I have owned 7 strollers and one stroller wagon, but not all at the same time. My sweet spot for strollers with one kiddo was a farm stroller and a BabyJogger City Versa GT that I picked up on marketplace. My happy place for strollers with 2 under 2 was one all-terrain single-to-double stroller (Phil & Ted’s Sport) and a compact single seat stroller (BabyJogger City Tour Luxe). I added a side-by-side BabyJogger City Mini GT Double later. Now that I have 3 kids, I’ve sold most of my stroller collection in favour of a four-seater stroller wagon, but kept the City Tour Luxe.
Fb marketplace is a huge enabler for my stroller problem lol I’ve only purchased two things brand new and everything else is bought and sold on marketplace.
I had 2 under 2 and then 3 under 3, and I have a stroller obsession that fb marketplace is just all too willing to accommodate. I’ve owed many strollers.
I also live rural, so our stroller needs at home are very different than our stroller needs in town.
To me, the ideal set up is a dedicated double stroller and a dedicated single stroller (ideally a compact city stroller with a lay-flat seat and huge canopy for better naps at church and events). The compact stroller stays in the car, the big double stroller gets loaded up when needed and is used more for walks at home. I had a Phil & Ted’s Sport stroller with second seat, and then added a BabyJogger City Tour Luxe that I picked up on fb marketplace. Switched to a BabyJogger City Mini Gt Double side by side stroller and kept the compact stroller for when that was a faster and easier option.
Now I have a four-seater wagon, and only recently retired the compact stroller because my youngest has maxed out the weight capacity and I can no longer push it one-handed.
I dislike in-line doubles where the second seat goes over the front swivel wheels. They get hard to push and maneuver. The Phil & Ted’s Sport puts the second seat in the back, underneath the main seat. This was a great set-up while I had a toddler and a baby, but I have huge babies and they rapidly maxed out the second seat. The side-by-side double was a better push and had better weight capacities for my large kids, but the basket was harder to reach and harder to get stuff in and out of. I used the Phil & Ted’s stroller for small grocery shops all the time but never used the side-by-side for anything other than grabbing a couple of quick items.
Yes, absolutely worth it! Not just for having more packing space during car travel, but also great for trains, bus… easier to manoeuvre in small shops, cafés etc. During the summer I almost use the travel stroller more than the regular one for my child (it’s less good in snow and on uneven ground so the big one gets lots of use still as well).
You can often find them in good shape second hand, since it’s the sort of thing quite a few people buy and then only use for a few trips. At 12 months I’d look at one with a seat that turns, I’m happy with the Baby Jogger City tour lux.
We have a baby jogger city tour lux, great for one kid/toddler. It folds easily and lives in the car. We also have the bassinet for it. We now have an uppa vista with the extra seat attachment and the bassinet add-on in anticipation of baby 2, so we can still push baby and toddler, then go to tandem seats. I use it for walks and it's a very nice, smooth stroller. We got both secondhand because I refuse to pay those prices new.
This puts us at 2 and we hope to not need more.
Baby jogger city tour! I got the lux version used from Facebook marketplace and I love it for travel. It’s probably bulkier than other umbrella strollers. But my LO is only 6 months old so I wanted something with a bit more structure.
I have the uppababy cruz. I disagree that it is very bulky. It is not as compact as a traveler stroller would be but it is not bulky. I don’t like that you can’t fold it with the seat facing the parent. My LO is still young enough to be parent facing and it’s an extra step to flip the seat around or take it off every time I need to fold the stroller to fit into the trunk of my car. That said, the stroller itself is gold. It has plenty of storage. The straps are easy to operate and secure a squirming baby. The wheels work like butter and overall the stroller feels nice and luxurious. It is my go to stroller when I’m out and about now that the weather is getting better. I bought the stroller new and bought a used bassinet from Facebook marketplace. My baby outgrew the bassinet in less than 6 months. It was worth getting a used one and I’m now looking to sell at more or less the same price.
I recently traveled halfway across the world to see my family. I was initially planning to taking the cruz but I saw a baby jogger city lux on Facebook marketplace and seized the opportunity. It is a very good stroller. It is not as comfortable as the vista but it is very well made. It worked well even for a little 4 month old baby during our travel. The straps are a bit annoying but you get used to them after a while. It folds really small and if folded well, it can fit in an overhead bin. It can fold no matter where the seat is facing.
As some others have mentioned, no stroller can fit your needs entirely. I use the cruz for walks that begin from my home and back home. Or if I know I’ll be walking for longer and want my baby to be comfortable, I’ll take the pains to put it into the trunk of my car. If I’m out on a quick grocery run or to the doctors, I use the baby jogger. It basically lives in the car.
Hope this helps! All the best for your first baby.
Edit: Fixed some typos.
Hi. I’ve been working in this industry over 20 years and I have opinions lol. Joolz Aer. Bugaboo butterfly. Inglesina quid3. Baby Jogger City Tour. Joie nutmeg. Nuna TRVL LX. All of these are very solid options. If you go to my Instagram, I have a video on the quid that I put up yesterday and there was also a giveaway and a discount code. And full disclosure I do not make anything from that code if you use it it’s just to help people save some money. 🫡
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