Baby Stroller Madness

A few posts ago, I said I would include my rantings about baby strollers and the weird hierarchy that is associated with them. This all came about during our Dividend Day at King's Island a while back. King's Island was, of course, infested with young ones and the mechanical mediums that carry them about: strollers. I started noticing a pattern: the type of stroller the people had says LOADS about the people.

The last few weeks have been spent researching strollers. Yes, I am that pathetic. First and foremost, I want something that is safe for Pinhead. Contrary to popular belief, I do think you can blend style and substance. Frumpy and safe are no longer synonymous. In fact, there are a plethora of great choices out there. Unfortunately, you must spend the rest of your life paying for said fashionable stroller.

For our main stroller choice, we actually chose a hybrid, or as baby talk would call it a"Travel System" This is essentially a fancy schmancy term for freaking stroller plus infant car seat. They just want to dress up the language like you actually can travel easily with the pair. We did our due diligence on consumer reports, other blogs, magazines and found that the Chico Cortina Travel System included the number #1 rated infant car seat, the Chico Key Fit. This ultimately made the decision quite easy for us. Yes, the cute car seats are all nice and all, but safety is of the utmost importance. To make sure we made the right choice for the stroller part (yes, they are sold separately, but it's cheaper this way) we test drove it. (well, as much as you can test drive it in Babies R Us.) We were pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to assemble, fold up, and take off the cover seat for washings. It made me think how many soon to be clueless parents actually went through with this part, or did they simply choose it on fabric choice.

The one drawback of the Chico's is the lack of color choices, but we were ok with that. We figured it was the least of our worries. Besides, that fabric is eventually going to be covered with all sorts of god forsaken foreign material that I am far too ladylike to mention here. (hahahahha!) I have noticed that the parents who end up getting the Chico system do their homework, are pretty price conscious but concerned with style and substance. I don't see them around very much, and honestly, I attribute that to Chico's lack of color choices. Glad to see that parents first concern for the well being of their children is how good they look in the stroller.. I guess I would equate the Chicoo to a Volvo. Very safe, decent design, not cheap but not exactly a luxury item, practical, sturdy, smartly thought through and not an eye sore to look at.

Graco strollers are by far the most popular around. I see them everywhere!! I equate these to Hondas or Toyotas. The one plus about Graco's are the amount of choices in fabrics and looks. They are basic, good reliable systems that are fairly priced and available. I am neither offended nor impressed with the Gracos. Just like Toyotas or Honda's, I am glad they are there, but honestly couldn't be bothered with them.

Evenflo and Baby Trends are the Ford's, Chevy's and Kias. Nowhere near the luxury brands, but they offer cheaper lookalike versions of their more expensive cousins. Graco's sometime fall into this category, but just like Honda's and Toyota's , they offer starter versions of their strollers. (a la Yaris and Fit) Please do not think I am being a snob. Ok, I am a being a tiny bit, but it's evident by their quality and presentation that it's more about style than substance. I am sure that they are safe as well, but these are clearly the entry model versions.

Eddie Bauer strollers are the Jeeps or Subarus. Enough said.

Combi's and Peg Perego's are the Jaguars of strollers. Definitely in the luxury category, but not necessarily the best of the best. They seem to be more aspirational than anything else. Again, these don't bother me. I am just kind of blah about them.

Now we get into the Lexus's, Acura's and Infiniti's of the group. Many of you have already read about my lust for a Bugaboo. At 800 dollars, I don't think this is going to happen unless we get blessed by a stroller fairy godmother. I would say these are more the Lexus's. They are by far the best designed, engineered, customizable and easiest to use. Unfortuntately, they come with a hefty price tag, just like their car counterparts. Others that can be placed into this group are the Bumblerides (more Acura than anything), Stokke's (BMW), Joovy's (Mercedes) Baby Planets (Infiniti's) and Maclearens (Range Rovers). A lot of this is subjective, since car choices are a very personal thing. They say a lot about your personality and lifestyle.

Oh.. There is also a line called Mia Moda's that are priced at the Kia level, but function and look like an Acura/Infiniti level. These are quite modern in design and innovation, without the pricetag.

So there you have it. A very short (trust me, I could go on and on and on and on about these strollers) synopsis of which strollers coincide with their car cousins. There are many more strollers out there, and yes i have researched them, but I leave them out for now. So feel free to leave a comment or question about this post. Have fun.. and next time you are out look at the stroller parents are driving and see if they fit the "car" description I have made. Enjoy!!