25 January 2010

This is how we {will} roll.

Bob, Carter, and I made a trip to Buy Buy Baby this weekend to look at strollers {among other things!} I had never been to a Buy Buy Baby before, so I was very excited to make the 40 minute trip to the only store that we have here in South Jersey.

Oh. My. God.

If you've never been, this store is owned by the same company as Bed, Bath and Beyond. It looks exactly like a BBB on the inside, except it's filled with all things baby. I loved it! We slowly looked at some clothes and bottles {I picked up the 4oz Dr. Brown's BPA free that weren't out yet when I had Carter!} and then over to the diaper bags we went. They had all the styles I blogged about last week, but I still haven't settled on one yet. Sigh.

We then headed over to look at cribs and bedding. Even though we've already settled on both, it's still fun to look =) We also looked at highchairs {we need a new one} and the new pack-n-play's what are out {which we do not need!}

And then it happened. I swear the seas parted and I heard glorious music as I spotted the stroller section of the store. I was in heaven. Stroller heaven.

They had a million different single and double strollers all set up and ready to be tested. I was playing around with the single strollers first {even though we obviously don't need one... this is fun for me, people!} and then moved over to the doubles. They had everything that I had been considering all wrapped up into one corner of the store. I swear, Bob and Carter could have gone to get something to eat across the street and I wouldn't even have noticed they were gone. I was that happy.

I tested out some tandem doubles first. After talking to a few people, especially my older sister who already has two kids, I had heard that tandem's are not the way to go. But I wanted to give them a fair shot and started strolling them around the aisles.

And then I saw it. :::cue glorious music:::

The Baby Jogger City Mini Double Stroller.

It was beautiful. I immediately ran over to it and started trying it out and looking at all of its features. It was so light and easy to push. It also turned all the way around so easily without even moving from its spot. It's light weight {only 22 lbs!} and holds two children at a max weight capacity of 100 lbs total. It's 30" wide and fits through a standard size door very easily. It folds super easy and is small compared to other doubles. The two seats recline all the way back with a simple adjustment. The canopy's are huge. It met all of my requirements. It was.... perfect.

When Bob and Carter came back to find me in the same spot 30 minutes later, I tried Carter out in it. Doesn't he look adorable? ;)
Now comes the hard part. Color. The red and gray that I liked originally was the one they had in the store {along with the plain black}. I wasn't a big fan of the gray material, which knocks out about half of the color choices they have available. Here they are:
The stone color is nice, but I think it would look dirty really fast. And, after seeing the plain black stroller in the store, I wasn't a huge fan of the solid color. After all of that, I've narrowed it down to this one:
The Baby Jogger City Mini Double Stroller in Red/Black.

Now, it comes down to cost. I got a call from my mom this weekend and she told me that her and my dad would like to purchase our double stroller. :::gasp!::: I swear, the generosity of our families never ceases to amaze me. I told my mom that the stroller was on the expensive side, so whatever she felt comfortable paying was absolutely {more than} fine and that we'd pick up the extra cost. Nope. She wants to pay for the whole thing and said that she liked the City Mini best out of all the strollers I blogged about last week. :::gasp!:::

The standard price of the stroller is $399. The Red/Black option is the most difficult to find, which means that buying online is likely the only option. Most places offer free shipping, so that's not an issue... but I'd love to find a coupon somewhere to lower the cost.

After searching high and low for the best price, I've decided that we would purchase the stroller from Albeebaby. It's $399 with free shipping, but they also offer 15% off! So the total price of the stroller would be about $340! YAY!

Whew. So glad that that's decided on. =)

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

You can use the 20% coupons from Bed Bath and Beyond at Buy Buy Baby (at least the stores in Texas accept them) Albeebaby is a good deal but the extra 5% might help since it is a big ticket item.

Suzanne said...

I felt the exact same way the first time I walked into Buy Buy Baby! I'm going to write them an email suggesting a store in the KOP area!

jenni from the blog said...

@ anonymous: they told me they weren't good on Baby Jogger :( Of course! le sigh.

jenni from the blog said...

@ Suzanne: thanks for helping me find the 15% discount!! ;)

Rachel said...

It says on the coupon that they aren't good for Baby Jogger, but they will let you use them anyway. Or at least they did for me. Worth a shot!

Anonymous said...

I'm so glad you found the one you want! It looks divine! I wish we had the money to spring for it but with one income it looks like the Kolcraft will probably have to be it for us. So tell me, did you not like the Kolcraft at all? Was there another cheaper double that you would recommend?

I haven't been into the store to try anything out. I feel like it will depress me since money is such an issue this time around!

Becki said...

We just got a Buy Buy Baby about 10 minutes from my house in Arizona, and the first time I went in there I was in heaven (still am every time I go back, but I have to limit the trips). I could spend all day in the stroller section alone! I can't wait to pick a stroller when #2 is on the way. Congratulations on picking your double and finding a good deal.

Kristin said...

