Stroller Quest 2005

I wanted a new stroller for my two year old for the following reasons:
1. Our current stroller, folded, took up our entire trunk space.
2. It was large and difficult to maneuver through shops at the mall.
3. Being large and difficult to maneuver, it was also heavy.
4. Matthew learned to twist his foot around the front wheels whenever he wanted so that it acted like a braking mechanism.
5. Matthew also learned that his sippy cup fits perfectly between the dual wheels in the front of the stroller and a well aimed sippy cup will lodge between them and cause the stroller to stop abruptly causing major traffic tie-ups at the mall and embarrassment to his mother.

The old stroller was great -- it had lots of storage space, cup holders, it reclined and was very comfortable for Matthew. It really was a Cadillac of a stroller. It had been through two kids and held up really well. But it was bulky and heavy. And I recently found out it had been recalled. Something about folding up suddenly when the baby was sitting in it. So I embarked on a mission to find the perfect lightweight umbrella stroller (which drove my husband crazy because he didn't see the need for a new stroller when we had one perfectly functioning stroller already).

Now you can get an umbrella stroller at Walmart or Target for about $9.99, but I wanted one that would be durable. And one where our 32-pound two year old didn't already exceed the maximum weight limit. And it had to fold like an umbrella stroller so that I could reclaim space and actually carry a week's worth of groceries in the trunk.

I started researching websites and looking at the specs for the strollers, most of which had a 35-pound weight limit. This was not good, since Matthew already weighs 32 pounds and with winter clothes, he'd be pushing the weight limit in a matter of months. I looked at website after website and narrowed the selection down to two brands that has acceptable weight limits. Then I started looking at epinions.com for reviews of these strollers by real mommies and daddies who used them often.

I finally found a brand of stroller that got rave reviews and had a 55 pound weight limit. It's a Maclaren Triumph. Unfortunately, these strollers are about 15 times the Walmart stroller cost. I found one at BabiesRUs that was last season's model and was on clearance, so I bought it. I devised a plan to use some extra money I had and to sell our other stroller, to offset the cost of the new stroller, and our out of pocket money would be minimal. But, our current stroller was under recall and the local consignment store won't sell recalled merchandise. (Imagine that!) So my fiscal plan was foiled.

Anyway, Chris gave in to my stroller folly, albeit reluctantly, and we gave away the old stroller . It's not like I buy strollers every day, you know. (However, I did spend an inordinate amount of time researching this issue and searching for cheap deals on this stroller all over the internet and at local consignment shops because it pains me to pay full price for anything.) When we unwrapped and set up the new stroller (and it folds and unfolds so easily and compactly!) Matthew immediately climbed in and wanted to take a ride. At the mall, this stroller zips through the aisles with ease. I actually have trunk space now!

Just wanted to say thank you for the new stroller, dear!