Ok, so I've been promising a review of my UPPAbaby G-Luxe for quite some time now. Like I said in an earlier post, I purchased the G-Luxe because we would be traveling with our little one for the first time and didn't want to risk the airline destroying our Baby Jogger City Select or mess with hauling that thing around the airport. While shopping for umbrella strollers, I came across a nice, used G-Luxe on Craig's List and took the plunge.
First of all, the quality of the G-Luxe is impeccable. I prefer the quality of almost every part of this stroller to my other umbrella stroller, the Chicco Liteway Plus. The fabric is soft and plush, the extendable canopy is large, and the buckle is trim and secure. That said, I do not like the recline (although my model is older and this has been improved for new models) and I'm not wild about the storage basket. Due to the construction of the storage basket, it is very difficult to get anything in or out with the seat back reclined at all. I can't really fit a diaper bag into the basket, so I end up pulling out my essentials and putting them directly into the basket; it works, but it's not ideal. However, I love Love LOVE the seat itself; the cushion is super padded and easy to remove and clean. It is also AMAZINGLY light weighing in at only 11 lbs!
All in all, I bought this stroller used on Craig's List when I determined that I needed a lightweight stroller for traveling and got a great deal on it. In hindsight, the Chicco Liteway Plus is more versatile when traveling with an infant (and Keyfit 30 carseat). While the G-Luxe is an absolute piece of cake to throw in and out of a trunk, the convenience and versatility of having an umbrella stroller that easily converts to a travel system is worth the few extra pounds and I'm willing to overlook a few of the less-than-ideal aesthetic issues and go with the Liteway Plus. (Check out my review of the Chicco Liteway Plus here.)
Another option for parents that want a higher-end umbrella stroller that will also double as a travel system is the Bumbleride Flite. It has a luxurious bamboo blend fabric and is very lightweight. Check out this in-depth review from babygizmo.com:
I think we ended up settling on using cloth diapers fairly haphazardly. When my husband was a baby, he was allergic to EVERYTHING and had unbelievably sensitive skin, so he was raised with cloth diapers. When we were planning for Niamh, he mentioned something about using cloth diapers and (surprise, surprise) I started doing some research.
At first, I was so overwhelmed by all the options and what a daily routine would actually look like with cloth diapers rather than disposables. Luckily, I have two friends who chose to go with cloth and could bounce questions and ideas off of them when I needed to. I started watching YouTube videos on the cloth diapering process and decided to try a few different types to figure out what worked best for our family.
I registered at Diapers.com and they have a decent selection of cloth diapers. The first diaper I received was a gDiaper. These things are adorable! They're size-specific, just like disposables, meaning you will have to stock up on different sizes. They have a reusable shell with a disposable insert. In theory, you can toss a wet insert and replace it with a new one in the same shell. As soon as I got my hands on a gDiaper, I wasn't particularly impressed with the quality. They felt thin and the fabric seemed scratchy. Plus, I was beginning to think a one-size diaper that grows with your baby would be a much better (and more cost-effective) option. That said, I decided the gDiaper wasn't right for us and returned it for another option.
This Flip diaper is a similar set-up (waterproof shell with cloth liners that you can replace when necessary). Like the gDiaper, you can buy disposable inserts as well. I originally tried two Flip diapers and found that they were pretty even in the pros and cons. I like that they are a one-size diaper that works with a child 8-35 pounds. However, once I started using them, I wasn't wild about replacing the inserts. When there was only a wet insert, the inside of the liner was still wet and I didn't like putting a clean insert into a shell that already had pee in it...I could be wrong, but it just seemed like it would never be clean and fresh. Plus, I found that the inserts retained stains more than some of the other diapers I had used.
Moving on, I tried FuzziBunz one size Elites. I was convinced that I would love these based on personal reviews I had heard and YouTube videos. With that expectation, I wound up with about 10 or 12 of these diapers. Big mistake. The sizing was difficult to pinpoint; I had a notebook where I would record every combination I tried for leg elastic, waist elastic, and snaps. Every combination I tried resulted in wet rings on Niamh's pants right around the leg openings. I eventually got so frustrated that I sold them on eBay and used the money to purchase a different type of diaper.
Another good friend had recommended BumGenius 4.0s, another one size diaper (featured in the YouTube video above). I purchased four of these pocket style diapers - which means the diaper itself has an insert that has to be stuffed into a slit every time you do your diaper laundry. These are nice because you can double up your inserts for bedtime or older babies who are heavier wetters. However, I found them to be a bit of a pain to stuff and unstuff all the time. Plus, Jeff was not a fan and had a bad habit of throwing the whole dirty diaper, with insert still inside, into the diaper pail...meaning Mom gets to pick that nasty insert out when it's time to do diaper laundry. Not pleasant.
