All terrain/ jogging stroller decisions- can it be our only one?

My daughter is four and we still use the BOB all the time. We use it around the neighborhood, walking to Whole Foods (plenty of room for groceries) and hiking. We've taken it hiking in Point Reyes, Lassen, Tilden, etc and it's always met our needs. It's not compact, so I probably wouldn't recommend it without a place to store it. Good luck!

Strollers are so very personal.  We had a "everyday" stroller, an umbrella, and a jogger, all purchased used or handmedowns so the investment was nil.  We barely used any.  We wore our first baby almost exclusively.  Once we had a 2nd (2 yrs apart) there was a brief period where having a stroller was occasionally useful if only one parent had both kids out.  I would wait and see what you/your baby really need.

I've had three kids (current one is 3yo)  and have owned six strollers (either as gifts, or hand me downs).  The BOB Revolution and the Maclaren umbrella stroller were really the ones we used heavily.  Yes, the BOB is heavy and unwieldy and not ideal for city sidewalks, restaurants and shops but for jogging/strolling on all terrain, it can't be beat!  

You don't need the big one, no one keeps a 70 lb kid a stroller, that's around 8 years old. An infant you can wear in a baby bjorn type thing while walking the dogs. By 2.5 years old your kid will probably be walking a lot more than needing a stroller and for grocery shopping you can use a wagon.

Have you looked at Valco Baby strollers? IT is smaller than a BOB (I found them to be too big and looked very cumbersome to be putting in and out of the car). I liked the Valco because it was light, I could push it down with one hand, it fit in the car and I took it to my baby boot camp class. The 3 wheels are awesome, it fit easily within restaurants as well and the basket underneath helps at the store for the heavy stuff. Don't be sold on the BOB in my opinion. Make sure you test strollers out and see how easy it is to put up and take down. I had mine for 5 years and used it every single day. It was my only one. Good luck!

Amy

I don't think you're crazy at all--this is a great plan. We had a BOB as our only stroller for the first two years, and I was thinking about it the same way you are. We bought the infant seat attachment for the earliest months so that we could put our carseat directly onto the top of the stroller, which makes the baby ride high and nicely visible to the parent, kind of like an old fashioned pram. Once s/he can sit up well (over about 6 months is the minimum recommendation I think), they can go in the regular seat on the BOB. That was the perfect solution for us. We didn't have quite as small a living space as you, but I hated the idea of getting a bunch of different carriers. We had one BOB and one Ergo (front pack), both with the extra attachment/insert for infants, and that served every need we ever had. (I'm a runner, so my other justification for the BOB was running, but that was a very minor use in the end. Running became my meditative break from parenting, so it wasn't very appealing to take her with me unless I was desperate.) We ended up getting an umbrella stroller for the same reasons you state here, and it was useful on maybe two trips,but basically it sat in the basement. It was just such a crappy piece of equipment compared to the awesome ride of the BOB. The shocks on that thing are impressive. And it's long, but narrow, and super maneuverable. Much better than the umbrella strollers, and you can do it with one hand!! (This is KEY.) 

When kid #2 came along, I added a double Thule bike trailer with the stroller wheel attachment into the mix--again with the idea that we could get just one piece of equipment to serve all our needs: in this case, as double stroller and bike trailer for two. I was into the family athletic ambitions. :) In general I found that I preferred to just carry the little one in the Ergo while pushing the bigger one in the BOB for walks, though, so I almost never needed a double stroller at all. My babysitters liked it, though. But that stroller was a bit more unwieldy, mostly just because of the width. It had the same good shock absorption. Not quite as comfy seats--my kids complained sometimes. I think we went on maybe 10 family bike rides with the trailer. It was cool but not super necessary. The BOB plus Ergo combo alone could have gotten me all the way through two small kids. (My two are two years apart, FYI.) 

Good luck and enjoy the adventures!

Hi there! We have a two month old and had a similar wish list for one stroller (plus an umbrella stroller later). We decided to go with the Revolution Bob Flex because we definitely wanted a jogger for running. We love it and it handles well (even for use in stores), but it isn't great for pulling in and out of the car if that's how you intend to use it. We definitely miss having a smaller caddy style stroller for the infant seat, but we are suffering through just carrying around the car seat until he's big enough for an umbrella. If you are just looking for something with big wheels that you don't need to run with, you might want to check out the City Mini GT. It is much lighter than a jogging stroller and the seat comes out to make room for a car seat until your baby is older. It might be all terrain enough for what you're looking for!

