Spring is here! Not the meteorological variety that is a totally manmade construct – but actual S-P-R-I-N-G! And guess what that means? Babies! And warm weather and getting outside for fresh air! I’d say nothing is better than spring – but I love all the seasons. Whether you have one person, or a few (or one on the way), that means you’re going to need a way to get them from Point A to Point 3. Exactly.

In my *eight* years as a mama, I’ve spent a ton of time doing all the research and had lots of buyer’s remorse. I’ve also spent countless hours on walks – clocking in three miles most days, even in labor.

Now here’s a spoiler: I can’t decide for you what the perfect stroller for your family looks like. What I can do is walk you through some important considerations in making that investment. And let us be clear: it is an investment. So today we’re running a little thought exercise and all the burning questions you should answer to narrow down the perfect stroller for your family.

First up: Should you buy a travel system?

Let’s get this out of the way really quickly. A travel system only applies to situations where you have a newborn or there is one on your immediate horizon. I can see the glory in being able to transport your sleeping infant from the car to the wherever without disturbing their slumber. Unfortunately, this scenario has not once played out in my life. My children have never slept in the car where a boob wasn’t inserted in their mouth for at least 53 minutes; instead, screaming for the duration of any and all car rides for the entire first year. It once took us over an hour to make an eight-minute drive into town. That means, upon arrival at said destination, I want to my babies to GTFO of that seat ASAP. Maybe you have a sleeper – maybe you have a screamer – you won’t know until you know. For this reason alone, I do not recommend a travel system. But there’s also a second reason.

Reason number two I do not recommend a travel system is the suspension on the strollers that come with travel systems aren’t all that great are total garbage. Here’s the buyer’s remorse piece – you’ll feel guilty to get rid of it, but nobody will be happy with the purchase. Do you plan on having another baby down the line? Because most travel systems almost never accommodate multiple children. I engaged in this charade with my first and it’s gonna be a no from me, dawg. Your chiropractor will thank you for cruising right past the idea of lugging that seat around.

Next up: what’s your child’s growth percentile?

Yes, your child’s growth rate is important in determining the type of stroller you will need. Yet another reason to skip the aforementioned travel system if you’re expecting. Strollers are weight rated for safety and comfort. If you have a little one that is consistently measuring in the 90-99th percentile, you’re going to want to think long and hard about the stroller you ultimately purchase. Ask me how I know.

If you have a child in the 50th percentile range, this is going to matter a lot less because you won’t have a toddler that’s the size of a 3rd grader still needing to sit on walks. For this reason, I recommend waiting until your baby is at least four months old before making such a huge purchase.

If you absolutely insist on utilizing a stroller with an infant, you have two options:

Option A: Buy a stroller that you can outfit with your car seat after market.

OR

Option B: Buy a stroller with a fully horizontal bassinet.

If your infant days are in your rearview mirror, or need a hybrid, check your heaviest/tallest child’s height and weight against what the stroller is weighted for. Double strollers have a combined weight allowance, and your heaviest kid may make it impossible to add a second child into the mix. Additionally, consider if your child can even fit under the canopy.

How much are you walking?

Listen – I love to walk. I’ve been walking since wayyyy before it was made cool during COVID. Like… since I was a child. I’m not even kidding when I say that I pushed two kids in a stroller uphill on a three-mile excursion until the day I delivered my last baby (and I went for a 2-3 mile walk during each labor).

If your idea of going for a walk is an occasional 20-minute walk around a paved neighborhood on a beautiful day, you do not need to drop a thousand dollars on a stroller. I mean… you can, but you’re just not going to get your money’s worth.

Where are you walking?

Another thing you’ll want to consider is where you’ll be taking your adventures. In my experience, anything outside of pavement or mall walking calls for air-filled tires and suspension. But don’t just consider your day-to-day (though probably the most important factor). Here, you’ll want to consider the lifespan of the stroller. Are you planning to take your children to Disney? While paved, that’s a different beast than a trip around the neighborhood, and you’ll want to plan the comfort and canopy accordingly. Neither you nor your child will be happy with solid tires on gravel, grass or dirt roads. Last year, we went to a festival on a farm and saw lots of parents struggling with solid wheels in the field.

I recommend scoping out your desired walking path and taking a bike on it to see what it feels like on wheels. If it isn’t comfortable for you on a bike, it won’t be comfortable for your little one. That means your walks aren’t going to be very pleasant, if they happen at all.

Does your stroller need to be easy to transport?

This is a two-part consideration.

Almost all strollers are cumbersome. That’s the long and short of it. If you’re never ever going to travel with your stroller, skip this part. But I’m willing to bet at some point, you will. If trunk space is an issue, you’ll need to pull out a measuring tape. Or tape measure. Whatever the stiff one is. Why they didn’t teach stroller analysis in school is beyond me.

