Walking Mom Seeks Stroller That's Good for Carrying Baby and Groceries Home!

I have an Evenflo Journey stroller and the basket underneath can easily hold two full bags of groceries as well as a diaper bag. I actually used to use my stroller when I lived at an apartment complex where our apartment was in the center of the complex totally away from the road. I would load up my stroller, grab the baby and take them to the bottom of the stairs, take the baby upstairs and put him in the exersaucer and run down the stairs and get the groceries. It worked well for me.

Do you have a basic idea of how much you want to spend? Strollers are getting riduculously over-priced these days & seems the more money they cost, the less storage they have. We started off w/an Evenflo travel system back in 2000. I did the same thing w/it they you want to do....walked everywhere, filled the storage basket w/oodles of groceries, & it served it's purpose....for about 2 years. Little things started falling apart on it (the toddler tray broke as did a part of my tray at the handle bars) which was fine cuz that was about the time I wanted a smaller stroller. So, I highly recommend you get a Graco stroller of some kind. They seem to be better made & longer-lasting. Between my mom, myself & my sister, we have 3 of their pac-n-gos & they are great! I've also heard the same about their strollers. I suggest you go to the Babies R Us web site to look at the strollers & also read the parent reviews. I found that reading reviews of people who really used the products was the most helpful. Then compile a list of the top best reviewed strollers & hit the actual Babies R Us store for test drives. Hope this helps & good luck!

Hi S.,

Not sure which stroller you should buy but definitely don't buy a Quinny. They look fancy, cost a lot but are useless when coming to carrying anything around. I can't even fit my diaper bag on it!

Good luck,
A.

I can't speak about single strollers but I *will* say that my 2001-model Maclaren Twin Traveller was a great "urban hauler" - I took it and my twins out at least once, maybe twice a day for 1-4 miles at a time in the Rockridge/Elmwood area of Oakland/Berkeley, sometimes loading it up with so much stuff (picnic lunch and toys for a day at the park, etc.) that I swore people must've thought I was a bag lady with kids. It held up well to the daily usage (used it so much you could see the wear on the tires) and I could do a surprising amount of grocery shopping with it. As long as you're on paved roads, it works fine (a bit of a struggle to get it to move along dirt paths or gravel). Not familiar with their single strollers though. Hope that helps!

Take a look at the UPPABaby Vista. It's pricey, but is a great stroller for newborn (comes with carrycot) through toddler (nice cushiony seat) that handles really well. We recently purchased one to meet the same needs you describe in your post (long walks over broken pavement with groceries). We shopped at "Let's Go Strolling" in Oakland (http://www.letsgostrolling.com/). The people there were super knowledgeable and helpful (they sell higher end strollers, carriers, etc. only) and can talk you through your options.

I love my phik&Teds stroller. I take it to the grocery store all the time

Hi S., I have a lightly used Graco Travel system which seems like it meets your needs. It has a huge underbasket and sturdy wheels. The Graco car seat snaps into it when they're really young and they can use the larger seat facing out up until 65 pounds.

If you're interested in buying one used (We paid $240 new and we'd sell for $120 and would include two infant Graco car seats and two bases), let me know. I didn't use ours too much because it was horrible to get in and out of the car with a baby in the other hand. I bought a light jogger and an umbrella stroller which I will likely use until she grows out of them.

Best of luck, T.

Have you looked into baby carriers? The Ergo is the most comfortable I've tried. When my girl was an infant, I'd have her on the front and a backpack on the back for groceries/purchases/diaper bag stuff, and I was set. Of course, I've got absurd stairs to get up to my place, so a stroller wasn't really an option if I didn't have a second person with me to help haul it upstairs. Easier on the bus as well.

I'm definitely going to keep an eye on this post! This is a challenge for me as well.For your purposes, I do not suggest what I have. It is the Chicco travel system. Although the infant car seat snaps into the base in the car very easily, it cannot strap to the top of a shopping cart. I put mine inside the cart, which kills your space for groceries. Fitting groceries underneath the actual stroller is a pain. The basket is small and so hard to shove things into. Forget getting a gallon of milk under there and attaching grocery bags to the handles is not a good idea b/c I've almost tipped the stroller backwards a few times. However, it rides like a dream! I also do not reccommend the Combi frame stroller for you. I got this one b/c it folds up easily and there's a strap to throw it over your shoulder for carrying. Again, it is hard to get groceries in there and it is small. The snap and go (Graco I think is the brand) appears to have a larger basket. I hope this helps by telling you what to stay away from for your needs. Chicco does have very high ratings, but won't serve you well. Best of luck!

I too walk around a lot. I actually prefer it to driving. However, let me forewarn you that you might not be able to get all of your errands run in one day... they peter out on your much faster than you will!

I like my Graco stroller. It's one that has the car seat on it like you were explaining. It's one of the larger ones so it has a storage compartment underneath. I also hang bags on the handle. Just make sure you keep your hands on it so if the bags are heavier than the baby it doesn't tip over.

The one good thing about the jogging strollers ( I have one as well) is that the tires are made of rubber! With all that walking you will wear the plastic tires out so make sure you get one that has rubber tires!