Congratulations on your pregnancy! I am a big fan of waiting until you actually need something before you buy it. First, your child's neck will need support for the first several months at least, so you'll likely be wearing the baby for a while while you walk the dogs. My husband the Gear Hound was all excited to get a Bob b/c we hike a lot, but when we finally took the little guy out on a relatively smooth dirt road in the Bob, his neck bobbled around so much that we stopped immediately. I feared his head going to snap off! (jk) We used it a few times, but the Bob is so bulky it didn't get used regularly and it was a big waste of money. We learned from that  :) We eventually ended up using a hand-me-down Kelty-style child carrier (kid must be older, able to sit up and support self). When the time comes, you can probably borrow one from someone (Next Door is great for that) and try it out before forking out $.

To sum up: Have the baby, get your baby carrier (Baby Bjorn-like thing)  and then later, re-assess your needs. In my experience, the most useful and cheapest stroller for a little one is the one that a car seat snaps into. It is also very lightweight. You can get them used. Worth every penny for me, just getting out for walk down the street, picking up a few items at TJ's, etc. Hope that helps!

My experience with strollers and small apartments was that it was all about weight and the ease of folding it up. Jogging strollers are great (especially for jogging) but getting one in and out of a car regularly would be a nightmare. Best of luck!

Hi. Consider the City Mini GT. It's all-terrain, but not a jogging stroller (even though it's made by Baby Jogger), so it's lighter and smaller than the real jogging strollers. We bought one a couple of years ago when we had our son, and it was our only stroller until he was older and we bought the umbrella stroller for travel and car trips. We still use it almost every day. Pros: great handling and control (great when you can only use one hand), relatively light, easy to fold, adjustable handle (this is great if you and your partner are different heights), hand brake, huge canopy (with peephole, so you can see if they're asleep...or at least that's what I did ;-). Cons: Under basket isn't that big (I manage to load up a lot of groceries in there, but more space would be nice). Congratulations on your baby, and good luck in the decision making! I hope this helps =) 

My advice is to look at the City Mini GT or similar in a store and then try to buy one used if you like it. If it ultimately doesn't work for you, sell it and upgrade. The City Mini is sturdy and can be folded with one hand, which comes in useful when you're holding a baby with your other hand. It's also more compact than a big wheeled jogger for sticking in the car. The GT can handle some gentle off roading. 

Neighbors in our old apartment building had a BOB jogger which was huge and too hard for them to fold while also dealing with the baby (and even when folded it took up a lot of space). You also don't need something that is good for up to 70lbs (size of an average 9-10 year old). You should be set through age 4-5 with something that goes to 40 lbs. Most of all, look at strollers in person before buying! Pay attention to how easily you can fold it, lift it to get in car (if you will drive with it), will it fit in trunk, can you fit gear in the basket underneath easily, etc. 

I recommend getting a City Mini GT by Baby Jogger. It is not a jogging stroller but it has the air tires so you can handle the bumps in the road. I live in an area where the sidewalks are broken up by tree roots and the GT handles them very well. (I could tell the difference when pushing my cheaper stroller with the plastic tires.) I've had no issues going off the path at the Berkeley Marina in the park area, going up and down the grassy hills. The GT also has a hand brake which is nice. We lived in a 750 sf apartment with not a lot of storage space and a great thing about the GT is that it folds down fairly flat so while it did take up some space, it was much less than if you had a BOB or regular stroller. Also the GT was lighter than comparable strollers so my little 5'2" self could haul it into and out of the car no problem. Our nanny, who is smaller than me, also handles it up and down the stairs relatively easily.

Also once your kid is about 2 or 3, it may become difficult to get them into a stroller since they'll want to walk everywhere. I wouldn't put the weight capacity of a stroller high on the priority list for that reason. I got rid of my second stroller since the older child now insists on walking and I can put the younger child in the GT. We've had it for almost four years and still going strong.

For grocery shopping, I recommend wearing the baby in a carrier. If you don't have to bring the stroller into a store or restaurant, the better. Carry the infant car seat in if baby is sleeping but leave the stroller in the car.

We had a Bumbleride Indie (Twin) when my littlest were little. Throw that into your pool of contenders :)

As a nanny, I got a ton of experience with a wide range of strollers. One of my favorites (and one I'd pick for myself) is the City Mini stroller. It weighs 17 pounds (maybe it has gotten lighter since I used it because it did seem heavy in 2011), folds up very easily (the videos of it are true), it's a bit bulkier than an umbrella stroller, but pushing it is great. Very smooth. Great for paved or off road. 

If you can find it in a store, put a heavy box or something in it and push it around (if possible) or ask friends if you can try out their stroller. :) I found a lot of strollers rather uncomfortable and I'd pick a good one that was comfortable to push around. Not one where you have to hunch your back to push it, or hit your feet on the wheel bar as you walk.