That Elusive Perfect Stroller

Once happily content with my older sister's 10-year-old Aprica Classic with its full-reclining seat, double direction handle and easy-to-get-to basket, I found myself hankering for one of those Graco travel systems with the carseat/stroller tandems. I imagined a cartrip where all I had to do was unbuckle my little cutie's carseat and easily plop it on the matching stroller and voila! two seconds later I'm trolling the malls. And all this with her STILL snoozing soundly!

I was a mom on a mission, and not necessarily the budget, for such a luxury.

My requirements were simple. Comfortable, long-lasting in both sturdiness and baby years, easily portable and, of course, stylish.

After vetoing the Quinny Buzz (below). Are you kidding? Thirty thousand pesos for a stroller (approximately $650)? I admit the baby looked comfy in it plus looks pretty sturdy, super cool-looking and can last her until she's four years old but those humongous back wheels and crazy price tag just makes this an easy no-no.

Then there's the Graco Travel System (the Graco Quattro in Townsend at left), my once dreamed of possession. Checking locally, the price of one of these carseat/stroller combos is approximately P22,000 (around $450). Granted, you get two for the price, with a little research it turns out that it's pretty bulky to travel with. With future plans to give our baby a few stamps in her passport, I figured an umbrella stroller would be a better option for a major purchase like this. Goodbye Graco.

Next up, the Maclaren XT and XLR. Okay, based on feedback from family, friends and seeing quite a number of these pricey prams cruising around in malls, the Maclaren brand seemed to answer all my requirements. Umbrella-type, check. Sturdy, check. Grows with baby, (depending on style) check. Stylish, check. Budget-friendly, un-check. But, hey, if this was going to last me through 2 more future kids, I was willing to bite the bullet.

Now, the Maclaren XT (shown at left in Damask) seemed to be the top pick, hitting all of my needs/wants but the XLR (below) doubles as a travel system! With a carseat adapter, this little umbrella stroller transforms into this mommy's dream! So hands down, this was my pick. But at approximately P21,000 (around $450) locally (without the carseat!), this was way beyond our budget.

Not to mention that the local stores, specifically Rustans, Mothercare, SM Department Store, have XLRs but do NOT carry the carseat adapter! (It's on Maclaren's online catalogue so where is it? I asked around and found out that it's only available in the US and some parts of the UK.)

So after checking the internet, I was able to find a brand-new XLR (with the carseat adapter) for a deal at P14,500 (at around $300, shown at right in Coffee/Marsh with the separate Recaro carseat which was not included). Thank God for generous relatives as well! (They shipped it to us as a gift.)
 
Anyway, the Maclaren XLR is a dream to maneuver through Manila's malls and feels pretty reliable off-road but I do have to say when the XLR was created it did not have petite 5'1" mommies on their minds. I love the full cover/visor perfect for those midday naps but dislike the fact that the little window available to peer into the cutie is too far down the canopy to really benefit a small Asian woman like me. I STILL have to scoot over to the front of the stroller to peek and see if she's finally sleeping. (The canopy pictured above has a zipper that further extends its coverage but makes it a stretch to peer into from pusher's standpoint).

The basket underneath also leaves much to be desired. Although pretty roomy for an umbrella type, it's impossible to get to when the seat is fully reclined forcing one to pull out bits and pieces through the side which my small hands still find challenging.

At this point, I'm thankful we have a really comfortable stroller my daughter loves to sleep in and steers like a dream in crowded malls but big consideration next time would be the height of the stroller, weight (this one weighs a hefty 21lbs with the attached hood and basket) and a tray for drinks and snacks. I had to buy the separate Maclaren Universal Organizer which is a neoprene mesh organizer with two cupholders and a deep mesh bag for baby's things when I realized it didn't have one--it was an additional $20.

Right now, I really want to check out the Japanese-made Combi strollers for a potential future purchase for my future kids. I tested a few of their styles at the mall and love its lightweight size (it's only around 11lbs.), smooth open/close feature, price (online this retails at only $89!) and low height--especially made for short and small-boned Asian mommies like myself (check out the Combi Flare in Edamame shown above). But I'm just not sure about its sturdiness, the cheaper models seemed really flimsy that the backs of the seats felt they only had cardboard as support. The higher end ones seemed more substantial though. We shall see.

*Check out the Marc Jacobs "Love Marc" limited edition Bugaboo stroller that Gwen Stefani uses for baby Zuma. Fierce! But just a wee bit too masculine for my little girly-girl.

*Tip: Shopping online is always GREAT! Amazon.com or Ebay have amazing deals--all their strollers were almost certainly 50% off of local prices.

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