Our latest singular focus is what might be our largest purchase: the stroller. Formerly on my "Hope to Receive" list, I've now moved it to the "Things to Buy" column--having spent the last two weeks reading reviews, interviewing friends, and coveting those of passers-by, we realize that we can't possibly hope to just inherit one...
There are several reasons for this. The first being, of course, safety: we want to buy a brand new carseat, to ensure its working condition and various guarantees. How does this tie to a stroller? Well we've found out that the best option of a stroller for the first few months will be one that fits the carseat--and we need to identify the right stroller for us before we can select a carseat that will fit...
And identifying that stroller is not as easy as it would seem. It's brought on nothing short of a moral dilemma as much as an identity crisis. We want to be reasonable and practical, to resist the models that costs more than a car (I do not exaggerate: Chris bought his current ride, a pick up truck, from a friend for $1000). We want to resist the trend of high-design strollers which many admit are a new category of competitive status symbols. We try to remind ourselves that when we were babies, our mothers did just fine.
But our new parent friends tell us we are naive. That a stroller is not a luxury, but a necessity, and we will be so much happier with a nicer stroller.
Which brings us to our current state, of trying to define ourselves. Not since I tried to decide what SF neighborhood to live in did I debate so much internally. What's important to me? Am I someone that spends more like hiking or shopping? Can I put a price on design and functionality? What if it means more comfort for my baby?
We hate to admit it, but we are down to a few high-end contenders:
Bugaboo Bee
Quinny
Orbit
Bob
The next step is a test drive, of strollers. This is ironic, since we have yet to test drive any cars - and we both need to upgrade from our respective two-seaters!
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