Strollers??

[bellylove]

Hi guys!

 

I'm Norwegian and currently live in the U.S. We are expecting our first baby! I have started to look at strollers and find it rather confusing. Especially since I have zero experience with owning a stroller.

 

Being from Norway I'm used to the bassinet type, but here it seems like everyone likes the travelsystem. To me most of the strollers I have looked at so far have weak wheels and I wonder how good it is for a baby to spend too much time in their car seat. I would like a stroller where the baby can lay flat, be secured and can still work for both city and rougher terrain... Any ideas, suggestions for stores and brands?

I appreciate it!

[Northernlights]

I bought a second hand Simo Kombivogn in Norway =)

I agree with you on the travelsystem strollers. They are not meant for norwegians,who actually likes to WALK with their babies.

 

So my suggestion is to get someone to help you find a stroller in Norway,and bring it to you.

 

Hilsen norsk i USA også;

[Sinah]

Kanskje du kan bestille på internet?

 

Har de ikke sånne 3-hjulere/joggevogner?

 

Vi tok med vår gamle norske Simo-vogn til Dublin. Litt morsomt (eh, bortsett fra når jeg handler), får kjempemasse kommentarer ;0)

[partyoffive]

Her kan du få mye inspurasjon fra 'newyorkmom's innlegg på 'gravid i utlandet' (tror det var der). Headingen het 'såkalte travelsystem's', og hun fikk masse svar. Jeg bor også i USA og har 2 små jenter. Selv valgte jeg graco's travelsystem + at jeg ogå kjøpte en 3 hjuling fra 'In-Step' som er grei når vi skal ut på tur, jogge, eller på stranden e.l. Graco travelsystem er veldig grei og bruke til korte turer og ærend o.l. (bank, butikk osv.), men det er selvsagt ikke ideelt for babyen og tilbringe timesvis i bilsetet. Her er det flere muligheter. Graco's travelsystem kan også brukes til og legge babyen flatt. Bilsetet 'må' jo ikke brukes til enhver tid oppi vognen. Vet du at du skal ut på lang trille tur e.l. kan du jo enten legge babyeb flatt i vognen eller ta en annen vogn. Den er jo såpass billig at man kan tillate seg og ha en vogn til. Nå har de også på babiesrus en ny variant av Graco's travelsystem som har ordentlig gummihjul m/luft og ikke plastikk hjul. Mye bedre! Men jeg har likt de vledig godt, enkle og ta ut og inn av bilen. enkle og folde/åpne osv. Stor kurv under, kopp/snack/leke holdere/trays osv. veldig kjekk.

Andre muligheter er:

www.valcobaby.com,

www.simointernational.com - www.simobertini.com

www.mountainbuggy.com

 

Det er mange muligheter på internett. hvis du går på babiesrus.com så har 'combi' en ny 3 hjuling som ser ok ut, men den selges ikke i butikkene.

[NewYorkMom_får_to_tette]

http://www.barnimagen.com/forum/thread/7718722

 

Here is the link floridamor was referring to. I posted the same question a while ago, and it became an interesting debate. Honestly, I think the general conclusion that was reached was that what kind of stroller you buy ultimately depends on how you are going to use it.

 

I am of the opinion that Norwegians can sometimes be overly paranoid about having babies in car seats (for example saying that they should under no circumstance sit there for more than 20 minutes)--if that were true children in other countries where they are used a lot would surely have more back trouble. In fact, Trygg Trafikk has recently made a statement that babies can sit for longer periods of time in modern-day car seats. On the other hand, I do think that if a small baby is going to sleep in a stroller, it is best to lie down flat--and personally I prefer having a bassinett for that. (Although in the US you can also buy snuzzlers, which you can use in regular strollers from the beginning.)

 

In Norway, people go for long walks with their strollers--rain or shine, snow or hail. Babies sleep in the strollers to nap. The strollers are wheeled over all kinds of terrain--snow, cobblestones, rocky paths, etc. For this purpose, shock absorbers and big air-filled wheels are probably best. It is interesting that near New York City, where I live, you see this type of stroller out on the sidewalks...and not as many of the travel systems you see in other parts of the US. In Manhattan, people use bassinets and buy the types of strollers you see in Europe (Bugaboo, Mountain Buggy, Valco-baby, etc). Although these are obviously more expensive, I think one of the reasons is that in NYC people do not rely on cars as much as in other parts of the US. The stroller, in effect, becomes their car.

 

Many Americans (including my non-NYC friends and relatives) use their strollers primarily for short walks on sidewalks, or at the mall. They use their cars a lot, and it is very convenient simply to move a car seat from the car to the stroller and back again. For this purpose, a travel system seems like a good choice.

 

I honestly think it all depends on what you plan to use the stroller for. If you will simply be using it for short trips to the mall or short walks on sidewalks--then by all means, a travel system is probably fine. But if you are planning on taking baby out for long walks in the snow--buy the type of stroller you see in Europe. Yes, they are more expensive, but for that purpose I don't think travel systems will do the trick.

 

We settled on a Mountain Buggy (in Europe it's called OTH Urban Jungle) and actually got a really good deal on the 2005 model from www.albeebaby.com. We got the 2007 bassinett, but it was still about 3 times cheaper than in Norway. We ended up paying about 450 dollars total for the Mountain Buggy AND the bassinett, which is certainly more than a travel system would cost--but still a very good deal for what we got. We can also use it as a jogging stroller so won't have to buy one of those. joggingstroller.com is also a good site.

 

Good luck!

[NewYorkMom_får_to_tette]

Just to compare--in Norway, a One Tree Hill Urban Jungle (Mountain Buggy Urban Single) with a bassinett would cost you about 7000-8000 kroner. We got the stroller AND bassinett for 450 dollars in the US--about 2800 kroner total. I would recommend buying a good stroller here rather than a second hand one in Norway--unless, of course, you want one that is not sold in the US.

[NewYorkMom_får_to_tette]

Sorry for all the posts. I keep thinking of links to give you. Floridamor may have included a few of these--I forget which ones.

 

www.baby-gaga.com has good stroller reviews on strollers sold in the US (including non-US models)

 

Stores I have ordered from:

www.albeebaby.com

www.joggingstroller.com

 

Internationally marketed strollers sold in the US:

www.bugaboo.com (from Holland)

www.mountainbuggy.com (from New Zealand)

www.valcobaby.com (from Australia)

 

Other strollers that are sold here that I'm not sure of the websites for:

 

Bumbleride

Mutsy (this one has four wheels rather than 3)

Phil & Ted's

 

Good luck!

[Gulla og Tulla]

Hi - I just ordered the 2007 peg perego Uno stroller from babyuniverse.com. It's a "pramette" so you can lay the baby flat. I had a travel system with my firstborn and I wasn't happy about not being able to lay him flat. I chose the peg because it can lay flat, you can flip the handle so that the baby is facing you AND it's a lightweight stroller. Like someone else mentioned (I think NYmom) we spend a lot of time in our cars here so it's nice to have something easy and lightweight to take in and out of the car. I looked at the Bumbleride, but it seemed huge for using in shops/mall and very heavy to lift in and out of the car.

 

In addition I have a jogger stroller from my first baby for when they're a little older. I use that one for longer walks and especially at the beach.

[bellylove]

Thanks all! You all had so much good information! I really appreciate it!