Strollers for Days
JOGGER: BOB Revolution
The Pros: It is a very smooth ride. The wheels are a great size and make it easy to take bumps and turns smoothly. I love the hand strap on the push bar. This way I can jog with ease knowing that there is no way I’ll be accidentally letting go of the stroller, since I’m connected to it via the wrist strap!
The handlebar is padded and super comfortable and the shade with see-through window is great for when I want to peek in and see my baby while jogging. The seatbelt also has a little ring that’s connected to it that my baby loves to hold onto and play with. It is attached to the stroller so I know it is always there and it keeps him occupied and happy!
The Cons: It doesn’t come with a cup holder. I’m sure there is an accessory you can buy separately for this, but as a jogging stroller, I feel that a cup holder is essential, and should thus be included.
It skids a little when taking sharp turns, which is to be expected but is definitely a bit jarring. I have to be careful when turning to make sure I don’t startle my baby! And for a stroller meant for jogging and moving quickly, this isn’t something I expected.
The Bottom Line: This solid stroller is awesome for active parents! It has allows me to get out and be active with my baby in tow. I have taken it on several jogs in various environments, including street, sidewalk, dirt trails and grassy parks and it has held up well and worked great in all places!
To buy: Bob Revolution SE, $345
JOGGER: Chicco Tre Performance
The Pros: The Tre is perfect for gravel roads and trails and pushes well on grass—we live on a farm and often walk down our drive and back to get the mail and this stroller was PERFECT for it. Our others would have never made it, let alone kept Baby from bouncing around. It's very sturdy and easy to clean and has great storage underneath. It also has a comfortable incline for Baby. My baby wasn't 100% sitting on her own when we first used it, but was easily able to ride along. The brakes are super tight and the canopy blocks wind really well which was another HUGE thing for me. Our favorite thing about it: how smooth it is. Why don't all strollers come with tires like these?!
The Cons: It's pretty bulky and heavy so it's definitely an ideal stroller to keep at home, not one to have to load and unload often. The buckles are hidden under fabric and can sometimes make it hard to clasp.
The Bottom Line: This is a great option for parents in the market for a jogging stroller, especially those that live in areas with varied terrain.
To buy: Chicco Tre Performance Jogger, $380
SINGLE: Baby Jogger City Mini GT
The Pros: The easy one-handed maneuverability and narrow design makes it easy to enter and exit doorways (it's also especially easy to open a door and push the stroller through without getting help from strangers). And while we didn't use it this way, I liked how you can add an infant car seat adaptor and just snap in the car seat. The hand brake, near the handle, makes locking the stroller a breeze and the ability to lower and raise the backrest to any position means naps on-the-go are super convenient. Not to mention, for anyone looking for a space-saving option, this stroller folds flat in seconds with just a pull of a strap. Seriously, the easiest fold EVER.
The Cons: A little heavier than I would have liked. Folding it up was a breeze (and an amazing space saver) but lifting it up to put in the trunk took some effort and would be an issue if I had any sort of staircase to deal with at my house or lived in a walk-up apartment.
The Bottom Line: This is a workhorse of a stroller and the one-hand fold is definitely rave-worthy. Perfect for the city mom who wants a full-featured stroller with a smaller footprint.
To buy: City Mini GT, $350
SINGLE: Bumbleride Indie 4
The Pros: Seriously the smoothest ride I’ve ever witnessed in a stroller—and as a mom of four, I have used a lot of strollers. I have two professional jogging strollers, a double stroller and some travel strollers, so it was kind of shocking how smooth it could be. We live on a dirt road too, so there are lots of bumps along the way. It’s also incredibly easy to navigate in stores.The stroller itself is pretty lightweight which was nice. I love the one-handed folding capabilities and it fit in my trunk, which is pretty small (I have a Traverse). It was really easy to figure out how to use it and I’m not the greatest at those sorts of things.
I really, really loved the easy one-pedal brake on this thing. It’s such a small thing, but we use our stroller a lot and I have an unhealthy fear about a stroller rolling away, so I loved being able to quickly lock the brake and SEE that it would stay.
The stroller base fits a Graco car seat, so if you already have a newborn carrier, it’s nice to not have to buy the matching one if you only want a new stroller.
The Cons: It was really complicated. I mean, honestly, there are so many bars and pieces to this stroller and to put the bassinette piece on and off was such a pain. I even let my friend borrow the stroller when she had a baby after me and we forgot about half of the pieces in my garage because there were so many! Personally, I prefer simpler functionality, but that could be different for you.
The Bottom Line: Overall, if you are really into the aesthetics of this stroller, it's a stylish stroller with a lot of features, but comes at a high price.
To buy: Bumbleride Indie 4 (w bassinet), $600; without bassinet, $530
LUXURY: Stokke Trailz
The Pros: The seat allows your baby to be closer to you which is a great feature and everything is adjustable so you can customize it to fit you and your baby's needs. Air-filled tires meant a super smooth ride while the two cup holders is a bonus, especially for those who take their coffee on-the-go. The basket is huge and could easily hold groceries or multiple diaper bags.
The Cons: It's pretty heavy once folded, and well, the price is high.
The Bottom Line: This luxury all-terrain stroller can easily be pushed on various surfaces, so if you're an adventurous family with a rather large stroller budget, the Trailz is one to consider.
To buy: Stokke Trailz, $1,300
LUXURY: Bugaboo Bee3
The Pros: This is one compact stroller — it's the lightest and has a small footprint compared to our other full-sized stroller — so it's super easy to navigate in stores and city sidewalks. The ride is very smooth and it drives like a dream. It's very sleek and stylish (comes with tons of color options) and the unique 5-point harness makes it easier to take Baby in and out. (No more shoving their arms under the straps if they're fighting it!) It's super easy to fold and can be folded with the seat facing either direction. It can even be unfolded one-handed! When folded, it's pretty small and easily fits in the trunk of our Prius.
The Cons: Because it's so customizable, it took longer to put together than other strollers we've had, but that's a one-time thing. The basket isn't huge, and can't be accessed from the back—so no hauling groceries home in this. I do wish for the price it came with a snack tray or cup holder for the parents. Because, coffee. There's also a bassinet option but it'll cost you extra.
The Bottom Line: If you're looking for the lightness and easy maneuverability of an umbrella stroller but want something a step up, with more features and comfortable seating, this is a good bet if you're willing to pay the luxury price tag.
To buy: Bugaboo Bee3, $719
