Stroller Comment

The other thread about the stroller in the pickup truck reminded me that I recently went stroller shopping and found ones that listed for $1200.

$1200!!!

No engine, no suspension, no navigation or radio. OMG, the world is going nuts.

not even carbon fiber!!! We are looking at strollers right now and It is sad with all the advancments to materials - nothng has ht the strollers.. found one that had fake carbon fiber sticker on it - but i want lightweifht easy to move.

I've been looking at strollers myself, and it's appalling what they charge for some rickety construction and some plastic. I don't get how people still think it's ok to pay 300$ for some crappy stroller (names withheld to not offend brand preference) that I can easily make fall apart without any power tools. I don't understand it!!!!

Like the price of ladders I bet a lot of th money goes towards product liability insurance.

Wish my wife would just let me make our own.. thinking along the line of a 2 person bobsled on large casters - full carbon fiber..much nicer than any of the twin strollers I have been seeing

mndsm wrote: I've been looking at strollers myself, and it's appalling what they charge for some rickety construction and some plastic.

Almost completely off-topic, but what appalls me is the markup on glasses frames. How in Hades can a half-ounce of bent wire and some little screws cost $300? Or more!

A lot of testing goes in to the higher end models to ensure they are safe for use in a wide variety of environments. Take pick-up beds for instance...

I'm so glad my kids are nearly teens. We had to make do with el cheapo strollers back then. No one died, either.

She spent a couple hundred on a giant stroller for three kids. It will not fit into the back of a minivan (with very few exceptions) folded up without knocking at least one seat down. Not even our rental Altima could close the truck on it. Trying to steer it is like trying to herd cats which are herding other cats.

Cheapo strollers are fine if you aren't using it much. If you push it a few miles a day, the nice ones are great, though our Maclaren was maybe 1/6 that price and has served us well.

My biggest problem is the specialized nature of the one I need. Umbrella stroller won't cut it- need one that can carry an infant seat. Would be find with one of those giant lumbering Graco things, but they're A- heavy as hell, B- more cheaply made than my last box of chinese knockoff condoms (hence me looking for a stroller in the first place) C- need 3 arms and a PHD in aeronautical engineering to fold the berkeleying thing, and D- won't fit in the ass end of a MINI with the seats up. I have literally found 1 stroller that fits ALL of those requirements, and the damn thing will cost me 300$ to be done with it. Annoying as hell, but the wife can carry, operate, and store the thing all on her own.... so 300$ it is. I've spent less than that, on a running and driving car.

I remember my sister had the neatest stroller/carseat/highchair doohicky. Basically, it started off as an infant carrier that was modular. It would clip into a carseat base, the stroller base, and a highchair base. As she got to be older, you were able to flip it up to become an actual seat that still fit all of those things. It was very very cool

Strollers suck. We used one as little as possible. I would much rather carry a kid than push around some piece of crap stroller. For babies, the little carriers with a handle will give you a good arm workout. While they're still under 25 pounds or so, a baby carrier like the Baby Bjorn is great!

Even so, they're a necessary evil. Try to find one that works for you. You shouldn't have to use it for more than a couple years.

Slings, mei teis and Ergos. Easier than a stroller, require much less storage space, and, in most cases, are significantly cheaper.

I have yet to find a stroller I am willing to spend money on.

We're pretty hooked on BOB strollers. Overpriced? sure, but boy do they stand up to the miles. Our single BOB has thousands of miles on it. Literally. Little wear around the edges, but it's great. We found a used double BOB on Craigslist for $260 and bought it immediately (1/2 price) the seller said she had 10 calls in the four hours it was up on CL.

Per

We're looking at something called a City Mini- it's a jogging looking pig, but it folds in one move, weighs less than 10lbs, fits in a MINI, and seems to be well constructed.

In reply to the anti-stroller crowd:

There are times with three kids, the oldest being three, that the ability to strap a kid in and escape quickly amongst the screaming is a huge benefit.

Also, I hate slings. WAAAAAY too hot.

I'm lucky I only had two at once(ish).

tuna55 wrote: In reply to the anti-stroller crowd: There are times with three kids, the oldest being three, that the ability to strap a kid in and escape quickly amongst the screaming is a huge benefit.

You made your bed, and now you have to lay in it!

Per Schroeder wrote: We're pretty hooked on BOB strollers. Overpriced? sure, but boy do they stand up to the miles. Our single BOB has thousands of miles on it. Literally. Little wear around the edges, but it's great. We found a used double BOB on Craigslist for $260 and bought it immediately (1/2 price) the seller said she had 10 calls in the four hours it was up on CL. Per

I hadn't heard of those, but I googled it and found they're the ones with the "bicycle-like" wheels, which I agree would be the way to go if you were actually going to put "miles" on it (heaven forbid). It's the kind of stroller I could see owning, but the kids grew up before we saw a need for one if that makes any sense.

After going through several cheap crappy strollers, we gave up and just started lugging him around in the wagon. Best thing ever. Loved that wagon. Now I see everybody lugging their kids around in wagons.

I don't have a dog in this hunt, but whatever happened to the plain umbrella stroller?

In reply to Rob_Mopar:

No cupholders, magazine racks, cubbies for the food and entertainment for the tykes. No back up cameras and most importantly they are too small so the users can't block aisles at the store as effectively.

Tim Baxter wrote: After going through several cheap crappy strollers, we gave up and just started lugging him around in the wagon. Best thing ever. Loved that wagon. Now I see everybody lugging their kids around in wagons.

My older two can't fit anymore, and I didn't see any that could fit three, but I loved wagons while they worked. This may be our future:

http://www.step2.com/product.cfm?product_id=1774

tuna55 wrote:

Tim Baxter wrote: After going through several cheap crappy strollers, we gave up and just started lugging him around in the wagon. Best thing ever. Loved that wagon. Now I see everybody lugging their kids around in wagons.

My older two can't fit anymore, and I didn't see any that could fit three, but I loved wagons while they worked. This may be our future: http://www.step2.com/product.cfm?product_id=1774

Tuna don't do it. Don't willingly become that guy.