Stuff Returns

This is our stroller.

I am what you might call, "stroller proud." I LOVE my stroller. Now, Nat wasn't into strollers for a while. She much prefered being carried. But nowadays, she likes to stroll.

Whether or not you love this stroller will depend on what you want and/or need. But for my list of criteria it was perfect. Here's my list:

1. Lightweight. I have back troubles and the weight of the baby is enough. I didn't want the stroller to add much more. This stroller weighs less than 10 lbs.

2. Easy to fold and unfold one-handed. Check. I have folded and unfolded this sucker while holding Nat in one arm, lifted it into and out of the back of the car, opened and closed the car, etc. alone, countless times.

3. Narrow wheel base. This was key, because as I stroller-shopped, I kept thinking of all those suburbanites on the DC Metro with their minivan-esque strollers and how they seemed to gravitate to the opening doors at rush hour when people needed to get by. I did not want people thinking the thoughts about me that I have thought about such people. I wanted a stroller that could modestly scoot to the back of a subway car and take up no more space than an additional standing adult. This stroller has the narrowest wheel base I could find. That combined with the weight, cinched it.

4. As a bonus, this stroller, though an umbrella-fold style, has six-inch, rather than four-inch wheels, which makes it fairly hearty for all-terrain use. Though it's no jogging stroller, I'm no jogger, so I don't mind.

5. As another bonus, the Silver Cross Micro got a Consumer Reports "quick pick" listing as a much, much cheaper alternative to much, much higher-end strollers for similar performance. It was compared, for example, to the bug-a-boo for performance.

What this stroller does not have is the ability to recline. (The next size up, the Silver Cross Mini, can recline, but is 2 lbs heavier and it wasn't worth it to me). Thus it is recommended for babies 6 months and up. We used it starting around 3 months, by tipping it back on two wheels--not something the manufacturer would recommend in a million years, I'm sure--but at that age, Nat only wanted to ride in it for about 15 minutes at a time anyway.

And while this stroller may not be as rugged as some, it is rugged enough to last for at least another baby, I've no doubt. It has been checked four times on multi-leg flights and man-handled by baggage carriers and it has survived.

It has just enough handy storage to suit me. Again, it's no minivan, which is just the way I want it. It has a nice basket under the seat and a large pocket on the back of the sun viser. It came with a rain cover which we've never used (since we don't live in the city anymore and don't walk through much rain), and it has a carrying handle which is nice for carting it up three flights of stairs with one hand while carting the baby in the other (we live three flights up).

Plus, it's pretty.

I repeat, it may not be the stroller of your dreams, but it is definitely the stroller of mine. It is one of my all-time favorite baby things, in fact. It gets the job done with minimalist style and allows me to feel that I am still that carefree light packer of pre-baby days.

Comments

[V's Herbie]

thanks for doing all these product reviews! I'm a sucker for bells and whisles that I never end up using. I will definitely be back to look at these again if I ever manage to get pregnant.

[gawessness]

Very cute baby and hot babe, erm, that may be tacky but take it as it is.
Nice stroller too.
Happy Christmas

[Moxie]

Definitely a good choice. My friends who have this model rave over it, especially compared to the Mac Volo, which has smaller (crappier) wheels.