Strollers with additions

If you've ever struggled to get a baby buggy - or its current equivalent onto a bus - you'll know what I'm talking about here.

The original baby buggy we used to have folded up quite neatly and was a bit like a large umbrella that you'd could hang over your arm.   Apparently they turned out to also fold up over the child if you weren't careful and this could be a little hazardous.  And they did have a tendency to poke other passengers in various places while you were trying to keep your toddler from falling flat on his/her face as they raced down the bus aisle.

Modern models, by comparison, seem to be incredibly complex, and folding them up is not only an art, but unfolding them is as well.

Now along comes the city select stroller - and apparently with this item you start off with the basic unit then add bits on as your child grows (or you add another child to your family).   This is obviously not designed for use on the average bus; rather it's likely for those mums who drive the family SUV around town and have plenty of room to get the stroller in and out of the vehicle.

According to the manufacturers, the stroller fits through all doorways (always a plus - though getting at the door is sometimes an issue).  It's not as long as other tandem strollers and the second seat can be quickly removed.   (Always remember that manufacturers have a different meaning for the word 'quickly.') It's also 'easy fold'.  (I say nothing more about that.)  And it has a huge storage basket as well.

Let's not go into the fact that it probably requires the mother to work out at the gym every day of the week in order to haul both kids around in this stroller, let alone put all the bits together and take them apart.  

Take no notice of my cynicism: I detest prams, strollers, buggies and the like because my experience in recent years has not been pleasant (think prams whose four wheels all seem to go in different directions).  I was happy with the baby buggy when it came out, and amazed that it got into strife.   I'm sure these double-barrel strollers are just the cat's pyjamas, and I wish every mother who buys one (and all the additions) every success!