Making time for a workout as a new mom might be challenging. This is especially troublesome if you’re trying to lose the baby’s weight. Even if you do manage to lose weight again, your calorie consumption will almost certainly increase once your kid begins eating table meals.
After all, few parents can say no to a dish of leftover chicken nuggets, French fries, or grilled cheese crusts. That being said, investing in a stroller that enables you and your kid to exercise together is the ideal way to keep physically active. Running, biking, hiking, or power walking is ideal. You may also get a lot of exercise by walking around town. You should allocate a suitable budget for this purchase.
Although more expensive strollers are often made of higher-quality materials, you may still acquire a good stroller for a reasonable price. Whatever your budget, we attempt to give enough product information to enable an informed purchase. This guide, hopefully, will do exactly that.
Which stroller type is best for you?
The first step in limiting the hundreds of stroller options is identifying which ‘kind’ of stroller would best fit your and your baby’s requirements. To help you get started, we’ve put up some very easy descriptions and comparisons of stroller types below.
Strollers for running/jogging
These strollers are intended for those who like tearing up the streets, as the name indicates. A jogging stroller is designed with a slim frame and three bicycle-style tires, one in front and two behind. These tires should have a minimum diameter of 16 inches. It features a fixed front wheel, unlike other strollers, which promotes stability when pushed quickly.
- Advantage: A running stroller glides with less rolling resistance. This enables you to focus on running rather than pushing.
- The disadvantage is that running strollers are hefty and do not fold as compactly as other strollers. This makes transportation more challenging.
Strollers for All Terrain
Consider these strollers a cross between running strollers and ordinary strollers. Manufacturers created the category after seeing that consumers were utilizing their jogging strollers for purposes other than running. The reason for this is that the air-filled tires enabled parents to power over curbs, potholes, and other unexpected obstacles in the road better than plastic tires found on regular and lightweight strollers. However, they were inconvenient since jogging strollers are big and difficult to operate. Designers started fiddling with the design as a result. They gradually replaced the fixed-front wheel with a swivel wheel. Though not suited for sprinting, this invention simplified navigating. They also reduced the size of the wheels. Again, not ideal for running, but ideal for errands because it can now be stored more compactly.
- Advantage: If you live in a harsh climate, an all-terrain stroller might be a lifesaver. It can drive through mud puddles, ice slicks, and everything else Mother Nature throws at it. It’s also ideal for walking on dirt roads and hiking trails. Furthermore, all-terrain strollers often have more convenient features than pure jogging strollers.
- The disadvantage is that if you are a dedicated runner, an all-terrain stroller may impair your performance. Weekend warriors, on the other hand, can get in some exercise while pushing one of these pups. Furthermore, although being more compact than a jogging stroller, these strollers may still be fairly hefty.
Trailers for Bicycles
A bike trailer is just a stroller with a hitch for attaching to a bicycle. You pull it while cycling rather than pushing it as you walk. The key to finding a decent bike trailer is to locate one that can be swiftly connected and uninstalled. Most of them may also be used as a walking strollers. Some even transform into jogging strollers. This usually requires a few small tweaks and a few more dollars.
- Advantage: Choose a bike trailer that may be transformed into a jogging or walking stroller. You may therefore enjoy two activities for the price of one. Even better, it means one less infant product to have on hand.
- Downside: Bike trailers may be incredibly big, making them difficult to move and difficult to own if you don’t have a lot of storage room. With a few exceptions, bike trailers have minimal embellishments when used as a stroller.
Purchasing for the First Child
If you’re buying a stroller for a kid under three months old, you must pick one that reclines at least 45 degrees. This is due to the fact that the baby’s neck muscles are still too weak to support its gorgeous tiny head. However, you may avoid this issue by purchasing a stroller that enables you to attach an infant car seat or bassinet to the frame. This is beneficial in two ways. To begin with, you no longer have to be concerned about how much the stroller reclines. Second, you may transport your kid without upsetting her from the stroller to home to the automobile. It’s important to remember that not all car seats are compatible with all strollers.
If your stroller doesn’t come with a baby insert, you’ll need to buy one separately. This ingenious gadget supports your newborn’s head so it doesn’t sag to one side. By the way, if you want to run with your infant, you should wait till he’s outgrown this gadget. Children’s health doctors agree that jogging with your infant is not a good idea until he can keep his head up on his own. In fact, some physicians recommend waiting until your kid is six months old and can sit up unassisted. So, before taking a tiny infant on a run, consult your doctor. Finally, if you want to use this stroller to transport future children, consider using a gender-neutral fabric.
Single Jogging Strollers
Single Jogging Strollers are the polar opposite of “one size fits all.” You have a wide range of choices, features, styles, and functionalities at your disposal. Are you searching for something with large wheels to go on frequent runs with? A nimble swivel wheel stroller that will transport you through the mall with ease? Something in the middle? You may discover just what you’re seeking among the many single strollers available. There are several factors to consider before deciding on which one-passenger jogging stroller is ideal for you, so it is advisable to narrow down your choices before making your final decision.
Purchasing for many children
Whether you’re expecting more than one kid or just want to expand your family, getting a stroller designed for two, or even three, children is a wise investment. It’s also practically required if you want to take siblings out on your own. As with single strollers, there are models to suit a wide range of lifestyle requirements.
Double Jogging Strollers & Twin Strollers
It’s incredible how necessary and beneficial double strollers are for busy parents. The greatest double strollers are just as nimble and useful as single strollers, but they can accommodate two (or a lot more things)! Whether you have twins or a toddler and an infant in your care, a decent double stroller will get you and them to and through your destination with little hassle, saving you time by combining everything you need in one movable package.
A decent double jogging stroller will keep everyone going at your speed and on the path you’ve picked for your joggers and runners. Jogging strollers are an excellent investment for your family and your health, so carefully review our list before picking which is best for you.
Side-by-Side Strollers
These types are often lightweight and simpler to push. However, because of their broad berth, they may be difficult to maneuver in confined locations. If you wish to fit through a typical doorway, consider a stroller with a width of 32 inches or less.
- Advantage: They fold more quickly and compactly than tandem strollers.
- The disadvantage is that if you visit little stores, you may feel like a bull in a china shop lugging this large burden. Also, you won’t have as many alternatives for a car seat-suitable stroller as you would with a tandem stroller.
Tandem Strollers
Children in tandem strollers sit one in front of the other. This makes it simpler to negotiate tight spaces. However, due to the way the weight is constructed, rotating it requires some strength.
- Advantage: If you’re attempting to encourage the kids to sleep in their stroller, putting them in a position where they can’t see or engage with one another may be really useful. And you’ll have more options for car seat compatibility than you would with a side-by-side stroller.
- The disadvantage is that if your children are old enough to communicate, you may hear a lot of complaining about who gets to sit in the front seat.
Convertible Strollers and Toddler Seats
This feature, which is only available on certain models of strollers, converts your single stroller into a double stroller. Several manufacturers provide an optional seat that attaches to the stroller’s frame. Then you have space for two on a single stroller.
- Advantage: Purchasing a toddler seat is less expensive than purchasing another stroller.
- The disadvantage is that a toddler seat cannot be utilized until a youngster can sit up on his own, which does not occur until roughly six months of age. It also does not provide the same level of back support as a typical stroller seat.
Buggy Boarding
This wheeled platform may be attached to the rear of most single strollers. One youngster sits and one stands. And, of course, you are the one doing the pushing.
- Advantage: It’s ideal for preschoolers who get tired fast but believe strollers are just for infants.
- The disadvantage is that standing is less taxing than walking. But if you go for a lengthy walk, you’re going to hear some grumbling.