The following is a reprint of a blog written in June. It is in honor of Greta and Bea, who just welcomed a beautiful and wise baby boy into their family.
Guess what? The Joneses had a baby. And boy, is their stroller cooler than yours!
Maybe they got an $900 Bugaboo or $350 Maclaren. They might even have purchased the $1100 Stokke Xplory Stroller – the it stroller sported by Courtney Cox and Heidi Klum.
Wait a minute? What was wrong with the $50 stroller that saw me through both my kids?
Nothing.
Something has shifted since I bought my stroller in 1995. My only considerations were maneuverability and a nice roomy under-basket. I certainly had no idea which brands my friends and neighbors had. It was a non-issue.
Things have changed.
My neighborhood is populated by left-wing hipsters who pride themselves on their individuality. But they too have fallen prey to ridiculously expensive stroller mania. The buggy of choice is the “Phil and Teds E3″ stroller, which costs $400 before you add the $90 toddler basket-thingy.
Jeepers!
Listen up parents, it’s time to stop the insanity!
It doesn’t matter if everyone else has a $500 stroller. You can choose to not play this game. You’re not in high school anymore. There’s no need to ape the purchases of the popular kids.
Strollers are super easy to find on the secondhand market. Try these sources:
- Scope out the consignment shops
- Surf Craigslist
- Hit some garage sales
- Mooch hand-me-downs from friends and family
- Place a want ad for that coveted designer stroller
But whatever you do, don’t feel you need to keep up with the Joneses. They’re status-driven social climbers, most likely on the road to financial instability.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”
11 Comments
December 3, 2008 at 2:29 am
My sister had her first baby this last week, and I was pleased to see that they got most of their accessories from Freecycle. Baby stuff is one of the most obvious areas for sharing and hand-me-downs, since so much of it gets used for a matter of weeks or months.
December 3, 2008 at 5:19 am
My mom objected to any sort of baby carrier. I used strollers (the hand-me-down kind) for my kids, and a backpack sometimes, but my mother hated to see babies parked in strollers, carriers, car seats and mobile baby-powered devices – walkers, bouncers, whatever. She said, “Hold that baby! You are supposed to carry your baby, not strap it down.” And babies were always given free range in her house – good stuff was put away. Her attitude was that if you can’t take the baby somewhere without causing someone trouble, that’s not a place to go. I see young mothers and fathers out with their babies at all hours and in all weather. What happened to staying home when you weren’t working? Some of this status stuff is because the parents don’t want to give up the mall life, and need a high-powered baby cruiser for their own convenience.
December 3, 2008 at 7:01 am
Some of my friends are having children now and they introduced me to the stroller wars. Tre competitive.
December 3, 2008 at 7:23 am
So true. And what’s up with needing to own 5 different(expensive) strollers?
Honestly, my most used stroller was my $10 umbrella stroller.
December 3, 2008 at 7:28 am
I’m thinking about finally getting a toddler-style stroller for the spring when we start walking places again, because my little one won’t keep up with me and I don’t have the time to take an hour to go a mile. :-) But I never had a stroller for her for the first year or so. I used a sling, which I made myself, for a grand total of $16, and I’ll be able to use the rings and thread I bought to make another down the line for a friend. Paying hundreds of dollars for something you don’t even need? I wonder what their IRA looks like…where are the priorities?
December 3, 2008 at 11:29 am
When I had one child I never used my stroller. I either had him in the front-pack or backpack.
When I had two kids, (2 – 1/2 years apart) I would stroller the toddler and front/backpack the baby.
The problem with umbrella strollers is that they don’t work well if you’re tall, as you have to hunch over to hold the handles. I’m only 5′8, but the umbrella stroller hurt my back.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
The Non-Consumer Advocate
December 3, 2008 at 1:52 pm
I discovered your blog a couple of weeks back from the Simple Living website and have really been enjoying it.
I really agree with stroller status being crazy. When we got an outrageous quote for a new roof on our house, the quoter said that even a stroller these days costs $1,500. Maybe for you, strange man.
I have a 2.5 year old and a 4 month old baby. When we had our first, my sister gave me her Peg Perego stroller in great shape and I got an umbrella stroller as a gift. I hardly used the latter but the Peg was used almost daily, including through rain and snow, as I picked my son up from childcare in it. I was glad it was a sturdy, well-made stroller – I needed it to be. I also have a car seat stroller. I used it a lot too.
Now I have two young kids, I bought a used double stroller for $65, one that the infant carseat can snap into. I was reluctant to buy another clunky baby item, but it’s really been helpful to be more mobile and do errands as my husband often needs the car for work. So, to my surprise, each stroller except the umbrella has had its place for us and continues to be well used.
I have a sling and a trekker and I use them quite a lot – I’m into baby carrying. However, I suffered compression factures in my back a few years back and carrying baby for extended periods hurts, so the strollers really help. People may have reasons besides status or consumerism for having stuff. That doesn’t mean it has to be new, expensive or status-driven, especially in the baby market as there is an absolute glut of used stuff in this area.
December 4, 2008 at 5:31 am
I have to defend the Maclaren which I got a bargain basement deal and it was had a 100 $ gift card so we spent 25 dollars out of pocket. We lived in New Orleans at the time and I put about 3- 5 miles daily on this stroller and have since used it for two other kids. If you ever have a problem Maclaren will replace parts for free or at a nominal cost. I plan on reselling and know I will be able to recoup at least 50 $. There is a huge difference in pushing a Cheapo Umbrella stroller and one of these. If I knew then what I know now I would have checked consignment stores. The strollers last and won’t end up in the land fill anytime soon.
December 4, 2008 at 9:56 am
STROLLERS? Dating myself here, but, they were metal and dangerous with my babies. We did have a car seat. LOLOL A gift.
December 4, 2008 at 1:01 pm
First of all – I have to say that I love your blog!
I understand that of course there are reasons for people needing to use to use stroller and such. But for me, all I needed was a carseat and a sling. The things I never bought or used were: a crib (we co-slept), baby wipes (water works fine), swings, bouncy seats, strollers (that was all me and the sling!). I used that sling on both my kids until my youngest was almost three. I miss it!
December 6, 2008 at 3:22 pm
Well, the ideal would be to buy a used but very high quality stroller. The umbrella stroller may be nice if you live in a region that has no snow, but in my neck of the woods going for a healthy walk will require navigating over snow and ice and through slush for months on end. This is a hellish experience with a cheap umbrella stroller. Also, in the summer, my wife and I like going for walks in forest trails. When we will have a baby, we would like to have something that will be good for going up trails over roots and rocks. I personally would prefer cutting back on everything else that people buy when having children (cribs, baby monitors, etc…) and get one good used stroller as it will be used every day for years.