Finding the Perfect Jogging Stroller

Now, I realize it may be a tad too soon to be outfitting my son with a cute little exercise outfit and nestling him into a jogging stroller, but I decided to start on the background work of such a purchase well in advance. Somehow I could just tell it wouldn't be as simple as picking out the color I wanted and hitting the pavement.

First, I went to the BabiesRUs website. After all, they have everything baby there. Everything. Too much, actually--all the choices make my head spin. Although that could be the lack of sleep. Anyway, as I imagined they had numerous options in every size, shape, color and price possible. The range of choices was, of course, mind-boggling. Regardless of what I ended up with I'd have to check it out in person, at the store, which is basically my idea of Hell.

To help narrow things down to what I was really looking for (impossible at this point as I have no idea what I'm looking for) they have a tool on the left that allows you to filter by any number of variables--cost, age, etc. One of the variables was gender. This seemed really weird to me. I can understand selecting a bike based on girl vs. boy (although I've ridden a boy's bike and nothing happened to me) but how different can a jogger that holds a boy be from one that holds a girl? Well, turns out what separates them is blue or pink accessories. How very trite.

And unnecessary. Seriously, if I'm going to be pushing a load of baby and jogging stroller along with the rest of me up some hill the last thing I want is more stuff to haul around. Of course, having never used a jogging stroller there may be things about the whole situation to which I am not yet privy.

Did I mention these things are expensive? The cheapest one was still over $100. And on top of that I already have two other strollers. I already have one that holds the infant carrier and an umbrella version for the subway and for when the baby is older. Now I wish to add a third stroller to the menagerie. The only thing funnier than imagining this is imagining where to store all this crap in my one-bedroom apartment. But, I am the one who wants the jogging stroller; it has been placed on my fitness "must" list right along with a jogging bra suited to a big-busted breastfeeding gal such as myself.

One thing I couldn't figure out is what age the baby needs to be before I can start putting him in the stroller. I would assume he needs to be able to hold his head up on his own for extended periods of time without getting tired, among other things. The strollers could be sorted by age, such as 0-12 months, but what I found unusual is that no guidelines were offered. The site was just trying to sell me the stroller. This makes me super-nervous. As a concerned parent, I want to know EVERYTHING there is to know about jogging strollers before purchasing and using one. That's why I'm engaging in so much advance leg work.

Look, I know all I have to do it hit the web or ask my pediatrician for a recommendation on when little MH can join me in the jogging stroller, but it would have been nice for the information to just BE THERE on the website. Seriously, although several strollers were listed within the "0-12 months" range, would anyone seriously consider putting a newborn in a jogging stroller? I don't think so. Well, I hope not. I certainly wouldn't.

But, then, when? That was my main reason for looking at strollers in the first place, to be honest. I just wanted to see when kiddo would be given the thumbs up to accompany me for the jogging ride. No such luck.

Even my old friend Dr. Spock, who has a spiffy little website you may wish to check out for any variety of information, did not note the appropriate time to start using a jogging stroller but did mention that newborns should NOT be placed in jogging strollers due to the lack of head support. The article I read also contained helpful tips on selecting the right kind of stroller, whether it be jogger or otherwise, which can be found here.

Armed with these tips I think I'll skip the web and head directly to the store to see just what my options are.