Ada's chariot

I've gotten a few emails lately asking to review the stroller I have. Their questions: What kind do you have? And would you recommend it?

Short answer: Phil & Teds Explorer. And Absolutely.

 Here's why:

Babies come with enough stuff anyway, I'm always looking for things that perform multiple functions. I knew several things before I got a stroller: I knew I wanted a jogger; I knew I wanted a travel system; I knew I wanted to have more than one kid; I knew I needed something that could hold up in an urban setting (where I would be walking to the grocery store, walking to pick up Dad from work, walking to the park etc.); I knew I didn't want it to weight 100 pounds or take up my entire trunk.

I concluded that the stroller we purchased would be one contraption that did it all. I can jog with it, it fits my car seat, it can become a double stroller (that still fits through a single doorway), and it folds up easily and isn't too bulky. And we use it ALL THE TIME. Which is the best part. Walks rock.

So rather than having a jogging stroller, a travel system, and a double stroller, I have one stroller that fits the bill in all those categories.

Other things I love about it: The sunshade that has pockets in it. The customer service. The bassinet attachment. The fact that you can pimp it out.

Ada slept in the bassinet until she was 4 months old. We popped it out on a few occasions and just took it on some weekend getaways and it folds down completely flat and slides under the seat in the car. I loved that when she was a newborn I could put her down to sleep and go on a walk or head to the grocery store with her in a little pod. (Attention new-moms or moms-to-be: GET OUT OF THE HOUSE GET OUT OF THE HOUSE GET OUT OF THE HOUSE. Your emotional stability will thank you.)

We haven't gotten the double seat yet, but we will when baby Anderson #2 arrives. I also love that rather than buying a bouncer, you can get a little frame that the doubles kit hooks on to and viola! you have a bouncer. But when your baby grows out of the bouncer stage (which was like at 2 months for Ada) you don't have a big thing to store, you only have a little bar.

Here's my stuff philosophy: do more with less things. Or rather, find less (great) things that do more (great) things.