Baby Shopping

I think most people have figured out that I am pretty picky in what kinds of baby gear I buy. Strollers, diaper bags, and carseats are all things that I've spent a lot of time looking at all there is out there and weighing all of the options. So why not blog about my latest baby shopping adventures?!
Sounds like fun, right?
Well I think so.

So today I got Jon to come with me to a store that carried some of the higher end strollers (and diaper bags) I was looking at that you just can't see in regular stores.

Having something compact and lightweight is a big deal for me. I never did a travel system or bulky stroller with Alex. I didn't care if my carseat could hook on... I just needed something to recline to put a young baby in. I ended up with a great slightly upgraded umbrella stroller which we have LOVED having. I recommend going this route to everyone I know.

So how do you get something compact and lightweight for 2 kids?

I was considering a Phil and Ted with double kit like this:

The other obstacle I have is that Alex doesn't like riding in a stroller. I try to deny this, but the second we tried to get him in the Phil and Ted to try out, he just wasn't going for it. He LOVES walking. I can imagine this would only be more so the case when he's 3.

So the Phil and Ted was out.

So side by side?

I was considering a Combi Twin like this:

The thing I love about this is that it's light and would fold up small similar to an umbrella stroller.
The thing I worry about is, again, with Alex actually wanting to get (and stay) in the stroller.

Jon wasn't in love with the wideness of the side by sides, although they really aren't that wide.


Our third option was the Sit and Stand style.

There's the Joovy:

We loved the canopy on this. It's really big. I also loved the orange. Alex did much better on a sit and stand stroller, but still wanted to get on and off. At least he was willing to get on this one though!
It was pretty lightweight and was mostly compact when folded.
However, with an infant seat in the front, there wasn't much room for Alex to sit in the back.

After trying out the sit and stand style, we knew that would be the only thing that would fly with Alex.

So we headed over to Target to check out the Baby Trend Sit 'n Stand.

Ideally, I want this exact one because it matches out Baby Trend carseat.

We really liked the Baby Trend because with the infant seat in there was still a lot of space for Alex to sit. And it's a great price (and I actually saw one on CL for $60)
So even though the canopy wasn't as great and it was slightly heavier, having the space for Alex sold us on it.

So there you have our search for the perfect stroller for a family with a newborn and a 3 year old. It was awesome to be able to go to a store that actually had the higher end models to see and try out. For those in the Austin/Round Rock area, Babyearth is a wonderful store!


On to diaper bags.

My pickiness on this one comes in with the fact that I want a diaper bag that looks like a purse, or at least not like something that greatly resembles a diaper bag.
This meant that messenger bags with the flap over the top were out. So were a LOT of prints/patterns.

So why not just get a purse and use it as a diaper bag? Several reasons.

• Interior Pockets. Have you seen the pockets in good diaper bags? There are usually at least 4 lining the interior of the bag. I don't know why they don't put more pockets in purses. I actually told my sister that SHE should buy a cute purse looking diaper bag to use as a purse mostly for this reason.
• Wipeable lining. Between spills, crumbs, and lingering smells, I want something that I can wipe out with soap and water without fear.
  
• Also, exterior pockets. There are usually end pockets or something to hold a sippy cup or water bottle (which, as a friend discovered, having a drink in a separate pocket is a good idea to keep your cell phone working). Did I mention that most of the time these are insulated? Even better!
• Grippy shoulder pad. Ever tried to carry something somewhat awkward or heavy (read: infant carseat/toddler/grocery bags) and keep a bag on your shoulder on the same time? Grippy solves the problem. All purses should have them. Seriously. I'm in LOVE.
  

Anyway, I went in to Babyearth to look at this bag (Fleurville Lexi):

I liked the bag, but didn't end up loving the print as much in real life.

BUT I did like this print!

I'm sorely tempted by all the cool features of this JuJuBe (the "between"):

BUT it looks more like a diaper bag than a purse. I do think the print is really cute though.


The lady at Babyearth showed me a couple from Skip Hop that were cute and looked like purses, but I wasn't in love with either of them. Here's the one I liked best of the 2. (the Studio)

I also really liked this one. (Fleurville ReRun Hana)

The price was quite a bit lower on this than the other ones... and a lot lower than the 1st one. I love that the exterior insulated pocket is zippered in, so if I have a bottle or sippy in there it won't scream diaper bag. Overall, it doesn't really look like a diaper bag, but it wasn't exactly the traditional purse look like what I was thinking I wanted. It also doesn't have a grippy shoulder.

Check out this great review of it:



My final option is this bag (Babymel Amanda):

Here is a link to a website that has a video of the interior and a few more pictures so you can see the size.


I love the zip in insulated pocket in the side and that the straps have velcro to make it easy to hook onto the stroller (you can see this feature in the video). Pleanty of interior pockets, but once again, no grippy shoulder.
I think this one looks enough like a purse to pass and it would fit my style.


So now I just have to narrow it down over the next few months and figure out which one I would like the best. Easier said than done!


Sorry if this wasn't the most interesting post. It's just that strollers and diaper bags have been consuming my mind for the past few weeks and I've spent a lot of time searching through SO many different things, so of course I want to share my findings! Hopefully this will helpful to at least one person out there!