Last weekend, we spent over 30 minutes in choosing the right baby stroller for our 9 month old baby girl. We checked infant strollers of different sizes, colors, and features. Some of them have average price. Most of them are expensive. But just a few are cheap.
Anyway, we ended up buying a three-way stroller which price is twice the cost of our monthly cable, water, and electric bill altogether. Whew! Why do babies don't come with a bank account? Haha.
We actually have an infant stroller for our little darling. We bought it when she was around 2 weeks old. It was lightweight and easy to carry. The problem was it's seat. Not like other strollers, the seat cannot be reclined into a sitting position. We had to use a pillow to support her back. Now I'm sending it off to a distant relative in the province. What a waste of money, right? If we only considered the following things before buying it.
2 Important Things to Consider Before Buying a Baby Stroller
- Number of Children You and your husband must have talked about family planning. If you want to have two or more kids then why not make the stroller a little investment? Decide on something with very good quality. Something that your other kids could use in the future.
- Family Lifestyle Do you love picnics or out-of-town trips? How about long walks in the mall or jogging in the park? These days, there are lots of baby strollers to choose from that could fit either a farm life or urban living.
Baby Stroller Features to Check Before Buying
- Brakes They should be able to lock the wheels in place. This reminds us of Mr. Bean babysitting in the park. Tsk! tsk! tsk!
- Adjustable seat From 0 to 6 months, your baby won't be able to sit yet. However, from 6 months and up, he/she might be able to at least hold his/ head or sit. In this case, having a stroller with adjustable seat to sitting and sleeping position is very important.
- Buckles It should include crotch straps. They prevent babies from slipping out.
- Canopy It's always sunny here in the Philippines. The adjustable canopy will be able to protect your baby from too much sun or rain.
- Materials Strollers made of steel and aluminum usually last longer, but they can be a little heavy. Stroller made of more plastic are lightweight though they may not last longer that you expect it.
- Fabric Babies can be messy. Very messy. Check if the seat of the stroller is removable and washable. Most of them can be easily cleaned, though.
- Adjustable handle height The father could be higher than the mom (or vice versa). The adjustable handle is the only answer to this one.
- Storage Basket Very helpful while shopping. The stroller we bought has a basket which capacity is up to 5 kilos.
- Easy open and close mechanism This is self-explanatory.
- Wide wheel base / Swivel wheels These last two make it easy for you to maneuver the stroller.
