Strollers for the tall
July 23, 2011 8:45 PM Subscribe
Looking for stroller recommendations for a tall, car-less, couple.
We have a little one on the way and my mother wants to get us a stroller/pram (its the traditional thing, apparently, who knew?) and has been bugging us about picking one out so I'm looking for some recommendations for things to look at.
Specifically we want something that is going to be tall enough, I'm 6'4" and my wife is 5'8", and will fold up on for use on public transport/so we can store it in a small apartment.
It might be useful if it could carry a newborn but not essential, we plan to use slings when the little one is still small and we would rather use this opportunity to get something that has a longer useful life.
We have a little one on the way and my mother wants to get us a stroller/pram (its the traditional thing, apparently, who knew?) and has been bugging us about picking one out so I'm looking for some recommendations for things to look at.
Specifically we want something that is going to be tall enough, I'm 6'4" and my wife is 5'8", and will fold up on for use on public transport/so we can store it in a small apartment.
It might be useful if it could carry a newborn but not essential, we plan to use slings when the little one is still small and we would rather use this opportunity to get something that has a longer useful life.
Stupid sure type. Sorry for the errors.
posted by saradarlin at 9:06 PM on July 23, 2011
posted by saradarlin at 9:06 PM on July 23, 2011
You need a PhD to pick the right stroller. I'm not kidding. It's the hardest thing EVER.
All the suggestions above are good.
In the end, after a TON of research, we went with the Maxi-Cosi Foray. My Husband is tall, and so am I. The Foray has a nice brake that you operate with your foot. The seat faces front and back (VERY important if your little one likes looking at you) and it reclines 100%. There is a bassinet attachment you can get, too.
The downside of all the upscale strollers, including those mentioned above, is that the seat part detaches to pack away. They take up a fair amount of space, but I think it is still less than a traditional stroller system - you stack the parts horizontally on top of each other or side-by-side.
You can go to baby stores and try out strollers (you want to test how easy they are to open and close - PARAMOUNT CONCERN) and see what you like.
We went with the foray because it was exactly like its more expensive cousins, but in $200 range. Our thought was if we hated it upon use, we could resell it and buy a more expensive model w/out worrying about the initial expense.
4 months in on the Foray, so far, so good!
It has inflatable back wheels (which many high end strollers don't, I think) that have come in handy when navigating stairs and broken sidewalks. So there's that, too.
posted by jbenben at 9:24 PM on July 23, 2011
All the suggestions above are good.
In the end, after a TON of research, we went with the Maxi-Cosi Foray. My Husband is tall, and so am I. The Foray has a nice brake that you operate with your foot. The seat faces front and back (VERY important if your little one likes looking at you) and it reclines 100%. There is a bassinet attachment you can get, too.
The downside of all the upscale strollers, including those mentioned above, is that the seat part detaches to pack away. They take up a fair amount of space, but I think it is still less than a traditional stroller system - you stack the parts horizontally on top of each other or side-by-side.
You can go to baby stores and try out strollers (you want to test how easy they are to open and close - PARAMOUNT CONCERN) and see what you like.
We went with the foray because it was exactly like its more expensive cousins, but in $200 range. Our thought was if we hated it upon use, we could resell it and buy a more expensive model w/out worrying about the initial expense.
4 months in on the Foray, so far, so good!
It has inflatable back wheels (which many high end strollers don't, I think) that have come in handy when navigating stairs and broken sidewalks. So there's that, too.
posted by jbenben at 9:24 PM on July 23, 2011
I am 6'-2", and our Maclaren Triumph is too short for me to be comfortable, especially stride-wide. Definitely look for strollers with extendible handle thingers.
posted by misterbrandt at 9:26 PM on July 23, 2011
posted by misterbrandt at 9:26 PM on July 23, 2011
The Foray has an expandable handle, forgot to mention that.
There is a difference between American style vs. European style. Essentially, the American style strollers have a big "dash board" at the handle, and the European style strollers are more city-friendly with smaller profiles. The Foray has a single cup holder by the handle that folds away, and that's it.
You might like the Stokke series if money is no object.
posted by jbenben at 9:37 PM on July 23, 2011
There is a difference between American style vs. European style. Essentially, the American style strollers have a big "dash board" at the handle, and the European style strollers are more city-friendly with smaller profiles. The Foray has a single cup holder by the handle that folds away, and that's it.
