Re: umbrella/travel strollers- yes or no?
^ so how did it go without a stroller? my kid is almost 30 lbs too mA and we're definitely NOT carrying him while we sight-see. it would be uncomfortable for everyone. how was your kid for naps? did he nap in the carrier?
i really want to take our stroller along but i'm scared about possible damage too.
Re: umbrella/travel strollers- yes or no?
Oh I thought you were talking about taking strollers on flights/airport. Where we went for vacations, our family there had stroller they weren't using. We asked them beforehand. And no please don't carry your baby around ... we just did it for airports since we didn't take a stroller. Get a cheap one.
Re: umbrella/travel strollers- yes or no?
^ when we take it on board, it'll be for use during our vacay :p
Re: umbrella/travel strollers- yes or no?
We took our regular stroller along mostly for vacations. We do own a cheaper umbrella stroller but I found the regular one is better for napping and carrying stuff around (pouch on the underside of stroller).
Re: umbrella/travel strollers- yes or no?
^ you checked it in as baggage? did you have a stroller bag for it or just checked it in on its own?
Re: umbrella/travel strollers- yes or no?
so after much research and test driving, i’ve confirmed that umbrella strollers are horrible for bigger babies and also they have absolutely crap baskets that will hold a pretzel-sized diaper bag and thats about it.
i test drove the maclaren quest today- seat was roomy, its a little low to the ground, but quite comfortable/luxe for an umbrella stroller but, hello, $280 plus tax?? i think not.
then i tested out the uppababy g-luxe. LOVED this stroller- very sleek, very stable, good push and maneuverability, and very suited to taller parents because the handle height is quite high. however, the seat is very narrow. the sales girl kept telling me 45 lbs or 5 years, whichever came first, meanwhile my 9 month old fits in it end-to-end like a perfectly placed puzzle piece, and there is NO room for growth. tsk tsk. this was $200 plus tax.
silvercross strollers came next. these are nice, basic strollers with not many bells and whistles and relatively cheap too- between $100- $150 and even lower on sale, but didn’t seem suitable for cobblestone streets and heavy travel usage. there was hardly any padding on the seat and for the kid to be in there long term while we sight see would just be unfair on his back and bum. more of a hammock style seat on those.
they also had the fairly new, canadian made guzzie + gus brand. it was ok. nothing to write home about although it would be suitable for taller kids because there was quite a bit of clearance from seat to canopy BUT the seat was really shallow. not sure how an older kid with a bigger bum would sit in it and still be comfortable.
so then i went into the lightweight plus category and test drove the baby jogger city mini. $199 for the 2011 model on clear out, $280 for the brand new 2012 model. LOVE the fold on this stroller, holy crap, do i love it. its UHMAYZING. everyone watch this video right now and admire the genius of it:
its 16.8 lbs, so not as light as an umbrella, but lighter than all the other full size strollers on the market. it has a one-handed fold, smooth push, firm seat, good sized basket, 8.5" wheels- all in all, this is a full size stroller that folds into this very compact little package. i loved it. the 2011 models are now on sale because 2012 just came out with a few adjustments. i had her put the 2011 aside for me… but then, when i got home, i came across the britax b-agile online, and i’m in LOVE. its a direct competitor to the city mini- it folds the same way but with an automatic lock which is better, higher quality fabrics, better wheels - 9" rear, 5.5" front, smoother ride, suspension on all wheels vs. suspension only on the front wheel on the city mini, very easy to adjust harness straps, the list goes on. at 16.5 lbs its also slightly less heavier than the city mini.
so that’s it. the britax b-agile is one we’re going to get insha’Allah. i’m hoping to pick it up tomorrow.
Re: umbrella/travel strollers- yes or no?
here’s the video review on the britax b-agile, and btw, if any new moms are looking for a great travel system, check this one out for that too! amazon is selling both car seat and stroller together for $350 which is fantastic (stroller alone is $195 right now through britaxusa on amazon.com), and britax are a phenomenal company who make great products. we have their baby carrier and their car seat and we love both of them.
Re: umbrella/travel strollers- yes or no?
and because the city mini and the b-agile are so similar, here’s a side by side comparison of them both:
b-agile vs. city mini 2011 model (which is what i was going to get)
Re: umbrella/travel strollers- yes or no?
and here’s the side by side comparison of the b-agile vs. city mini 2012
so basically, the compact fold and light weight mean if you get the city mini or the b-agile, you’re actually getting a full size stroller that folds down to an umbrella size which, really, is the best of both worlds.
we might still be gate-checking the b-agile but i’m hoping the folded size will make a convincing argument of having in stowed somewhere on board instead.
stroller nerd signing off,
have a good night folks!
p.s: why can’t i add more than one video in a post at a time? 
Re: umbrella/travel strollers- yes or no?
I was just thinking of asking you if you would recommend an umbrella stroller, and here is your research. I was just thinking of getting a real cheap one from walmart or zellers for taking Jr. around in.
I hate to deal with his Graco stroller at this time of my pregnancy and would love something light weight that is easy to get in and out of the apt.
