Getting ready for a baby can be a stressful time. As the due date gets closer, your wallet likely feels lighter and your house more packed with stuff. You may start questioning how much of the “recommended gear” talked about on every blog and baby registry is ACTUALLY necessary.
(If you’d like to read about ALL the baby products 6,000 moms did (and didn’t) recommend over my six months of research, you can read my essentials-only baby registry checklist article here!)
But to answer this big question for overwhelmed new parents, I’ve spent the past few weeks polling thousands of parents to get their take on what is and isn’t essential. And today, I’m tackling the topic of baby strollers.
My family has two toddlers (and another baby on the way!) and we have three– yes, three– different kinds of strollers. So you can probably guess my thoughts on the matter. But I’m just one mom! Why should you care what I specifically have to say?
So I got input from 1,400 OTHER moms on social media, specifically asking about their thoughts on strollers. Then, I analyzed all their comments to give you a helpful guide to making your own decision.
According to the research, 89% of moms said strollers were absolutely essential, and the other 11% said strollers were optional, but still good and worthwhile purchases. An astounding 0% of parents thought you shouldn’t even bother buying a stroller.
Situations when strollers are essential
Many moms shared helpful tips in comments about all the times in a their lives when they’ve been grateful to have a stroller option for their families. I wanted to pass them on so you can evaluate if any of these will be parts of your life and contribute to your own decision-making process.
Walking-heavy lifestyle
This one might seem kind of obvious, but it’s worth mentioning.
Families who frequently walk or jog for exercise, or parents who don’t have a car and need to travel on foot (or by subway) to get anywhere will all want to invest in a good stroller. A few moms also mentioned strollers being useful for farm life!
Though you can (and should) look at the “alternatives” list below (or skip ahead by clicking here), you’ll likely want to continue your walking-heavy life after your baby is born. A stroller might be the difference between continuing your lifestyle as normal and a big change or disruption.
Shopping
This is especially true at malls and department stores. However, you may find you want to have the stroller even for weekly grocery runs, depending on what kinds of cart options your store offers. (Do they have the style that lets car seats snap on top of the cart safely without sacrificing cart space? Perfect. Snag those whenever you can.)
One mom, Jenifer, also pointed out that, “the store carts are dirty, and [my son] loves to put his mouth on everything.” So if you’re concerned with germs, that might be another reason to stick to a personal stroller in the store.
Occasional adventures
If you’ll be going to amusement parks, state or county fairs, concerts, sporting events, zoos, or museums even occasionally, strollers are really the way to go. Not having one means carrying your baby in your arms the entire time, and might limit how long you want to spend on the outing.
Another mom, Brandi, specifically recommended jogger-style strollers for outdoor adventures with the following story, “I love my jogger stroller because the wheels are great in the grass, over rocks, and even on the beach it did good. My friend had a regular wheeled stroller, and when we went to the fair she had the hardest time pushing it through all the thick gravel.”
In addition, you might sometimes need to mix your work life with your personal life. One mom named Kasie described her unique, professional reasons for sometimes needing a stroller. “I own a dance studio and we sometimes use [a stroller] at dance competitions at the bigger venues cuz it’s a lot of running back and forth across the venue.”
Colic-y babies
Of course, you won’t know whether or not you’re getting a colic-y baby until they arrive, but it’s worth talking about now.
As a mom who’s had a baby with colic, I can confirm: you will do ANYTHING to get your baby to calm down and/or sleep. Even silly things that you probably would never admit to other people, like pushing a baby in a stroller inside your house.
Tiffany knows the feeling, since she shared, “My daughter had colic and I feel like our stroller was a life saver because it was one of the few places she wouldn’t cry. Went on a LOT of walks when she was little.”
Heather described her situation by saying, “I bought [my daughter] a million rocking and swinging toys, but nothing made her happy like sitting in her stroller while I sat in a kitchen chair next to her and pushed the stroller back and forth with my foot.”
(If you’d like to learn more about all those rocking and swinging toys she mentions, you can read my similar articles on whether or not you need a baby swing or whether baby bouncers are essential.)
