Baby Strollers

Baby Strollers, Lightweight umbrella strollers, full size strollers, baby buggies and Carriages

Baby Strollers:

A baby stroller, as you very well know, is a necessity if you have a baby or small child. You may very well need two baby strollers depending on your lifestyle and how many children you plan to have. Strollers vary in type, weight, features, and warranties, and you need try out each stroller to see if it meets your needs.

Baby Stroller Types

You will need to spend some time thinking about what type of stroller will best fit your family's needs:

Universal baby stroller frames for infant car seats - These are frames on wheels (sometimes available with storage baskets) that accept a wide range of infant car seats. They allow you to move a baby from the car to a set of wheels without disturbing him or her, but they're not the best choice for people who are primarily on foot.

Lightweight strollers (including umbrella baby strollers) - Weighing under 12 lbs., these compact and easy-to-fold baby strollers are a breeze to handle and easy on the wallet. Few recline fully, however, making them less well-suited for infants. Their size and weight make them de rigueur for children over a year in age.
Standard-size strollers: At 12 lbs. and over, these strollers are often more comfortable than their lighter counterparts, though bulkier and harder to transport. Many do recline fully for infants. If at all possible, try out this type of baby stroller in a store before buying to ensure you can handle it.

Jogging strollers - All-terrain wheels on this type of baby stroller take you over grass, sand, dirt, bumpy sidewalks and curbs. Their purpose is to let the adult get some exercise (running or race-walking) while the baby sleeps or takes in the sights. Many families who walk to get where they're going choose these for the ease with which they take on city streets. Few recline fully for infants.

Car seat/stroller combinations (also called travel systems) - Especially convenient for the youngest babies, these systems allow you to move a sleeping baby from car seat to stroller and back again. The most ambitious travel systems (priced at $300 and up) contain an infant car seat, a convertible car seat for an older child, and a convertible carriage-baby stroller to be used with newborns and toddlers. For my money, that's putting too much faith in one brand. It's hard to know how your needs might change in the next year or so.

Double (and triple) strollers - These strollers carry babies and toddlers comfortably side by side or front to back. Those designed for triplets are front to back in design (otherwise they would be too wide). The double-width variety are typically no more than 30 inches across to fit through standard doorways. Tandem strollers need not break your back. Some are as light as 8 pounds.

Whatever baby stroller you choose, look for the peace of mind that a five-point harness closure system brings with its two shoulder straps, two hip straps and one crotch strap.