Stroller

Or buggy or pram. Whatever you want to call it.

When we first found out that I was pregnant, we were excited because we finally have the reason to buy Stokke Xplory stroller. It was love at the first sight. I love the stylish and sleek look and let's face it, any mommies will look hot with a Stokke and I secretly wanna be that hot mommy.

Then we learned and read more about the practicality, usage and the technical part of a stroller that the idea of owning a Stokke becoming more and more distant. Before we even begin to look for a stroller we listed out our (living) conditions & needs:

Must be durable in rough terrain & snow
We don't own a car here so most of the time, it's either walking or using public transportation. Winter in Norway is long and harsh and can easily reach up to -20C (even during daytime). In addition to that for 6 months of the year Norway is covered in snow so finding a stroller that can be manoeuvred in thick snow and can withstand rough terrain such as cobblestone or pavement is IMPORTANT.

Yet must be compact to fit in a car boot
Having said that, although we do not have a car, we would like to bring back the stroller to Malaysia later so it must be able to fit in our car boots.

These are the 2 criteria that we're looking for. Simple yet hard to fulfil because most of the strollers build for criteria #1 are bulky. Those that have criteria #2 are simply not suitable for usage during winter.

Emmaljunga, a Swedish brand is one of the strollers that is popular here. It's sturdy, stable and has a good wheel suspensions for rough terrain and for rocking baby to sleep in their bassinet. Yes, you'll find a lot of mother rocking their baby in their strollers here. But, we're not keen on its bulky design and it's not practical for usage in Malaysia later.

Emmaljunga Mondial 3 in 1 with carry cot & seat unit

After countless trips to various baby stores, feedbacks from respective sales persons & friends, countless hours spend on reading, surveying and YouTube-ing, we finally narrow down our search to Brio, Hartan and Teutonia. Brio is a Swedish brand while Hartan and Teutonia are German brands.

We are eyeing on the following models: 

Teutonia Cosmo

Brio Go

Hartan Lite XL

It might be odd to you but stroller here (or what they called duovogn or duo wagen) comes in 2 - a carry cot (for usage from 0-6 months) and a seat unit (from 6 months or when the baby is able to seat - 3 years). Carry cot is very cosy during winter as well as summer because the material is breathable. During winter, you can add foot muff or sheep rug for that extra warmth and comfort.  

We haven't decide on which one we like best but we have seen and tried them all but as for me, Brio Go and Teutonia Cosmo are definitely on my top list. They're both light (I used the term light here loosely, please don't compare it to other strollers such as Combi or MacLaren), compact when folding and most importantly, it's suitable on rough terrain and snow. The front wheels can also be locked which is important especially when you're pushing in snow. 

One important note that we learned is that, there is no such thing as THE PERFECT STROLLER out there but there is one that's perfect for you. Everyone has their own criteria and needs so learn and understand your own needs before you go and purchase brand XY or XX stroller just because it's in trend or every one seems to have one. 

A good stroller can last years and is an investment so make sure that you choose wisely.