For reference, one of the strollers we own is a Double-BOB and we are also the proud owners of a very cool Toyota Seinna. This is what happens when you procreate too many times. I digress. Our double takes up the entire trunk area. This really sucks when we are trying to play Trunk Tetris before long road trips. Measure twice, purchase once, regret nothing.

The second piece of this consideration is: how capable are you of handling cumbersome materials with a child(ren) in tow? Not everyone’s frame is the same. I often have a hard time flipping the double into place. It requires a certain… technique. If you’re going to be taking your stroller alone, this could change your mind from a clunky BOB to something slimmer like a Thule or Joovy. Though be forewarned that I tried the Thule for about thirty minutes, and it is long like a canoe, but still lighter and easier to flip around.

If your primary stroller use will occur on-the-go and your child is old enough to sit on their own (at least 10 months) and they aren’t likely to fall asleep, you will probably be much happier with an umbrella stroller. It’s still important to make sure it’s adequately padded and shaded, though. A hot, uncomfortable toddler will ruin your whole day. And while I have zero experience with this type of stroller, the Uppababy makes one that appears to have adequate padding from the pictures. That said, this umbrella stroller seems to be the winner across the board on many of the major review sites. I’m not sure if child comfort was used in their determination, as it doesn’t look very well padded. Just my two cents at quick glance with no additional research.

Do you need weather proofing or accessories?

Again, this is largely based on what you consider a walk to be. If, say, you only walk on 72 degree days with ample sunshine and zero wind (seriously – no judgment!), then weather proofing maybe isn’t a concern for you. If you live in a windy area, you’ll probably want to find a stroller that a rain cover can fit over and a bunting can fit into. I do not recommend makeshifting your weather protection. Buying a stroller that has these features available specifically for the stroller is the way to go.

Other accessories: Yes. You’re probably going to want a water bottle holder for mom, and a snack tray for your kid(s). Pairing a walk with snack time often keeps things quiet and civilized. Often, not always.

UV Protection & UV Damage

Having a stroller with a large canopy is a must. This lessens both the risk of sunburn but also heat exhaustion. Look for strollers with a canopy that rates UPF 50.

In addition to the UV protection, consider UV damage. Think about resale and how things will look once they’re faded. Strollers are an investment, and you want to ensure it retains its value, especially if you do not expect to have more than a couple of children. I have seen some blue or maroon BOB’s that look downright terrible after a few years of UV exposure.

Budget & Ways to Save

The cost of strollers is bananas. I guess it makes sense – they’re carrying precious cargo and you want them to be comfortable. Still. Inflation is real and it’s expensive to raise a little human to adulthood (another reason to save your money and avoid buying a travel system). I find Amazon usually has the lowest price because they’re able to buy them in bulk. Their return policies have gotten a lot more stringent, so that is a consideration with such a large purchase. My personal workaround is to visit Buy Buy Baby and check out the stroller in person, then purchase it online. Before you commit to anything Amazon, I recommend checking the prices at Albee Baby, the manufacturer’s website, Facebook marketplace (vomit) and your local Just Between Friends sale before making your final purchase.

Here’s what worked for us.

The strollers that ended up working for our family were a BOB Gear Revolution Flex 3.0 and a Bob Gear Flex 3.0 Duallie. We’ve had the single for approximately seven years and the double for almost six. They’ve come with us everywhere from daytrips to Disney. They wash well and have been very reliable. That said, nothing is perfect. The bottom basket, while gigantic, is very challenging to wash. And the canopies on the double are far inferior to the canopy on the single. It feels almost rickety by comparison. Also, there is no way to use the accessories (like the water bottle holder) from the single on the double or vice versa. All in all, we love our BOBs. Clearly, or we wouldn’t have purchased two of them. (To be fair, they were gifts from grandparents who live far away and whose love language is “gifts.” I digress.)

My personal recommendation is…..

Personally, I recommend skipping a stroller altogether and baby-wearing while you walk or do outings (at least in infancy). There are a few reasons for this. First, people will respect your body boundaries, even if they won’t respect your baby’s. You’re a lot less likely to have some weirdo breathing germs on your baby if they’re strapped to your chest. Second, it’s great for your core (hello rucking!) and it’s great for your baby’s head and neck development. Last, it’s basically an extension of kangaroo care and babies are generally a lot happier strapped to your chest than in a stroller. At least that’s been my experience.

And last: don’t try to keep up with the Joneses.

By now you’ve probably got a good idea of what you’re looking for in a stroller. What works for us, may not work for you, and that is t-totally okay. The mommy wars are real and you want to avoid that like rush hour traffic in Boston’s tunnels. Whatever you do: do not buy a stroller just because your fancy neighbor has it. Or maybe you’re the fancy neighbor, in which case, you don’t need a BOB because I have one. Be a trendsetter and go against the grain – do what fits your family and budget the best, then live free and drive (or walk)!

Cheers to your next stroller-worthy adventure!