FINALLY, I found the solution to all my cloth diaper needs: the BumGenius Freetime! This diaper is very similar to the 4.0s, but it is an All-In-One (AIO) rather than a pocket diaper. This just means that the inserts are semi-attached to the diaper itself, so it doesn't require any stuffing. Just toss the whole dirty diaper in the pail and fold the inserts over themselves when clean, viola! These are super easy to use and Jeff thinks they're just as convenient as disposables!
I have about 20 Freetimes with snaps (I've read that toddlers have an easier time undoing velcro diapers than the snaps and that the velcro wears out more quickly) and we use those throughout the day. At night, I double stuff my 4.0s with hemp inserts and use those because Niamh sleeps 13-14 hours at night and we need a little extra absorbency! So far, this system has worked out perfectly for us and I couldn't be happier with the decision to go with cloth. We have never once had to run out to the store on an emergency diaper run. Granted, cloth diapers are a higher cost up front, but it doesn't take long for them to pay for themselves. I do use disposable wipes (I tried cloth wipes with my own solution but Niamh's skin seemed a little more irritated with the cloth wipes, so I went back to disposable).
I always keep a package of disposables on hand and use them occasionally overnight to fend off any diaper rash (diaper rash ointments should never be used with cloth diapers!) or if we're on vacation, have a babysitter, etc. Any questions on cloth diapers? Send 'em my way!
I decided that I wanted to make my own baby food long before Niamh arrived. Jeff and I stick to a mostly "paleo" diet - meat, veggies, some fruit, nuts, and seeds. Basically, grains, dairy and sugar are a no-go. While it is possible to purchase prepackaged baby food with simple organic fruits and veggies, the process that makes them shelf-stable for so long removes a great deal of the nutritional value. That said, I've had pretty good luck with my Beaba Babycook but there are a few things worth mentioning:
I could not figure out how to use this crazy Swedish thing for the life of me. In the picture above, the main body of the machine has a twist-off green lid. When steaming veggies, you fill the plastic pitcher with water up to the appropriate measurement and then pour the water into that main reservoir. Somehow, even after being a huge dork and reading through the instruction manual multiple times, it wasn't clear to me that you measure the water according to the lines on the plastic pitcher, but don't actually cook with the water in there. Once I opened that green lid, poured my water in, and switched on my Babycook, it was smooth sailing.
There is no timer or alert when the steam process is complete. Granted, this isn't a huge deal, but when I'm multitasking it would be nice to know once my baby food is ready to move onto the next step.
I recommend making things in bulk and I've discovered that the Babycook just isn't big enough to allow me to cook large batches of food the way I'd like to. It works well for whipping up some simple fruit and veggie purees, but now that I'm making meat and veggie dishes I need something larger. I end up braising some meat with vegetables on the stove top and pureeing with my food processor (although the consistency isn't as smooth as with my Babycook).
Easy to clean! I throw all the parts in the dishwasher and don't think twice about it.
Basically, the biggest downfall to the Babycook is size and, wouldn't you know they've now solved that problem? Meet the Beaba Babycook PRO...
And if you need even more space, here's the Babycook PRO 2X...
In my humble opinion, go with the PRO 2X. The three prices are approximately $115, $150, and $200, respectively. You get twice the capacity of the PRO for $50 more and I'd say it's worth the upgrade.
**For those of you interested in my homemade baby food process, I try to keep it as simple as possible. Ditch the pricey little OXO Tot containers and stick with regular old ice cube trays. I puree my food, spoon it into ice cube trays, and later store all my frozen cubes in labeled freezer bags. Each cube is approximately an ounce, so it's easy to measure. I recommend Annabel Karmel's Top 100 Baby Purees to get started making your own food. After a few batches, you'll get a good idea of what you're doing and start making up your own combos! Good luck!
Check out the Chicco Liteway Plus - a lightweight umbrella stroller with a seat that flips forward, allowing a Chicco Keyfit car seat to clip right in!
We've got our first trip with Niamh coming up at the beginning of May and we'll be flying with a baby for the very first time! With a seven month old, I knew that we would need both a car seat and a stroller during our trip, but I was reluctant to have the airline throwing around my (rather pricey!) Baby Jogger City Select in the cargo area. I initially searched for a light umbrella stroller that wouldn't cost an arm and a leg and settled on buying a used UPPAbaby G-Luxe (review to come) on Craig's List. As luck would have it, I learned about this little gem from Chicco a couple months after buying the UPPAbaby.