You might like the Stokke series if money is no object.
posted by jbenben at 9:37 PM on July 23, 2011
One thing that helps: Be sure to get one that has one long handle (going horizontal) rather than two separate handles. With the single handle you can push with one hand in the middle, and then walk a little bit to the side of the stroller, which then eliminates the kicking-the-rear-bar-with-every-stride problem.
posted by BlahLaLa at 10:01 PM on July 23, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by BlahLaLa at 10:01 PM on July 23, 2011 [2 favorites]
First, you're probably going to need 2 strollers -- 1 jogging and 1 umbrella/lightweight.
My #1 recommendation is to see what people in your neighborhood use. More than anything else, your streets and how they are in the winter dictate what kind of stroller you can use. (We moved from California to DC and our California-okay strollers (like our Maclaren) were useless on cobblestone streets in the snow.)
But more than that, I highly recommend a BOB jogging stroller (we now have a Phil and Ted because we need a double for nannyshare... oh, I miss the BOB). My 6' partner had no trouble with the BOB's height and you can pop the carseat adapter on for infant travel. I've also heard good things about the City Mini, but we used one on vacation and it wasn't good for Mr. 6 footer.
For an umbrella stroller, we use the Maclaren Volo and it is okay for short trips, but longer trips, any umbrella stroller is going to be too short for you, Dad. Also Maclarens have 2 handles, not 1, which makes carrying a coffee hard.
posted by k8t at 10:09 PM on July 23, 2011
My #1 recommendation is to see what people in your neighborhood use. More than anything else, your streets and how they are in the winter dictate what kind of stroller you can use. (We moved from California to DC and our California-okay strollers (like our Maclaren) were useless on cobblestone streets in the snow.)
But more than that, I highly recommend a BOB jogging stroller (we now have a Phil and Ted because we need a double for nannyshare... oh, I miss the BOB). My 6' partner had no trouble with the BOB's height and you can pop the carseat adapter on for infant travel. I've also heard good things about the City Mini, but we used one on vacation and it wasn't good for Mr. 6 footer.
For an umbrella stroller, we use the Maclaren Volo and it is okay for short trips, but longer trips, any umbrella stroller is going to be too short for you, Dad. Also Maclarens have 2 handles, not 1, which makes carrying a coffee hard.
posted by k8t at 10:09 PM on July 23, 2011
I just wanted to mention that our britax folds with all seats in place even the optional second seat. Generally we use ours with the infant car seat so we use adaptors as our seat is a Peg. Also the adjustable handle has 4 settings and we only use the second highest setting! I'm impressed that you could be even taller than us and still be comfortable!
Why yes, I love my stroller. It was, as others have mentioned above, the hardest baby purchase that we made and it was also a gift from my mom. Seems the stroller is the standard grandparent gift.
posted by saradarlin at 10:30 PM on July 23, 2011
Why yes, I love my stroller. It was, as others have mentioned above, the hardest baby purchase that we made and it was also a gift from my mom. Seems the stroller is the standard grandparent gift.
posted by saradarlin at 10:30 PM on July 23, 2011
I went through (am still using) a few strollers, as my needs changed through 2 kids and learning experiences. Of all my strollers, the Peg Perego Venezia was my favourite. I live in a very urban environment and, while it might not be as tiny as you'd hope, it was fabulous for being able to tie bags onto, storing tons of stuff underneath, and for having all the features I wanted. I loved being able to make the handle go front or back and have the baby/child face front or back. It also folded fairly small.
Regardless of what you choose, I recommend finding a stroller that can face either way. It's great for avoiding sun, dogs, gropy strangers, poke-y things on the street and also for talking/singing to your child and being able to keep an eye on them. It also apparently promotes language development, although I am too tired to look up the citation right now.
posted by acoutu at 12:44 AM on July 24, 2011
Regardless of what you choose, I recommend finding a stroller that can face either way. It's great for avoiding sun, dogs, gropy strangers, poke-y things on the street and also for talking/singing to your child and being able to keep an eye on them. It also apparently promotes language development, although I am too tired to look up the citation right now.
posted by acoutu at 12:44 AM on July 24, 2011
6'6" husband and 6'3" wife love our Baby Jogger City Elite. It folds to a surprisingly small size.
posted by procrastination at 5:26 AM on July 24, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by procrastination at 5:26 AM on July 24, 2011 [2 favorites]
Slate.com recently did a review of high end strollers that might be informative. The Orbit G2 won.
posted by paulsc at 5:57 AM on July 24, 2011
posted by paulsc at 5:57 AM on July 24, 2011
The Baby Jogger is fantastic. I'm 6'2", my partner is 5'9", and we found it to be a good fit for us. It can literally be folded one-handed, which is great if you're trying to collapse the stroller while holding the kid. Additionally, it folds up fairly flat, and will fit in the trunk of a cab, or between the front and back seats of a car. Also the wheels are decent-sized and bearings are smooth, which makes walking easier, which means you're more likely to get out of the house. which is good for everyone. the reclining function of the baby jogger means the kid can actually nap while you're rolling around, too.
