How To Choose A Stroller

How to Choose a Stroller for Newborn

When shopping for the best newborn stroller, it’s difficult to narrow down to the perfect stroller for your lifestyle. We will give you a basic knowledge of different strollers and different options you have and how to narrow down to the perfect stroller for your lifestyle and your child.

Questions to Ask

To narrow down from all the newborn baby strollers available on the market, here are questions we recommend you ask yourself.

1. What is your Lifestyle?

You need to ask yourself where you will use your stroller the most now.

2. City Dweller

For city dwellers, I would recommend a modular stroller or even a full-size stroller depending on the features it has. If you are shopping a lot and need more baskets space, you will typically have a bigger basket on a modular stroller. But then also you have many nice features that make it convenient to go through the city. You also want to consider that if you drive a car, you will need to fold that up and put it in your trunk often. You want to make sure the maneuverability is good. Getting in and out of a shopping cart or clothes racks when you go to the mall is important, so you want nothing that’s long or wide to make sure you get through that clothes rack or even crowds easily. So those are things to consider for city dwellers.

3. Outdoorsy

Now, the next lifestyle to consider is maybe a little outdoorsy. For those that enjoy camping, jogging, or hiking we would recommend a jogging stroller. This could even include just any uneven or rocky terrain or it could be an uneven sidewalk. Even for those living in a suburban area, these are some things to consider. Now one thing we recommend doing when you are narrowing down the process of choosing a stroller is actually as you go through your daily life just consider when you would use a stroller – going to the grocery store, taking a walk to a park or all of those activities you want to do with your baby.

You should also consider the terrain stroller – if it’s pretty flat you could go with a full-size or a modular stroller, but if the terrain is uneven, you should consider going for a jogging stroller.

4. Traveler

The last lifestyle you can consider is doing you travel frequently enough to warrant having a lightweight or travel stroller. It can be quite difficult to take a jogging stroller on and off a plane. So we would really recommend you getting an umbrella stroller or even a travel stroller as it has that nice compact fold and they are really lightweight. That will make it easy to get on and off the plane or in and out of a car. So it is important to consider those features if you travel frequently.

5. Do I want a Travel System?

Another question to ask yourself is do I want to use my stroller with my infant car seat as a travel system. Now a travel system is where you can easily take your infant seat and click it into your stroller. In this way, you don’t have to disrupt your baby, especially while they are sleeping which is really nice and handy. Now, I need to mention it’s not ideal to keep your baby in an infant car seat for long periods of time just because you want to keep their airways open. So ensure you keep them lying flat as much as possible.

Many strollers are going to at least accept their own brand car seat, but there are many strollers on the market compatible with other brands with additional adapters. So you just have to make sure the car seat you want is compatible with the stroller you want. Lightweight strollers such as umbrella strollers typically are not compatible with any infant car seat. So that’s something to consider if you travel free frequently. Some jogging strollers are compatible with car seats but not all joggers will accept an infant car seat. Many full-size strollers on the market will accept their own brand and even other brands with additional adapters

6. Are you Planning on Growing your Family Soon?

I know it seems like it’s a little early to be considering a second child when you are just having your first but it could save you money in the long run. The reason for that is you can actually attach another seat to many modular strollers without having to buy a whole new stroller. So when you have your second child you just purchase a second seat and you can click it on, now you have a double stroller. It typically will be more expensive in the beginning but in the long run, it will save you a lot of money and then you can keep the stroller you love long-term.

Types of Strollers

1.Full-Size Strollers

This can be either a single stroller or a double stroller. This one is actually a double as you can see. Full-size strollers are typically side-by-side but you can also get some tandem strollers too. Tandem strollers have static seats that will not move around. It’s compatible for babies up until toddler and even little kid. Their price range from as low as $200 to as high as $1,200.

2.Jogging Strollers

It is important to note that it is not recommended to jog with an infant until they are at least 6 months old. So you should wait until they are a bit older to make sure their spine and neck are mature enough to withstand the motion of jogging. Jogging involves a lot of up-n-down movements as you would have to move the stroller over the pavement. So you really want to be cautious when you are jogging with your baby.

That being said, a jogging stroller is made up of three major components. First, it will have air-filled tires and what that will do is absorb that energy in the leg while you are jogging. The second is the suspension, just by pushing it down it will absorb some of that energy so that your child is not feeling it as much and also to make it easier for you to push. And then you will also have three wheels and then the front wheel will lock into place. And what that does is make it so you are exerting less energy to try to keep your stroller going straight. So it’s just going to naturally go straight so you don’t have to move it as much so you can focus on jogging.