After dreading the thought of managing a stroller, a car seat, a carry-on, and a seven month old in an airport, I decided to give in and buy the Liteway Plus. After all, I could always resell the UPPAbaby on Craig's List. I managed to find the deal of the century at Babies R Us and bought the floor model for $69.90!
While I love my Baby Jogger, I'm realizing that I could have made it all along with just this one stroller. I already owned the Keyfit 30 and it's actually quite easy to convert the stroller from umbrella stroller to car seat caddy. Why buy a Snap N Go or Keyfit Caddy PLUS an umbrella stroller when you can kill two birds with one stone for under $200?
The biggest selling feature on this stroller is the convenience. It will be a breeze to push Niamh in her car seat through the airport while I manage our carry-ons/diaper bag. Once we reach our destination, we can drop the car seat in our hotel room and have a fully reclining umbrella stroller for our outings.
So far, my list of cons is pretty short and easy to forget with such a convenient stroller. I'm not wild about the quality of the fabric or how well the stroller handles - it's not as nice as my UPPAbaby G-Luxe, but it doesn't feel particularly cheap. It's also about 19 lbs. whereas my G-Luxe is an amazingly light 11 lbs. However, the Liteway Plus locks closed and has a carrying handle, so it's easy to get in and out of a trunk. The extra weight comes from the solid seat back that serves as the locking mechanism when the car seat is attached. Again, these complaints absolutely disappear when you take into consideration the double-duty nature of this stroller. I even prefer the Chicco's basket and the recline mechanism to the UPPAbaby's due to ease of use.
If you're thinking about the Chicco Liteway Plus and want to snag a deal, keep your eyes peeled for a 20% off sale. The stroller is listed for $179.99 just about everywhere, but you can frequently find it on sale. Babies R Us offers 15-20% one item promotions occasionally and Buy Buy Baby sends out 20% coupons like it's going out of style. Target also offers 20% Chicco products from time to time.
The Baby Jogger City Select was our first stroller purchase when our little one, Niamh, arrived. After countless hours of reading product descriptions and reviews, I decided the City Select was the best fit for our family and here's why:
The City Select is a single stroller that has the ability to convert into a double stroller as our family grows. The stroller itself sells for $499.99 with a second seat, sold separately, at $169.95 or bassinet, also sold separately, at $89.95. Don't make the mistake of shelling out serious dough for a nice single stroller that renders itself useless once baby #2 comes along!
With the second seat attached, the stroller still handles like a single and easily passes through doors, down aisles, etc. Have you ever seen someone try to maneuver a side-by-side double BOB through a mall or grocery store??
Countless combinations that could accommodate newborn twins, an infant and toddler, two toddlers, etc.
Large undercarriage storage that is easy to access. Many of the single-to-double strollers compromise storage when converted because the storage space becomes leg space for one child. Additionally, the placement of a second seat on other models (notably the Britax B-Ready) builds off the back of the stroller and could easily get in the way with a taller parent. The City Select even has an extendable handle to offer a few more inches of leg room.
Huge sun canopy with a covered peek-a-boo window
Easy hand brake
That said, the City Select does have a few drawbacks:
It is large and quite heavy. I drive a VW Jetta Sportwagon and the stroller, when folded, takes up the majority of my trunk space. Makes for a tight squeeze when loading groceries or other gear.
It does not have a compatible parent cup holder. Laugh if you will, but this was a HUGE con for me. Baby Jogger sells a universal cup holder, but it's not actually compatible with the City Select - so much for universal, right? Trick of the trade: The Bugaboo parent cup holder works like a charm! It comes with several attachment clamps and one just happens to be the perfect shape and size for the frame of the City Select. It also allows you to place the cup holder on the outside of the frame or the inside to keep your profile a little sleeker. You can even fold and store the stroller with it attached.
Now that Niamh is old enough to sit in the toddler seat, I realize that it doesn't seem to have a particular cushy place for her to rest her head. So far, this hasn't seemed to be an issue and she appears comfy, for the most part.
All the accessories are sold individually. However, I'm the type of person that hates clutter and unnecessary gear, so I'm willing to spend the extra few dollars on the accessories I really want and not have to worry about storing things I won't really use.
Don't let the "Jogger" in the name fool you - the City Select is NOT a jogging stroller. I love this model for shopping and errands, but it starts to get bumpy on uneven surfaces. Walks around the neighborhood are fine, but if you're hoping to pick up some speed, your little one might bounce right on out when you hit your first pothole!
That's my take on the Baby Jogger City Select - so far, we've been very happy with it and I'm looking forward to years of use! Check out just a few of the combinations it has to offer:
