Stroller Talk

When we're expecting we always want what's best for our unborn child. Soon-to-be parents become excited and eager to get what they can in preparation for the arrival of the little one. From cribs, playpens, car seats, bottles, sterilizers, strollers --we try to find out the best baby gears in the market and if we can afford the best then we go out and get them. 

Upon visiting online shopping sites, expectant mothers are provided with a not-so-shortlist of "newborn essentials" and we, especially if its our first time, will really try our very best to be able to mark each item after another off the checklist. 

Luckily, this is now my third pregnancy and by this time I should be able to distinguish between the "nice to haves" and the "need to haves". So I'm not easily fooled anymore. :) 

One issue is that of strollers. Do we really need them? 

When I was pregnant with Kaden, I didn't have to buy one because my Aunt Tina handed me down a barely used Jeep stroller. 

Since I don't go out that much and when I do, I rarely take Kaden out with me, the stroller was not used that often. We only used the stroller when Kaden felt like strolling around the garden and getting some sunlight which wasn't very often.

Six Month Old Kaden

Then came Carlos Chace. With him, I knew there was no need to get a new stroller because the one Kaden got from my Aunt was still in great condition. So he ended up using it to some parties one party,  and then used it to the max when we moved in with my mother-in-law at the farm. 

Kaden's 4th birthday and Carlos' dedication

While his kuya was in school, his then-yaya would take him to daily "strolls" around the farm to look at the plants and animals, which my baby really loved! Of course back then, I had no idea that the reason his yaya was more than willing to push him around for more than an hour a day on their "nature walks" was because she wanted to flirt with the gardener who was her boyfriend pala! Susmaryosep, right! Since the farm is not exactly situated on flat terrain, the stroller was really used and abused. 

When we arrived in Dubai, Art and I realized we needed a double stroller for the two boys. The malls were huge and when Kaden gets tired of walking, he wants to be carried too like his brother! 

It wasn't easy to find a double stroller at that time. Mothercare was out of stock except for one umbrella double stroller. We figured if it cost the same to get a full-sized and an umbrella one, it was better to buy the full-sized stroller. On hindsight, I wish we just got the tandem Maclaren instead of this Eddie Bauer because the one we bought is too bulky! :( Although it did serve it's purpose for us. 

So now on my third pregnancy, I know that a stroller isn't that much of a necessity unless you plan to always go out. When we go back to Dubai in December, I'll be mostly left alone with the three kids while Art is out on the field. So I reckon that we'd be spending most, if not all, our time at home. 

With that in mind, I should stop thinking of strollers but right now I am crushing on not one, but two strollers! 

First is the Bugaboo Cameleon, which isn't the most practical stroller to buy considering it costs $979 (via amazon). Take note, there is no car seat included in that price. 

This Marc Jacobs for Bugaboo design is really cute if you're looking for a unisex stroller. 

Some Bugaboo celebrity sightings.

The second stroller I'm looking at is the Quinny Buzz 3 in the color Juice! Since almost everything I bought for our baby girl is pink, I would want her stroller (if she would have one) to be in another color. 

This is another stroller I don't think we can afford, with a price tag of $559.99 - $699.99 for the stroller + $199.99 for the dream bassinet. The car seat is Maxi Cosi $169.95, which is attachable to the Quinny stroller. 

These two strollers are very nice-to-haves, but since we don't have unlimited budget and we're preparing for the impending delivery, I think I should forget it for now. :)

Now if you're looking for a value-for-money stroller, there's always this Graco Travel System in Alano print for $164.21 (via amazon).

But right now, I'm only in search of a car seat since hospitals here in the states won't discharge newborns unless you can present them with a car seat. I remember during Kaden's time, the nurse escorted us all the way to the car to make sure the car seat was attached to the base properly. 

Kaden and his baby nurse on the day we got discharged from the hospital.