Now, jogging strollers are excellent if the only opportunity you have to jog is when you are with your child or for those avid joggers. The downfall is they will be heavier and they will have a bigger fold because they have awesome energy absorbing features. Jogging strollers price range from $100 to $700.

3.Modular Strollers

Basically, modular strollers have all the pieces separated. So you will have a bassinet you can click in, a frame, or an infant even seat. The nice perk about that is that you can turn the seat around and then your child is facing you while they are nice and little. That feature may not be super important as your child gets older or if you start to use a stroller when your child is older because then they want to see more of the world and less of their parent. It also has a sleek and nice design and it allows you to configure it the way you want to without the actual seat as you would typically do with a full-size stroller. These strollers price range from $300 to $800.

4.Lightweight (Travel and Umbrella Strollers)

These are typically tiny, lightweight and they are great to just throw in your car trunk when you are going on small trips or even traveling. They can easily fit in the car or even on a plane. Some of these lightweight strollers are approved to be a carry-on on the airplane. This is really nice because you can take it with you on the plane and you don’t have to entrust the stroller to the not so gentle airport handlers.

So the drawback of having these lightweight strollers is that they typically have smaller wheels, which may not be really maneuverable for everyday life. But then also they lack many of the nice features you will get in some other strollers so it may not be as convenient. But they have that nice small fold, which for your lifestyle could be the most important thing. It is common to see parents have multiple strollers with a travel stroller. They would usually use the travel stroller when they need to travel and when they want to go to amusement parks or have long walks, they will go with the stroller with all the great features. These are usually the cheapest and you can get lightweight strollers from as low as under $100.

Features to Consider

1.Maneuverability

Maneuverability and how easy it is to push the stroller is an important thing to consider when shopping for the best stroller for newborns. You don’t want to be pushing your stroller and being really frustrated, that it’s difficult. The wheels are the biggest contributing factor to an easily maneuverable stroller. The larger and the more tread on that wheel the easier it is to maneuver, and that’s what you will see on jogging stroller especially air-filled tires. It allows you not to feel the terrain quite as much.

Now a step down from that will be like an all-terrain wheel like the foam-filled wheels. You don’t have to fill them up with air, which is nice, but it will not have as much energy absorption that a jogging stroller will have. Then, there is also the rubber foam filled tires. This will not absorb as much energy, but it’s still pretty nice and depending on how large the wheels are you may not feel the terrain quite as much. Lastly, there are the harder plastic wheels like the ones on the lightweight or umbrella strollers. With these wheels, you will feel every rock and bump that is on the road.

2.Brakes

Another feature to consider is the brake. There are two main types of breaks – a handbrake or a foot brake. You will push foot brake down and then flip it up. This won’t be a problem if you wear tennis shoes but for those who wear sandals and have to flip up the break with the sandals, it may hurt the toes. That is where the handbrake comes in. On this, to break it you are just going to flip it up and then to release you flip it down. So I really like a handbrake for that reason. I actually wear sandals quite often.

3.Adjustable Handlebar

An adjustable handlebar is another great feature to consider. Now, this is especially important if the parents are of differing heights. There are two different types of adjustable handlebars, there’s a telescoping, which pulls out like a telescope and then there’s a pivoting which will push on both sides and it will go up and down. Personally, I like a telescoping handlebar and the reason for that is the higher it gets then the further from the stroller it gets and what that does is it gives you more kick room, especially for tall parents.

You can also get that a little with a pivoting but there comes a point where the highest and furthest point is not far enough, but then as you get higher it actually gets closer to the stroller and that’s taking away some kick room. So you definitely want to test-drive strollers with both parents to make sure that the height is a comfortable height for both of you. Typically, an adjustable handlebar is one feature absent from lightweight and umbrella strollers. This is because it adds to the weight and the bulkiness of the stroller so you are most likely not going to get that feature on those strollers.

4.Lay Flat Recline

The next feature you want to look for when shopping for the best stroller newborn actually depends on the age of the child you are planning on using the stroller with. Some people don’t know that on most strollers you can’t put an infant directly in the stroller – you will have to use an infant car seat. So the feature you are actually looking for is a lay flat recline. If you plan on using your stroller with a child, that’s a little older than you really don’t even need to consider that feature.

