I don't remember the exact date I started researching strollers, but they became something of an obsession. I started not seeing strangers in the street, but I was captivated by what they were pushing their children around in. I did ask a few people what they thought of their strollers, but I soon realised people are too proud to admit any fault in their belongings.
What I wanted was a one-hand-fold, 4-wheel, umbrella-style stroller with a big generous basket underneath, full lay-back ability for a newborn and ideally a means of turning the seat. I dragged Jeremy out one day to look at a bunch of stores to see what was out there, and came home with my tail between my legs. At this point I realised that umbrella strollers were not as big on features (such as generous baskets) as I had hoped.
I had to rethink things a bit, and I was still set on the idea of being able to have baby face me. I became addicted to Product Review Australia (which is the best site in the whole world, as far as I'm concerned) and that turned me off a few strollers I thought looked great in the store but sounded terrible in reality.
I was able to quickly cancel out the need for bits and pieces like cup holders, especially those strollers that included 2 cup holders for the baby. As if one cup (let alone two) is going to sit in a holder in front of a baby for more than 1 second before it's on the ground. There are certainly some extras on strollers that I had no interest in, which should have made things easier but it really didn't.
Finally we found a local store where the shop assistant was keen to give us some advice and show us the ropes. Jeremy and I quickly settled on the Bebe Care Caprice pram /stroller, which looked great and the seat could turn around. It seemed a bit fiddly to take it all apart in order to get it in the boot, and it was pretty heavy, but it came with a free nappy bag so that was a bonus.
Mum and Dad came up from Sydney with the intention of buying us a stroller as a wonderful gift. We took them to the store to show them the Caprice and mum had instant concerns about it. Firstly, she didn't think it was wide enough to accommodate a growing child and secondly it was too thickly padded for the QLD summer that our baby will soon be enduring. Her concerns were valid and I was glad she was there to give me that advice. Being a first time mum I never thought of those things.
But mum and dad were here with a purpose, and we were all keen to get this stroller business over and done with. There was one other stroller in the store that looked good. The Valco Latitude. The only problem was, it was a 3-wheeler and I had been adamant all along about getting one with 4 wheels, because they're generally narrower and I do not want to be one of those pavement-hogging women who thinks they own the streets with those giant tanks they push around.Also, the seat didn't turn around, but the basket was generous and the stroller folds easily. Also, the wheel base is very narrow and it's incredibly small, light and compact for a 3-wheel stroller. I hadn't ever seen or heard of this stroller before, it was all very sudden so I wanted to give it some thought. We went out for lunch and I looked online to see if there were any reviews, but this stroller is so new there's hardly anything written about it. It's just been released!
It felt like a stab in the dark with my eyes glued closed and my hands tied behind my back, but before the day was out we decided to go ahead and buy the brand new Valco Latitude, which I obviously haven't been able to test with a real baby but Augustus, my teddy bear, went for a ride and seemed to enjoy it (when I was looking down on him through the window in the stroller hood).
I think it was the closest I could get to matching my requirements, because apparently the perfect stroller doesn't exist despite how many choices are available.
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