Taking Baby Out for a Stroll

For new parents, choosing the right stroller is very important. There are many choices out there that can leave you confused. The main thing is, you want to choose the best stroller for your baby and of course, for you. When considering a new stroller, you want to be sure that it suits your lifestyle. Look for the following points to help you choose:

• Is it too heavy? Heavy might mean quality, but it might also mean impossible to shift!
• Is it safe? Check the brakes - make sure that the brakes and the safety harness work and is easy to operate.
• Is it easy to steer? Whether fixed wheel or swivel, your stroller must be maneuverable without pulling a muscle!
• Does it fold? Most modern strollers have a simple fold down feature, but check the fold size, will it fit in the trunk of your car?
• Is it comfortable? Look for strollers that have a range of seating positions, from lying down to sitting up. Check the head support too.
• Is there any storage space? You may find that not all strollers come with storage baskets underneath. In which case, you might have to buy a separate storage basket/bag to suit you.
• Can I run with it? Depending on your exercise routine, you might want to look for a 3 wheeled stroller with excellent maneuverability.

Here are a few examples:

Bugaboo Frog Stroller	Mountain Buggy Urban Elite Single Stroller	Bugaboo Gecko Stroller
BOB Revolution Duallie Double Stroller	Tike Tech ATX All-Terrain jogging Stroller	Quinny Zapp Stroller

Baby Shopping

The Baby shopping market is big business, so they say. But why? Much as you try, as a first time parent you cannot resist the urge to buy new and expensive things for your baby. Agreed, they are lovely and each year baby products are getting more cute.

First time parents very rarely have money to burn, or maybe they did initially. So, many parents are compelled to spend beyond their means for the CUTE BABY STUFF! It’s a drug. It’s that constant noise you hear in the baby layette department… “Aaww..! Look how cute that is!”

I was once a firm believer in not getting suckered into that world, where the big retailers would say, “that cot you got given last month from the next door neighbour is just not good enough - buy a NEW one!” But what could I do? I couldn’t resist that lovely crib from Mothercare with the fancy decorative motif and the beautiful…. Oh stop it!

So, what’s going to happen if we ALL buy a new cot for every first child? Is there a huge cot mountain on a landfill somewhere out there? And by committing ourselves to buying a new cot, are we compelled to have more children to justify the cost?

I can see the calculations now…
Jack = £250
Offset Lucy = £125
Final savings = £125!!

Let’s of course not forget baby clothes! It’s true, children’s clothes are getting cheaper, but the trade off is on quality. When you buy a cute baby t-shirt from a high quality brand, you can rest assured on two things:

1. That it will be built to last (ketchup stains and all!)
2. Because you really spent money on it, you’re likely to treat it with more care (even if baby doesn’t!)

And what about UNIQUE baby gifts? What a great idea! When you’re buying a gift for a new baby or new mother, you always want to out-shine the next person. The way you do that is by getting them a gift that will be remembered for a long time.

Be careful now, there’s a danger that it’ll be remembered for the wrong reasons, like, “That bloody toy! Couldn’t get it out of the toilet for 3 weeks!!”

To avoid adding more surplus baby products to the landfill, maybe we should let go of our pride and accept the odd freebie now and then. And in return, we should offer our surplus baby stuff to new parents without fear of offending them.

Happy Baby Shopping!