Up until I was about 25 weeks pregnant, I had no idea there was a difference between prams and strollers. I was absolutely clueless.
On my first ever visit to Baby Bunting, my mission was to look for a pram. I failed. I had a panic attack on the way there and had to go home. I think the realisation that I was actually going to have a baby dawned on me that day and it all became a little too "real" to go shopping. When I went back to BB days later, my overwhelming anxiety was justified. Walking into that store for the first time in my life really was an eye opener. Not just the size of the store, but the amount of stuff I had to choose between.
PRAM
Thankfully before stepping foot in a baby store, I had done a fair bit of pram research online and narrowed my search to a few different makes and models. But, the overall winner was the Baby Jogger City Mini GT - the overarching positive was that I could buy one using my Frequent Flyer points. Free pram ✅.
The bonus was that it was an excellent pram and I absolutely loved it! It was easy to navigate through tight aisles in stores, it was super-easy to fold one handed, it handled beautifully on all terrain, the tyres were sturdy and unpoppable, and the hood gave awesome coverage. The only downsides were the size of the basket underneath - trying to squeeze my changebag into the basket was a little frustrating, and the velcro tabs on the hood windows that made enough noise to wake my napping baby! But all in all, they weren't dealbreakers. The pram had too many positives. A smaller basket and noisy velcro overlooked because it was in essence, a free pram. Thanks Qantas.
PRAM LINER
To make the pram's seat a little softer, more comfortable and to protect the interior, I bought an Outlook Pram Liner. It was easy to fit, easy to clean and sat well in the pram despite it not being custom-made for the Baby Jogger.
BABY JOGGER COMPACT BASSINET
I bought the Baby Jogger Compact Bassinet to go with the pram, but my baby was never really keen on the bassinet. It wasn’t a waste of money, but in hindsight I could've saved some money by not buying it. Instead Lulu would have been just as comfortable laying in the pram with the back support as flat as it would go. Actually she would've enjoyed being ever so slightly upright in it.
BABY JOGGER PARENT CONSOLE,
I added a Baby Jogger Parent Console to clip onto the back of the pram. It proved to be essential for holding a water bottle on walks, and had compartments for tissues, wipes, house keys, phone, wallet, dummies and whatever other small baby stuff could be jammed into the pockets.
I also bought a generic brand sunshade that completely covered the pram and a wet weather cover made for the BJ City Select but fitted the GT more than adequately. The sunshade also doubled as a flyscreen and mozzie keeper-offerer! As my bub got older, the covers - mainly the sunshade - annoyed her. I ended up having the zip open at the front which defeated the purpose of having a sunshade protecting her.
I sold the pram, console, sun and rain covers four years later for $300. Win win.
BABYZEN YOYO STROLLER
For me as an uninitiated first time parent, I had no idea why I needed a stroller. I thought they were just those flimsy things that you hired at the zoo and they folded up into an umbrella sized thing to shove in the boot of the car if you were going to the beach!
Once I became initiated into the mummy sorority, I couldn't believe how naive I'd been. When Lulu was a baby and into her toddler-hood, we did a lot of interstate and overseas travel. When looking for a stroller, I had strict criteria - it had to fit in an aircraft overhead locker.
The Babyzen Yoyo did that with ease and it ended up being my go-to wheels, replacing the Baby Jogger as child-mover of choice on a daily basis - purely because it was lighter, incredibly easy to fold and didn't take up as much room in the boot of the car. It was easy to steer, felt sturdy for a lightweight stroller and the wheels were fluid. The back doesn't lay back too far, but it was never an issue. The basket is however, really small on the Yoyo but this was a terrific choice for travelling and everyday trips. Full marks Babyzen.
Both the Baby Jogger City MIni GT and Babyzen Yoyo earned excellent resale dollars, so it pays to keep them in good condition if you're thinking of onselling them.
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