July 31, 2007
Sometimes, shopping for vacation is as expensive as the vacation itself...
You all know by now what a complete freakazoid I am about copiously researching anything I do or buy. Those commercials say "knowledge is power," and I believe them. I believe everything I see on television. Don't you? Anyway, in preparation for Slush's Great Disney Adventure 2007, I've been doing a lot of research on what it is like to be in the parks with two small children. I suspect it will be not unlike the halcyon days of mine and L's honeymoon. Only with whining and crying and tantrum throwing and diapers and formula and.. well, you get the idea.

This week, I've been stressing over the subject of strollers. We have three strollers in here in Slushville - the Urban Terrain Jeep strollerthe 5-in-1 Sit N' Stroll 5and an umbrella stroller from WalMart that is so particularly crappy that I will not dignify it by putting it's picture on the internet. Bad stroller!

For the purposes of SDGA2007, the Jeep is too big. Too big for the trunk of my little Honda Accord. Too big for the bus transportation we will be using around Disney. Too big, I tell you, too big!

The Sit N' Stroll, while I adore it, also has some drawbacks. First off, you can't pop a wheelie to get up on sidewalks because doing so will cause your handlebars to bend and then they won't go down properly. That doesn't sound like a big deal, but you would be amazed how often you do that when you don't even realize it. Also, it has an abysmal amount of storage, even with it's little mesh bag. Finally, doesn't it look HOT?

As for our umbrella stroller, if I won't post it's picture on my blog, do you really think I would take it to the happiest place on earth? It so does not deserve that honor.

What to do, I asked myself? The obvious answer was to get a nice umbrella stroller, nothing fancy, but one that would actually roll and turn, two things which our other one refused to do. If there were a ministry of strollers out there (I obviously haven't recovered all of my brain from J.K. Rowling yet), they would so be in my garage right now beating the crap out of that little bear stroller. But I digress. As I began searching for strollers, I had two or three or five things in mind that I wanted it to do:
  • Roll and turn, as previously mentioned. I feel these bears mentioning again, as they are integral stroller functions.
  • Be tall enough for me and L (5' 8.5" and 5' 11" or so, respectively) to push without aching backs. I hate reading reviews that say "I'm 4'9" and I had no problems, but my husband who is 5'4" had to really stoop to push this." Puh-lease!
  • Have a little bit of storage space.
  • Be able to handle Hatchling's weight. While we are taking the stroller primarily for H2, we know H1 will get tired and need a break too, and when he does, H2 can go in the Ergo.
Ahhh... and here is where we meet our match. Hatchling, at 37 lbs in his skivvies, is a rather heavy three year old. He's not fat, or even chunky, he's just solid like his daddy. So, for a stroller to handle H1, we pretty much launch ourselves out of the "not too expensive" brand of stroller.

This is getting to be much longer than I anticipated, so I will save you the boring details and tell you that (after even more copious research) I decided we needed a Maclaren Volo (I've always wanted a Maclaren anyway, so it was win-win for me). I found that Target had some on sale, and our local store happened to have two in stock. I jetted off to get one before our social workers showed up Sunday for our post-placement visit (good news- they're letting us keep H2!), and returned home in time to get it out of the box and marvel at the fine British engineering. Why is it that all really cool baby things are made in Europe?

H1 awoke from his nap as L and I were pushing it around the entryway and oogling it's beauty, and his little face just lit up when he started down the stairs and saw it. "A new stroller for ME? Thank You! Thank you! I love it!" and then he plopped himself down in it and demanded to be taken for a spin around the living room.

But wait- this stroller was for H2! Yes well, Hatchling informed us the he would be riding around Disney World. As L and I looked at each other over the top of the stroller, you could see the calculations being made. If we had two, we could get some stroller connectors and use it as a tandem if we wanted. If we had two, H1 would be more rested and more fun to be around while in the parks. If we had two, we'd have twice the fun, right? Needless to say, I made my second trip of the day to Target and bought the other one. And now, I am stroller poor. BUT, I really want to get some saddle bags and an organizer from here before we leave...
5 Comments:
Blogger beth said...
Yay for keeping H2 (as if there was ever any doubt!) :)

H1 cracks me up - but I have to say, if I could get away with needing a stroller @ Disney, I so would. Glad you got it figure out though - sounds like there's gonna be lots and lots of fun going on.

Blogger ~cjoy said...
I like it!
I also am envious of your 5 in 1 thingy since I am now debating...do I take a stroller just for the airport? And in addition I have to take the car seat anyway for the plane. Argh...and I'm trying to go LIGHT.

Blogger Karen said...
ooooohhh...love the stroller! it's beautiful. it just looks light and strong.

i'm so jealous. i love disney. hubby and i threw around the idea of going to disneyworld around labor day but changed our minds because we need a sprinkler system instead.

Blogger SlushTurtle said...
We need sprinkler system too. It never occurred to me to stay home and get one. :)

Blogger Lisa said...
Slush - I just survived Six Flags with a three-month-old and a ten-month-old. Best thing we took: a spray water bottle to cool them down. Best thing I bought: a speed pass to skip the lines (worth every penny!). Have fun!