When to buy stroller: During pregnancy or later?

So when is the right time to buy the stroller (plus car-seat) – when you are pregnant or later? Here are some thoughts.

Most moms think about buying a stroller too early during their pregnancy. It is definitely one of the things that you will require as a mom, but while you might be eager to buy all the baby related stuff as soon as possible, I think strollers can wait.

Baby shower is the time when expectant moms receive lot of gifts. However, lot of friends/relatives avoid giving stroller as baby shower gift because they are really not sure if the stroller will serve the purpose. A stroller is also not very easy to buy (considering the various choices that are available), and they also happen to be expensive.

However, if someone from your family has asked you what you want (if they are part of family I am sure they don’t mind buying an expensive item) as baby shower gift, you could ask for a stroller. However, the problem is that you will then have to do research and be sure about what stroller you want.

Coming back to the question, I would say buy when you are comfortable.

But do keep your eyes on shopping holidays to get great deals/discounts. Assuming you buy it before the baby is due, you can always pack away until the baby arrives.

A few words of caution though:

1. Get something that you think will be useful to you (and will suit your lifestyle). Don’t buy something just because others think its a great stroller.

2. Sales nowadays happen all the time (its another thing that you can resist the temptation to buy or not) so you can always buy it later, when you are very sure about pram/stroller car seat that you want. Besides, often, last seasons models go on sale as new ones/limited editions are launched.

3. Avoid going overboard with your purchase. So don’t go for the full fledged travel system with chassis, pram, car seat, adapters, colour pack, rain cover, push holder, everything. Just think over it; is it really going to be practical later on?

However, the only downside of buying a stroller before the baby arrives is that you will not be able to try out the various strollers.

May be you can get an inexpensive car seat stroller combo to begin with, and you can upgrade to a better model few months later.

A stroller frame can be a great option for City parents, c-section moms and those who need a compact stroller for smaller vehicles with limited space. It’s a great option for parents who are not sure what full size stroller they need; it gives them extra time to do that research and you can even take your baby to the store to try out various full-size strollers so that you know what works best for you and your child.

Be aware that it has a limited life so technically you can use the stroller frame until your baby has out grown their infant car seat; once your baby probably gets around 20 pounds you’re not going to be lifting the car seat and that is when you need to get a proper stroller.

Useful Links:

• Is it bad luck to buy baby stuff early on in the pregnancy (before the baby arrives)?

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StrollerBoards is a family managed website with me (Ben) and my wife doing most of the work. We are proud parents of two wonderful kids and love reviewing baby travel gear. We have a firm but friendly “democratic parenting” style and offer several practical solutions backed by extensive research. Our own experience with raising two children prompted us to share our knowledge. Read more.