Boo loves pushing strollers. Well he loves pushing ANYTHING really, but he particularly enjoys pushing strollers. Usually this is a nightmare because he’s too short and can’t see, which means he runs into everything and everyone in his path. He also throws a hissy if I try to help, so it’s generally a bad scene.

Until today. Today I had the brain wave to remove the canopy. I just popped the sucker off and presto! The boy could see where he was going. He had such a blast! He could actually steer! And go where he wanted! And not hit people! Sometimes I am so clever ;)

We went to the zoo with some friends who have a Bugaboo.

I have never wanted a Bugaboo. I’m not actually that crazy about how they look, I know they are (to me) ridiculously expensive, and everyone stares when someone with a Bugaboo walks by. I don’t like being stared at, and I don’t generally do expensive. There’s a lot of hype around them and I don’t generally do hype. So I have never wanted one.

Well, I have never seen one in action before either. There may be something to the price tag.

I have pushed one around in a store. Yes, it pushes very nicely. But watching it in action was something else. For one thing, when our friends’ daughter got sleepy, they literally picked up the seat with a click, turned it around, and popped it back in. DAMN that was COOL. I have seen reversible chair strollers before (and I do think they’re wonderful!) but I have never seen one quite that easy to switch! I about had a heart attack from shock.

Bugaboos also have reversible handles. I never understood the point of this before. Why would you reverse the handle so that the fixed wheels are in front? Well I got the answer to that on an email list the other day. Apparently when you reverse the handle and lock the swivel wheels, the thing magically turns into a pram and will go over pretty much everything. Well, damn.

There are lots of other niceties too. Like the fact that the brake is on the handlebar. Nice touch. Like the bumper bar. In fact I like the colors on the Chameleon which is, of course, the most expensive one. And the thing about these hybrid strollers with one set of swivel wheels and one set of all terrain wheels is that you can just pop up the front to go over anything as well (if you can’t be bothered to reverse the handle I guess).

Now suddenly I’m thinking well, nothing else on the market does all that. Suddenly the price tag doesn’t seem too bad. I honestly didn’t want to know that it was actually really nice. Crap.

Recently H noticed that I was still looking at strollers online and asked why, since we have what we need now. It took me a while to define an answer, but here it is.

What I was looking at was the Kids ABC Expo (I think that’s what it’s called), which is apparently a big show that occurs annually and has the newest and best stuff. Only retailers and consultants get to go and oggle over everything so that they can decide what to order for the next year. Makes sense.

The reason I was looking is the reason that everyone still goes and looks at Apple’s site every time they make an announcement. To see what’s new, to see what we’re missing, to see if there’s anything spectacular enough to make us take the plunge and shell out several hundred or several grand to make our lives better. That’s what I keep looking for.

Yes, I do love what I have, I love them very much. But there’s always something wrong with everything and that next announcement might fix it. Isn’t that worth looking for?

And speaking of… a little birdie told me that BOB has indeed fixed everything that is wrong with Bob. It now reclines fully flat, has a snack tray, and even has an option that has 12″ wheels all around (ours has 16″ in the back which is fine, but 12 would be better as it would be smaller). Everyone say it with me: DAMMIT.

Question is, will it be worth upgrading for? Depends how much, when it comes out, and what colors. Boo may well be halfway to the age of three by the time they come out so probably not. But still. DAMMIT!

So I finally got a new stroller. Introducing the Bob Revolution!

(The child is asleep here! I can hardly believe it!)

I honestly got tired of the indecision. EVERYTHING had something wrong with it. I just want something that will work well. And then REI went and had a really good sale. That pretty much sealed the deal for me! Oddly, when I first saw pictures of Bob, I didn’t think he was the one. I thought he was rather pointy and huge and wasn’t interested.

This is why being able to try things out and not buying sight unseen is so important. Because Boo and I tried out Bob in a cycling shop and LO! HE IS THE ONE! I thought about Bob for days.

Bob is awesome. Bob folds ridiculously easy. Two steps, done. He fits in our car beautifully, in fact he takes up less space than the Graco, and that’s with the tires on. They pop off really easily too. Bob is very light at 22 lb. Some strollers I was looking at were well over 30 and I just couldn’t imagine! It is HILLY here. 22 is perfect. Bob also performs beautifully over everything I’ve put him through so far.

Bob has a much smaller footprint than I was expecting. Despite the pointiness, it actually feels really small and not nearly as long as some other strollers. In fact he’s only an inch or two wider than the Graco. I’ve already taken him grocery shopping and he did brilliantly. No problems, no getting in anyone’s way.

The swivel wheel is great for turning, yet it can also be locked for going over rough terrain. I have read reports about some lockable swivel wheels being loose and wonky, but this one does not appear to have that problem. It felt very solid. Bear in mind that I wasn’t running, just walking over some really bumpy sidewalks and gravel. Bob also has a crazy high weight limit of 70 pounds. I’ll be able to go on really long walks with the kiddo and take this along for when he gets tired for a long, long time.

Bob has the mother of all canopies. We were walking at 5pm the other day and the sun was still not in the child’s face. I couldn’t believe it. Which is good because there’s not really any place to put a parasol. The basket is decent. Not as big as the Graco but not bad. You can access it while the seat is reclined if your bag isn’t too big (can’t do that in the Graco). If it was elasticized like the Mountain Buggy with extra pockets it would be perfect!

