Kiersten’s Blog

I bought a new stroller on Tuesday. It’s not just any stroller. It’s a Phil and Ted. I was planning on buying one long ago. When we lived in Pomona, I had a really good group of friends who I walked with every morning. People in town called us the stroller brigade. We all pushed a stroller. Eventually, we all got pregnant again, and were in the market for buying new strollers. Amanda settled on the Phil and Ted. Rachel already had one and we were all envious. She was smart enough to buy it as her first stroller. Sarah went with the B.O.B. Revolution Duallie. She had just given birth to her second child and wanted to start jogging again. I had just started jogging and wanted to keep it up. I did a lot of research on the stroller that I would buy. It was kind of a big investment (on a small budget) and I wanted to make sure I was buying the perfect stroller. I finally settled on the Phil and Ted. Then, after a bit more research and field tests, I decided the Valco Runabout Tri-Mode would be the best option for me. It is meant for jogging and the Phil and Ted is not. Plus, when I tried out the Phil and Ted with the doubles seat attached, my knees hit the seat as I walked. Soon I miscarried and didn’t need an expandable stroller, but I bought the Valco anyway, knowing that I would use it, and someday be able to add a toddler seat to it, if needed.

The Valco served me well for almost four years. After I had Ashton, though, it became a lot more difficult to push. The added weight, along with the placement of the toddler seat right over the front wheel made it really difficult to turn, unless I was going fast. I got used to it, though. Then recently, the bar in the back that goes between the two wheels to make it more stable, broke. Now it’s near impossible to turn if I’m pushing two kids, not to mention unsafe. I did, however, take it on my jog on Monday, while pushing just Ashton in it, and it worked like a charm. I loved it! I called the company to see what it would take to repair, and I would have to buy a whole new back end frame, which would cost $7o. I’ve also been looking into getting it welded, but haven’t found anybody that can do it yet. Apparently welding aluminum is kind of a difficult task and there’s not much market for stroller repair. In the mean time, I found a Phil and Ted on Craigslist for $60. How could I pass that up? It’s an older model. I’m guessing it’s about the same age as my Valco. Recently I’ve been wondering if I should have gone the Phil and Ted route in the beginning. Now I have them both and I can compare them side by side. I really like the design of the Phil and Ted, but my initial suspicions proved true when I took her out on her maiden voyage today. I kept hitting my knees against the back seat. It’s not a big deal when I’m walking, but if I was jogging, I think it would really bug me. I do like, however, that the Phil and Ted is much easier than the Valco to maneuver around a store. It’s narrower and easier to turn with two kids riding along. Have I found the perfect stroller? No. But I have two really good ones and I’m thinking that the perfect stroller doesn’t really exist.

Anybody know how I can become a stroller critic?