How am I supposed to pick a stroller?!

[Anonymous]

There are so many options!

I'm looking for a great all purpose stroller. I do not want to purchase two or three strollers!! Ideally, one stroller would work from infant-two years. The stroller will be used on the subway, for city/suburban walking, and will go in the car.

Qualities:
Relatively easy to collapse
Relatively lightweight
Suitable for tall parents (5'10" and 6'3")

A few options I've looked at are the UppaBaby Vista and City Mini. I'm open to all price ranges.
What stroller do you have and recommend?

[Anonymous]

The Uppababy was too tall for me and I didn't like the handle on the Britax so we ended up with the City Select. I love it!

I see lots of tall people with the Uppababy.

[Anonymous]

We got a Maclaren (Quest?), and it worked well for us, but that was a few years ago.

[Anonymous]

The City Mini is fantastic. We're using it now with the carseat adapter, and it handles beautifully (much better than the standard Snap n Go), and it folds easily (I can collapse it and swing it into the trunk with one hand). Soon we'll be removing the carseat bar and using as a regular umbrella stroller. Can't wait.

Not sure about the height issue, though. DH and I are much shorter than you all. GL.

[Anonymous]

Go to Great Beginnings in Gaithersburg and test-drive a bunch. The sales people there are also very knowledgeable. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

OP. We have test driven both strollers. I feel like there's a lot of things you discover about strollers when you use them in real life. That's why I'm asking the experts who have real life experience with strollers in DC!

[Anonymous]

I considered the City Mini and still covet its easier folding, but I'm glad someone passed down their Bugaboo to us because at 18 mo DS still insists on having his seat facing us so we can talk. I'm not sure what I would buy if I had to start over, but the option to switch the seat direction has turned out to be a surprisingly long-term advantage for us.

[hippie_mama]

I love the uppababy vista. Also Baby Bargains is a great resource!

[Anonymous]

We have a City Mini. My husband is 6'2" and has no problems with the height. The stroller is great -- so easy to fold, steer, etc., but the basket is really small and almost inaccessible (although I've heard that maybe this will be changed in the 2012 model? We have the 2011 model).

[Anonymous]

We have the City Mini. Haven't used it with a car seat adaptor but love it otherwise - very lightweight & so easy to collapse. DH is 6'4" and he has no problem with it, though it would be nice if the handlebar was adjustable.

[Anonymous]

To 11:20 poster above-why haven't you used the City Mini with the car seat adapter? Did you choose to use your car seat with a different base, or do you simply not use a car?

[Anonymous]

My advice is to buy a used SNAP and GO from Craiglist (or borrow one) for those first few months. Then, buy a City Mini to use from 4-6 mo on.

I know you don't want two strollers but the car seat adapter for the City Mini was more expensive than buying a used SNAP and GO. And the SNAP and GO is SO SO convenient and easy to use. Much easier than trying to get the car seat locked into the City Mini. Plus, the basket on the SNAP and GO is huge which is great for those early months when you don't know what you'll need so you bring everything. The City Mini is an all around great stroller--light, easy to fold, and handles rough DC sidewalks beautifully.

[Anonymous]

Not the PP, but you can put newborns in with a Snuzzler in either stroller (plus of course there's the Uppa bassinet---we have the smaller Uppababy Cruz so don't have a bassinet, though), thereby skipping the car seat adapter.

For OP, we love our Uppababy, but neither the Cruz (22 lbs) nor the Vista (25 lbs, and even more with the bassinet) is lightweight compared to the City Mini (under 17 lbs). If weight is important, go with the City Mini or an umbrella stroller for sure.

[Anonymous]

I got a snap and go frame (because it was pretty much the same price as the adapter for the city mini) and used that for the first couple of months and now use my city mini which i love love love. My husband is 6'4" and I am 5'4" and we both find it comfortable. Plus opening it and closing it is so easy one handed. borrow a graco in an emergency and wanted to throw just trying to get it closed.

[Anonymous]

Check out the Britax B-Agile -- some people think it's an improved City Mini.

Also check out the Uppababy Cruz. It's narrower and lighter than the Vista. Vista is too big and unwieldy to be your one stroller, I think. Even the Cruz might be a little too big for that.

If you REALLY want to use just one stroller, I think you should look at the Maclaren Techno and Quest, the City Mni, and the Britax B-Agile.