How Many Strollers Do You Need?

In January, we’ll be packing up the family and making our annual pilgrimage to Chicago. We have no family there, but every January there is a stage combat workshop help at Columbia College and Aaron attends to learn new ways to pretend to kill people on stage. I go along to visit the Field Museum, the Art Institute, and the Mecca they call Ikea.

Why they have this thing in winter, in Chicago, is beyond me. Do they laugh at those of us who pray for good weather, hoping we don’t have to drive the five hours in a blizzard? Our luck over the years has been so-so: three years of good to decent weather, two years of snow, ice, and subzero weather. Last year was the best year yet, which means we’re likely doomed this year.

This is also the first year we’re taking Cordelia with us. Last year my mother convinced us at the last moment that taking a 4 month old to Chicago was a bad idea. She stayed at our house while we were gone and cared for Cordy. Now my mom is coming along with us; with Aaron gone all day each day, I’ll need all the help I can get, and mom’s a great mother’s assistant.

However, I realized that I need a new stroller for the trip. Aaron thinks I’m insane. OK, I’ll admit it: we have three strollers. But each has a very distinct purpose.

The first: the Graco Quattro, or as I call it, our “SUV Stroller”. It held the car seat when Cordy was tiny, and now it’s the ultimate in cushy comfort, with a huge basket as well. But it’s also heavy and enormous – not something to cram into an already overpacked car, and not easy to carry up and down steps.

Next, the $12.99 Babies R Us umbrella stroller. Very lightweight, folds down to nearly nothing. But it’s also just barely off the ground (if there’s snow, it would never move), has no basket, and it’s rather uncomfortable for Cordy to sit in for long periods of time.

Finally, our Graco CitySport. It’s the medium stroller: not too big, not too small. But it was a garage sale purchase, and it’s starting to show its age. Wheels that squeal, a recline that doesn’t work very well, and the basket is tiny. It also folds down thin, but it’s still wide and hard to carry.

So, I’ve decided that I need another stroller for Chicago. Something lightweight, but also roomy and lightly padded for Cordy’s comfort. Preferably easy to carry and easy to fold. It has to have a basket as well, and be able to recline for naps. The seat needs to be decently high off the ground if I’m pushing it over snow. And it needs to have good steering and wheels that can handle uneven pavement. A tricked out sound system would be nice, too. Wait, I’m kidding on that last one. Maybe.

Finally, it can’t cost too much. We’re a little cash poor right now, so I’d prefer nothing over $100. Actually, Aaron would prefer nothing over $100.

And now the stroller hunt begins. I’m realizing that this stroller probably doesn’t exist, but it’s not going to stop me from scouring the web to find it. After all, if you can find a ghost in a bottle for sale, you can find anything on the web.