Things to Consider When Buying Baby Strollers

I was doing some research this morning on what to consider when buying a baby stroller. And this article caught my eye, Monster strollers an issue on public transit. The article states that;

Larger, more identifiable priority seating sections are in the works for city buses, but transit riding seniors are concerned “SUV” baby strollers will dominate those seats.

As my wife and I go about our day, we often take note of the various strollers that we see, and some times we even wish we had the option to buy some of the cool strollers that are on the market right now.

I think that strollers are a necessary part of having a baby, they are tools of the trade of parenthood. They can work for you or sometimes as in the story above they can work against you.

The first thing to consider when buying a baby stroller is what are you going to be doing with it. What is your life style, where do you go with your baby? There is probably a stroller for every lifestyle out there.

Are you going to be riding the bus, as in the article above. If so that calls for one type of stroller. Do you carry your baby for long walks or do you even run with your baby. If so then there are strollers for you.

This is such a complicated process that if you are a brand new parent, I recommend that you make a list of all the things that are important for you to have in a stroller, then go online and look for a stroller that meets your needs.

Here are some features to consider;

• Safety Features - This is a big one, and probably the top thing to consider. But it is also a function of your life style. As in the article if your stroller is too large to fit on a city bus, that is not safe. A safe stroller in one situation may not be safe one in another situation.
  
  Safety features or things like stability. What happens when you load your little bundle of joy and all the other items that parents carry like diaper bags, bottles, lunch bags, purses, and changes of clothes? Your stroller may not stay stable, so you want to check this prior to buying.
  
  What type of restraint system does the stroller have, what is holding your baby in the stroller. You will want to make sure you understand the harness and how many points it has. Just like seat belts in your car, your stroller needs a safe harness.
  
  One safety feature to remember is to use a stroller that is best for the weight of your baby. This is not such a big deal when you baby is small, but as she grows this can become a factor. How many times have you seen a baby, maybe a toddler who is in a stroller that is too small for the baby. This too is an unsafe situation.


• Adjustment Features and dimensions - These features involve how adjustable your stroller is. There are numerous parts of a typical baby stroller that are adjustable. Starting with the basics, height, handles, and wheels are usually adjustable. Check these adjustment prior to buying so that you get a stroller that can be adjusted to fit you and your baby.
  
  Dimensions are important, because you want to consider how large the stroller is when putting it in and taking it out of your car. Will you be going to the wide open space of the park or will you be taking your baby down tight grocery store isles. You will probably be doing both of these things, but the idea is to consider the dimensions that are needed most often.
  
  With dimensions also comes the weight of the stroller. There are new strollers that are made out of light weight aluminium and other materials that make the stroller light weight but durable.


• Folding and Collapsing -This could have gone in the adjustments section, but it is I think important enough that it needs its own section. How easy is it to fold the stroller should be considered. It can be a complex and time consuming affair if every time you get out of the car you have to spend ten to fifteen minutes loading and unloading a stroller. I know this may sound like an exaggeration but I have seen parents actually take this much time setting up their strollers.
  
  How much trunk space does the stroller take up when it is folded. This is important to consider before you buy the stroller.


• Other Features -This is a catch all section where I am placing things that you may or may not want to consider depending on your lifestyle. I have to admit these are the things that I think about when I see new strollers. But that is only because back when our daughter was a baby many of these features did not exist.
  
  The kind of stuff that I am talking about are basket underneath, parent organization trays, toy bars, snack drink holders, rain hoods, sun shades, music systems. These items can be purchased as part of a stroller or they can be bought as accessories separately. It is really up to you and your budget when it comes to gadgets like this.
  
  But they are important to consider and to understand how they can fit into your lifestyle and the amount of comfort that you think is important for you and your child to have.

The main point of this post is to get new parents who need to buy a baby stroller to consider various features of strollers such as safety, adjustments and other features. If you think about what you want and what you need in a stroller before you buy it that can make all the difference in how satisfied you will be with what you buy.