Should I give Up On My New Stroller?
Hello Parents,
I have a 4 month old son and until now, we have made do carrying him around Berkeley in our carrier. But I began a care-taking job that allows me to take my son. I bought a Nuna Mixx Stroller ($600) that I thought would successfully handle a three mile trek across Berkeley. But the stroller couldn't handle all the raised/uneven sidewalk terrain and my son kept waking up and crying every time I put him in there. Are there any smooth riding strollers that can handle the sidewalks of Berkeley with six mile round trip journeys???
Sep 24, 2018
Parent Replies
This was a while ago, but we lived in London when our daughter was born and didn't have a car, which meant miles of walking on a near-daily basis. We bought a second-hand Bugaboo Bee, largely because we lived in a small apartment and didn't have a place to store any of the larger models. It was ridiculously expensive, but we used it almost daily for years and it held up really well. There are shock absorbers for each wheel, which is probably part of the reason she was able to nap in it almost every day, sometimes for hours at a time. If your current stroller has a similar suspension system, though, it probably won't be much better.
The Bugaboo stroller was made for the rough cobblestone streets, dirt/gravel and icy conditions in Europe. It's what most people buy in the big cities there.
I think the biggest issue with Nuna Mixx and UppaBaby is that the wheels are foam filled. I think you will need something that has air-filled tires and good suspension.
Maybe a Bob stroller would work well for you. They have big wheels, and some beefy shock absorbers. I think they are meant for jogging with a stroller.
Yes, we have used our BOB for six years (2 kids) and it’s still going strong. We commute and grocery shop with it. I’ve used it on trails around the Bay Area, but prefer it for around town use.
My husband and I bought the Thule Urban Glide 2 and while we haven’t used it on long Trela, so far it’s been great on our local streets while going to the playground and we are pretty confident with taking it to Tilden to hike.
My City Mini GT stroller can handle all the bumps of the sidewalks and tree roots with no problem. The key is the air-filled rubber tires. Any stroller that has these type of tires should be fine. Strollers with thin wheels cannot handle the bumps.
I recommend the Thule urban glide stroller. It has a lot of the same bells and whistles of the BOB strollers which are super popular (shocks, adjustable handlebar, quick folding, super comfy harness etc) but it’s not quite as wide and weighs less. For infants there is a universal car seat adapter that works well to turn it into a travel system before little ones are big enough to ride inside.
Sarah
https://www.thule.com/en-us/us/strollers/strollers/thule-urban-glide-2-_-10101923
Get a BOB jogging stroller. They have incredible suspension, so handle uneven terrain easily. They are meant to keep a baby sleeping when running at 6 or 8 or 10 mph, so at walking speeds they are incredibly smooth.
They are less than $600, but they are not cheap. I bought a very lightly used one for $200, and it served me well for 4 years, then lasted another 4 with a friend who took it as a hand-me-down. Unqualified positive recommendation!!
Check out the Citi Mini GT. I’ve found it to hold up to those bumpy sidewalks : )
You need a BOB Revolution. I sold my city mini and got a BOB after miserable sidewalk stroller walks with too many cracked sidewalks and slopes. Pushing it is like butter.
I’ve never used that stroller but it looks like it has rubber / plastic wheels which won’t absorb bumps. Try something with air tires that will absorb the bumps better. We had a City Mini GT with the “all terrain” wheels and thought it was good enough for berkeley sidewalks. A true jogging stroller with air tires would be better, but you have to keep them inflated.