You would never guess if you looked at me….
I have a confession to make: I am a stroller labelwhore.
You would never guess if you saw me without my daughter. I don’t blowdry my hair, my clothes are usually from the gap or a thrift store. I wear ratty old tennis shoes or flip flops. I never wear makeup. AND we drive a crappy Ford Taurus. None of this would indicate labelwhore status.
Thinking back, I think this evil took root in my early days cutting my teeth as a new mom in San Francisco. We started out small, with a utilitarian Kolcraft Universal Carseat Carrier . Not fancy but it got the job done. I never bought into the “travel system” stroller philosphy. I wanted the bare minimum necessary.
Then, on the ferry to Angel Island, I saw it: the Bugaboo Frog. And I knew I wanted it. I wanted it BAD. I made a go ask where they got it and they were European. Damn Europeans and their fancy strollers. I went home and looked everywhere. It was $700 + Shipping. And not a single used one was available on Ebay or any other European Ebay.
When we moved to the midwest, we needed a new stroller because Miss M was outgrowing her baby carrier. So the hunt began. We don’t have parking at our apartment, so we have to walk a block or more every day to and from the car. It had to fold up small and easily to go in the trunk.
I needed a light weight stroller too. I had to plan for the fact that the Hellevator in my building may stop working at any time and I would have to lug a squirmy baby and a stroller up 3 flights of stairs.
I went to the great evil Babies R Us and test drove strollers, because there were no boutique-y baby store here that had fancier strollers ( Oh, WHY had I not thought of shopping for a stroller upgrade in SF? I thought).
After two hours going back and forth between the Peg Perego Aria and the Maclaren Triumph I picked the Aria.
It was a good stroller. Sure, it’s basket was a little small, but it was very lightweight. Ok, it wasn’t great for Miss M when she couldn’t sit up yet, but we got through it with some rolled up towels. Most of all it was very stylish and a kind of labelwhorey brand.
Then, in a heart stopping turn of events, Zany Brainy, the only store in our area to stock the Bugaboo went out of business. I went back, no kidding, three times to watch the price fall from $700 to $475. The fourth time, even though I was still unemployed, I was determined I was going to come home with that stroller. I test drove it for an hour. I made Miss M sit in it too. (This led to her first ever tantrum in public). Finally, the screaming baby snapped me back to my senses and I walked away with no Bugaboo.
I had to move on.
Then, a few weeks ago, our well-used Aria broke. A small piece (the bag clip) fell off and we lost it. Somehow, missing the bag clip means the stroller can’t be folded. This is a huge disaster for car rides. We have to flip it upside down in the passenger seat. I called Peg Perego and ordered a new spare part, but they sent the wrong one.
That pushed me over the edge. I spend the next 2 days reading Urban Baby stroller reviews. Then, on our big Anniversary date, I made A take me to BRU to test drive strollers. I was resigned to buying the Peg Perego Pliko, but (now you know why I love this man) A convinced me that the Venezia was far superior.
Labelwhore or not, I could not bear to spend $350 on a stroller. So I bid on last year’s Venezia model (brand new) on ebay and got it for $230 including shipping.
It was delivered this morning. I absolutely can not wait to get home to try it out.
So so pathetic. I know.
Oh, and I ordered a new piece for the old stoller. For Free. I don’t even really NEED a new stroller.
Update: I didn’t get home in time to get my new stroller from the apartment building managment office before it closed. I could see it through the window, just taunting me. But alas, I could not retrieve it. The irony is that I didn’t get home in time because I was writing this post about getting the new stroller. 
