Umbrella strollers are so named because they fold up like an umbrella for easy carrying and storage. They are not as sturdy as a large, regular stroller, but can handle almost as much as their larger counterparts. Generally they only hold approximately 50 pounds in weight so older children are not recommended as riders in the umbrella strollers.
Another reason umbrella strollers have earned their name is named because of the hooked shape of the handles - just like the end of an umbrella. This is an easy grip for parents as they push the stroller. Umbrella strollers are made of a lightweight fabric and usually have a single waist strap holding the child inside. There is no storage area like the bigger baby strollers, no cup holders and no room for fancy toy attachments. The umbrella strollers are the bare bones strollers and meant for limited space and shorter trips where you do not need to carry as much gear.
However, umbrella strollers have come a long way since the 1980's and 1990's when they were just flimsy strollers that you have on hand incase your child falls asleep and you have nothing else around to put them in. The umbrella strollers of yesteryears did not recline. This meant that if your child fell asleep while you were out and about they were sleeping sitting up or in a semi upright position. Today's umbrella strollers do have reclining backs and are a little more stable than the older ones.
Manufacturers have even come up with double umbrella strollers, something unheard of just a decade ago. The safety measures have increased as well, giving more thought to the straps by installing one coming up from between the legs and one across the lap area to help keep the child in place in case of a tumble. Also, the wheels are more flexible and able to take more of the uneven pavement and roughness of sidewalks than the older umbrella strollers whose wheels would not all face the same direction at the same time.
Umbrella strollers are great for children up to 50 pounds who don't want to walk and/or need to rest while you are strolling. They are lightweight and don't take up as much room as the larger baby strollers. However, what you give up for space, you also give up in comfort. The umbrella strollers are thinner, sometimes just a cardboard backing with a thin layer of quilted padding, unlike the bigger strollers with the thick padding all around. But the umbrella strollers are a lot more comfortable than they were years ago.
The umbrella strollers are easier to close than they were years ago. Today they have one-handed closure mechanisms. Simply press a button or pull a lever and the umbrella stroller folds in half and is as thin as an umbrella ready for backseat or trunk storage. This is another reason parents like the umbrella stroller for quick runs to the store or visiting neighbors or grandparents house.
Umbrella strollers can be purchased online or in stores in a variety of styles, colors, materials and designs. Having an umbrella stroller and a bigger baby stroller is a good idea because there are days you don't want the hassle of a big stroller and only need the convenience of smaller, more nimble umbrella stroller.
Spring has returned with an invitation to come outside and enjoy the fresh air. Winterâs ice and snow have melted away-- gone forever like bad memories, the sidewalks and streets are dry, clear, and passable. Green replaces brown as the color of the local landscape. The Sun is shining bright; there is a fresh crispness in the air as gentle breezes enter through the newly opened windows delivering the invitation. The temperatures hover around sixty degrees. Parents read the invitation again: âCome, come outside and play, enjoy the outdoors with meââ¦signed âSpringâ.
Mothers and Fathers, who have safely bundled up their babies and toddlers with layers of clothes during the winter months and carried them over the ice and snow, begin to slowly return to the neighborhood sidewalk and streets, parks, and malls, pushing their small babies along in their strollers. New parents or parents-to-be begin to shop for baby strollers so they can join other neighborhood moms or dads who set out for the great outdoors in response to springâs invitation.
Life and people like the budding bushes, flowers, and trees reappear in neighborhoods adding themselves to the mosaic street scenes of springtime. The exercising, health minded parents, in steady paces push their baby or babies in their single or double jogging strollers putting in their scheduled run for the day.
The cyclist enthusiasts lovingly secure their precious little ones in the bike trailers already attached to their choice of transportation, and pedal their way around the neighborhood in streets and on sideways with destinations unknown. Their babies and toddlers in their safety compartment enjoy the nice fresh air from their modern day âhorse-drivenâ carriage that they have been deprived of all winter long.
With only a sweater or jacket as needed outerwear, they regally take in the sights and sounds of the beautiful fresh spring views as the gentle breezes caress their little faces through the screened windows of the enclosed cart. Mom or dad supplies the âhorsepowerâ in front of them as they enjoy their âroyal rideâ through neighborhood of the local stately mansions.
Elsewhere, neighborhood moms, with Springâs invitation in hand and the other hand on a stroller, join each other leisurely pushing their infants along side by side in single or double umbrella strollers sharing their stories of motherhood, and how they survived the winter doldrums being locked up indoors all season long. Each new breath of springâs fresh air is really a sigh of relief of freedom for these winter prisoners. Off to the local park they go to join other proud parents to present their blessed children to each other (maybe for the first time), share parenting strategies and techniques, and catch up on the latest happenings in their neighborhoods.
Strollers these days come in many brand names, such BOB, Maclaren, TikeTech, and Bugaboo with different models that cater to sports minded parents, all-terrain, walking, jogging, cycling or hybrids. There are wide varieties of shapes and sizes for single, double, or triples passengers. They have umbrella type coverings, retractable canopies, prams, open air types, or enclosed cabins. Like in a paint store the colors are plentiful. There are three wheelers and four wheelers. There are set wheels and swivel wheels. They may have one carrying compartment or multiple compartments for the journeyâs needed cargo. Thereâs something to meet every parentâs need to safely share the lovely outdoors and warm weather with their precious little child or children.
So let the good times roll as moms and dads, walking, jogging, or biking return to the sidewalks and streets of our neighborhoods; and reminds us all to look for that invitation to enjoy the outdoors, the fresh air, and the new life all around us, especially when we peek into those strollers to get a glimpse of the cute little babies who are their passengers.
By Robert Walsh
US $158.99
US $114.88
US $14.00
US $202.50
US $175.95
US $61.00
US $109.99
US $10.49
US $114.88
US $129.45
Robert A. Walsh, is the owner and webmaster of his website. As an Ezine Articles expert author he writes about everyday family issues many of which highlight aspects of his family friendly website. His articles and website offer real practical strategies on how to save up to half off on family shopping, such childrenâs top quality designer clothing and jeans âages infant to teens as well as your weekly grocery shopping. With a strong educational emphasis he encourages families to take advantage of educational products and articles that will stimulate a childâs learning process, beginning in infancy; in addition he emphasizes financial saving programs that will lead to a successful college education. To assist families with finances beyond his saving strategies his website highlights sweepstakes-alerts that offer college funds, grants, and cash prizes to offset the ever-increasing cost of a higher education.
US $158.99
