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Maclaren or Baby Jogger City Mini. We live in walkup (with a flight of stairs to the front door of the building) and priorities for us are (1) weight and (2) ease of fold.

We have a Mac Techno XT for baby #1, and now that #2 is here we have the BJCityMini double. No matter how tempting the bugaboos, uppababy vistas, and other posh strollers are, the truth is they are heavy and unwieldy on stairs -- our playdates complain all the time!

Don't get the complaints about the Bugaboos, as I have always just driven ours up and down stairs no problem (10 steps is a breeze!), and my husband carries it quite easily (forget how much they weigh -- 14 pounds? 16?).

Sounds like an opportunity to babywear! :-)

Baby Bjorn, Ergo Carrier, Beco Butterfly?

Thanks guys for the help. Bugaboos and UppaBabies are about 20-23 lbs. I'm 98lbs myself, it is heavy for sure.

Question for hmom: do you think smaller wheels of Mac were ok for stairs or bigger wheels of CitiMini were better?

Thanks again everyone!
Rachel

I think babywearing might make sense for the early months. I've found that the smaller wheels, like on a Mac, work best on stairs. The larger jogger wheels are sometimes much bigger than the stair and harder to push up.

Hi from L.A. - we used a bugaboo chameleon for the longest time, and we still have it but the interesting thing is that as the baby got bigger (as yours will be soon) I found that the less expensive and much lighter umbrella strollers were easiest to maneuver on stairs and in and out of the car. Now we just use the bugaboo when we know we'll be out for a long time and may want the baby to nap in the stroller. Otherwise, the umbrella stroller which just stays in the trunk is our go to when we are just getting out to run quick errands.

We live in Boston too. Keep in mind that in the winter the smaller wheels will make it hard to push through the snow. If you get a Mac, your might need something else later in the year. Although a Bugaboo or a UppaBaby is a little heavier, it will go through the snow come winter. I've found that it makes a huge difference for us, especially when the bricks and cobblestones get slippery and baby wearing feels dangerous.

the maclaren triumph! i'm in a 5 flight walk-up... in the beginning i exclusively wore my baby in either an ergo or moby. now that she's 7 months and getting a little hefty, i sometimes need to use a stroller to save my back. my method is to carry her down the stairs in an ergo, while toting the folded maclaren on my shoulder. i LOVE this stroller, can't say enough good things about it. it's incredibly light and great on city streets. i'm also very petite, 5 feet and 100 pounds, and i have no trouble carrying my baby, stroller and backpack. i do sort of feel like wonder-mom when i finally make it down all those stairs, though!

I do the exact same as figure08 except with a 2nd floor walkup, Beco Butterfly and Maclaren Techno.

I second the Maclaren Triumph. This is so light that I can carry for a little ways very easily with one hand. Folding is very easy. I also have no problems on stairs with it. In addition, it is the best stroller to travel with through an airport, it is also small enough for going to stores and manuvering though narrow aisles and clothing racks. I agree that larger wheels may be more difficult with stairs as they don't "fit" on the stairs. The weight would be the biggest issue for me. I also have the Ergo (and had the Moby for 0-6 months) and put that in the stroller and I'm good to go all day long. I've had my Maclaren for 4 years now and am on kid #2 with it. Love it.

Baby Jogger City Mini? What is that like? Does anyone know where I could see a picture/find out more about it? Thank you!

Just checked -- the Bugaboos are around 20 pounds.

Re: wheel size --

I find big wheels to be much easier on stairs than small ones, as with big wheels I just drive the stroller down the stairs (walking it down, stair by stair), or pulling it up, stair by stair. Can't do that with small wheels.

More notes from Boston -
Uppababy - we love it! We have the urban wheels on though the big wheels were great in the snow -
agreed - love the moby (DH-the sport babybjorn) but I'm such a klutz that babywearing on a slippery sidewalk of skull crushing concrete gave me nightmares, like seriously wake up in the wee hours nightmares.