I SO wish we had a Buy Buy Baby close to me!! We went to BRU yesterday and my mom and I tried EVERY stroller! We ended up getting the Maxi-Cosi Foray which just happened to be 50% off yesterday! I felt like the heavens opened and the angels sang when we walked out the door with it!!

jenni from the blog said...

@ Rachel- Oh I'll definitely give it a try!! Thanks for the tip ;)

@ Molly- I really liked the Kolcraft, it was just really big. That, and you had to remove a seat just to close it up! But, I'd still buy it... it was second choice behind the Baby Jogger.

@ Becki- Thank you!

@ Kristin- Wow, that's an awesome deal!!! It is such a relief to just decide on something, isn't it!?!

kacy said...

this is the most boring post i have ever read. the one before this comes in a close second. also, if you do not stop pointing out what brand of strollers people have while walking down the street we are not driving together again. ever. love always, your sister

Unknown said...

i don't post often but happen to see your post today about the city mini and buy buy baby, i was there too this weekend on saturday for the first time in cherrry hill, and i had the same experience as you i could hear the music and i FELL IN LOVE with the city mini also i took it all around the store so easy to move around i couldn't stop talking about it all weekend my husband was ready to shoot me, anyway thanks for the blog and info and enjoy your stroller i havent decided on a color yet but i think im going green

Unknown said...

glad you found one. we are in the same boat...with #2 due in July they will be 21 months apart. we are making the trip to cherry hill buy buy baby soon too(we live in newark, DE). did they have a lot of other double strollers to try there? what other brands did you like as well! thanks!
oh and if you don't mind, why are tandems not the way to go? forgive me, as i am just beginning my double stroller search!

jenni from the blog said...

@ kacy- You know you LOVE when I point out strollers and tell you exactly what kind they are.

You put up with my stroller talk and I'll put up with you constantly changing the radio station while dancing, singing, and making me dance outside of the car. Jerk.

@ village- I wonder if we were there the same time ;) Probably not b/c I was totally hogging the City Mini, hehe. Are you going to buy it!?!

@jrahmer- It's totally worth the trip! They had a ton of different strollers there... basically everything they have online they also have in the store to try out =)

Regarding the tandems, I've heard a lot of complaints with them being really hard to maneuver around and even harder to fold up. I'm sure both kind of strollers have their pluses and minuses though!! Congrats to you =)

Anonymous said...

Jenni if you use a not expired BBB coupon they will take 20% off the price. That is how we paid for the stroller we have for Giselle. Trick is the coupon has to be current. Good Luck.
Kate

Unknown said...

jenni- we are going to get it i think my mom is going to buy it for us. i have a peg perego pliko 3 i used with dd that i think i may sell. i currently use a maclaren triumph but i didnt liket he maclaren double at all. how big is your son my daughter is 36inches and 32lbs she will be 2 on friday, i put her in it with her winter coat on do you feel it was narrow i was going to go with the micro but the sales mand said it was narrower, i think she will be okay without a jacket i just worry when she is bundled up. i am in love with this stroller and buy buy baby. hehe !! sari

staci said...

For that price the thing better walk itself. Sheesh. You're quite a lucky lady that your family members are so generous. Keep enjoying all this prep work for your little girl!

Mommy Moreno said...

We loove love love our city mini single!! Im still on the fence about which dbl to get - Im scarrrred to push something so wide around!! lol! Not to mention with screaming babies in it!!! :D Thanks for sharing though - I think Im mentally putting it back on the list now ... :-?

Oh and BTW - what a big kid he looks like in there, really makes me picture him as the big brother! :)

jenni from the blog said...

@ Kate- I've heard the same thing about the coupon not being expired, but still some stores wouldn't let you use it. Sigh. It's only a difference of $20 b/w the 15% and the 20% coupons and the Buy Buy Baby doesn't even have the color I want.

@ village- DS is 18 months and is the 97% for height and weight. I'll let you know his exact measurements after his 18m appt, lol. He had a lot of room without a jacket. We don't go many places in the winter where he'd be outside for an extended amount of time, so I'm not too worried about him fitting with a puffy jacket on =)

@ Staci- a nice stroller that lasts a long time is VERY high on my priority list. The thing is... with doubles, this price is average, lol! Sheesh. Not sure why they're so expensive, but I do need it to last a good 5-6 years, ya know?

@ Moreno- The thing with this double is that it's the narrowest one that they make, so I don't feel that it's ginormous, ya know! Carter does look HUGE in that picture, lol. What a good big brother he'll be =)

MrsKBJ said...

Nice pick!! It looks and sound liek a great stroller!! How exciting!! I love baby gear shopping!!

Oh, I have never been to a buy buy baby, and BBB owns them. Learn something new every day! :O)

Anonymous said...

I read your blog all of the time...but felt that I need to tell you that I was on a parenting magazine website and there is a recall on the stroller you like...it just applies to certain ones and it is fixable. It has to do with the harness. http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09334.html

It is from August and I am sure they fixed it by now...but I would never want any babies to get hurt.

jenni from the blog said...

Thanks so much for posting the recall info!!!

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