will be relatively flat and take up less space that way. I keep mine in my trunk without problems. (I have a Prius).

Bumbleride Indie or Uppababy Vista!!!!! I have a Rockstar Baby and love it but they don't make them anymore. The same com[any makes a new model that I can't remember the name but I hear they are great as well. I love these because they can work with your car seat, have a pram/bassinet piece and toddler seat. Britax are nice as well.

Take a look at the Vallco Baby Tri-mode... I have the double version and love the quality/handling/features!

If I were doing it all again...I would go with the BOB Revolution and get the adapter for the carseat (GRACO is rated the best). The BOB takes the kids to a very high weight. I have two - one at my parents and one at home. Don't fear the jogger look...I use it in the mall as well as walking on trails! It is the BEST!!! Awesome storage. All of my second kid mom friends have gone to one. I had every stroller imaginable!! Check REI for their sales on this item.

I'm going to vote for a BOB Revolution too. It may not be the best newborn stroller, but I think anyone who goes for walks around the neighborhood would eventually really enjoy having one. I like mine so much that, when I had a second child, I got the double version, even though my older boy is close to outgrowing it.

my friend has a BOB and LOVES it. my other friend has a BUGABOO and loves that too. i personally like MACLAREN. good lcuK!

I am a HUGE fan of the Quinny strollers. I have two of them and LOVE them. When we were in Holland I started looking around what type of strollers they used and Quinny stood out.
With how much walking they do over there I figured it would have to be a durable stroller. They also fold nice and compact.
There is a dealer in Saucelito.
http://www.kiwikidsgear.com/

Hi K.,

If you are willing to increase the amount the Stokke is wonderful in every way, but expensive.

Otherwise, I like the BOB Revolution. It seems really "major" but is actually rather narrow and that baby really glides! I also had a BumbleRide which was OK. I liked that I could reverse the handle for sake of sun in the baby's face and that it had a full recline (terrific for when the fall asleep) but it didn't "push" well and my husband would often kick the tires on walks because of his height (I'm 5'2 so not an issue for me).

Good luck!

Congrats to your friend!

T.

I have a Baby Jogger City Elite and i LOVE it. it was $450 but worth every penny. it's so smooth to push as the front wheel swivels.

the canopy is extra large for those sunny (or rainy) days and it's the easiest stroller to collapse ... you just pull one handle and the whole thing folds in half.

i think your friend would be very happy with this brand of stroller.