We have a big step up to the building and a flight of 10 steps down to our apt. I can lift the stroller while baby sleeps (at 8 mos. he is like 20something lbs so its about 40 altogether) down the flight. When its empty I drive it down the stairs. I don't unfold it until I get it up on the landing and I bring the baby out and up the stairs in my arms to the landing for when we leave.
The great thing is that the whole frame is solid so you can lift it anywhere.

We will probably move to an umbrella one next spring for short jaunts. I want one more safe winter with the SUV stroller.

The baby bargains web site has a great message board--a lot of people share experiences with various strollers (and everything else baby related). If you like to research it's a great resource.

http://www.windsorpeak.com/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=13

you are all seriously awesome. thanks so much for the good ideas. boston moms, i really appreciate the insight!

i think a combo of maclaren, uppa baby and baby carrier will work...lots of gear, but cheaper than moving! :)

will research babybargains as well...thanks so much everyone.

We live in a 2nd floor walk-up and did a lot of stroller research before our baby was born last September. We wanted a rugged stroller à la Uppa Baby/Bugaboo/Quinny, and ended up with the Bugaboo because it is still the lightest-weight stroller (by 3 lb ) that also met our other criteria (front and back facing, big wheels, etc.)

Nevertheless, I still carry the baby up and down in a front pack and take the stroller separately (or use the Maclaren Volo when I'm alone and won't be out for a really long walk).

I was told that the Stokke is specifically designed to bump easily up and down stairs, although the official word is you are not supposed to do that with the baby in the stroller. In general, the big wheels of any of these strollers should help you up a few stairs.

LOVE LOVE LOVE our Uppa. It seems heavy, but it handles so smoothly, turns so easily...I've never found it heavy with just baby inside. Its more the million pounds of groceries you can fit in the GIANT basket that weighs it down. Seriously...I have loaded that thing with pounds and pounds and the biggest most awkward stuff-its rocks. If you are planing to do a lot of shopping with your stroller then this basket is unbeatable. If you have ten steps only you can bump it up the steps no problem. And since it folds with one hand and with the seat attached you can always carry it down in one arm with baby in the other. The wheels can take a bumping...they never go flat. I love my stroller :)

I see what others are saying about the lightness of a maclaren-if you had a lot of stairs I would say yes for sure right away...but most people go for a lighter weight umbrella stroller once baby is older and walking in addition to their full size model anyway! So this is not outside of the norm... At first I would purchase the Ergo (also a huge fan) and the Uppababy, and leave the Maclaren for later if you decide the Uppa is indeed too heavy to handle on your own, or when its just time to downsize as baby gets older. As another suggestion: I bought the MiaModa Facile umbrella stroller which has an almost full recline(!), opens and folds with one hand (I've become quite good at it) and drives really well...and it cost a 1/3 of the price of a Mac...though I don't see them often or hear of them anywhere. Weird.
Just my two cents :)

Not so sound like an ad, but Giggle.com and their stores are all about finding the best gear for your lifestyle (not necessarily the most expensive/hip stuff), and I bet they could advise you.

We live in downtown Boston, and take our Bugaboo Frog out EVERY DAY, even in the winter. I weigh 100 lbs, my toddler weighs 23 lbs., and we have a stoop with 6 steps. I've found that I can still (barely) lift the stroller up the stairs, but it is easy to drive/bump up and down. After talking to others with different strollers, I can't recommend a better stroller than the Bugaboo for city living in Boston.

hands down - the city-mini by babyjogger.

we live in san francisco, in a 700 sq ft apartment with a serious set of stairs and a car with small trunk space. i kept hearing that people end up with 3 or 4 strollers: one for travel, one for strolling, one for jogging, one for the infant car seat. i was not willing to accept that, so i set out to find the best stroller for city living.

i actually bought the uppa baby and though i liked it, it is WIDE and makes it difficult to navigate store aisles. so i returned it and went with the city mini and i LOVE IT!

we bought the adaptor for the infant seat, so this is all we need. it is perfect for citylife.

the pros: VERY easy to close, lightweight, huge sun canopy, less than $250, backrest folds almost flat

the cons: handle is not adjustable, there is no cup holder (you have to buy it extra), baby faces away from you once they are no longer in the infant car seat

you can get info here: http://www.babyjogger.com/city_mini_lp.aspx