Stroller Fleet: Down By One

Stroller parking in my garage just got easier. I sold my Peg Perego Twin Aria side by side stroller this morning. Ah, I shall miss it dearly! The fleet only has four strollers now, which hardly qualifies it as a fleet of strollers. Now it's just a collection, a small collection.


I bought it for $75 on Craigslist and sold it on Craigslist too. It was funny when I bought it because when I showed up to the seller's home to get it, the seller turned out to be one of the baby group mommies! Funny to meet up with your friends like that.

As much as I liked it, I didn't really use that stroller much anyway. I used it sometimes, but I prefer the bigger Graco Quatro Duo which seats the kids one in front of the other. I actually like having them side by side, but the Graco has better storage and lots of cupholders. It's much sturdier too. I only used the side by side for quick trips; for that type of use, I can use a single stroller and make the big kid walk.

Gracie is almost four years old and her legs go all the way up to her neck! The days of pushing two kids in a stroller are coming to a close. Together they weigh 60 pounds! I'm sure I won't keep the Graco much longer either.

I got $50 for my stroller and I turned it around and bought something else for the kids. I didn't come out even, eh, close enough. I think we'll get a lot more use out of this thing than the stroller! This was a Craigslist bargain at $100!


PS - yes, it's January and my kids are barefoot!

My Husband doesn't understand me

See that look on his face? There he is, confused and bewildered. We went to Lowe's to pick up a few tiles and things - see the stack of tile in the trunk by his knee? So, he opens the trunk of my van to put the tile in and he finds.... three strollers, a potty chair and a 40lb bag of dog food.

What is there to be confused about?

The dog food: We needed more and I bought a bag, but when I came home I had to bring in the two little girls, diaper bag, purse, groceries... and then my hands were full and I left the super heavy bag of dog food in the van for him to go out and get it. Then I forgot to tell him.

The potty chair: When you gotta go - you gotta go!

Three strollers: Duh. Might need this one or that one or the other one! One is a double, one is a full size single and the other one is the little umbrella. I don't like to have the wrong stroller with me. I left one at home and one at the babysitter's house, it's not like I'm taking them all with me everywhere I go. Just a trunkload.

What is there to be confused about? Men!

The Stoller Fleet

Who has more strollers than a stroller store? I do!

I was once naive enough to think that one stroller was enough for a family. How could any mom possibly need more than one? Must be a spoiled mommy! I've come to rethink my stroller stinginess and decided there is nothing wrong with a mommy who owns a couple of strollers. Since then, I somehow acquired a fleet of six strollers. Yes, I said six. Half a dozen. And yet, I can only push one at a time. Funny how I can rationalize this. After all, there are occasions when one isn't right for the day but another is.

We have a full size for long trips and shopping and general daily use. It's a Graco Quattro Tour Deluxe. I love this stroller, it is by far my favorite!

Princess Gracie also has a jogger for the beach and long walks with the dog and going over the grass at the park. I don't actually jog. This one is comfy and fun. It's bright red too, just like Daddy's motorcycle.

And for vacation and quick trips, we have the Graco Ipo. It's a small umbrella style stroller, but not so small that it looks like a toy. We bought it for vacation since we drive halfway across the country and I really wanted to take my full size stroller, but really, it is full size and takes up a ton of trunk space. The Ipo is perfect for traveling!

Now with passenger #2 on the way, and passenger #1 still enjoying the luxury of riding in her baby limo's... I gave in to the idea of a double or a tandem stroller. I was resistant. I didn't want to own one of those monstrous things. Not at all. Nope. Not me.

I now own three.

I bought all of these two passenger strollers used. So, really, the savings are phenomenal, especailly the more I buy! Isn't that how it works? I gotta say, Craigslist rocks! I blame my whole stroller addiction problem on Craig. Whoever Craig is, it's all his fault that I now own more strollers than most daycare centers.

I first picked up a side by side. It's the Peg Perego Aria Twin. Retails for $329 and I stole it for $75. It's awesome, very light, nice ride, the whole shebang! This is the one I took to my babysitter for her to use. Princess Gracie and her buddy who is just beginning the toddler stage ride together in the Peg while they walk the 5 yr old to school. Then they ride again to go pick up the kindergartener. The babysitter has also taken them to the mall using this stroller. She's so in love with it and the girls love to ride side by side. They hold hands!

Then for us, I picked up a used Graco Duo Glider that seats one kid in front of the other like a train. It's very nice. But it isn't top of the line. Its close though.

I've had my eye on the newer Graco model. The Quattro Tour Duo. A step above the Duo Glider. It costs $250 new. I went and checked it out at Babies R Us and gave it a test spin a few weeks ago. Sweet!

Today, I found that very stroller on Craigslist! Like I said, Craig is totally to blame for the vast stroller collection that takes up more space in my garage than should ever be allowed. The seller wanted $95 for this stroller and hasn't had it for even a year yet. But, it lost a cup holder when it went through airport check-in and gained a few scuff marks. For a $155 savings, and no sales tax, I can totally deal with 3 cup holders instead of 4!

So that's how I ended up with half a dozen strollers and only one kid. So far, only one stroller riding kid. Soon, there will be two. No signs of passenger #2 coming anytime soon though. I thought Gracie would be done with stroller rides, but she really does enjoy the ride and she is contained which is the part I enjoy the most. She knows the single strollers are her rides; I don't want the baby to take over everything and give her more ammo for the jealousy issues she is sure to develop.

I am going to swap out the Duo Glider for the Quattro Duo. With Craig's help, I can sell the Duo Glider and keep the fleet to a manageable five strollers instead of six. I don't want to look like I have a problem, or like I'm a spoiled mom. That'd just be silly!

Oh, and Craig, I'm terribly sorry my husband curses your name. You know, I love you lots!