We are expecting a baby soon and I see many BOB strollers around our neighborhood. We are frequent beach goers so we need something that goes around town and the beach. The Bobs are not cheap. Even used they are not cheap! What other options are out there? I have about $200 in Target gift cards from my baby shower....but they don't sell the BOB. I also already own a Peg Pereggo car seat...that I am hoping will somehow go on our soon to be stroller.
Too many choices and I know you mama's have the experience and wisdom...Thank you!
My new daughter is now 9 months old and indeed I did end up purchasing the Baby Trend Jogger/Car Seat combo. For $200 it's a pretty good deal. Buuuuut....on Friday I could not collapse the stroller and needed to go home quickly. This was an on going problem for a couple months. The latches had been very sticky and were getting worse...it seemed I could do nothing about it. I had no choice...because I was in such a hurry and baby was crying...I LEFT THE STROLLER IN THE ZOO PARKING LOT!!!!
So...I am now in the market for a BOB. I'm not messin around any more!!!!
There you have it... LOL
I had a baby jogger that was the best thing ever at the beach-not so great in crowded areas. it was big. honestly, we had 3 strollers, for different neds.
I would go with a jogging stroller with a front swivel wheel...also find one that does not have metal wheels/rims/whatever they would be called. ;) We live near the beach and have a Baby Trend single Expedition Jogger which has been wonderful on the beach, except for the rust. We've always rinsed it off afterwards but its still rusted. Maybe check out the Instep? I have heard they are pretty good for a budget jogger. And I believe they have a molded plastic rim/wheel. Good luck! :)
I have a BOB and can't imagine using anything else on the beach trail where I live. I used the carseat adapter for my Peg Perego carseat at first (which also serves to hold a snack tray once your kiddo is big enough to want snacks). Now my baby is happy as can be in the actual seat.
I also got a Peg Perego stroller that has built in carseat brackets (I got it used for $40 from a friend, though they normally cost a lot more). I have only used it twice. I'm sure we'll use it more as our son gets older.
The stroller I use BY FAR the most, however, is the car seat carrier stroller. There are several different ones out there, but the one I got is the MacLaren Easy Traveler. It's not great for long walks or uneven terrain, but it's compact when folded up (no bigger than an umbrella stroller), weighs only 10 pounds, is easy to steer through store aisles and people (unlike the BOB, which is really long), and has a handy basket underneath for your stuff. I could not live without it. That Peg Perego carseat with a baby in it is HEAVY to carry and most grocery store carts don't fit the grooves properly, makign it unsafe to put the carseat on top. Do your back a favor and get a used "Snap N Go" or other carseat carrier. You will thank me later!
Have you looked at Children's Orchard? It's a store with used children's clothing, toys and gear. Some stores have more used strollers than others and you can sometimes get a great deal on a used stroller there.
Just checked Target's website...they have many jogging strollers...some are even in the hundred dollar range with free shipping..hope this helps:) http://www.target.com/Joggers-Strollers-Baby/b?ie=UTF8&am...
I think you definitely need a jogging stroller. I have the Baby Trend Velocity and it was around $160. According to their manual it holds almost all infant seats. I would go to the store with your car seat and try to fit it in the joggers to see what works. I haven't taken my jogger on the beach, but I've used it plenty of times on uneven terrain and had no problems. If I were you, I would get a jogger, but also get a smaller umbrella stroller for when you are out at an indoor facility. The joggers take up a lot of room in your trunk, even an SUV trunk, so it maybe easier to have a smaller stroller as well.
So we are surfers and hit the beach a lot. With our first two kids, the baby joggers were a life saver because we could actually get them to move across the sand. And having the baby in the stroller freed us up to carry other stuff. But you need to get one with the molded plastic wheels. Any metal will rust very quickly. Also I'd recommend one WITHOUT a swivel front wheel or at least one you can lock. If the wheel turns in the sand, you aren't going anywhere.
A carrier like one mom suggested is great if you are walking the beach, but if you are going to stay there and the kid falls asleep or they are older and you need to feed them a meal, you will be glad to have a stroller for them to sleep and eat in, so your hands are free.
I did a lot of research on joggers with our 3rd kid, and the Baby Trend brand got a lot of BAD feedback. Supposedly it's cheap and falls apart. Everybody loves the BOB strollers and that was what we were going to get. But then I had a major medical issue that kept us from hitting the beach anyway the first year and a half with the baby, so we never got the BOB stroller. So I can't give you firsthand feedback, but when were asking people questions about them before the baby was born, EVERYONE loved theirs!
This baby hates to be in the stroller unless it's moving and doesn't sleep when we are out anyway now since she is 2, and my other two kids are so much older they help us carry stuff at the beach, so I just borrowed a used jogger from a friend, not sure what brand, and use it just for jogging, lol.
As one other mom mentioned, having 3 strollers really isn't a bad idea, and there is no shortage of used ones. We have an umbrella stroller to keep in the car just for emergencies, a big bulky stroller when we are on a serious outing (with a basket underneath to hold everything), and then the jog stroller so I can go jogging, lol.
Save the Target gift cards for other stuff, believe me, Target will be your new "favorite" store with a baby. You will not believe how many diapers, wipes, supplies you go through.
Bob is absolutely the best investment but if you are unable to buy this stroller than perhaps Baby Jogger. Also, sometimes you can get the Bob stroller on sell at REI for 20% off, otherwise Target doesn't really sell the best double strollers at least what your looking for... Anyway to see if you can sell those gift cards so you can buy with the cash you get from another retailer?
I'm pretty much a no stuff type of person, but I did splurge on Bob. I had Bob envy. Swivel or straight wheel easy to maneuver any where. Once you go Bob you can never go back.
The upfront investment of the Bob is painful, but it's worth the investment. We went through other strollers that broke or couldn't handle any kind of outdoorsy terrain. We are SO glad we finally bought our BOB Revolution. At the time, we were living in downtown Chicago, and nothing else could handle MidWest winter snow drifts like the Bob. Now we live in LA, close to the beach and use it all the time. It GLIDES when you run with it with little effort, and maneuvers easily at the beach when the wheel is locked. When you're in town, the front wheel turns making it super easy to move.
My son is 4, and still likes to ride in it. And we just had a baby, and her infant seat can attach (with the accessory bar) and our son rides on the foot rest. This is by far our best piece of baby gear!