5.Fold

This last feature that could actually be a deal breaker is the fold. You want to play with the fold to see how well it folds in. The most important thing is that it will fit in your car or wherever you need it to go. Full-size strollers are notorious for being really easy; you just need to pull up on the two handlebars. It’s not too heavy, but it is pretty wide so this it might not fit in a compact car trunk.

Jogging strollers don’t have a handlebar and they are a bit bulky. It is easy to fold but those tires are huge so you might have a little trouble with it fitting in a car trunk as well. Modular strollers are super easy to fold. I love the stand when folded so you don’t have to bend over and pick up the stroller. The nice thing about modular strollers is if it doesn’t fit the trunk you can pack the pieces separately. So I really like that if it’s not fitting the way you want it to, you can just take it apart. The lightweight ones will win the game every time because they are super small and super lightweight. I don’t know a car that this will not fit into. Also, the umbrella strollers are pretty compact and easy to fold.

Benefits of Baby Strollers

1.Safety

Strollers help to keep your kids safe from different adverse conditions if compared to when you carry them on your back. Many of them are specially designed with a protective frame and safety harness sunshade to ensure the maximum safety of your little ones. The priority that parents should always keep in mind how to keep their baby safe. Modern strollers avail you many safety features that will make them very safe and comfy for both the baby and the parent. Most of these baby strollers on the market have an efficient and trouble-free locking system that makes it easy to unlock and lock the wheels of the stroller.

2.Durability Option

Another benefit of the best newborn stroller is that they are made to last for long. This is because they must meet the required safety standards to be ideal for your baby’s use. They are usually designed with high-quality durable materials that allow them to last long. They also help to keep your baby protected from external influences such as the sun, wind, dust and many more.

3.Additional Features

These strollers are made to provide convenience and safety for both the baby and the parent. We have strollers with a canopy that helps to protect the baby from the UV rays of the sun and other environmental factors. There are also modular baby strollers that make separating the child seat from the frame very easy so you can use it as a car seat. We also have strollers that feature compartments that can easily fit any portable changing table. Some other features of the baby strollers include straps, storage pockets, latch connectors, mesh ventilation, under seat basket, and other incredible features that help to promote the ease of use.

4.Keeping you Fit

Staying fit and healthy even after having your baby is important for your general wellbeing. Most women would usually gain a lot of weight during pregnancy. A stroller can help you get back to your normal sexy shape. You might wonder how a stroller will help you get back into shape but it is possible in the following ways. Walking or running errands can be an effective way to exercise and keep the body healthy.

5.Soothes the Baby

A stroller allows you to enjoy happy times with your little ones outdoors while also soothing your baby. Babies love a cool and comfortable place and a stroller can provide them all of this. You might probably find your baby falling asleep while you are going for shopping or taking a walk with them. This is likely because of the soothing and comforting nature of these baby strollers. They also have very comfortable seats that help to support your baby’s head.

6.Easy to Carry Baby Accessories

Another benefit parents can get from buying the best baby stroller for newborns is spacious storage. These strollers have ample space where you can store baby essentials, personal items, and other baby accessories. You can also use the available space to keep things like baby diapers while you are outdoors.

7.Prices

Many parents want to ensure they get all they want for their babies without breaking the bank. You don’t have to buy an expensive stroller for you to carry your little ones. The good news is that these strollers are available in different affordable models. Even with a budget of just $100, you can still get an ideal stroller that can carry your baby comfortably.

8.Portability

Portability is another benefit you can enjoy with newborn baby strollers, particularly the modern ones. These strollers usually have a folding design that makes transporting it pretty easy. This folding design can also help to save more space because they are very easy to store when they are not in use.

The benefits parents can get from buying the best stroller for newborns can’t be understated. This is because they are an essential product that makes the carrying of babies very easy. It also gives you the opportunity to take your little ones with you anywhere you go without necessarily compromising their comfort. Regardless of it type of stroller, you decide to go for, both you and your baby will have a good time while engaging in any outdoor activity.

Conclusion

Are you ready to shop? You can browse through some of the best newborn stroller in our guide, keeping those features you want in mind. Now you know the questions to ask, the major types of strollers, and the features to keep in mind, we are confident you will find the stroller that is best for you and your baby.

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MamaSweetie

Last updated : 08/2019