Don’t Judge a Mom by her Stroller

In downtown Manhattan, 2008, the stroller to get was the Bugaboo – particularly the Bugaboo Chameleon. So I went out of my way to avoid getting the Bugaboo. I’ve always fancied myself an individual – you know, someone who walked to the beat of her own drum – so surely I’d find something cool and practical for my little guy to ride in that would have all the fabulous features of the Bugaboo, with a different name.

After a few trips to Babies R Us and Buy Buy Baby to test drive at least a dozen other strollers, we found ourselves registering for the Bugaboo Chameleon. What can I say? We discovered there was a reason this thing had become the Cadillac of strollers – it had amazing shocks, a plush bassinet, fantastic maneuverability, all the harsh weather accoutrements, beautiful interchangeable colors, and an extendable handle for my tall husband. It even came in my favorite color, kelly green.

Since we live in an urban environment and the stroller would be the key mode of transportation for years (we truly don’t drive anywhere unless we’re leaving the city altogether), the price tag didn’t matter. Whatever it cost, we had decided it was worth it. Then when my dad said it’d be our baby shower gift, well — thank you, Dad.

In a self-reflective moment, I found quite a bit of humor in the fact that after this long search to find our perfect non-Bugaboo stroller, we had gone Bugaboo all the way. It turns out my desire for an awesome product trumped my need to be different.

Baby products in general have proven to be the subject of many a mom conversation. I’ll never forget when another new mom friend of mine, Valerie – who I did in fact meet at Gymboree – told me that during the first few weeks of our friendship, she took copious mental notes on all the products I was using for my little guy. You see, her baby girl is 2 months younger than my guy, so at the time – when my guy was 8 months and hers was a mere 6 months – I seemed like a seasoned pro, she said, with my “older” baby. Funny how a 2 month age difference can seem so big when they’re oh so little.

Anyway, like Valerie, I have a fond appreciation for all you parents that have test driven strollers, sippies, diapers, swimwear – and almost everything else – before me. I’ve given up on trying to reinvent the wheel!

Thanks to you, my little guy’s cups don’t spill, his diapers don’t leak, his swimwear is SPF 50, and he enjoyed rockin’ the Cadillac of strollers. It turns out, you, mommy, usually do know best!