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There are a shocking number of options when it comes to strollers, so much so that it can feel overwhelming in an instant. Do you want a full stroller? A travel stroller? A wagon? Do you need a bassinet? What about a travel system? Do you have more than one child? Do you plan on having more kids? These are just some of the questions that run through your head as you look into the best stroller for your family. There are a lot of mom blogs out there that go over what they think is the best stroller, but this post is going to be a bit different. Today, instead of focusing on what the best stroller on the market is, I’m sharing how our stroller collection has evolved with our specific family – three kids four and under. My hope is that by doing so, I can leave you with a better idea of what may work best for your specific family size now and in the future. Happy stroller shopping!

Different Types of Stroller Options

If you are new to stroller shopping, here is a quick rundown of the different types of strollers you may come across in your search.

• Full-Size Stroller: These strollers are what most people will opt for. They are typically a bit bigger and take up more space, but tend to be very sturdy, have larger tires which help make for a smoother ride for baby, and have large storage capacity underneath. Full-size strollers are also the ones that may offer the option to convert to a double.
• Side-by-Side Double Stroller: These strollers are full size strollers with two seats side-by-side. Some brands make them where they can fold closed very easily and take up minimal space in your trunk, while others can be a bit more bulky. These are a great option if you are pregnant with twins or with a second child that is close in age with your first.
• Jogging Stroller: Jogging strollers tend to have three large wheels instead of two with great shock absorption that can make for a smoother ride for baby, whether you are jogging on the pavement or even taking it along a trail. If you enjoy running or jogging pre-pregnancy and/or during pregnancy, I would definitely recommend looking into jogging strollers.
• Travel System: Travel systems consist of a full size stroller that has the ability to easily click an infant carseat into place. This makes it super easy to move baby from your car to the stroller, especially if baby is sleeping. Many brands have their own travel systems that work specifically with their stroller and carseats. However, if you are torn on one brand versus another, many stroller brands offer a carseat adapter for popular carseat brands, giving you more flexibility to choose the best for your family while giving you the convenience of a travel system.
• Travel Stroller: Travel strollers are great for city living, traveling, or as a stroller option that you can keep in your car for convenience. They typically fold in a tri-fold pattern, which gives some travel strollers the ability to be stored in the overhead bin of an airplane or in half like an umbrella stroller. They typically have smaller wheels than full-size strollers so they may be a bit more bumpy than a full-size option. However, there are a number of reviews out there that recommend certain travel strollers for cobble stoned streets versus others. So definitely do your research based on where you live or where you are traveling to.
• Wagon: Wagons are a great option whether you have one child or four. Wagons give toddlers a bit more space to move around without necessarily being confined to the seat – something that my two oldest have loved with ours. They also have plenty of room for your toddler or baby to recline for a nap. Many of them also offer great accessory options like snack trays, weather protection and more. Keep in mind, wagons are typically going to be on the bulkier side, but there are some on the market that can fold up nicely to fit in the back of your car.

What I Looked For in a Stroller

When I first started shopping for strollers, I had a few basic criteria to help narrow down my searches. My list of criteria may look very different from yours or it may be similar. Remember, this post is all about sharing my experience with you so that you can have a better idea of what will work best for your family.

My original criteria when looking for a stroller included:

• The option to convert from a single to a double stroller
• Seat materials free of flame-retardants and other chemicals
• Aesthetic design and sturdy construction

When I was pregnant with my daughter, my husband and I knew we would probably want more kids in the future, so for the sake of our investment lasting as long as possible, I wanted to make sure our stroller at least had the option to convert to a double. I wasn’t interested in side by side double strollers; I just wanted to be able to add a seat later on if needed. My other priority was the stroller’s material. Most car seats – and a lot of baby gear or clothing in general – are covered in flame retardants. Why are they covered flame retardants? I have no idea, because the product having flame retardants will not protect your baby from a fire, but I digress.

At the time, I personally didn’t care whether or not our stroller was bulky, as long as it worked well. Looking back on it now, the bulk is definitely something you will want to consider, especially if you have a smaller car or lack sufficient trunk space.

Our First Stroller As First-Time Parents

Strollers can be expensive, so when I was first looking for a stroller, I wanted to make sure that we would be able to use it for as long as possible. When I was initially looking for our first stroller, I loved the look and feel of the Uppababy Vista, but I wasn’t a huge fan of the price tag. As I looked for some other options, I came across a new brand on the market known as Mockingbird. They had the same look and quality of the Uppababy Vista, but for half the price thanks to their wholesale model. So, satisfied with what I saw online, I took the plunge and decided to go with the Mockingbird Stroller for our first stroller.

By the way, I highly recommend you find a store near you that has a few of the options you are interested in on display, because being able to push them can make all the difference.

The Mockingbird Stroller

I have nothing but good things to say about our Mockingbird Stroller. It has served us very well from the time my daughter was born, through adding my son when my daughter was just shy of 13 months old. It’s extremely smooth, easy to push and maneuver, and super easy to fold or unfold. While it doesn’t have the smallest footprint, it definitely wasn’t too big for our Honda Pilot or Honda Odyssey. As I mentioned above, this stroller does have carseat adaptors, giving you the option to convert your stroller into a travel system with your carseat. We personally have the Nuna Pipa Lite Rx, and the adaptors worked perfectly.

I have not seen this information specifically on their website, but I have personally reached out to Mockingbird to confirm that their seat materials are free from harmful flame retardant chemicals. So this stroller definitely ticked all of my boxes when I was shopping for our first stroller.