Finally, Bob comes in wonderful colors. We got the orange (of course) and it’s fabulously bright and cool.

Of course Bob has some issues, who doesn’t? Bob lacks a snack tray. I’m still working on ideas for that one. I heard a rumor they were working on a snack tray so here’s hoping. On the bright side though, Boo loves the little pockets on the inside of the seat. He kept taking out his sippy cup and putting it back, over and over.

The recline is ridiculously shallow. It shouldn’t be that hard to have a decent recline, should it? I was surprised to see that the handlebar doesn’t adjust. It fits me fine but I’m not sure how well it would work for someone under 5′6″. I am not crazy about the sling-style seat. I wish it were more padded and more sturdy, structured, whatever the word is. Bob also lacks some things that are included in other strollers.. parent cup, car seat adapter, etc. You can buy these as accessories though. Other than that, it really is perfect. We both love it!!

Check this out:

I wish I had space for this! It’s a pram, a good old European style pram. Not the REALLY old style with the huge wheels, but the newer style with air filled tires. Goes over everything. For those interested, it’s a Teutonia Mistral. Practically a car. Thus why I know I shouldn’t get it :(

See, we’re short on space with this whole apartment living concept. No nice big double garage to store things in. Sod’s law.. where I lived before, with said storage space, there was nowhere to go. Now I have LOTS of places to go and nowhere to store a good walking stroller!

The sad part is Boo is pretty much on a nap strike if he’s at home. He will only sleep in a car or stroller or sling at this point. Which is pretty much the exact opposite he’s been since 4 months old, so I’m being thrown for a loop here. I don’t think he’s addicted to the motion, I think he’s just so busy that when he’s home he can’t stand the thought of STOPPING to sleep. When he’s in a car or stroller or sling though, he is restricted from moving around a lot. It’s like he is calmed by the lack of things to do so he drifts off. I’m sure the motion helps, too. So suddenly I’ve gone from having a baby that simply must be home in bed to nap, to a baby that simply must be moving to nap, and poorly at that. Argh!

So back to the original topic, how cool would this be for a, gasp, “Napping Stroller”? It practically looks like a bed on wheels! And it has that awesome reversible handlebar I lust after. And this particular one is being sold used so very good price, although it’s in San Diego, which is clearly a drawback. It even looks a heck of a lot like our Graco, and I kind of like how the Graco looks. I would SO use this puppy. But it wouldn’t fit in the car and I don’t have anywhere to store it. Sigh :(

Finally got a decent pic of our parasol. Yay camera phone! I know it’s navy blue and my stroller is black but still, it works brilliantly even if it doesn’t match (and we all know I like to match so you can imagine my pain).

I LOVE this thing. We have this chronic problem where the sun is somehow always getting in Boo’s eyes, and now he’s learned how to shove back the canopy so even if it would normally work, he moves it anyway. I think the parasol doesn’t block his view as much so he doesn’t mind. Plus it’s kind of cute in a wierd sort of way. :) It’s pretty much infinitly adjustable and folds down like a small umbrella when you don’t want to use it. This one is from Mothercare in the UK but you can also find them on Ebay. Love it!

I know, I’m whipping a dead horse here, but I simply cannot make a decision about strollers. I keep going round and round and round and round!

First I think I will go with my initial thought which is the Bumbleride Rocket. But then it’s not reversible and I think that would be fabulous, so then I think what about the Zooper Boogie or the Bebecar. Both are quite heavy, not as nice looking, and a bit expensive. So what about something completely different, like the I’coo Pico? Less expensive, but still heavy and no air tires, looks awesome though. But back to no reversible seat. So what about the I’coo Croco in Europe? Reversible seat, air tires, got it all! But flippin’ expensive. So back to the Bumbleride.

Just shoot me.

Alrighty, here we go. These are the top contenders for the Carrie’s Perfect Stroller contest.

So why did I put those everyday strollers in there at all when I am obsessed with walking at the moment? Mostly because I can’t make up my mind and I do like them. As Boo gets older I think we’ll need something like that anyway. If it will “do” for walking part of me thinks I should just get something like that for now and worry about the walking thing later if it’s still a problem. It wouldn’t be “extra” or anything.

And what else is missing? Well, more prams for one. Why? Because they’re even MORE expensive than the most expensive thing up there, and the really good ones (except for Inglesina) are made in Europe and not available here. So maybe someday I can acquire one over there if I really really feel the urge, but I just don’t think it’s worth bothering with for the moment. I do like prams and I think Boo would really enjoy the ride, but I kind of hope that something listed above will work just as well.

So there you have it! Carrie’s incredibly long and ridiculous list of strollers she wants. Now. Which will it be? If you have an opinion PLEASE comment! I don’t usually beg for comments but I could use some advice. Muchas Gracias!

The spreadsheet is complete! As best as I can do anyway. If I have left off anything I should be noticing please let me know!

Next? It is not in any particular order, so I need to list my favorites. Maybe some will care to vote and tell me what I should get because I am COMPLETELY flummoxed.