Ollie captivated by the cold bottle
After almost 3/4 year od motherhood has gone by, I figured I should return to the community by sharing my thoughts about some products, just like how reviews of other parents have helped Donald and I make so many decisions ourselves.
During my pregnancy, we always knew that we needed to get stuff ready for Oliver’s arrival. But boy, did we procrastinate. We always looked around, and checked out some prices but never really actively discussed the purpose of getting this or that and why. We only started panicking at about..30+ weeks. Clothes, infant car seat, cot, stroller, bottles..yikes!
One of the big ticket items we had to consider was the stroller. We had previously headed to the two warehouses af Kaki Bukit to check some models out. At a recommendation of a colleague, we started off looking at the Capella models. The brand is Korean. My colleague had mentioned that the Capella pram he was using is a one-hand fold system.
Now the thought of it was attractive. I could potentially carry a baby AND fold the stroller with one hand. Well at least it gave us a headstart on what we wanted.
We tried some of the models and saw that one of them actually came with an infant car seat that could fit into the strtoller! Double plus. That would mean we could see the baby in the stroller and yet still use it as an infant car seat.
They also had other models which didn’t come with the car seat attachment but allowed for the handles to swing both directions. However we felt that the wheels were a little weird moving in the opposite directions, so it wasn’t really an option to consider.
Unfortunately we felt the Capella strollers weren’t too sturdy. The prices (between $300 – 600) and options were reasonable, however we were looking for something that would probably last more than 2 kids. Haha
We then checked out Maclaren strollers. A little more on the high end but more compact when folded and a lot lighter. It was also a one-hand fold system, where you fold it towards the ground. Till now, the weight had never been an issue with us. I had always thought that I would only bring the stroller out with Donald around. I was a new mom who was definitely not confident in bringing both a baby and a stroller out. Donald was also iffy with how the wheels touched the canopy when folded, cos that would mean that the canopy would get dirty after a trip out. A fellow SAHM mentioned on her blog that the canopy can be removed, so guess it would depend on how iffy you would get about it! hehe.
The down side to the Maclaren strollers was that it didn’t appear to be suitable for newborns. Or rather we felt that there wasn’t much padding for a newborn. Having said that, I have seen newborns placed in Maclaren strollers (not sure about the model). The back was reclined totally and baby was safely snuggled inside. It also did not have an infant car seat attachment which meant that we would have to make a decision on an infant car seat and toddler car seats too, not something we wanted to be bothered with then. In addition, heavy items hung on the handles of the stroller would cause the stroller to tip backwards if there was nothing to counterbalance the weight in front.
And then we saw the Peg Perego P3 Compact. We were pretty much sold on how another child would stand on the built-in bar at the back of the stroller (which would really suit us!), the infant car seat attachment, that it could stand on its own when folded and how compact it was. The weight is a whole different story altogether. It weighs about 8k+kg. It is a somewhat one-hand fold system. Why somewhat? You still need both hands to release the catch to fold it with one hand. According to the salesman, there was a suspension system in the back wheels that prevented it from tipping backwards if it was too heavy at the back. Think the hubby was more sold on the fact that the built-in bar could take the weight of an adult and the pram would still not tip over! Haha.
Having said that, the P3 cost us a whopping S$980, together with the infant car set and we have been pretty happy with it so far. I have even taken it with me by myself, either walking all the way to the train station or carrying Oliver in the baby carrier and carrying the stroller up with me on the bus (not an easy feat cos it is that heavy!). However the perks of not having to carry an 8+kg baby with me all the time is more attractive!
So a couple of options, bearing in mind we do not own a car (our parents do) and we take the public transport most of the time:
1) packaged stroller + infant car seat
Meant that we could see the baby if he was in the infant car seat attached to the stroller (rear facing). It also meant we didn’t have to buy an additional infant car seat. But it definitely meant that we would have to start looking for a toddler seat for Oliver before he turned one as the infant car seat would only take a baby up to 12 months of age.
2) stroller only
Meant that we would have to buy an additional car seat and consider if we wanted a progressive kind (car set that could last us up till at least a booster was required).
Things to consider when buying the stroller:
1) weight
2) compactness (for car boot / lugging around)
3) folding system (one / two hand, umbrella fold)
4) how many kids it will last you
5) allowance for rear-facing
6) weight counterbalance
Hope this helps!