Stroller: Research your needs

In order to end up with the stroller best suited to your needs, you have to clearly understand what you are looking for and what options are available to you. This is done by researching in two areas.

Firstly, you research the market to find out what kinds of strollers are available, familiarizing yourself with the different features, styles and price ranges etc. Secondly, you examine your own unique requirements in a stroller.

Research the market: Stroller essentials

A stroller is one of those baby items you will use the most. The wrong type of stroller will make every excursion out with baby miserable - or at least stressful. The right stroller will get you to where you want to go with a minimum of fuss. Just like everything else made specifically for kids, strollers come in different styles, sizes, brands, and price ranges.

The first part of the research step is to investigate just what's available in the stroller market. The range of options can seem daunting, but you can make a good start by understanding the following major features:

Types: There are four basic types of strollers - travel systems, umbrella strollers, mid/lightweight strollers, and jogging strollers. Each one allows for a different level of quality, compactness, and durability. They also offer different features. It may be that one or more is right for you.

Wheels: The wheel selection is an important consideration. There are three basic styles, air filled, solid composite, and hollow plastic. Hollow plastic are cheaper, but they tend to crack after some wear and tear. Solid wheels will last longer, but the air filled will offer the most comfort to the child in the stroller.

Storage: If your stroller is going everywhere with you, you may want a stroller with some storage. Typically, storage is found in the form of a basket under the seat. A basket will either have a mesh bottom or a solid bottom. Solid bottoms tend to hold more weight and maintain their form better.

Brakes: On most strollers, you will find the brakes near the wheels in the form of a simple wedge. The wedge locks the wheels to prevent them from spinning and can be operated with your foot quite easily. These brakes are most efficient on flat surfaces. Other strollers have hand brakes, much like those found on bikes, for quick stops.

Features: Features include everything from the tray and canopy, to any of the toys added to entertain your child. Not all of these are necessary for a stroll, but they will make your journey a little bit easier. Trays are available for the child and the parent. Canopies allow your child to stay out of extreme weather. Other features include toys that hook on to the snack tray, etc.

Weight: Weight can play an important factor in your stroller purchase. You can assume that the more features you have, the more the stroller will weigh. To give you an idea, an umbrella stroller will weigh a little more than 5 pounds (2.3kg) while a travel system will weigh anywhere close to 40 pounds (18kg).

Research your needs: Questions to ask yourself

Now it's time to determine what your requirements are in a stroller. For example, will you use the stroller only for shopping trips?

You can start this process by considering the following questions - as well as any others you think of yourself - and recording your answers.

Have I used a stroller before?
	If you have used a stroller, work out what you did or didn't like about the stroller. You may be looking for one exactly like it, hoping to upgrade, or even trying to avoid any particular features that you found inconvenient.

What type of stroller do I want?
	Perhaps the stroller is for more than one child or you may intend to use it for on a regular basis for exercise.

Where will I use my stroller?
	Will you be just using the stroller around shopping centers where you will be walking on concrete paths all the time or do you intend to go 'off road' in parks or when camping where you'll need a more rugged stroller? If you're wandering around tight spaces like clothing aisles you will want a smaller maneuverable stroller.

How old is my child?
	Think about how much longer your child will need a stroller. Children do not usually use a stroller past the age of 3.

Do I have any ailments I need to take into consideration?
	Do you have a bad back that may limit the amount of weight you can lift? Do you have wrist, arm or shoulder problems that can make pushing a heavy stroller for an extend period of time difficult?

Where do I plan to shop for strollers?
	It is a good idea to get the feel of a stroller before you buy it, even if you are going to purchase online. Some strollers can be quite heavy, especially with the added weight of a child or two.

What is my budget?
	Strollers can range in price for quite cheap for a basic stroller to extremely expensive for the Rolls Royce in strollers.

Understanding your needs is the key to a successful purchase and you can revisit your list of needs at any time during the buying process.

Once you complete this Research step, having informed yourself about the essentials of strollers and identified your needs, you are ready to move on to the next step: Evaluation.

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