We live in New York City and are thinking of moving to an apartment that does not have stroller storage on the bottom floor. For any of you who do this already, any advice? For those of you who store it in your car what do you do during inclement weather? Thanks in advance!
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And for more info we have a baby jogger city select stroller w/ second seat. My toddler will be 3 in January and we have a 6 month old. The stroller is my primary "vehicle" day to day.
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My only advice is don't do it!!! Imagine coming home...your baby fell asleep, toddler is being a toddler and you have to make three trips up and down the stairs…and that's assuming that you don't have groceries. Just say no.
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Yeah I would kindly yet strongly advise against it. Of course it is doable and people do it, but I wouldn't choose it if there is another viable option. For all of the reasons baby boy mom mentioned. Imagine your worst day with the babies, and it's raining, and you have groceries and you have to pee and you are lugging a stroller over your shoulder. Now think about doing that several times a day. It would make me not want to leave the house. If I had to suggest one maybe the new UB g-link double?
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@Mammabare: How many floors?
We moved from a fourth floor walk up to the second floor of a building with an elevator. We are just one flight up. Listen, it was super annoying not to be able to keep our stroller downstairs. I know peopke do it but I wouldn't recommend it if yoy can swing another option.
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I wouldn't do it if it's avoidable. I have the same stroller and live in a brownstone with street level entrance (with two steps down into the vestibule)...it takes me at least three trips in and out to our stoop to get the stroller bits folded and both kids plus stroller in the door, and both of my kids can walk (so those trips are me carrying stuff, not kids). that's without groceries/school artwork/coats/diaper bag extras. When we visit friends with walk ups, it is really tricky to keep both kids secure somewhere while I dash up and down. I wouldn't want to deal with that every time we went in and out of the apartment if I could avoid it.
If the apartment is really great and you go for it, I'd keep the stroller in the car for big outings only (though you have to remember to take it out if you want much room for groceries or big purchases). day to day you could wear the baby and have your three year old walk short distances/ride in the umbrella stroller for longer ones.
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We did it when I had one in a City Mini. I kept a large rubber boot mat in the entry hall for the stroller, but honestly, I ended up wearing her more than I had when we were in our previous elevator building. It wasn't horrible though! I think part of why it was manageable was that I could close it with one hand and carry her in the other. Now that I have a baby and toddler in a City Select, I really think it might be a deal breaker for me. I just can't imagine having enough hands to manage it regularly. If it's one flight or semi private and you can leave it while you take the kids up and then come get it, maybe that would work? Is there room to store it open? I might just leave it on an old beach towel in inclement weather if so.
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Our last apartmen didn't have an elevator but we were only on the first floor. I kept my stroller downstairs locked to the railing. Sometimes it would take multiple trips up and down the stairs if I had groceries. We have a Bugaboo and the bassinet/seat pop off easily. I would take the bassinet/seat upstairs and leave the frame locked downstairs. My LOs were newborn and 3 while we lived there and I would have the older LO just walk up the stairs while I carried everything.
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We live up 4 flights and I have a city mini and a 22 mo. I am desperate to move out before LO2 arrives in Feb because I feel like there's no way I could do it with 2 kids and a bigger pram! I regularly have to make multiple trips and it can be very tough if the toddler isn't in the mood to climb the stairs! I can't store it in the car as Dh uses it for work most days, and we aren't allowed to leave anything on or at the bottom of the stairs.
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@Mrsjazz the apartment is on the 3FL but you have the flight outside to consider as well. There is no where to leave it downstairs, and when we asked the other families what they did when their kids were small and they had strollers they said they carried them up. I think we may pass. It sounds like it will really suck especially in bad weather. I'm glad you ladies confirmed it for me. Thanks everyone!
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I would only do it if you had an elevator and enough room to store it in your apartment. I had the Select (and only one LO, so not the double) and sold it because it was too heavy and annoying to constantly fold and lift into our house (two steps off the sidewalk) and at daycare. I can't imagine how hard it would be to actually move it plus two LOs up even a single flight of stairs.
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I think it depends on the quality and location of the apartment! If it's an amazing place at an amazing price in an amazing neighborhood, then it would be worth it. I have three different mom friends who have lived on second, third, fourth floor walk-ups with their twins. It's not ideal but it's doable. I think people who are responding 'absolutely not' don't live in a city so probably don't know what the reality of living is. To me, it's one of those annoyances that would be worth it for the right place. Your 3-year-old will be able to climb the stairs easily, so it's really just dealing with the 6-month-old plus the stroller. Definitely doable!
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we left the stroller in our car always. We didn't use it as much in the winter and it was in the car more for when we needed when we drove out somewhere. In the summer we actually left it downstairs in the doorway. No one minded and it was easier than folding it and putting it back in the trunk every day (and we trusted it wouldn't get stolen, which it didn't). We basically never had the strollers in our apartment year round.
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We often left the stroller in the car, and then I just ran from the car to the door. It was inconvenient, but doable. If I was too tired to carry things up and it was cool out, I would just leave the groceries in the car for my husband to carry. I live in Canada, so it was extremely bad weather much of the year.
