October 9, 2015 Dana

VIDEO: How to choose a baby stroller

As we’ve noted before: if you live in the city, even the most savvy stroller-shopping family is probably going to wind up with more than one. And even after Magic Beans co-founder Eli Gurock had been studying up on strollers for years, he still wound up with four.

So the sweet spot you’re trying to hit with stroller shopping is not that one perfect stroller that will be perfectly suited for every moment of your child’s life outside of the home, from the moment he emerges until he’s ready to start kindergarten. Such a stroller may or may not actually exist, depending on what you need.

Rather, you’re trying to find a stroller (or strollers) that fit seamlessly into a variety of moments and environments. Your needs may change as your child gets older, which may require a second stroller; or, a second kid may arrive, requiring a double stroller (or the addition of a second seat); or, you may have different places that you’re going that require different strollers. And that’s ok. The key is to suss out and anticipate your needs, so you’re not trying to tackle arctic conditions with an umbrella stroller, or missing the cargo space you need on a big shopping trip, or trying to cram a massive stroller into a teeny car.

Since you probably never thought twice about what you need from a stroller until you found out that you were expecting, you won’t necessarily know which criteria to explore in order to find that right fit – but we do! It’s our mission here at Magic Beans to make your life easier, and we know which questions to ask you to tease out the details that will help us determine which stroller is tailored to your needs.

In this video, Eli talks about some of the stroller matchmaking process:

This should give you a few ideas for how to proceed, but we still encourage you to seek out expert advice! Getting the Stroller Geeks here at Magic Beans (or at another specialty store closer to you, if you don’t live in New England) to guide you through a stroller test-drive will not only help you find the right ride for a baby on the way: it will also help you to feel empowered on your parenting journey. After all, there’s a lot of stuff you’re going to be anxious about as you learn the art of parenting – let’s make sure you feel confident about your equipment!