If You Are a Runner or a Walker

Walking or running are great ways to exercise. Being able to walk to the grocery store, a cafe, or to see my friends is a great opportunity to burn calories and save resources (gas and money!).

We got an “all-terrain” type of stroller that works really well. It is a bit heavy to take on trips, but a great gear to have in the city. The wheels are big and wide, so riding it on smooth or rough pavements is a breeze. And the suspension keeps the little one comfortable anywhere. Its large canopy protects my son against rain or sun. I also keep a net and an umbrella in the pocket, in case of mosquitoes, or rain to cover myself. A diaper changer, when I remember, is also useful to keep in the pocket!

There are several brands available in stores, most marketed as running strollers. The one we got is from BOB, but overall look for “all-terrain” features (large wheels and suspension) and a long canopy for protection.

How Many Strollers can One Child Have?

It never seizes to amaze me how much money new parents spend unnecessarily on strollers (and on baby gear in general!). Have you ever thought about the number of strollers per child in this country? Even during recessions you still see parents buying one stroller for short and another for long walks, yet another for a run, and an additional, and portable one, to leave in the trunk.

When the second baby comes, the shopping spree restarts for double versions. In total, by the time the second child hits her fifth birthday, there are about eight to ten strollers parked in the garage. And the cars are parked outside, of course!

When we had our baby, my husband and I decided to adopt the buy- on-an-as-needed-basis rule. We were surprised by how much gear we actually didn’t need! Brands start overwhelming parents with massive marketing from the moment you go to your first obstetrician appointment. By the time I was five months pregnant, we had already received four containers of formula and several $5-$10 coupons through the mail. A massive marketing to doubt our decision to breastfeed! Any class or seminar your register becomes part of a quite desirable industry mailing list.

Anyway, back to strollers, we bought one for all situations, a real all-terrain type with large wheels and tires to handle both snowed and rainy pavements, and another one a few days before our first international trip. We knew we were going to spent long hours connecting, and the umbrella stroller came in very handy to navigate through airports.

Every time I go to stores like Babies R Us, I amuse myself analyzing what people are buying. Hard to believe that devices such as a baby wipes warmer can make it to the store, and be sold! Waste of resources….