Kvetch - Strollers!

I can't believe we bought another stroller. Yup, we ordered our third stroller in nearly as many years.

We adore our Stokke. It is cool, easy, stylish, convenient and truly simple. Sadly, it only fits one child, so no longer suffices as an everyday stroller for us. Stokke has not gotten much of a workout over the past year. Sorry, lonely Stokke. We use you when we can. We are always thinking about you.

When Jack came along, so did the Phil and Ted's. At first, every time we used it we just mourned the loss of our darling Stokke. But then, we got used to Phil and his 3-wheels and things went smoothly for awhile. Until the front wheel started to shake. Violently. Daily. We tried contacting the manufacturer directly, but they were basically unresponsive. So instead, I made weekly trips to Planet Kids where they changed the front wheel. By the time we left the store the wheel would start shaking again. I think that Planet Kids just rotated all of the bad wheels from one discontented mom to another trying to placate all of us.

Somehow, we tolerated this madness for almost a year. Until the camel's back broke - the right tire tube popped and was rendered 'stripped.' The bike shop told us that they could order a new wheel from Europe, but it would take weeks and be extremely costly. Hells no! The stroller had already cost us enough money, not to mention headaches. I was done, and so was Phil! Rendered unusable, it currently is boxed and ready to get shipped back to the manufacturer for repair. As soon as they respond to and tell me where the hell to ship it! If it ever gets fixed, we are selling it. If it doesn't get fixed, I may be forced to take legal action. They are messing with the wrong aggrieved mom/attorney! RIP Phil. You had such promise.

For the moment, Stokke is back in action. Unfortunately for Lilah, that means she has to walk everywhere. Unfortunately for us, that means someone has been getting really tired and taking an evening nap. LTB has been in effect for a couple of weeks now. Ah, sleep. We remember you....

So, acting on a tip from a fellow mom we headed to Planet Kids to check out the new City Select stroller. I hate to be a follower, but this new hot must-have seems to do it all. It has two adjustable and reversible seats and touts 16 different sitting possibilities. After trying the floor model, Lilah declared that she wants to face out and wants Jack to face her so they can "talk and play." Sounds like a plan. The stroller is on back order everywhere. We found a website (and coupon code!) which promises delivery on May 10th. Till then the jury is out on the City Select, but the Stokke is in. We just can't quit you Stokke.

Total stroller investment is gliding past $2000. At least we don't pay for gas!