strollin' along

So the stroller saga continues. We love our Uppababy Vista. It has an amazing ride (especially on uneven sidewalks and potholes). Hudson loved it too for the first 2 months when he slept in the bassinet and then for the few months after plowing through snow drifts. But by six months the snow had melted and he wanted to SIT UP - and it was hard to lean forward enough to do so in the Uppababy 2009 (the 2010 and 2011 versions have fixed this).

So we knew we had to find something lighter weight that would be easier to take on the subway and into stores and restaurants. We looked at the usual McClarens, which people seem to love, but we weren't sold. The back was not so supportive, the basket was small, they don't stand on their own, the sunshades are not big enough, and the ones that do recline are pricey. Uppababy makes the G-Luxe which reclines and stands with a kick-stand, but again, it was not affordable new.  While perusing gilt.com one day I discovered the Aprica Presto.  The seat was high like the Vista (which we love) the sunshade extends and it stands on it's own (without a kick stand). The back is rigid and reclines and the basket is one of the largest ones for the strollers in its group. Although the handles are not height adjustable like the G-Luxe, they are taller so Dave is comfortable pushing it. It works for babies 4 mo. + up to 70(!) lbs. and has a cooling feature in the back and a nice mesh removable seat liner (I just found out they have come out with one that can accommodate a car seat so you can use it from birth!). And it doesn't look too shabby:
   


The folding takes a bit of practice, but has a safety feature to avoid pinching (or amputating) baby fingers. And we found it on amazon for 40% off of retail plus free shipping (thank you amazon moms!).  The best part is that Hudson *loves* it.

We sold the Uppa for $40 less than we paid for it. If I could have rented the stroller for $6.66 per month, I would have (and I essentially did). The moral of this story is to buy used and sell used. Much like cars, the first owner takes the biggest initial depreciation hit. We swooped in as second owners and got out early enough to make out like banshees. However banshees make out.

And now Hudson is pushing his own stroller of sorts. I know - collective 'awww.' Dave got him started and he was off on a roll. But then remembered it is faster to crawl to attach the camera than this rolling car thingy.

He's coming to get me!