Becoming a parent for the first time is one of the most magical experiences you can have in your entire lifetime. That feeling is very hard to describe in words but truly wonderful in every sense of the word. However, soon after this delightful moment is over, the reality sets in, and you realize that parenting is hard. In addition to caring for the living, breathing human, you also have to make tons of purchasing decisions all at once.
Some of these decisions are fairly trivial, like diapers, but others like a stroller are much more involved and require tons of research to get right. These major purchases are often costly, and buying something terrible will have long-lasting consequences. Getting the wrong stroller, for example, will not only waste your hard-earned money, but it can also make travailing out with your kid nigh on impossible. There is some obvious stuff that you have to consider, like buying the Wonderfold stroller wagon if you were blessed by twins, but there’s also a lot more.
Here are five things that a stroller must-have for it to be worth your consideration.
- Safety features:
Safety should be your biggest concern when purchasing a stroller. After all, the stroller will be completely responsible for keeping your baby safe on the move. So, any quality stroller should come with all of the necessary safety features. These features include things like the structural integrity of the stroller, the quality of the harness/strap, and brakes that will never malfunction under normal circumstances. These three are the main safety considerations in strollers, but there are also other lesser-known things like the quality of wheels as well as the seat itself. Most quality manufacturers will mention the safety steps they took with their stroller on their website, and you can find more information from customer reviews.
- Comfort for the baby:
A stroller should be comfortable for the baby. This comfort is dictated by a lot of things. Some of these are not the stroller’s fault, as a stroller that’s too big or too small for the kid will definitely be uncomfortable. But, things like the comfort of the seats and the strap are totally up to the stroller. The seat should have a balance between firmness and softness, while the outer surface of the seat should not scrape the child’s sensitive skin. Additionally, a stroller needs quality shock absorbers so that it is just as comfortable for the child on the move as it is when standing still.
- Comfort for you:
The kid is only a half part of the stroller equation; the other half is the person in control of it. A stroller that is great for sitting but not for pushing is pretty much useless. Besides, just like a bad sitting experience will make your kid hate strollers, so will a bad pushing experience make you hate every second you have to use that thing.
The ideal stroller should have an easy-to-grip hand. This handle should also be adjustable, so you can bring it up or down according to your height. Additionally, the wheels should have no problem going over a little rough terrain, as you are not going to find perfectly paved sidewalks everywhere in the world.
- Portability:
Just like you won’t walk everywhere on your own, you won’t take your baby everywhere in a stroller either. But you will have to bring the stroller with you everywhere you go. So, the thing needs to be portable.
Now, what is considered portable, varies from person to person. However, most people will be transporting their stroller via a car, and that’s what matters to them. For these people, the stroller needs to be easily foldable. There are also strollers out there with detachable seats that you can strap to your car.
- Quality construction:
Unlike a simple baby chair, a stroller will move around; a lot. The last thing you want is your stroller to break down in the middle of a trip. So, the stroller you buy should be of high quality. This quality trickles down to everything from the mainframe to the bolts in the tires. A quality stroller will cost more, but it is much better than the stress you will get in case of breakage.
Final words:
Strollers are one of those things that you never think about until you become a parent. Then, when the time comes, you’d have to choose from thousands of options with varying prices and levels of quality. The only way to get the best value for your money is to evaluate the stroller on several individual points and then combine the results to find one perfect stroller for your child. The criteria mentioned above are a great way to start, but you should also look into more things and emphasize the stuff that matters to you the most.
