The Stroller Wars

After months (literally) of contemplation on how I am going to buzz around NYC with two kiddies, I have gone through anxiety after anxiety and question after question. For one, I am in love with my Maclaren umbrella stroller. It has gotten Gabe and I everywhere, and I couldn't bear the thought of parting with it. A double-stroller was out of the question; it's just entirely too bulky for the store entrances around here, and we walk, well, everywhere. 

I've researched the Phil & Ted's double strollers where the big kid sits in front and the infant is positioned underneath. (Pictured below.) If it weren't for the $600 price tag and my fear of muck being splashed all over the bottom kid if it's raining out, this could have been a valuable option. But I knew there was a better option... But what was it? 

I heard from another NYC-mom that when her second arrived, she too couldn't part with her Maclaren, so she bought a contraption called a Buggy Board. On wheels, the board attaches to the back of your stroller for the older one to stand while the smaller one chills out in the seat. After researching and being okay with the $89 price tag, I bought it. It should arrive in 2-4 days. (Pictured below, the "most amazing" buggy board.)

I really, really, really hope it works out. 

So one anxiety was put to rest while another still loomed over me. My Maclaren is a toddler-stroller, with no attachments for a car seat to attach to it and a seat that was not fitted for an infant. What would I do with Anna until she could actually fit in the Maclaren, sans car seat? I didn't want the expense of a travel system, and the one that my Mimi Christopher got us for Gabe was perfect for suburbia but not for the urban jungle we currently reside in. I needed something smaller, lighter. 

Alas, at the park yesterday, another urban mamacita, there with her newborn... In a contraption that was built specifically for any - ANY - car seat to slide into and snap on. I began my research during my Saturday morning breakfast. I headed to where I was registered (Babies 'R Us) and found what I was looking for - and Maclaren actually made their own model of this contraption! It had a name: The Maclaren Easy Traveler Car Seat Carrier Stroller, and, at $69, was a great option! 

So I added it to the wish list. The car seat snaps right in and we are ready to go! And, the buggy board will fit on the back! This will be perfect for those ideal days when Anna and I walk Gabe to nursery school and pick him up. I also added a car seat, one that was middle-of-the-road priced, not the $300 PegPerego but not the $80 Graco, either. I opted for the Best In Consumer Reports car seat, the Chicco KeyFit 30 Car Seat and Base in "Extreme." I am not sure why it's "extreme" - but it sounds cool, so the marketing of the word "extreme" worked with me. I like that it will fit in our car, too, and not overtake the whole back seat. 

So, my anxiety on what-on-Earth-was-I-gonna-do has subsided and I am resting much easier knowing that we found great options that will work for us without spending $600-plus and me being able to hang on to my beloved Maclaren.... Right? Input from anyone who may have a clue feel free to let me know what worked for you!