Whether they are children of your own or not, we all come in contact with babies this way or the other, and their parents respectively. Constantly on the go, in the city, out in the nature, traveling between states and/or countries, a good stroller is what I rely on. Any parent does.
As a new mom 10 years ago, I had no idea what to look for , what was really important and what my needs would require me to have. I , as I am sure , many, went with one of the "best selling models" that sales clerk recommended me. Oh, how I wish I had someone point me in the true right direction. It would save me so many tears, moments of frustration and money ( as I shared here and here ) . I went through many models , with highlights of Maclaren, Combi, Phis&Ted, Silver Cross, City Select and Bugaboo.
While all offered some of the great qualities, none have targeted all the needs one has. If one stroller was light and easy to manage, it was not durable enough. If it was a sturdy one, then it was also extremely heavy and bulky. If it was compact and easy to maneuver , it did not offer properly supported seating. At some point we simply accepted the fact that there isn't one single company out producing a good quality stroller that we had access to. For years we've owned several models of strollers to accommodate our and/or baby's needs. When a sibling arrived things have only gotten more complicated.
You ALL know our love for Stokke Xplory, once we discovered it. And while it fit our and our children's needs perfectly for majority of the time ( and allowed us to downsize to one stroller comfortably), there were some moments when we needed a napping place for a sibling, or a folding light something to take on a quick errands run with public transportation. But both issued were easily solved with a riding boars and Stokke MyCarrier, and the benefits of a stroller outweighed any little ( and really - they were little) inconveniences that might have been.
There are not enough words to express excitement we ALL felt when Stokke came out with not just one, but TWO absolutely new and different models of strollers, and I will tell you why in just a second. I love the video below and highly recommend watching it. You can see the care and intense research Stokke puts in every product designed.
While I - among thousands of others ( i can just show you the number of emails that came to my mailbox since Stokke announced the new models) - are beyond excited to welcome the new additions to the Stokke family, it was somewhat disappointing to see some of the immediate negative commenting on the newest products.
That is something I would like to elaborate more on.
Design. I believe that Stokke has made a genius and very wise move by creating models that are different from Xplory. While my heart is and always will be stolen by the beauty and elegance of Xplory, I do know for a fact that not everyone felt the same way as I ( and millions of others) do about modern design. Some people that I met expressed a sincere wish that Stokke , whose quality and ideas they loved ( whether by owning other products or hearing about them) , would create something slightly more traditional so that they too could benefit from ownership. The new two strollers cater to those needs beautifully while still maintaining the unique design and integrity of Stokke.
" Just like ___ [insert the brand name]". While it may appear "just like ___", believe me, it is NOT. It's BETTER. As I mentioned above, I am YET to see a company whose products performed comparable to Stokke. Care and thought are put in everything they do, taking care of those little details that don't seem to be important until your hand reaches for it, and you realize how glad you are that it IS there. It would take a book to write about every small thing Stokke foresees ( which is what the owner's manual resembles, by the way) .
Toddler seat. This one got a lot of buzz around the FB part of world wide web, controversies all around.
Let me clarify something.
Stokke did not produce a double stroller ( yet?) , they created an option for a sibling, and a great one. It seems that many people confuse the double stroller - something that is a must for twins - with a stroller needed for 2 little children of different ages. A sibling seat creates a great and very needed option for a pair of tired legs to rest and , maybe, even take a nap , should all the energy be used during the exploration times. Children of different ages have different needs, with one child , typically, being in the transition phase. The sibling seat beautifully takes care of all those needs without requiring a purchase of another stroller or being creative in other ways.
I absolutely LOVE the thought designers put into comfort of the child. After all, how many of us spend thousands of dollars on mattresses for ourselves , but don't think that the baby, whose back is so much more delicate , needs even more care? Look at any other stroller and think - would YOU be comfortable should THAT be your mattress, even if for just an hour?I love to see my baby doze off 5 minutes after I buckle her in - I know that she is comfortable and secure. After all, thanks to Stokke, my smiling face will be the first thing that she will see when she opens her eyes, and she knows it too.
