Going in Circles....

I've been researching strollers today, once again.  We currently use our car seat and plop it onto a universal stroller base and we're good to go.  It's easy to fold, a cinch to attach the car seat to, and so light that I can throw it in the trunk of the car with no problem.  But LP wants to sit up and look around more and more and in a couple of months he's going to be too heavy for me to lift the whole car seat in and out of the car.  And so I've been searching for the Holy Grail of strollers...

Part of me loves that there's something out there to suit every need: Want a stroller with 2 cup holders for Mom and Dad's lattes and a fake steering wheel for Junior?  We've got it!  Want a stroller that you can fold with one hand so that you can keep chatting on your cell with the other?  No problem!  A stroller that can hold the car seat, a diaper bag, AND all your groceries?  Here you go!

But seriously, it's completely overwhelming.  I'm sure life was a lot easier when there were fewer options to choose from (and no Google to search over and over looking for new models and new consumer reviews!).  I've probably spent a good two hours today looking at strollers online and am no closer to deciding which one is "perfect for us."  I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels this way.  It's great to have easy access to so much but at the same time it's very easy to get stuck in the quicksand of information on the internet. 

So I'm giving up.  I'm walking away.  I'm stopping the insanity.

On Friday I'm going to man up and make the trek to the nightmare that is Babies R Us and try out some strollers in person.  Give them the old "is it easy to fold?" and "does spit-up wipe off cleanly?" and "can I lift it high enough to put it in my car without hurting myself?" tests that no amount of online querying will answer...

And then (if I make it out of there alive) I'll probably come home and order one that I've had my eye on for a while- it gets great reviews and isn't too pricey, but, of course, is not available in the store to try out. 
   

I think it has everything I'm looking for (I'd say "we" but let's face it, Paul doesn't care about this stuff- if it has wheels and a handle bar he's good to go):  cup holder for mom and baby, reclining seat, sun shade, and a large storage bin.  Plus baby can ride facing forwards or backwards and you can snap your carseat into it as well.  Oh, and it's pretty cool looking- and everyone knows we can't leave the house if we don't have a hip and trendy stroller!

Once the stroller decision has been made I'll be checking out convertible car seats and stationary entertainers... After that I'll move on to bicycles followed by colleges and retirement villages. 

Phew.  Google better start updating their servers now so that those of us furiously over-researching every single thing that comes near our babies or that might remotely affect them don't bring the internet to a crashing halt sometime in the near future.