Looking for a Part Time Nanny

hi I.,
I would be happy to share my advice, as I wish I would've known what I'm about to share with you. I invested a pretty hefty amount of money on a "travel system" wich includes an infant carseat and matching stroller. I was happy with my choice and followed one good bit of advice on this first stroller. Do NOT get the heavy/big 'cadillac' strollers that come as part of the travel systems. I chose a lighter-weight cadillac (Graco) version, and had a much easier time getting it into and out of the car trunk, and still had all of the larger stroller features. However, I found that I only used this stroller for the first 8/9 months, then wanted an umbrella stroller. I then researched a lot, and chose the Maclaren Triumph. I highly recommend this stroller. It's very lightweight, has a shoulder carrying strap, expands/collapses easily, and has higher push-handles which is a huge factor. I have taken this on several airplane trips and just love it! I bought mine online ($120 - sale price), but 'test-drove' prior at them at Babies R Us. My daughter is almost 18 mos old, and I've already used my umbrella stroller far more than I have ever used the first stroller, so this is where I feel that the money is better spent. I still would've bought the same type of infant carseat/stroller, but just would've tried to find it for less. The carseat that snaps out of the cradle (that stays buckled in the car) and snaps right into the stroller is a MUST! (I didn't have it on my 1st child, and vowed I would get it for my 2nd).
By the way, my first stroller & infant carseat are just taking up space at my house. I spent $230 for the 2, and they are in perfectly good shape. If you are interested in buying these for a LOT less than you would spend buying new, then let me know. I wish I had the opportunity to buy a good quality used first stroller/carseat, because of the amount of money spent & the useable lifetime I found on the two. If not, then don't worry about it, I was just going to put them on ebay, and I hope you find the advice useful.

Regards,
B.

I had my first baby a year ago and can highly recommend cribs from JCPenney. I was shocked at their low prices first of all and then when I received the crib I thought the quality was wonderful. You may want to shop their website. We were able to go to our local JCPenney's and pick up our order. I think I paid about $200.00 for a crib. We got a Graco stroller/infant seat and it seems to be really working out well for us. I did look at some more expensive models, but Graco came highly recommended. Hope this helps.

we got the childcraft convertible crib and love it! I thought it was going to be a pain to not have a drop down side and I cant think of one time when it was that big of a deal, plus it is a quick conversion to a toddler bed and you can order just a couple more pieces later on to make it a full size bed. here is the link: http://www.childcraftindustries.com/common/item.php?Site=...

As for a stroller, we just used a baby trend plug-in stoller that you could pop the car seat into and was compact. Our daughter spends most of her strolling time in a jogger and we didnt want to buy two expensive strollers.

Good luck!!

Hi,
My suggestion to you is not to get caught up in the hype of what is trendy/cool at the moment (i.e. the bugaboo craze).
The best advice I can give you is to find a STURDY stroller that
1. can be managed with one hand (so you can drink the coffee with the other),
2. have swivel wheels in the front (for ease of turning in tight spaces),
3. weighs less than 10 lbs (your back will love you every time you haul the thing out of the car or up/down stairs),
4. can fit an infant carrier (if you do a lot of driving),
5. and can recline fully so baby can lay flat and not hunched over.
Of course, if you can spend the $800+ on the bugaboo stroller and be the envy of some moms, it's a great one, but there are many more affordable ones out there.

Make sure you try them out in the store to see how easy they are to fold/unfold and how heavy/light they are. It is nice to have a tray for them to put snacks on. Joggers are really smooth if you walk a lot, but they don't turn as well and are kind of a pain if you are using it to go shopping. The ones that have the infant carrier clip in are great when they are little. Once they get bigger you may find it is nice to have a cheap small umbrella stroller in your car for long distances or when you travel. We got a Grieco (ultra light)and a cheap umbrellas stroller and I've used them both a lot. The only thing I don't like about the Grieco is that it is really hard to take off the cover to wash it.

i have a 3 mo old boy and love our graco snugride carseat. we got the snugride strooler to go with it....it's incredibly lightweight and folds easily, but when he grows out of the carseat he also grows out of the stroller. i'm currently checking out lightweight umbrella strollers...
M.

Hi I., Congratulations on your pregnancy! I have the best stroller to recommend and am now using it with my second child. I originally bought it from Right Start, but believe they have gone out of business. However, I found it under www.strolex.com. It is a stroller that converts into a carseat by retracting the wheels and handlebars. It is also FAA approved and can be used on airplanes. The best things about it are that it is light (I think only 12 or 13 pounds), I can move from carseat to stroller without waking the little one. The drawbacks are that you will have to practice opening and closing it at first, its not intuitive. The only other drawback is that the heavier your child gets, the heavier it is to open and close, but that pretty much goes for any child carrier. My model is the 2001 sit n stroll, but I believe they have a 2006 model out now. When I bought mine, it was approximately the same cost as other nice strollers. I think $175. If you get it, people will constantly stop you and ask you where you got it and sometimes they will even want you to demonstrate how it works. I've probably sold 100s just from people seeing it and wanting one for their child. Good luck with your search! E. Bartlett

Hi! Congrats!

I have a Graco (single & double). I have enjoyed both & they have held up with extra weight. I bought them at USA Baby. After 4 years of having these strollers I definitely love my parent tray (where I can put my own drink, keys, cell phone, etc.).