Car-free, love to run and minimalist. Need stroller advice please

[Anonymous]

Hi all,

My partner and I do not have a car and live in a one-bedroom in the city. We are hoping to buy just one stroller for our first baby, hopefully, one I can go running with on paved paths 2-3 times a week (Rock Creek, Anacostia trail etc). We also do not have a car so would prefer something that is also metro friendly and easy to walk the mile-1.5 to daycare, doctor etc. We also want to try baby carrying and hoping that for shorter/easy trips we may not need a stroller at all.

Any thoughts or ideas for us? Thanks in advance

[Anonymous]

A great running stroller and something foldable/metro friendly/easy to get up stairs (you didn't mention the storage situation at home) are two different things in my experience. We were very happy with the BOB running stroller for two kids, but it's not compact and easy to bring into a third floor walk up. If that's not a concern, highly recommended!

[Anonymous]

Thule Chariot.

[Anonymous]

Some thoughts but no answers:

Metro often has elevator outages. I got the babyzen yo-yo so I could haul baby and stroller up escalator if necessary. Also, this may have changed, but you used to have to collapse your stroller on the bus which is a pain with those huge nuna/Uppababy strollers when also carrying a baby. Easiest on metro is baby wearing.

But I don’t think the baby zen would be good for running because the wheels are too small for gravel. (Pavement probably okay).You also cannot fit much in the basket for the grocery store, although really grocery delivery is the absolute best when you have a small baby.

Another point, a lot of entrances to shops in DC are not stroller friendly, they are too high off the ground/don’t have auto doors so it can be a challenge to get inside. Forget those stores in converted rowhouses with steps.

[Anonymous]

Bob and a structured carrier. I carried the bob up several flights of stairs for years. It sucked but was worth it to have a good jogging stroller.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bob and a structured carrier. I carried the bob up several flights of stairs for years. It sucked but was worth it to have a good jogging stroller.

This is the right answer if running is really a priority. Get a bob, practice opening/closing it, and get used to having baby gear take over your small space.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bob and a structured carrier. I carried the bob up several flights of stairs for years. It sucked but was worth it to have a good jogging stroller.

This.

Don’t take a stroller on metro or a bus. Not only is it miserable, but it’s really nice to keep your baby protected and close to you in crowded situations.

[Anonymous]

I’m LOLing because you sound like me as a FTM and we ended up with 3 strollers, also living in the city.

First - Your baby can’t be in a running stroller until they have good head control. I think at least 6 months old, maybe older. So there’s no point in getting that now, you need a more appropriate newborn stroller at first.

Second, a jogging stroller is not going to fit in narrow aisles of stores in the city. My City Mini barely fit. And good luck lugging that thing on metro when the elevators are out and you’re trying to ride the Woodley Park stop with a 45 lb stroller in one hand and a diaper bag and baby in the other while you try not to fall off. It’s awful. Get a jogging stroller later when baby is older and use it just for that - jogging. Don’t make it your stroller for day care, shops, doctor, etc. It is too big and will be a nuisance.

Third - you are going to be healing postpartum. Don’t plan on baby wearing immediately, or plan on extended walking as your transportation in the early postpartum period. You may have a C section incision, bad tears,, organ prolapse, diastasis, etc. You may not find it comfortable right away and likely will need to rest and recover and rehabilitate your core before you are going to want to put a ton of load on your core and pelvic floor. I also know a lot of moms don’t ever get back to running because after kids they have incontinence, prolapse, back pain, diastasis, core weakness, it doesn’t feel good anymore, it is uncomfortable with boobs full of milk, your joints are loose from all the relaxin, etc. That’s a possibility and outcome to just be aware of. A lot depends on your delivery, baby, body, etc. and you can stack the deck in your favor with pelvic floor PT but your body is gonna change, and You’re also gonna be exhausted and your life will be very different than before. You might not even want to run. I had zero drive to run until I weaned my first baby when she was two because all the hormones made me tired.

Finally - There’s a reason most people use a car seat as a stroller that snaps into a base for newborns and that is because your infant won’t be sitting upright or have good head control for quite a while. So if you aren’t getting a car seat, look into a bassinet style that can convert to upright like the Uppababy.

