When I was pregnant with Quinten, I added “double stroller” to the goals list. Around that time we decided to add a column to the list so we knew when we wanted to buy something. We have a lot of desires on our goal list, but not all of them are immediate things. Since we wouldn’t need the stroller when Quinten was born in December, we designated “spring” the time to buy it. Well, spring came and I was content wearing him in my Ergo carrier. It wasn’t until mid- to the end of June that it started getting really hot, making it not fun to wear a 20-pound baby. I looked around for deals on what we thought we were going to get. I couldn’t find anything so I put it off for a bit longer.
Our criteria was the following:
* Jogging stroller
* Easy to fold up
* Storage underneath
* Handles the weight of two toddlers (because there’s a 6-pound swing between them)
* Save as much money as possible
* Good reviews
We wanted a jogging stroller because we go on a lot of walks. (I just got an idea to track the miles we do each year!) Our Chico stroller has held up just fine, but we wanted something that was a little more durable and made for bumps. Time will tell if we put the running aspect to use, but it might be kind of fun to go running as a family. As long as Bryan pushes the stroller, I might have a chance of keeping up!
Sounds pretty easy, right? Except I couldn’t get past the $400 strollers. It seemed that everything under that price was some random brand or the reviews weren’t positive. One day I was cruising through Instagram and I saw my friend, Allison from Omyfamily, had posted a picture of a double jogging stroller. I asked her what it was and was delighted to hear that the Schwinn Arrow double jogging stroller was HALF the price that we had in our budget!
The next step is always getting buy-in from your spouse. Bryan worried that Maximus was getting too old to be in a stroller. I confessed that I had no desire to go on family walks if he wasn’t IN the stroller. (We go on 45-60 minute walks with lots of hills.) We decided that his only option was to sit in the stroller so, yes, it would be worth it to buy one. Next, I wanted his opinion. I know it took a lot for him to do this, but he waived all decision-making powers and told me to buy the one I wanted. I had a personal review of it (and someone who lives in a very similar environment) and it was half the price. I did some searching and found that I could buy it from Wal.Mart and have it shipped to the store for free. It arrived four days later!
We put it together, with the help of Maximus, in about 20 minutes. It was very simple to do and everything worked, despite worrying that things would have been damaged in shipping. One of the things I had originally wanted was a front wheel that swiveled. I decided it wasn’t that important and I would rather save money and get a stationary one. We went on a quick walk around the development and Bryan made me push the boys. He said I was the one who wanted it so I had to learn to use it. Kind of sounds like he wasn’t completely sold on the idea, huh? The stroller is so easy to push, it feels light and smooth. Since the front wheel doesn’t move, it is rather tricky to turn. I was awkwardly picking up the front wheel to turn even the slightest direction. Maximus sat up, grabbed on to Quinten’s leg (for his own safety, not to protect his brother), and said, “woah, mommy! don’t drop us!” I assured him that he was fine, but then I told Bryan that maybe the swivel wheel was a better idea. 🙂 And then I reminded myself that I better continue with my arm routine so I can bulk up and handle the turning…
Bryan went on a couple walks this past weekend. You know, while I was at the New Kids on the Block concert! By the end of the weekend he had figured out how to manuver without dramatically lifting the front of the stroller. He gave me tips and tricks and I tried it on a long walk. I even tested it out and ran a little bit, too! He had nothing but good things to say about having the stroller during his solo parenting weekend! We’re both glad we got it and it’s given us the motivation to get back out there. Pushing two strollers and walking a dog was getting too complicated. Any time we can simplify our life, we’re all happy!
