{GRFB} Strollers & Carriers & Highchairs, Oh My! (Part 1)

As we’re getting into the final stretch of the pregnancy, my mind is all a flutter about… stuff. All that “baby stuff” that accumulated in Brady’s nursery several weeks before he was born, that we don’t seem to have a trace of around here for baby #2. Diapers, clothes, blankets, bottles, Boppies. We could barely walk into Brady’s room because it was so full of stuff. So, where is it all?!

Long story short… we left all our “baby stuff” in storage in Chicago, assuming we’d return before we had another baby. Since that’s not the case, we needed to have everything shipped out here. Nine months is a long time to live among boxes, so I put it off. And put it off. And put it off. Until recently when I was like, “holy crap, I need all the stuff!!” I should be nesting– washing, organizing, taking inventory. I can barely remember what we had/have, so I have no clue what to borrow/buy and the clock is ticking. Yikes!

While we waited for the boxes to arrive (they came today, yay!), I began to focus on the things that I knew we didn’t have and/or needed to get. Like a double stroller, for starters, and a new baby carrier (because I never had one that really worked). And probably a new highchair. I knew from being active in the baby blogging community that these products have really evolved since I was pregnant with B and therefore would take some time to research, so I started on those 3 items several weeks ago. Here is a quick peek into my nightmare…

Double Strollers

The biggest dilemma I had when it came to choosing a double stroller was… did I really need one? Brady would be three-and-a-half when the baby was born, so how much longer would he really be in one? But if I didn’t get one, what would I do for the first few months that I did need one? I have a Baby Trend Snap & Go, so I was covered for the baby, but where did that leave Brady? The post-Snap & Go single stroller that I had with B absolutely sucked (sorry for anyone else who has one and liked it, but I was NOT a fan of the Peg Perego Pliko at all!), so I knew that I would be in the market for some kind of stroller anyway. And because we haven’t yet ruled out having baby #3 someday, it just didn’t make sense to buy another new single stroller.

So, after much debate and research, I narrowed my choices down to two different options– the Joovy Ergo Caboose and the Baby Jogger City Select Single (side by side strollers were never a consideration; I knew I wanted a stroller that allowed me some flexibility for my changing needs.) Prices were similar, though the Joovy stroller was slightly cheaper, and I liked that it had an easier sit/stand-and-go-type feature that would appeal to Brady in the coming year.

For the City Select, I was going to start with the (cheaper) basic Single model with a car seat adapter, because I would probably never need both seats at the same time (unless, of course, we have baby #3). I could add on a footboard later, but it wasn’t nearly as spacious as the Caboose and it was an additional cost. Money, money, money. The scales were tipping in the Caboose’s favor.

Well, it took one trip to the store for me to make my choice. The Joovy Caboose was extremely heavy and I knew there was no way that I could lift it in and out of my car. I looked at the lighter (and cheaper!) Caboose Ultralight Tandem Stroller, but it just looked and felt cheap (and it was still $270!) The City Select was simple to use and when you removed the seats, the frame was easy to collapse and lift. I have two good friends who have the City Select and they really like it, so the Hubs and I decided then and there that that was the one. Well, not really “then & there” as the stroller is still not in our possession, but that’s the one we are going to get… just as soon as we can afford it (or as soon as someone buys it for us– hint, hint!)

For those of you who are cooking up baby #2, have you opted to buy a new double stroller? Which did you look at and what did you decide on? Anyone have the Joovy Caboose that wants to talk me out of getting the City Select?? Is there another stroller I should consider before making my purchase? Any and all stroller advice is welcome.

In Part 2 of this {GRFB} post, I will talk about baby carriers & highchairs, so stay tuned…