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@Mammabare: having to carry up our double really made me hate my life in that moment. It was to the point where I would rather have a backpack in the front for our stuff, kid in the ergo and an umbrella stroller for the older one because that was the only way we could go up together. Except that didn't work when it started snowing....I don't think I can adequately put into words just how frustrating it was.
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Hmmm @Trailmix are you in New York? Please tell me how your friend did it with twins?! God bless her
I'm also wondering where some of you who were absolutely against it live? Are any of you New Yorkers? I ask because most people think the stuff New Yorkers do to live in New York is crazy lol
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@babyboymom sounds awful! Can I ask why you elected to stay in that apartment? Or did you?
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We actually keep out daughter's stroller in her room. her room is mostly for sleeping and we all tend to gather and dor just about everything in the living room. I live in an elevator building, but we are not allowed to leave strollers for long periods outside in the hallway.
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@Mammabare: I agree that this is something that city people are more willing to consider. However, for me there would have to be really extenuating circumstances, like the perfect neighborhood, for a great apartment and a great price. We are on the second floor of our building (2 flights) with just a 2 year old so far, and I won't lie- I already curse the stairs almost every day. But we have an indoor garage space where I leave our stroller- no way would I use our Vista if I had to fold and carry it.
If it was just perfect in every other way I think you could make it work, but it would suck sometimes. And plan on things like having groceries delivered.
Also, could you leave the stroller downstairs while you get the kids up and situated, then go back down to get it? I do that with groceries or Costco trips.
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@Mammabare: I'm a New Yorker. DH and I had only lived in walk-ups until after we had LO. Yes, it's a reality for City folks but if you can avoid it then avoid it! That's what we did. Unless the apartment is amazing and you could see yourself being there longterm.
There were times the elevator was out in our building and I was so happy to be just one flight up. Even though we don't use the stroller anymore getting my 3 year old to walk up the stairs takes a lot of patience!
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@Mammabare: I live in London, and to be fair we will be leaving the city to be able to afford a house that I can just drive my pram into (not the only reason we are leaving!) But even if we were staying there are so many other things I would compromise on to be able to have a ground floor flat or one with a lift. My DS is capable of walking up and down the stairs, but they are just endless concrete stairs and I won't feel confident that I can keep him safe whilst carrying a baby as well.
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I am a NYer and wouldn't do it unless the apartment is like rent stabilized or something spectacular. We currently live in an apartment with just a few stairs, and it is a huge PITA with just a toddler.
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@raintreebee: yep same.
I also live in NYC and there is no way I would ever do this unless it was insanely cheap and an amazing amazing space. And even then, i think I would pass! I lived in a 4th floor walk up pre baby and just walking those stairs myself was super annoying--it made me less likely to leave the house after I had come home because it seemed like such an effort. No way I could do it with a baby, let alone two kids.
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I lived in Manhattan for 9 years, currently live in Hoboken with an elevator and a toddler, and I am very grateful that I insisted, pre-kids, on the elevator in anticipation of the stroller situation.
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@Mammabare: I'm in New York (Brooklyn). My neighborhood is mainly historic brownstones, so while no one I know has the convenience of a luxury building with a street level entrance and huge elevator, we all have varying degrees of inconvenience dealing with stairs, weird entrances, and where we can/can't leave strollers. I maintain that while anything is doable for the right price/location, I'd avoid a situation like the one you described if at all possible. I'm sorry; I know it's not what you probably want to hear.
I'd also wonder if the no strollers downstairs policy is indicative of a not particularly family friendly building....and be worried about the potential of neighbors complaining about typical todfler/baby noise.
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@Mammabare: yes ny'er. My last place was a 5th floor walk up. We got pregnant and decided we needed to move. We ended up losing that baby but that lit a fire under our butts to move. We are now in an apt with 5 steps to bump the stroller up and down, we can leave the stroller in the hallway, and then walk one floor up. Honestly it's bliss. My husband and I remark several times a week how heinous it would have been in our last place. And our last place was the unicorn of Nyc apartments. 1500 sq ft full floor two bed, great hood, pre war, wood burning fireplace, windows in every room and 9 huge closets and *inexpensive* however it was a walk up . Having said all that I would still not ever live there with a baby.
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@Mammabare: We didn't stay! We were there for a year. Originally my DH had about 2 days to find us a place to live, so we agreed that up to second floor walk-up we would manage…and that was a mistake but I just didn't realize it thinking about it from afar. You live, you learn. I don't really consider myself a New Yorker but I do live in NY.
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@Mammabare: I honestly cant imagine how you'd get a City select with two seats, a 3 year old, and a baby up 3 flights of stairs.
Are you street parking, where you'll be in a different place each day, or do you have a garage space? I think I would much rather have a smaller apartment than have to carry babies and possibly tantrumming 3 year olds and diaper bags and groceries up 3 flights.
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Sounds like the consensus is don't do it! The apartment is great and pre-kids or even if I had only my toddler it might've worked but with the baby and the toddler and my heavy use of the stroller it could turn a nice apartment into a nightmare. Thanks for all of your help everyone!
I'm also wondering where some of you who were absolutely against it live? Are any of you New Yorkers? I ask because most people think the stuff New Yorkers do to live in New York is crazy lol
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