What is the best stroller for my baby?
NOTE: I’ve updated this post 5 years after it was originally published. The original title was “Bad Stroller Habits Even Great Parents Have.” I have since recognized that attention-grabbing titles like that attract and feed insecurity. The updated post is designed to empower your decision-making with new information, not stir up the idea of “bad parenting” or the notion that you’re doing it wrong if you choose a certain type of stroller or use it in a certain way.
WHAT’S THE BEST STROLLER ON THE MARKET?
For some new or soon-to-be parents with money to spend, selecting a stroller is a BIG deal. The excited, nervous energy of anticipating a new baby (and possibly creating a registry) can easily get channeled into semi-obsession with choosing baby gear. And the stroller often tops the list and the budget.
Parents who reach out to me want THE BEST stroller for their baby and often ask my professional opinion of which one that will be. Wouldn’t it be amazingly helpful if I had an answer?!
But choosing a stroller isn’t that simple. There isn’t one single product that is best for every baby, every parent, every family makeup, every lifestyle, every car that will transport it, every budget. There is no hands-down BEST. You have to figure out what works for your circumstances.
And friends - hear me loud and clear:
If used safely and in moderation there is NO stroller that will derail the development of your baby. The stroller you choose and use will be one of hundreds of factors that will all add up to create the environment that impacts your baby’s development.
SO WHAT DO I RECOMMEND AS A DEVELOPMENTAL PROFESSIONAL?
I recommend parents at least consider a stroller with the option to lay your baby flat until he or she can sit upright with just a little support. This may be instead of or in addition to the option to click baby’s car seat carrier into the stroller base (often called a “travel system” stroller).
WHY FLAT CAN BE HELPFUL
The option to lay baby flat in the stroller (whether in a fully reclined seat or a bassinet) gives you more options for varying baby’s positioning throughout the day and reduce the time baby spends in the semi-reclined position of car-seat carriers, bouncy seats, infant swings, etc.
The semi-reclined position isn’t in and of itself harmful but the current trend is for babies to spend the MAJORITY of their awake time in this one position in a variety of pieces of popular baby gear; a trend which contributes to increasing rates of Torticollis (neck tightness) and Positional Plagiocephaly (head flattening).
GOOD STROLLER HABITS YOU CAN START TODAY
Check baby’s posture / positioning in the stroller periodically (link to posture post). Readjust if necessary.
Take a sleeping baby out of a travel system stroller as soon as practical. When you get home or to your destination, consider opportunities to move baby to a safe sleep spot (link to Safe Sleep REcommendations page); car seat carriers have been correlated with increased risk of SIDS and with decreased blood oxygen levels. They are important for safety but they weren’t designed for safe sleep.
Be mindful of how much time your baby is spending in ALL semi-reclined baby gear and reduce total time in gear when and how you can. Please do not let any Type A tendencies you might have lead you to track minutes. Just think about if your baby has spent a little or a lot of her awake time in gear today and adjust your plans for the rest of the day or tomorrow’s plans to reduce awake time in gear when practical.
“THE STROLLER I GOT DOESN’T HAVE A FLAT OPTION!”
”MY BABY HATES LAYING FLAT.”
”I HAVE TWINS.”
”MY BABY HAS PAINFUL REFLUX WHEN LAID FLAT”
Of course! Of course a flat stroller option won’t work for everyone. If it doesn’t for you for any number of reasons:
Think Big Picture: If your baby for whatever reason spends more time in a car seat carrier clicked into a stroller base, you will still have plenty of opportunities to offer your baby freedom to move on a flat surface and experience different body positions throughout awake times. Capitalize on those opportunities and don’t sweat the stroller.
Consider other alternatives: Some parents find wearing baby comfortable and helpful and some babies love it (*notice I said some). Maybe when you’ve stopped your walk or errand for a few minutes you could take baby out of the carrier and hold him/her.
If you want to learn more about preventing and treating Flat Head Syndrome in babies, I've got you covered.
WHAT I WOULD TELL MY FIRST-TIME MOM SELF ABOUT BUYING A STROLLER
When I was expecting my first baby I scrolled through pages of stroller reviews on Amazon, compared specs like a research scientist and crowdsourced to several mom FB groups, “What’s the best stroller?” Some of you may have landed here on this page because you asked Google a similar question.
I spun myself up into a tizzy and made what stroller we got into a waaaaaaaay bigger decision than it needed to be. My brain tricked me into thinking:
The right stroller will make it easy for me to take walks, run errands, travel, etc.
I have to choose the right stroller for this baby AND for all future babies. This is my stroller for life.
The more expensive the stroller is, the more I’ll love it.
The stroller I choose somehow shapes my image as a mom. It’s part of my mom style. I want a stroller that people notice.
If Mama-of-Three-Me could sit down for coffee with First-Time-Mama-Me I wouldn’t just throw a little reality at these thoughts (“Mama, getting out of the house is going to feel hard no matter what stroller you get.”), I would also lovingly point out my pattern of spinning myself up into a tizzy, hyper-focusing on details while losing sight of the big picture, and of making things mean things that they actually don’t.
I would let me know that these patterns would follow me through years of parenting. I would let First-Time-Mom-Me know that these patterns take intentional work to shape into thought patterns that serve me better. And I’d share glimpses of the peace and contentment that I find when I’m able to catch myself pre- or mid- anxious tizzy or 15 minutes into an Amazon review rabbit hole instead of 3 hours into one and allow myself to feel the feelings that are underneath, driving the anxious energy. I would hold space for First-Time-Mom me to admit she’s overwhelmed by all the options for preparing for baby and terrified she’ll forget something important. I would thank her for being vulnerable, give her a hug and help her find a more helpful way to let the overwhelm and fear move through me.
Oh, and I’d also show her the busted, faded, ripped second-hand double stroller that third-time mom me pushes. I love that thing!
Affirmation:
I can support my baby’s healthy development no matter what stroller I choose.
Looking for a way to keep your baby's head round and avoid a baby helmet?
The great news is that there are simple steps you can take starting TODAY to impact the shape of your baby's head and promote healthy development at the same time. Current research and the clinical experience of many health care professionals (including me) point to the fact that there are effective strategies for fighting Plagiocephaly and other forms of head flattening without using a helmet. Available in print and eBook. Here's what others are saying:
Until now, a comprehensive guide to those strategies hasn't been widely available to the parents who deserve and desperately want the best information about how to help their babies.
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