Written By: Jan
My husband and I were living the American Dream. We were married about 2 years ago and both had good jobs for a long time before we were married. Our lives so far have been going as planned. We live in an apartment in the city and always planned to move to the burbs when our first child was born. Well 6 months ago our son Levi was born and we were going to fulfill our dreams.
The market for buying a house is good so we were able to find a really nice big house in a good neighborhood. Our neighbors all have children and in no time at all we were all good friends. I enjoy the company of my adult friends especially when you are home all day talking baby talk. Shortly after moving in, the girls invited me to go jogging with them in the morning. I never jogged in my life except to jog to the bathroom after drinking 3 cups of coffee and not wanting to take my eyes off of Regis and Kelly They said it was a good way to lose some of that baby fat we all accumulated (ok so some of it was junk food) and the kids were able to get out in some fresh air. So I agreed and looked forward to the next morning and getting in shape with the company of my friends.
We were all to meet in my neighbor’s driveway. There they were all 4 of my friends and their nice 3 wheeled jogging strollers. I pulled up in my Gracco. I heard a few giggles but they were very nice to not hurt my feelings and said they would take it slow since it was my first time. Let me tell you, slow didn’t help. My friends were pushing their strollers like they were pushing air. Their children looked all comfortable and content. My poor little Levi was being bounced around like a rock on a trampoline of 3 year olds. I hate to tell you what happened when we turned a curve. All I will say is; it’s a good thing strollers come with 5 point harnesses and you should always use it. I’m sure glad I did.
I found out that day I have a pretty tough little guy. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like he was thrown around like a Kleenex in the wind but we trailed way behind and I did not have the company of my friends like I thought I would. My husband and I were going to have to have a chat regarding a new stroller if I were to keep up this facade that I could jog with the best of them.
I noticed that all my friend’s strollers had 3 large wheels. They all were different strollers with different features but they were made for jogging. They had extra room between your feet and the rear wheels so you can run without your feet hitting the back of the stroller and room for your legs to move. Hence the name, jogging strollers. Huumpp. I get it now a 4 wheel stroller is not for jogging. One friend had a Jeep Jogging Stroller. Very nice, large air filled tires and the front tire could be locked to stay straight for the safety of your child (stop laughing at me). Turning was a little difficult but as it should be again for the safety of your child. Wide turns prevent tipping. It of course had a 5 point harness which as I said earlier, you always want to use.
This stroller also had sound system for her and her child. Her baby listened to Sesame Street music to keep her amused while her mom could listen to her own music if she wanted. Mostly she chatted with the friends who could keep up with her, not me. My other friend had a Baby Jogger City Elite. Again with the 3 wheels, this one the wheel swiveled but you could also lock it straight. The nice thing about this stroller is she could easily take the tires off so she could fit it in the car trunk better. Nice suspension for your child’s comfort; as well as the padded seats, and of course the 5 point harness.
My friend is very tall and she said the best thing about this stroller was that the handlebar was adjustable and she could raise it to a height that was comfortable for her to jog with. My other 2 friends both had Baby Trend Double Jogging Strollers as they both had 2 children. One was called the Navigator and one the Expedition. The Navigator actually had 4 tires but not like my Gracco. This was an actual jogging stroller and the two tires in front were close together. She said the reason for the 4 wheels is because with 2 kids in the stroller it is much heavier.
The one who had the Expedition; whose children are younger and lighter said, “I guess I will find out when my children get bigger if it indeed makes the double stroller harder to push with only 3 wheels. In the mean time, both moms like their jogging strollers and find it very easy to push, guess that’s because there JOGGING STROLLERS!
So when my husband and I go shopping we will have to decide which one is best for us, or me. I don’t know if my husband will ever go jogging with Levi but we did hear from the other husbands that a guy looks cooler pushing a jogging stroller. Also the fact that there is room for your legs makes it easier for a guy to push as they tend to be bigger. I think I really want to do this though. It seems like a good way to stay in shape, I get to visit my friends while exercising, and Levi will get some fresh air at the same time. At the end of our jog, we always seem to be at a park or playground so it works out for everyone. As my husband would say, “the proper tool makes all the difference if you want the job done right.” In this case, the proper stroller makes the difference in whether or not you’re going to jog or just push a stroller.











