[blparent] Stroller Fail!

[Julie J.]

First a disclaimer...my son just moved into his first apartment this past 
weekend.  So what I know about baby equipment is probably outdated!

When he was really little I put him in a front carrier.  It was winter and 
this also worked to keep him warm.  I'd put my coat around both of us.

Then when he was perhaps 6 months or so I used a stroller.  I pulled it 
backwards, but tipped it so it was only on the back wheels.  The stroller I 
bought only had the front wheels that swiveled.  It was reasonably easy to 
keep it going in a straight line.  I also found that strollers with a single 
handle across worked better than the type with two individual handle grips.

I also used a back carrier.  It was comfortable and fairly easy for me to 
physically carry.  The difficulty was getting it on and off.  At home I'd 
set it on the dining room table and just stoop a bit to get it on, but 
rarely is there a table when you're out shopping.  Mostly I used the back 
carrier for leisure walking.

Oh, then when he was a toddler I used an old fashioned red wagon.  I still 
have it.  One of the few things I kept from back then.

Happy travels!
Julie
Courage to Dare: A Blind Woman's Quest to Train her Own Guide Dog is now 
available! Get the book here:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QXZSMOC
-----Original Message----- 
From: Allison via BlParent
Sent: Wednesday, March 16, 2016 10:27 PM
To: 'Blind Parents Mailing List'
Cc: Allison
Subject: [blparent] Stroller Fail!



Hi Everybody,

My daughter, Allyssa, is 9 weeks old now. I love my baby. It turns out that
I also love getting out of my house sometimes. I had a lot of great plans
for this when I was pregnant, plans about how I could successfully get out
in the world with my child, and I can now safely say that almost none of
them have worked out. LOL.

I tried a bunch of strollers at a local store before my daughter, Allyssa,
was born. I bought a Graco Click Connect in the end because it seemed like
the best balance of usability and affordability that I could find at the
time. It has a stroller with a car seat that clicks right into and out of
it. I tested it at the store with my cane and verified that I could in fact
pull it behind me. I also tried it on the sidewalk in front of my house when
I brought it home. Great, right? Yeah, only great because it did not yet
have a baby in it. I tried it with said baby in it last weekend and it was
less than successful. The stroller now wobbles and wavers when I try to pull
it behind me. It is only slightly less awful when I pull it next to me, but
when it's next to me, I worry that my cane arc isn't wide enough to safely
cover me and baby both because the stroller takes up a lot of space.
Moreover, the stroller was nearly impossible to manage when encountering
anything other than a 100% flat surface, and turning or changing directions
was something like trying to heard cats. As a result, I've mostly been
wearing Allyssa in a front carrier when I'm out. I like this option a lot
because she's safe, my hands are free, and Allyssa likes it, but I'm worried
that my body won't allow me to wear her as she grows heavier. Pretty much
every carrier I've tried pulls on my neck or shoulders at least a little.
Sooner or later, I will probably want to travel with her in a stroller. And
so far, the stroller has been a bit of a fail as it zigs and zags all over
the place. I could buy a new one, but buying multiple strollers will get
expensive quickly. Does anyone have any solutions for this stroller
craziness? Does it get better somehow? Will I become that blind mom who
never leaves the house alone with her kids? Please please tell me that is
not my future. If I start to think that it is, I may be tempted to drown
myself in my breast milk. So please share some words of wisdom!

Thanks,
Allison



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