Strollers: Choosing the Right Ride

The choice comes down to where you actually walk. A stroller that folds one-handed into a hatchback at daycare drop-off is not the one you want on a gravel trail, and the jogger with air-filled tires that handles your running route will fight you on a crowded jetway.

Sorting by how you will use it narrows the field fast. Lightweight and umbrella models suit travel, errands and city sidewalks, all-terrain and jogging strollers are where three wheels beat four, and a bassinet stroller carries a newborn who still needs to lie flat. Tandem doubles, sit-and-stands and triples handle two or three kids, and taller frames with longer handlebars save the parents who keep kicking the back axle.

Brand comparisons cover BOB, Bugaboo, Britax, Chicco, Stokke, Peg Perego, Evenflo and Baby Trend, along with the extras that make a daily push tolerable: organizers, fans, blankets, footmuffs and a ride-on board for the older sibling. The later questions get straight answers as well, including when a baby can sit up in a seat instead of a bassinet, when a child is old enough to walk, how to fold a stubborn frame, how to clean out months of crumbs, how to keep a baby cool without draping a blanket over the canopy, and what happens to a stroller and car seat at the gate.