The basket on the bottom of the stroller is very spacious and has plenty of room for a diaper bag or anything else you may need to carry with you. The handlebar is adjustable and there are over 22 different possible seat configurations depending on your needs. They have some great accessories including, a parent organizer, cup holder, snack tray, bassinet, and various weather protection options. This company has really thought of everything. One thing I love about the stroller is the ability to customize it. Not only can you pick the color of the shade for the seat, but you can also pick the inside pattern, and if you purchase the second seat to convert it to a double stroller, you can customize that one as well. So if you have a boy and a girl and you want the shade for your girl to be pink and the one for your boy to be blue, you can do that!

If you are expecting your third child, then this stroller is still not too small for your family! Not only can you convert this stroller from a single to a double, you can carry three! Mockingbird created their own ride-along board accessory so that your oldest can stand on the board while your two youngest are in the stroller. I have not personally used their ride-along board because we got our Wonderfold Wagon when I was expecting our third, but I have seen other moms with it and they love it.

So if you are looking for a stroller with all of the options of some of the top of the line brands, but for half the price, I highly recommend you check out the Mockingbird Stroller.

Our Wagon Experience

When I found out that I was pregnant with our third, my oldest two were 2 and just shy of 1 year old. So I knew that with soon to be three kids under three, we were going to need something else so that I could take everyone out for our daily walks. After a bit of research, I settled on the Wonderfold W4 Luxe Quad Stroller.

This wagon does not disappoint. The W4 has two removable bench seats with magnetic five-point harnesses that can fit up to four kids or 300 pounds, making it the perfect solution for our young family. It has a wonderful adjustable canopy, an adjustable handlebar, plenty of storage, and a lot of great accessories to suit everyone’s needs. The W4 comes in a few different models and colors, and we ultimately chose to go with the Luxe model because of the tires. The W4 Luxe offers all-terrain tires that initially I wasn’t sure were necessary, but since getting this wagon, I could never go back. The tires make it so easy to veer into the grass and off the sidewalk at a moment’s notice and have made for a very smooth ride for my kids.

Wonderfold also offers a variety of accessories, including an all-weather protection cover, parent organizer, buddy board, all-weather floor mats (those have been a lifesaver for keeping the bottom of the wagon clean), and so much more.

I think a lot of people use wagons for visits to parks, zoos, or other fun family adventures, but I actually use our wagon almost everyday. It is what I take my kids in when we go on walks through our neighborhood and it has been great. When our third child was born, I purchased the car seat adaptor that they offer and was able to click my youngest into the front of the wagon, while my two oldest sat on the bench closest to me. Once our youngest was 6 months old, we added the second bench back in, and they have been enjoying it ever since.

The only con I have about the wagon is the size and weight. And it really isn’t a complaint because I know that for the quality and durability, there is no way they could make it smaller or lighter, but it is heavy, coming in at 59.9 lbs. It only folds in half at the center, so unless we have the third row of our van folded up, we can’t fit the wagon in our van.

If you only have one or two kids, Wonderfold makes the W2 version, giving you the option to carry up to two kids with the same great features as the W4. And, they just recently started offering the W6 version, and yes, that means it can carry a total of 6 kids in it! So if you are looking for a wagon that you can use daily or for the occasional zoo visit, I highly recommend the Wonderfold Wagon.

Our Travel Stroller

We purchased our first travel stroller in the fall of 2024 in preparation for our first trip with our kids. Unfortunately, we had to change our plans, but we have absolutely loved our travel stroller since then. I did a ton of research and finally settled on the UppaBaby Mini V2 (the V3 is currently available), and it is incredible.

As a family of three, I wanted to make sure we had an option for two of our kids to rest from walking if need be. So in addition to the travel stroller, I bought the Lascal Buggy Board Maxi+. This gave one of our older kids the option to sit on the board while the youngest was in the stroller seat.

Compared to both our Mockingbird stroller and our Wonderfold wagon, pushing this stroller is an absolute breeze. Just the other day, my daughter was able to easily push her baby brother in the stroller (with supervision of course). It is extremely smooth to maneuver, does not have a big bar in between the tires – meaning if you have a longer stride, you aren’t constantly banging your ankle on it. This stroller also has a great and almost flat recline, making it great for stroller naps.

One of the reasons I opted for this travel stroller instead of others is because of the size. It is a tri-fold travel stroller but it is more of a gate check stroller than an overhead bin stroller. And while I really wanted an overhead bin one (this one might fit in the travel bag in an overhead bin but it would definitely have to be on a larger airplane), I wanted the extra headspace for my oldest kids. When I was researching travel strollers and watching YouTube reviews, I noticed that a lot of the travel strollers that fit in the overhead bins have a very short head clearance between the top of the seat and the top of the canopy. My oldest two, especially my daughter, are tall for their ages, so I wanted to make sure that this stroller could be used comfortably by all three of them, for at least the first year or so that we had it.

If you are looking for a travel stroller with a smaller footprint, there are definitely other options on the market, but as far as headspace for tall toddlers, I felt like this one was the best option for our family.

Final Thoughts

I hope this post proves useful during your stroller shopping experience whether you are a first-time mom, or are currently pregnant with your fifth. As you can see, our collection evolved as our family size changed, and I am sure that will be the same for you. If I could go back, I am not sure I would change a thing. Each of our strollers have served a specific purpose and I don’t feel like we have a duplicate of anything.

If you are interested in more of my favorite products check out The Ladenbod List or my post, How to Built Your First Baby Registry.