Pumping up tires...am I the ONLY Idiot Who Can't Do It??

This happened to me until I learned how to use my pump! Does it have a lever by the hole the air comes out of? If so, attach the pump to the air valve on the tire, then lift the lever so it is sticking horizontally. On my pump at least, this locks the pump to the tire and allows the air to flow through. Then when you're done pumping, lower the lever back to the original position and remove the pump. Hope that helps!!

ETA: I was doing the EXACT same thing!!!! Totally backwards!!

I have a really cool item which I carry in the trunk of my car. I bought it at Wal-mart about 10 years ago. It is powered by the adapter in your vehicle.
So in case I have a flat, I can use it to add air to my tire. It has a pressure reading on it as well. I use it to inflate bike tires and exercise balls etc.
It also has an emergency light as part of the unit which can be turned on if you need it on the side of the road. I believe I paid $30 at the time, but certainly a very worthwhile investment. So in addition to having a air pump you have a handy device for road side emergencies.

There are 2 different kinds of bicycle valves Presta and Schrader. The Presta valve is the more slender of the two and is slightly more cumbersome to use, having a lock nut instead of a spring to ensure closure. There are also 2 different types of pumps, one for each valve type. I know this because my husband was worried that I ruined his Presta pump by using it on my Schrader vales on the jogging stroller. But indeed the Schrader pumps have a locking lever that locks the pump to the valve. Even easier: I bought one of those electric inflators with an inline pressure gauge for about $25 at the hardware store that you can plug into your car lighter and pump up car tires and use that on stroller and bicycle wheels.

I was pulling my bike trailer one time to get my son from daycare. I had a flat and stopped at a tire repair shop and they gladly filled it for me for free. I appreciated it, but I had their expertise to fill it! :-)

The manual says not to use a gas station pump because the air pressure coming out in a ton. If you are really careful you can use a gas station air pump. Is it possible that you have a blown tire and the air you are putting in is coming right out the hole.

One way to check is to put the tire and air pump in a tub of water. When you use the pump you will see where the air is actually going. If you see nothing then the pump either doesn't work or it is going into the tires. It will take a ton of pumps to get the tires aired up properly too! If you have only pumped 5 or 6 times keep trying for another 5 or 6. If the air is going into the tire the tire will get harder as you pump it up.

Best of luck.

If you can't get the pump to work you could take the stroller to a bike shop. I can't figure out how to put air in our bikes tires so I take them to the bike shop in town and they have no problem pumping up the tires for me- at no charge. Good luck!