Julie's Rants 2013

The Bane of Strollers


This is another sore spot, if not just irritating. The whole commercial industry of strollers. Have you taken a look around lately? These things are everywhere. And they go against all sense of practicality. I am talking about these behemouth SUV strollers. And if you read the link then you will have seen that the rise of these occurred in the early 2000's.



What irritates me is that mothers think they need these. And grandmothers aren't much help either. "Dear, anyone who's anyone has one and my grandbaby needs this padded room(?) to be wheeled around in." Besides the fact that Grandma and Grandpa put together couldn't pick up one of these. I picked out this doozy of a stroller to look at. If you look closely you'll see that it has an aluminum frame and still has a shipping weight of 45 pounds. (I don't even think a grocery cart weighs this much) Who needs to go to the gym anymore?

But have you thought about what these monsters do to your back and posture? Let's think about trying to take a crane out of your crackerjack size trunk. There's no way you could do the recommended squat with a straight back and let your legs do all the work. You will probably need to drive an SUV or minivan that you can simply slide the stroller out and legs/wheels automatically open, like when a paramedic slides a stretcher out the back door of the ambulance.

Now you are probably thinking, "she's right, I might as well throw the LazyBoy in the car and wheel baby around in that." No, I'm just of the opinion that less is more. Now I don't mean to the other extreme and not have a stroller at all. But let's pick a sensible realistic stroller. I'm talking about the umbrella stroller. Simple, lightweight (9.6lbs) and could fit in a Smart Car. You'll discover that this stroller will be one of your best friends. (besides the dishwasher organizer) When they are little babies you'll probably carry them or let them ride in Grandma's SUV stroller, so don't worry about their little head flopping around. Once they are too heavy to carry then they will be fine to put in the umbrella stroller. The fancy ones even have a sun visor and storage basket underneath. Even if you can't afford a fancy one the most inexpensive one will serve its' purpose. Those little holes they put in plastic bags called handles will slide right onto the handle of an umbrella stroller. You will also become quite ninjaesque at opening and closing it and whipping it in and out of the car. Marvel at how fast you will be on your way while your friend is still reading the directions of how to open her SUV stroller.

All I'm saying is be a real world mom. Not a zombie consumerist.