[Anonymous]

I echo others. While I applaud your minimalist efforts, because I am the same, you truly will need two strollers because you’re attempting to do two very different things on a frequent basis: (1) jog with baby so need something heavy duty and big and (2) traverse narrow city streets, door frames, going up and downstairs at Metro, and squeezing on to public transport and need a small footprint stroller.

If I were you I would buy the BabyZen Yo-yo in which a bassinet and bucket car seat can be easily snapped in during the first several months. It is lightweight, folds quickly, and is compact.

I would buy a good quality used jogging stroller. As somebody else said, you can’t jog with a baby for the first six months or so anyway, so it’s not as immediate a need and you won’t be using it as an every day stroller.

But truly, you have two very different needs, one necessitating a big stroller and one necessitating a small stroller so just go with it!

[Anonymous]

Do you not have a car seat? I don’t think they let you leave the hospital without one.

[Anonymous]

Bucket car seat with snap-in stroller frame + ergo (or similar) + BOB.

Use the ergo for commuting/errands. Use the BOB for jogging.

[Anonymous]

Side note - recommend something like this (Over The Door Stroller Storage Hanger) for storing stroller out of the way on the back of the door if you are limited in storage space. This was a life saver for us when we were in a small apartment.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001GPBJP8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

And +1000 for using the structured carrier as much as possible for city bus/metro travel. Elevators are always out on the metro, and even when they are not many are inconveniently located/difficult to find. The only bus I found that it wasn't too bad to use a stroller was the Circulator during a non-busy time. The Circulator (when it wasn't packed) would allow you to keep the stroller unfolded with baby in it and had an area where bus seats flip up where it can go, but it still was challenging getting the stroller up to bus level to enter the bus (even when the bus is kneeling) and navigating the narrow entry area. Not sure if they have changed the rules on the Circulator or not.

[Anonymous]

I think I would get a very small foldable (yo-yo, minu) and a running stroller. The running stroller is special equipment. A tiny stroller will suck to run with.

[Anonymous]

I adore our minu and think it is suitable for any kind of errands after 6mo, but I would not try to run with it.

[Anonymous]

I agree with PP's that your must-haves are a good jogging stroller (the BOB is great) and a really good carrier, or even a few carriers. I'd put these on your registry because you know for sure you want them and will almost certainly use them. If you are fit and a minimalist, the baby carrier is going to be your best friend. I used a combination of a sling (super easy to put on and off, baby loved it, extremely easy to bring places as a just in case) and a soft structured carrier (can be used as a back carrier when baby is older, shifts weight to hips for more ergonomic carrying with a heavier child) and they were absolutely essential. I went stroller free a lot. Also great early on when babies can't sit up in a stroller, but as a minimalist you are not enthusiastic about using a carseat adapter or a bassinet adapter or having to get a lie flat stroller just to accommodate an infant.

Jogging strollers are, indeed, a pain to store and some of them don't fold down at all. But if you are a runner, they are also fantastic and kids often looooooove them (most kids really enjoy the feeling of going fast in a cozy stroller). In addition to the jogging stroller, I would also register for a really good stroller blanket. 7AM Enfant makes one that is pricy but can be used for many years and is really durable -- another good item for a registry. This will help maximize your use of the jogging stroller. And yes, it's another thing. But it's better than constantly having to bundle your kid up in 4 layers plus a blanket that doesn't stay put in the stroller because it's not designed to, every time you want to take your kid out for a run in colder weather.

If I had to place a bet, I'd guess you will also eventually get a small travel stroller -- either an umbrella fold or a twi-fold like the yoyo. I know you say you don't want a bunch of baby gear and I get it -- we also live in a small city apartment and were extremely minimalist about baby stuff. But the tiny stroller is going to appeal to your minimalist sensibilities too, even though it's another item. You can use it for grocery runs, trips to the park, and flying to Europe. It folds down super small and stores easily in a closet or under a piece of furniture. You will wind up with one. But hey, if you don't plan to use it initially, you can postpone this purchase until later.