How to Choose the Right Stroller for Your Baby

Shopping for a baby stroller is a major undertaking. There are so many types of baby strollers currently on the market that trying to decide which to get can become overwhelming. However, after reading this article, you should be able to narrow down your choices and find the perfect stroller for your situation.

Strollers fall into about 3 major types.

There's your basic stroller, the travel systems and the group referred to as combo-strollers.

The travel system is made up of an infant car seat, the car-seat base, and a stroller. Travel systems are the most flexible because they give you the freedom to attach or detach an infant car seat when it is not needed and cutting down on the number and cost of individual baby gear you need to buy initially and pack for every outing with the baby.

Peg-Pérego, a popular European brand, makes all the strollers in their line, including the Pliko P3 Classico, Centro Completo, GT3 Completo and Aria OH Classico, as travel systems. Each include a base to anchor a Peg-Pérego car seat, which is sold separately or use you could use a strap that comes with it to attach other manufacturer's car seats to the stroller base. The great thing about this is that by the time your baby reaches about 6 months of age, you will be able to use the stroller alone without the infant seat/carrier.

Combo strollers are sold by both American and European manufacturers. Brands like Bugaboo with their Bugaboo Frog and Bugaboo Cameleon for example, which can work as a stroller or carriage, are extremely popular all over the world.

These are based on a wheeled chassis that accommodates car seats from various manufacturers, a removable bassinet, which when installed on the chassis converts the system to a carriage that you can use during your baby's newborn and early months and will recline all the way down if needed. There is also a removable stroller seat to use when the baby is older and able to sit up.

Keep the following in mind when determining which stroller or system to buy:

1-Lifestyle

Keep your lifestyle in mind as well as the type of setting you live in. If you live in a big city such as New York or London and take public transportation to get around the city, you may not want to deal with a bulkier system that may require two hands to take a part when you are trying to get on the subway. A lightweight, easily foldable compact stroller may be better for you.

While if you are out in the suburbs where you drive everywhere, or plan on doing a lot of walking over unpaved surfaces, a stroller with larger, shock absorbing wheels will provide more support and cushiness for your baby than an umbrella stroller would.

2- Adjustability

If both you and your spouse will be using the stroller, you may want to check that the handles are adjustable to be comfortable for both of you height-wise.

3-Baby's Age

The baby's age also needs to be thought through. A traditional stroller that does not recline, would not be a good choice for an infant for example, since at that stage they are not able to sit up and require something that an recline all the way down to provide maximum support and comfort.

4-Maneuverability

How easy is the stroller or system to go up and down aisles and around corners? You must give the models you are considering a test drive. Pay attention to just how easy is it to maneuver and will you be able to open and close it with one hand holding the baby.

5-More Babies in Your Future

Another thing you may want to think about when choosing is whether you are planning on having more children. If you will be, it might be a good idea to get the best stroller or system you can afford now so that you can use this same baby gear again when you have the next addition to your family.

This might seem like quite a bit to consider but keep in mind that your baby's stroller will be one of the most important piece of baby gear you will acquire and after all this will be an investment in you and your child's comfort. Choose the right stroller and you won't find yourself shopping around for a new one in 6-8 months.