Our Baby "Year of Gear" - Take One (30 Day Challenge - Day 2)

Since we are on the tail end of our baby phase and heading full steam into the toddler/terrible two's, I decided to do a "Year of Gear" review.  We had a six year gap between Kennedy and our youngest.  When we left California, having another baby was a pipe dream and we figured that we'd cross that bridge when/if we got to it again.  We sold the last of the baby furniture and all other paraphernalia involved with having a baby in the house before moving.  I had saved some of my favorite clothing items of Kennedy and Maguire, but they were in the deepest, darkest recess of our storage unit.  I think that a trip to Mordor with Orcs chasing you would be more of a walk in the park than getting to this stuff.  In other words, we were at square one and not willing to empty out our stifling hot storage unit.  Since this wasn't our first child, Hubs and I decided that with Google, product reviews, and word of mouth, we could outfit ourselves with the best baby gear. Here is what we found were some of our favorite items.

Britax B-Ready Stroller (MSRP $499)

Hubs and I have deemed this stroller the "Cadillac of baby strollers".  It has a smooth ride and is a joy to push (compare it to finding that flawless grocery cart with the non-sticking wheels).  It's very easy to set up and collapse, Maguire likes to handle this part when we are without Hubs.  This was by far the best purchase we had ever made in the baby department.  We bought this during the Free Ride event the June before Sylvia was born.  We went through Babies R Us and ordered it online, this promotion does not work in their stores.  We paid the $399.99 and got the Chaperone Infant Car Seat ($199.99) for free.  The B-Safe Infant Car Seat ($159.99) is the one that is part of this promotion this year, but either way it's a great deal.  The stroller also comes with a cup holder, rain cover, and Chaperone click and go infant car seat adapters.  One of the greatest things that I love about this stroller besides the ease of pushing, is that the handlebar you push can be adapted for a taller or shorter person.  We thought it was great for when Sylvia was younger, we could move her from the car to the stroller and back without waking her.  Now that she's older, we use the seat that came with the stroller.    

Britax Chaperone Infant Car Seat (MSRP $229)

 We have the same print as the above picture, Cowmooflage.  We loved the pattern.  We had heard about how great these car seats were from a friend, so we did our own research and decided that this would be the way to go.   As stated above, we got it for free by using the Britax Free Ride event through Babies R Us Online.  Sylvia is still in this car seat.  We are looking at another Britax car seat since this one was awesome.  I had used Graco Car Seats with Maguire and Kennedy and loved them at the time, now that my eyes have been opened by the greatness of Britax, we will forever be faithful to the brand.

B.O.B. Revolution SE Stroller in Plum (MSRP $449)

We bought this stroller after Sylvia had turned 6 months.  Even though our Britax B-Ready stroller is completely awesome, it just wasn't something you could run with.  Hence our purchase of the B.O.B. Stroller, which is also owned by Britax, so it's related to the "Cadillac of strollers".  This is possibly the best running stroller ever.  Everyone I know that owns one has nothing but great things to say about it.  I love the lumbar supports that are visible in the strap system, while Sylvia loves the pockets on either side of her.  I love that she is just long enough for her feet to touch the footrest area.  We purchased our B.O.B. from Overstock.  We managed to get it for about $315.  When I run with it, I love the ease with which I push this.  I also like the fact that it has real tires.  It would annoy me to run and having to hear plastic wheels.  It's annoying enough to run!  I don't need anything else making it any more unbearable than it already is.

 Now I just realized that Hubs and I have spent quite a bit on strollers, but in our defense, both strollers should hold their value.  These are both high quality items and should last for quite a while with the proper maintenance.  With Maguire and Kennedy, I had travel systems that worked, but then they ended up being too bulky and a straight pain in the rear.  Then I bought umbrella strollers so that I didn't have to deal with the bulkiness of the travel system stroller.  I believe there was one or two more umbrella strollers that were fated to be owned by me, one more travel system, and a double jogging stroller.  To be honest, I would have saved money buying the Britax and B.O.B. strollers to begin with.  

*All MSRP and product pictures are from the Britax and B.O.B. websites. I received no compensation for the reviews, I'm just a big fan!