I feel like baby stuff is out of control. You ‘have’ to get three different kinds of everything in order to function in different settings. The best example of this in my sMotherhood life, so far, is the stroller. When my daughter, Kaylee, was an infant, we got the big ol’ combination stroller – the one that fit the infant carrier. Sure that thing was helpful with its temperature gauge, clock, basket, ability to snap in the matching infant carrier, but also be a stroller Kaylee could grow into. But my Lord was that thing heavy! My post-partum atrophied muscles could not handle lifting that thing – especially with one hand, while I was holding Kaylee in the other. No wonder my back constantly ached.
Luckily, the TSA snapped a wheel off that massive stroller and we were forced into getting a new stroller. This time we opted for something sporty – so we could go on walks/hikes with Kaylee in tow. To be honest, we probably would have gotten this stroller eventually anyway since the massive stroller was really not made for anything but smooth sidewalks. Sporty stroller is much lighter than massive stroller, but it is still heavy and awkward (thanks to the three large off-roading wheels). And by the way, you need two hands in order to fold it since there are two release triggers you have to pull simultaneously on opposites sides of the stroller. Who came up with that design? And a better question – why did we buy that design?? Simple… we are first-time parents who don’t think of all the x-factors, like what happens when you are alone with the stroller and the baby and you can only attend to one of them a time?
We are not disappointed with sporty stroller, but there are times when it’s not convenient – not only when we are alone, but also when going to crowded places, or when travelling. Sporty stroller is just not very compact, it’s still slightly heavy, and it’s awkward to deal with. So enters stroller number three: umbrella stroller. A brilliant, and luckily cheap, creation that is perfect for a crowded store, theme park, or airport. It’s lightweight too – so I can still hold Kaylee while I stow it in the car.
Is it really not possible to combine the three designs? I want to be able to buy one stroller that fits an infant carrier, can off-road with the best of them, and is compact and lightweight. Are you out there dream stroller? If so, I’ll definitely tell my friends about you… it’s too late for me now. Unless the TSA can help a sister out… again…
