Stroller Madness

WEEK

25

Today we hit 175 days of pregnancy, leaving only 105 days until the due date (May 7). According to BabyCenter, the baby is 13.5 inches long and about 1.5 pounds.

I think I've got it all figured out -- the ideal stroller situation.

As noted earlier, I volunteered to report on strollers for our prenatal class. After a short visit to Babies "R" Us on Saturday and some online perusing, I think I've nailed down the ideal stroller solution. Of course, this is my version of "ideal", so it may not work for anyone in our class.

For me, it is important that the stroller be very compact. I've seen how much stuff people have to jam into their cars whenever they go places with their kids. This is particularly true if you have to travel alot, like us. I've been in line behind couples with children at the airport and it looks like they must have a cello and a drum set hidden in their luggage. Incredible. I would like to make an effort to keep the cargo small.

I think the ultimate example of a compact stroller was the rig we saw in the Chicago airport at Christmas this year. One couple had taken a car seat and strapped it to a folding luggage rack, which they pushed through the airport. I don't think that is the ideal solution for most circumstances, but it was pretty wicked, and it opened my eyes to the possibilities for compact stroller solutions.

I think the best solution for us is the Strolee Streak Universal Stroller, because it's cheap and it's compact. It folds up way smaller than all the other universal stroller frames -- almost as small as a little luggage cart. What's more, this is also one of the cheapest universal strollers (at $29), so it's not a huge expense. You won't feel too bad about ditching it when you have to stop using the infant car seat, since you don't have too much money wrapped up in it. This is almost like having a disposible stroller, that you jettison once you're in orbit, along with your rocket boosters.

The only problem is that it's not available in Canada. I went to the website of the manufacturer in Japan, and they say that they market their product in North America through a wholly-owned subsidiary in North Carolina. Unfortunately, the group in NC doesn't sell the items, they just provide links to distributors (online and retail). None of the online sellers appear to do shipments to Canada. If I want it, it looks like I have to have it shipped to NYC for pickup in February. We're going to need a cargo van to get all the stuff back from NYC. I hope my brother has enough room to store this stuff as it arrives. His apartment isn't much bigger than a baby stroller.

I cannot believe that all the baby stores in this country have chosen to ignore the universal-baby-stroller-frame. Babies "R" Us had none. Sears has one model, but it's wildly overpriced. Oh, the injustice! This whole situation is maddening. Why should I be excluded from the world of universal-baby-stroller-frames just because I live in Canada? Contrary to popular belief, Canadians also have an inner desire to push their babies around in wheeled devices.

Whenever I encounter situations like this, I feel tempted to begin importing these products myself, just to fill the void. I have a friend who imports stuff. He finds interesting building/construction products online and contacts the factories in China to have the stuff shipped here. He would know what to do in this situation. Most of his contacts are in the construction business, so he wouldn't be too helpful at trying to sell the stuff, though.

Anyways, after we ditch the infant seat and the universal frame, I think we'll go for a nice, light, Maclaren umbrella stroller. They look so nimble compared to the other models in the store. It's something like $100 to buy it, but I think it's worth it. I am totally crazy though. All I can think about are strollers. Strollers, strollers, strollers.

It's total stroller madness. I think I have become obsessed.