Alternatives to a stroller
If you’re still on the fence about strollers, I wanted to talk about your other options for baby gear that solves the same problem. (That problem being the “wanting to ever leave the house without holding someone in your arms constantly” problem.)
Baby carrier
Ten different moms in comments brought up in the comments section how they preferred wearing their babies in a carrier. This was especially true when the babies were less than a year old. However, when the babies morph into much heavier toddlers, more moms recommended strollers.
As I describe in my article on whether or not you need a baby carrier, carriers are an incredibly versatile piece of baby gear that can not only take the place of a stroller, but also a baby swing, a bouncer, and even a bassinet on occasion.
Baby/toddler wagon
For a few moms who had multiple little children, wagons made more sense than baby strollers (even double strollers, in some cases).
With a wagon, you can fit 2-4 kids inside the wagon itself, and some models actually have platforms for another child to use. (The older kid just hops on and off as they get tired, which works great for both kids and pulling parents.)
The downside with wagons is that they aren’t really useful for little babies, as they can only support babies who sit independently.
One mom, Stacy, had some very specific advice on the topic, saying, “I only used our stroller maybe 10 times with my first, then we got a wagon and use it all the time. Especially now with a 3 year old and a baby. So save money on an expensive stroller, get a used one cheap, and save up for a wagon.”
Her point on saving up is important, because wagons tend to be much more expensive than strollers. One of the most popular brands, Wonderfold, STARTS at around $300 (with coupons and discounts, and only in the smallest sizes and least popular colors) and goes all the way up to $1,600 for a single wagon.
Car seat cart/carrier
I actually had to look this term up when I read it in one mom’s comment. While this is technically not a stroller, it is an item you push a baby around in.
The moms who suggested them specifically mentioned that car seat carriers are much more lightweight and compact than travel systems (the baby stroller styles which double as a car seat carriers). So while a car seat carrier is only a useful piece of gear for a very short time, it might be worth getting if your top priority is based on low weights and compact sizes.
You can see the Baby Trend Universal Car Seat Carrier on Amazon here.
Best Options for Strollers
Unlike every other survey I’ve done on essential baby gear, not one mom brought up their favorite brands in the comments section! Since I’m not about to go out and buy every stroller and test them all personally, I don’t feel comfortable making any recommendations (or just throwing up 20 random links to Amazon products) other than the one I’ve personally tried and love. (The other two baby strollers we own– a basic umbrella stroller and a rugged double jogger– are great. However, they’re discontinued brands and models which we got free secondhand, and you literally can’t buy them anymore.)
Let me use this opportunity to put in a plug for used strollers! You can find them everywhere. If you spend even just a week or two keeping your eye on Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, and/or your local children’s consignment store, you’re sure to find a few models that will suit your needs.
Graco FastAction Travel System
While no parents recommended specific brands or models of strollers, six moms did bring up travel systems in general. Having a stroller that could BOTH click into your baby’s car seat or function independently can be, as one mom put it “a lifesaver.”
When babies are small and squishy, you don’t want to get them out of their car seats if you don’t have to. Plus, they’re just too small to be safely pushed around in a stroller without the added head and body support from an inclined car seat.
Travel systems are nice because they can provide all that while also being a working stroller for older children. Once your child is big enough to sit on their own and not flop over, they can start facing forward in the same stroller, just without the car seat portion.
We chose the Graco model mostly because of price. I purposefully never even looked at the more expensive, luxury stroller brands and systems because I was afraid of getting pulled into the marketing mechanism and start thinking I couldn’t live without their “ultimate” features. The Fast Action system gets the job done, has never broken or malfunctioned on us, and is going strong after almost four years of continuous use. Two strong thumbs up!
To check the current Amazon price for the Graco Fast Action Travel System, click here.
I hope you’ve found this article useful in helping you decide whether or not you need a baby stroller! If you’d like to get updates about the next time I post content related to raising a family on a budget, be sure to subscribe to my email newsletter below.