Stroller MANIA!
When did it become acceptable for people to spend over $900 on a stroller on a regular basis. Suddenly Bugaboo strollers are popping up all over Somerville. My first CAR didn't cost much more than that. I used to only see them on beautifully coiffed women on Charles Street, but suddenly normal people are pushing them around.
I have bought 2 new strollers in the last few months since Kaylee was born. One was a ridiculously expensive Phil and Ted E3.
But it was the only double stroller I could find that would work in the bumpy and narrow streets of Somerville. It's got the footprint of an ordinary jogging stroller, but I can put both my kids in it. I went to every stroller place I could find and I couldn't find anything as functional. But it was not no $900.
The other is a Maclaren Triumph.
I have resisted the lure of the Maclaren stroller since Eric was a baby. At the time, it was the super expensive (@300 or so dollars) status stroller to have. But I liked a "Zooper" better when I tried it, so I bought that one. My Zooper had had some rough use over the past three years and it's hard to fold and not so agile any more. We also destroyed our little $60 Graco through years of abuse, so it was time. I needed a light weight, agile stroller to push Kaylee around in. The Phil and Ted is a bit cumbersome to shop with. And I looked and looked But suddenly Maclaren is the only game in town for a sturdy, zippy city stroller.
So, hopefully I'm done shopping for strollers for a while. I'll just sit with my mouth in vague disapproval as I watch my contemporaries push their status-symbol-0n-wheels down the street.
posted by Margaret at 8:36 PM
5 Comments:
I'll bet they're now filtering into less-haute neighborhoods as they begin to show up for less money on Ebay. A friend of mine bought a lot of pricey baby stuff there-- stuff kids wear eight or ten times and grow out of, a stroller, that kind of thing.
I think a lot of the blame comes from mommyblogs that constantly pimp over the top baby products that the "stars" use as almost requirements for any new mom. A site like BloggingBaby or CelebrityBaby pushes ridiculously expensive and in my opinion useless products as 'must haves' and all of a sudden you see Prada diaper bags popping up and bugaboo strollers being pushed by people who can barely make the rent.
Raising babies has become competitive to the nth degree. Read some of the craigslist parenting forums and you're hair will raise up the back of your neck. It's bizarre and so different from when my kids (almost 14) were babies.
The only used Bugaboo I've ever heard of was listed for $600 on craigslist. Seems like a lot for a used stroller. They take a lot of abuse on our "mean" streets.
So, I suppose they "hold their value." I'm sure I'd be able to resell my Phil and Ted in a few years, but I'd rather give it (or sell it at a steep discount) to another family in my circle of friends that is having a second kid.
I can sort of understand the appeal of a more expensive (hopefully better quality) stroller, especially for a family that is car-free or walks quite a bit. Buying a certain brand, simply for "status" makes no sense to me though, and $900 does seem a bit silly since there are plenty of other decent options well below that price point.
All this talk of expensive baby gear makes me wonder how the less fortunate parents get by. There have to be decent, but cheaper, strollers out there.
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