How To Buy A Stroller
Strollers make great gifts for baby showers. It's something that every expecting mother needs because even if she already has children she probably gave away her old stroller or maybe her old one doesn't suit her lifestyle anymore. There are many different types of stroller so you have to be careful to get the one that will suit your daily life.
So, how do you decide what stroller is right for you? Think about your daily activities and the things you do every day. Do you need a stroller for occasional trips to the mall or does your schedule demand that you are in and out of the car all day long? Do you already have a small child who still needs a stroller? If so, maybe a double stroller is right for you. Do you like to walk or jog for exercise? You might consider a stroller especially made for jogging.
You should also pay close attention to how much money you plan on spending for a stroller. The light umbrella-style strollers are the least expensive but they also have far fewer features than the pricier models. You can spend a little money on a collapsible stroller that will easily fit in your car or you can spend thousands of dollars on a top of the line model that has all the bells and whistles. Either way your stroller must have a certain basic set of features.
Maybe the most important feature to look for is how easy the stroller is to use. If you're like most women you're going to be using this thing every day, maybe several times a day and if it's hard to get it in and out of the car or if it's a struggle to push it forward or backward you may regret getting it. Make sure you give it a road test and if at all possible do it with the weight of a child in it to get a real world test of how easy it is to use.
Another critical feature is brakes. Regardless of how much money you spend on a stroller it must have reliable brakes. If you plan to take it out for a walk in your neighborhood or maybe even take it on a bus you will at some point need to keep it from rolling away from you. Adjustable handles are also very important because, let's face it, we're not all the same size and what's comfortable for one person isn't easy for another. This can make a huge difference in how much energy you expend pushing the stroller and how tired you feel at the end of the day.
The number one factor to consider when buying a stroller is safety. Remember that even with all the safety features in the world, the primary responsibility for the safety of your child is you. Always, make sure that your child is secured with the safety harness and never leave the child unattended even when he is asleep. Lock the wheels on the stroller when you're not moving to keep it from rolling away. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission oversees the safety of strollers and other consumer products sold in the United States and has ordered the recall of several different models of strollers in recent years so you can be pretty sure that the model you buy will be safe for use. Be sure to fill out the warranty card that comes with the purchase of your stroller so you can be notified in the future of possible recalls.
So, how do you decide what stroller is right for you? Think about your daily activities and the things you do every day. Do you need a stroller for occasional trips to the mall or does your schedule demand that you are in and out of the car all day long? Do you already have a small child who still needs a stroller? If so, maybe a double stroller is right for you. Do you like to walk or jog for exercise? You might consider a stroller especially made for jogging.
You should also pay close attention to how much money you plan on spending for a stroller. The light umbrella-style strollers are the least expensive but they also have far fewer features than the pricier models. You can spend a little money on a collapsible stroller that will easily fit in your car or you can spend thousands of dollars on a top of the line model that has all the bells and whistles. Either way your stroller must have a certain basic set of features.
Maybe the most important feature to look for is how easy the stroller is to use. If you're like most women you're going to be using this thing every day, maybe several times a day and if it's hard to get it in and out of the car or if it's a struggle to push it forward or backward you may regret getting it. Make sure you give it a road test and if at all possible do it with the weight of a child in it to get a real world test of how easy it is to use.
Another critical feature is brakes. Regardless of how much money you spend on a stroller it must have reliable brakes. If you plan to take it out for a walk in your neighborhood or maybe even take it on a bus you will at some point need to keep it from rolling away from you. Adjustable handles are also very important because, let's face it, we're not all the same size and what's comfortable for one person isn't easy for another. This can make a huge difference in how much energy you expend pushing the stroller and how tired you feel at the end of the day.
The number one factor to consider when buying a stroller is safety. Remember that even with all the safety features in the world, the primary responsibility for the safety of your child is you. Always, make sure that your child is secured with the safety harness and never leave the child unattended even when he is asleep. Lock the wheels on the stroller when you're not moving to keep it from rolling away. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission oversees the safety of strollers and other consumer products sold in the United States and has ordered the recall of several different models of strollers in recent years so you can be pretty sure that the model you buy will be safe for use. Be sure to fill out the warranty card that comes with the purchase of your stroller so you can be notified in the future of possible recalls.