only downside I can think of: since it's not a "standard" size, you'll need their proprietary rain shield or other accessories.
posted by dubold at 6:28 AM on July 24, 2011
only downside I can think of: since it's not a "standard" size, you'll need their proprietary rain shield or other accessories.
posted by dubold at 6:28 AM on July 24, 2011
We haven't bought yet, but my 6'3" husband preferred the Baby Jogger City Elite to any other stroller we test-drove. (His second favorite was a Teutonia, but we did less extensive testing with that one so I'm not sure how he'd feel about the stride, etc.)
The Baby Joggers all have a super-easy fold, and they fold up to a pretty compact size, so I'd definitely recommend you try them out, but definitely try the City Elite, which has an adjustable handle (the City Mini does not). There's no pram/bassinet attachment for the City Elite, but if you have a bucket seat, you can buy an adapter for the bucket to the same effect.
Other things we liked about the Elite -- the sunshade has little window covers that are magnetic instead of Velcro, which seems like such a no-brainer -- no noise to wake a sleeping babe! It also has a handbrake rather than a footbrake. HOWEVER, even though it looks like a jogging stroller, you cannot jog with it. Just be aware.
posted by devinemissk at 8:34 AM on July 24, 2011
The Baby Joggers all have a super-easy fold, and they fold up to a pretty compact size, so I'd definitely recommend you try them out, but definitely try the City Elite, which has an adjustable handle (the City Mini does not). There's no pram/bassinet attachment for the City Elite, but if you have a bucket seat, you can buy an adapter for the bucket to the same effect.
Other things we liked about the Elite -- the sunshade has little window covers that are magnetic instead of Velcro, which seems like such a no-brainer -- no noise to wake a sleeping babe! It also has a handbrake rather than a footbrake. HOWEVER, even though it looks like a jogging stroller, you cannot jog with it. Just be aware.
posted by devinemissk at 8:34 AM on July 24, 2011
The tall person stroller we picked (and that was bought by my parents-it really is the grandparent gift!) is the Sola by Mommas and Pappas. It is totally adjustable, turning from a pram to a parent-facing seat to an outward facing seat, so it's useful from birth to 50lbs, and one of the things that adjusts is the height/angle of the handle. This has been great, as each of us can then make the handle right for our height as we push. One thing to be aware of though-it folds easily once you get the hang out it, but it folds in half horizontally rather than vertically, so you end up with a fat square instead of a long rectangle, which is not what I expected.
posted by girl scientist at 8:46 AM on July 24, 2011
posted by girl scientist at 8:46 AM on July 24, 2011
I'm 5'11" and my husband is 6'4". We have a one-year-old and two strollers. We have a Baby Jogger Summit stroller that I use for running with my daughter. It folds somewhat small and is decent for running. If I was doing it again, I would probably buy a BOB. My husband thinks that the hands are too low on the Baby Jogger. I also think the whole thing is a bit heavy, but perhaps it is not when you compare it to the other SUV-lite strollers I see rolling about town.
We just got a Peg Perego Pliko P3 used off of Craigslist and love it. The handles feel a little flimsy to me, but they seem to be strong enough to get by. The stroller is way lighter than the Baby Jogger and folds small. It's a great stroller for city streets and not so great for going on trails. I think that it would also be fine for a newborn since it reclines a lot and can attach a bucket seat.
posted by JuliaKM at 8:13 AM on July 25, 2011
We just got a Peg Perego Pliko P3 used off of Craigslist and love it. The handles feel a little flimsy to me, but they seem to be strong enough to get by. The stroller is way lighter than the Baby Jogger and folds small. It's a great stroller for city streets and not so great for going on trails. I think that it would also be fine for a newborn since it reclines a lot and can attach a bucket seat.
posted by JuliaKM at 8:13 AM on July 25, 2011
I'm 5'10 and Mr Corpse is 6'. Our MacLaren (a model they don't make any more, I think) was tall enough, and so is our Baby Jogger.
For the cheap-o umbrella stroller we had at first, I attached handle extensions I found on eBay.
posted by The corpse in the library at 8:43 AM on July 27, 2011
For the cheap-o umbrella stroller we had at first, I attached handle extensions I found on eBay.
posted by The corpse in the library at 8:43 AM on July 27, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
Good luck.
posted by saradarlin at 9:05 PM on July 23, 2011