Sunday, April 25, 2010

baby gear headache

Since we are counting down the last few weeks of this pregnancy, I am feeling the need to get everything that we need before the baby is born. Luckily, we don't need much since we have Harper's things and I have found some really great garage sales lately. But these last few things are giving me a headache.
  • infant carseat (we never used one with Harper, just went straight to the convertible carseat)
  • double stroller
  • bed for Harper
I have the carseat narrowed down to a couple of options depending on which stroller we get, but I cannot make a decision about the stroller. It is a BIG decision since we only have one car and our stroller is like our second vehicle and I do a LOT of walking over some pretty uneven sidewalks. Tom and I are both a little obsessed with researching products until we find the right product for us, so a lot of time has been spent on this subject and it is giving me a headache. So I need some advice.

We currently use this stroller most of the time:And I love it and they do make a double version, but there is no way the double version is going to fit in our trunk. We drive a hybrid sedan which has a battery in the trunk so it has very limited trunk space. Plus, as much as I like this stroller, Harper doesn't like it much because she sits so far back and can't see what's going on.

In a dream world, I would get this stroller:
But it is ridiculously expensive and I'm not sure if it would fit in our trunk. According to the dimensions, it might fit but it would be very close.

And then there is the Phil and Ted stroller, which is also expensive but we would probably get rid of our current single stroller since this one can be used as a single or a double so that would help with the cost. It would definitely fit in our trunk, but I have read that people were disappointed in the quality of the stroller and I am worried about kicking the double seat when I walk.
Any opinions on double strollers?

Tom and I have now made two trips to Ikea to try to figure out what kind of bed we want to get for Harper, and we still have nothing. We have decided not to get a toddler bed because we want something that we could potentially use for guests and we aren't going to move her out of her crib for a few more months and I don't want to buy a toddler bed if she isn't going to use it for very long. I am thinking about getting a full sized bed and I want something that is low to the ground, sturdy, that doesn't need a box spring (to keep it low to the ground), and isn't too expensive. Does anyone have a bed that they like?

Any advice?

9 comments:

Shelly and Ken said...

Have you considered a double umbrella type stroller? They are actually very comfortable to push if you get a good quality one. I have quite a few friends that have them and really like them. They use them for our twice a week walking group(we are hard core-walking on dirt trails and speed walking) and they fold up nice to fit in their little cars. I think Maclaren makes one.

Also, they make bed railings that you can attach to a normal bed to prevent kids from falling off. (I don't actually own one so I don't know how good they are.) Or you could buy a daybed. The beds tat store underneath are normally low to the ground.

Carlsens said...

I agree that if you have the room - a daybed might be ideal (you have to have enough room to pull it out). We didn't do toddler beds either. We actually had a regular bed with a 15 dollar side rail and a stepstool to get up and down until they were big enough. Are you only considering side by side strollers? My big complaint with them was that they were (generally) harder to steer and get through aisles and doorways. I liked our front to back one - they also tend to store up smaller and have options for the older child with different ways of sitting. Just a thought...

Jan said...

Sounds like your friends have given you some good advice!

You can laugh if you want, but I'd suggest that you also consider getting some little stairs that people use to help their pets get up on furniture. The steps would be smaller, and the design might be more stable. Harper is so tiny that she should be able to manage that very well -- and it would give her small steps rather than bigger ones. Just an idea to consider!

Doris said...

We had a toddler bed we bought at DI, refurbished it ourselves and had a mattress made. *amazingly cheap. It seemed for us the ideal thing to move a little child out of a crib. Also means less more room in the bedroom if you have a space issue, which we did. We also had a daybed with a trundle underneath...true it is low, but a pain to put away every day. A child will get used to anything you provide, and climbing up is not a huge issue for very long.
I agree on the umbrella stroller style, if you get a good one. Much easier to push, store, etc.

Denise P said...

I have no need for a double, and probably never will, as AJ is already a good walker, but I always said I wanted the Phil and Ted's one. (But I never actually used it, so have no opinion on quality.) Did you consider any of the sit and stand type? At this point that is probably the direction I personally would go. I have friend that have IKEA beds for their younger children and love them, specifically this one: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/70122215 We also have this problem, so let me know how it goes.

Anonymous said...

Henry is in a trundle bed which we love. It's great for Kate who sleeps on the pull out because she is close to the floor if she rolls out of bed. It's also great because it frees up space in their room during the day. We love the one we have (it's from craigslist) and agree about not wasting the $$ for a toddler bed- which they'll outgrow before you know it!

Anonymous said...

Henry is in a trundle bed which we love. It's great for Kate who sleeps on the pull out because she is close to the floor if she rolls out of bed. It's also great because it frees up space in their room during the day. We love the one we have (it's from craigslist) and agree about not wasting the $$ for a toddler bed- which they'll outgrow before you know it!

The Thomases said...

Well, I haven't personally used any of the strollers you're looking at, but Richard and Rachelle Manwaring have the Phil and Ted stroller and it is really cool. It's light and compact, and moves really smooth. Good luck!

Samantha said...

I have a joovy caboose the only negatives are: -less space under the seats for storage. -had to buy a drink holder to add to it. -The seat my near-3 year old sits in doesn't allow her to lay back and rest/relax/sleep, but it's not that big of a deal b/c I don't think she'd sleep much out and about these days anyway.

It's a nice stroller, fits in our smallish trunk, pretty light, easy to handle, not too expensive. It fits a car seat in the front for when the baby is little, and then you can put the baby (or a toddler) in the front. Good deal.

http://joovy.com/images/caboose/caboose_with_boys.jpg