Most parents sigh when they think about having to lug a stroller around with them. Mr and Mrs LeBrick loves their stroller! You thought a stroller was just for walks and jogging? You are so wrong!
Here are Mr and Mrs LeBrick’s 17 different uses for a stroller that makes a stroller an amazing thing of convenience to have.
- Coffee holder
A stroller is one of the most useful beverage holders to have with you. Instead of gingerly holding onto your coffee cup with your fingers and wincing once the coffee cup sleeve starts getting hot, a stroller normally comes with a cup holder. Fingers saved!
- Storage
A stroller is a moving storage machine. Apart from keeping your baby in it, you can use it to store just about anything else that will fit in it. Mr and Mrs LeBrick have used it to store sunglasses, hats, food and drink, extra change of clothes and picnic mat. In fact, Mrs LeBrick used it to deliver fresh fruit from their garden to neighbors. So handy!
- Exercise machine
Your stroller will give you a workout! You probably already know this from pushing your child around! Hence, why there are so many popular stroller-exercise-mommy groups around. The stroller not only provides extra tension, weight & pressure for you to tone your arm muscles, but is a great jogging companion too.
- Sleeping
Strollers are excellent sleeping compartments for kids and sometimes even works better than bassinets or cribs! The constant moving motion, especially over bumps, highs and dips in the road help lull little ones to sleep.
Baby LeBrick slept really well (even in a motionless stroller) during Mr and Mrs LeBrick’s first date nights in restaurants.
- Push walker
Baby LeBrick’s stroller is the best push walker for Baby LeBrick so far! Baby LeBrick has not just one, but several toy push walkers but by accident, Mr and Mrs LeBrick discovered that their stroller was the best push walker of them all!
The bottom basket of the stroller was the perfect height for Baby LeBrick to grip onto. Due to its weight, it was extremely stable and provided sufficient pushback and tension for Baby LeBrick to learn to walk without going too fast as many other toy push walkers do.
Obviously, Baby LeBrick could not guide the push walker without supervision but she learned to walk in a quarter of the time prior to her only using push walker toys. Previously, she had always given up rather quickly with the toy push walkers because they were too light and unstable. With the stroller, she kept going and going as she loved it so much.
- Camouflage
Mr and Mrs LeBrick have not needed to do this but it is good to know that the stroller can be very useful as a camouflage for many different things.
A big child at heart? Want to join a family-friendly event but don’t have a child? Bring a stroller! Others will assume that you have a child and you won’t come across as weird or creepy.
- Shade
When the sun is beating down on your little one, pop in them in the stroller for instant shade. A great alternative to sunscreen and hats.
- Seat
A stroller is a private seat for your little one. Not enough seats on the train? Place your stroller out of the way and your little one can sit in it.
When having a long day out (for example, LEGOLAND or Disneyland), a stroller is perfect as a resting place for your little one, even if he or she is big enough to walk by themselves. Instead of having to carry your little one when they get too overtired, let them sit in your stroller while waiting in long queues.
- Diaper changing station
If you can’t find a suitable diaper changing spot or don’t have time to go around looking for one, change your little one in the stroller. It helps if you have someone else to assist you but you can definitely do this by yourself too. You may have to line the stroller with a soft changing pad and this may take some practice but the stroller can provide some privacy for you while you do the diaper change too.
- Personal space holder
The stroller is a large enough contraption that it can act as a space holder or give you some personal space so that others are less likely to choose a seat right next to you. Mr and Mrs LeBrick found this was often the case in public areas or on the train as the stroller took up so much space that you immediately created a private space for yourself.
- Foot stool
Strollers often come with a foot rest for your little one but who says that you can’t use it too? Especially useful after a long day of walking or while waiting at the airport, elevate your feet by using the stroller as a foot stool or foot rest.
- Shopping cart
Mr and Mrs LeBrick love the handy baskets that come with most strollers as they use it as a mini shopping cart when grocery shopping.
- Heavy bag carrier
The stroller is heaven-sent when you have a heavy handbag or diaper bag. Mrs LeBrick cannot count the amount of times that she has had to hang her heavy hand/diaper bag on the back of the stroller or put it under the basket to give relief to her tired shoulders.
- Bathroom assistant
It is often difficult to have a baby with you when you need to use the bathroom. In fact, unless you have mastered the act of using a baby carrier while using a public bathroom, it is close to impossible for you to use the bathroom.
The stroller is a bathroom hero for this. Just roll your stroller with your child into the disabled toilet and secure your child in the stroller. Phew!
- Rain protection
Mr and Mrs LeBrick can tell you how important it is to have a stroller when it’s raining. It helps if you have a stroller rain cover too but even a blanket that is pinned or draped across the front of the stroller will help keep the rain out. Mr and Mrs LeBrick ALWAYS carry along an extra blanket and clothes pegs for this purpose.
Not only can it keep your child dry but if you have other important stuff with you that cannot be touched by rain, you can pop it into the stroller too.
- Safety marker
Mr LeBrick found that the stroller acts as a fantastic safety marker, especially when crossing busy streets. Most road users automatically slow down when they see a person with a stroller and this helps with keeping you safe too!
- Car seat
Many new strollers come with an accompanying car seat now. If you happen to have a Snap N Go stroller that fits many different car seats, lucky you! Mr and Mrs LeBrick think that their Snap N Go stroller is the best thing since sliced bread!
- Stroller for walks
And of course, a stroller is great for walks right?
Now that you know that strollers are such an amazing invention, here are some brands of the top strollers as picked by parents.
When considering which stroller to buy, you should consider these questions:
- How do you intend to use it?
Do you just have one child or do you intend to have another one soon? Do you want to use it for walks around the neighborhood or would you have to fold it up in the car to go out?
- Where do you intend to use it?
Where you intend to use your stroller will make a big difference to what kind of stroller you should get. Using your stroller in the park will be very different from using it to jog on rocky terrain or gravel roads.
- How often do you intend to use it?
Do you think you will be using your stroller everyday? Or maybe just once a week for weekly grocery shops? If you are going to be using your stroller a lot, you may want to invest in a better one if it makes your life so much better.
- How much weight can you handle?
Think about how light you need it to be. It’s amazing how heavy everything feels if you are recovering from delivery or have a bad back or are already laden down with a humongous diaper bag or car seat. The smaller you are, I am guessing the less keen you will be on a heavy stroller.
- How big or small does your stroller need to be?
How big is your vehicle? Can you fit your stroller in there comfortably along with groceries, the diaper bag, extra clothes for your child(ren) etc?
- What do you want your stroller to be able to do?
The more bells and whistles, the more you can expect to pay for your stroller.
When you consider all these questions, it will guide you to decide what’s most important for you, how much you should consider spending and what functions to look for.
In general, it is a good idea to invest in a stroller that you love because your child will grow with your stroller and you will be obtaining at least several years of use from the stroller (unlike a car seat).
If you can, make a trip out to a physical store to test the strollers. Once you have decided what you want, you can then purchase online (such as from any of these links) as you often get better deals online and free shipping.