Please let me know if there are any cheap ones out there with adjustable handles, hubby hates umbrella strollers coz he has to bend over. Thanks :)
Re: umbrella/travel strollers- yes or no?
^ look into the peg perego pliko mini. it has adjustable handles and looks lovely, and its made in italy, not china. i’ll be heading to the stroller store again tomorrow and can test drive it for you.
StrollerQueenReviews: Search results for peg perego pliko mini
it retails for around $250, but i’m finding that sadly the good umbrella strollers are in the $200-$300 range - hence my decision to spend that much on a full size that collapses small. cheaper than that range means you most likely won’t have adjustable handles and the padding on the seat/seat back plus the basket might not be ideal. but i think with the basket, just resign yourself to it being small and hard to get to on most umbrellas.
cheaper than that but also really nice is the uppababy g-luxe. its $200 but its got a handle height of 41" from ground up so its meant for taller parents. i’m 5’2" and it was almost a little too high for me to push comfortably.
G-LUXE Stroller
i love the yellow-orange colour they’ve got. plus the pop out sunshade is a really nice touch.
lastly, and its not sold in canada so i can’t say what its like in person, but if you have plans to head to the US anytime soon, check out the Aprica Presto. this is a japanese company and this stroller is supposed to be amazing and looks like it actually has a decent basket but is still lightweight and umbrella class- Amazon.com: Aprica Presto Stroller, Tea Leaf Green: Baby
here’s a video review- if you read the text under it, you’ll see this is also designed for taller parents- Aprica Presto Stroller Review - YouTube
bonus with this one is the raised seat. its quite high up and kids seem to enjoy that, plus he’ll be closer to you so less bending. the weight limit on this is also a very high 70lbs!
another video breaking down the features-
as always, check online for deals!
btw, since you’ve got number 2 coming soon insha’Allah, have you looked into any double strollers?
Re: umbrella/travel strollers- yes or no?
Nope, hubby says Jr. can walk (good luck with that in a busy mall ) or hubby says he will pick him up (again good luck with that). But I was talking to a friend of mine and she suggested getting one of those standing plates. I don't know how feasible that would be but I'm thinking I won't have to make runs to the bank or run any other errands with 2 kids :)
TBH $200 is steep for us, maybe I'll just get those 20-30 bucks one for myself. hubby wants to hold on to the Graco one, he can load and unload it himself. With the weather getting slightly better I wanna go out without getting tired.
Re: umbrella/travel strollers- yes or no?
Nope, hubby says Jr. can walk (good luck with that in a busy mall ) or hubby says he will pick him up (again good luck with that). But I was talking to a friend of mine and she suggested getting one of those standing plates. I don't know how feasible that would be but I'm thinking I won't have to make runs to the bank or run any other errands with 2 kids :)
TBH $200 is steep for us, maybe I'll just get those 20-30 bucks one for myself. hubby wants to hold on to the Graco one, he can load and unload it himself. With the weather getting slightly better I wanna go out without getting tired.
I have a standing plate, it works good with us but it was hard to find the right one for our stroller, so take the stroller with you if u are buying one. It works fine with us as the bigger kid can hop on and off the plate whenever we are out of the road area into safe area.
Re: umbrella/travel strollers- yes or no?
Nope, hubby says Jr. can walk (good luck with that in a busy mall ) or hubby says he will pick him up (again good luck with that). But I was talking to a friend of mine and she suggested getting one of those standing plates. I don't know how feasible that would be but I'm thinking I won't have to make runs to the bank or run any other errands with 2 kids :)
TBH $200 is steep for us, maybe I'll just get those 20-30 bucks one for myself. hubby wants to hold on to the Graco one, he can load and unload it himself. With the weather getting slightly better I wanna go out without getting tired.
you could also get a carrier for the new baby and have jr. in the stroller. it would probably be easier that way rather than jr. being carried and new baby in stroller.
those running boards are a great idea too!
Re: umbrella/travel strollers- yes or no?
I have the standing plate...its awesome!
U can also get an attatchable lift (just the seat part of the stroller) and attatch that to the stroller itself.... But that increases the width of the whole stroller... Hard to get around.
And u can also get thw same thing but it attatches to the top of the stroller like a grocery trolley.
I liked the standing plate the best.
Sgc: HOW do u not work in HR?!
Re: umbrella/travel strollers- yes or no?
^ i know, right? anyone in HR in Toronto want to hire me? i'm looking for a new job once mat leave is done! :D
Re: umbrella/travel strollers- yes or no?
I have the standing plate...its awesome!
U can also get an attatchable lift (just the seat part of the stroller) and attatch that to the stroller itself.... But that increases the width of the whole stroller... Hard to get around.
And u can also get thw same thing but it attatches to the top of the stroller like a grocery trolley.
I liked the standing plate the best.
Sgc: HOW do u not work in HR?!
Why HR khawa?
Re: umbrella/travel strollers- yes or no?
sgc....did u get the stroller?how is it?
Re: umbrella/travel strollers- yes or no?
^ i just ordered it yesterday! yay!
Re: umbrella/travel strollers- yes or no?
$300 for a travel stroller 
I just got a $30 one for travel. It served it’s purpose but my gals weren’t that big.
