Travelingwithbaby

Hi,

We will be traveling in Italy for a month and I'm trying to decide which stroller to get. I can find a lot of these second hand on my local Craigslist. We will be in Gorizia, Tuscany, Rome, a couple of hill towns, and Venice. Baby is 14 months. We will also bring soft-carrier (Ergo) Here is what I've narrowed it down to and I'd love some input:

-Bumbleride Flite-12 lbs, recline, small umbrella fold, carry strap, 5 3/4 inch wheels (larger wheels than lightweight Maclaren models) with suspension
http://www.bumbleride.com/strollers/flite-home.php

-Peg Perego Si-17 lbs, full recline seat good canopy, small umbrella fold, 6 1/2 inch wheel, with suspension (better wheels than larger Maclaren models), bonus: made in Italy!, but feels a bit rickety
http://www.amazon.com/Peg-Perego-201...1582451&sr=1-1

-Baby Jogger City Mini-18 lbs, 3 wheeled 8 in foam tires, suspension only in front, quick fold, doesn't stand when folded
http://www.amazon.com/Baby-Jogger-Si...1582551&sr=1-1

-Bumbleride Indie-20 lbs, 3 wheeled air-filled 12 inch tires, suspension, folds in half but wheels make it a bit wider when folded, wheels do pop off though if need. True all-terrain stroller, great canopy, basket, etc, cobblestones would be a breeze
http://www.bumbleride.com/strollers/indie-home.php

Any thoughts or comments or other suggestions I'd appreciate. We will be in Gorizia, Tuscany, Rome, a couple of hill towns,, and Venice. Baby is 14 months.

Thanks so much

caroline_edinburgh

Bear in mind that Venice involves lots of bridges & so lots of steps. Not only but especially Venice also involves very narrow passageways. So I'd go for something as small as possible - an enormous 3 wheeler all terrain number would be a pain for you and everyone else (on boats too). If it's a small one you don't need to worry about folding it on vaporetti. Will you have a car outwith Rome & Venice ? If so, fitting it in that is of course an issue too.

Any chance of leaving Venice for a later trip, when it will be easier for you all to get around ?

Travelingwithbaby

Thanks so much for your reply Caroline. Per the advice of others, we'll probably leave the stroller in the apartment in Venice and just use the soft shell carrier. We'll be renting a car for a week in Tuscany and for a few days in some hill towns south of Rome where my husbands' grandparents are from.

BigRuss

Combi -- there's smaller, lighter and easy to fold models that will cost less new than any of the ones you cited will cost used.

I would NOT travel abroad with 17, 18, or 20 lb strollers. Much too large to haul around.

StCirq

They all sound too heavy and cumbersome for typical Italian terrain - BTDT. I'd find the lightest-weight, cheapest one you can and plan on leaving it in Italy when you depart.

tarquin

Agree absolutely, get the lightest smallest one you can find. You cannot go all day with a baby in a carrier, one of you will be wrecked by lunchtime.

BKP

If I had to choose . . . I like the Bumbleride Indie the best. I like that the baby can lie completely flat. This might make afternoon sightseeing or late night eating easier (if the baby can just sleep through it).

I also like the bar that goes all the way around in the front. It will be easier for one of you to grab that while the other holds the handles when going up a stair or two.

One measurement to think about is the length -- or how far it sticks out in front of you. The Indie is 36", but the other Bumbleride is only 32.5". The Baby Jogger is 41.5 -- that's more than 3 feet out in front of you!

From what I can tell, none of them have a tray. The stroller will probably be too short to roll up to a table so you might end up with a child on your lap (not many highchairs to be found). You'll want the stroller to fold up as tiny as possible so it's not in the way of waiters or other diners.

For the ones that fold up in unusual ways, make sure you do it when getting on and off the airplanes. Usually the guys are really nice and will do it for you, but they aren't very gentle and won't know these new special ways.

Have fun! Italians love babies!!

MyDreamTrip

I was in Italy (Venice, Tuscany, Rome) this past Sept. with my 2 year old. We took the Maclaren Triumph. It was perfect for us. Lightweight, easy to push, easy to fold up. Our main objective with the stroller was that it be as light as possible! Plus we wanted it to recline so she could sleep comfortably. If not for that we would have gotten the Volo (which is under 9 lbs)!

Yes, Venice is not the easiest place to push a stroller! But sometimes, especially if she was sleeping, we kept her in the stroller and carried her and the stroller over bridges. People are very friendly and willing to lend a hand, especially with kids! You'll make it work.

The cobble stone and steep streets are not easy either. But again, you'll make it work. And you'll be in ITALY so - everything just seems sweeter. Even changing diapers.

Have a wonderful trip!!!

brbarlow145

You'll need one with shocks or your baby is gonna feel like hes never gonna stop bouncing!

Travelingwithbaby

Thanks for all the feedback so far. My big worry with the small/cheap strollers that many are suggesting is that the baby will be bounced so much that he will want out and we'll end up carrying him the whole time. Or that the wheels of a small stroller just won't hold up.

For those of you who've been to Italy, live there, or live in another area of the country where cobblestones are the norm, what do local people use? Seems like the Italian companies like Peg Perego and Inglesina mostly manufacture strollers in the mid-range weight, that fold well to be easily transported.

StCirq

<<what do local people use? >>

There's a tangent I wouldn't go off on. Local Italians will likely be sporting the most expensive, ostentatious prams available, logistics and practicality be damned.

If you follow the Italian model, be sure to bring a bunny snow suit and mittens and scarf and heavy woolen cap for your baby, plus a few layers of blankets, so the poor child won't catch cold in the summer heat.

caroline_edinburgh

In the 6 weeks total I've so far spent in Venice I've seen very few and those have been the smallest folding types, presumably to fit easily on to a crowded vaporetto.