Crib and stroller shopping

Daddy Jarbs and I finally ventured out to a baby store to look at cribs and strollers. We are not ready to make any purchases yet but we want to know what's "out there" so that we can research and make decisions accordingly. We went to the Great Beginnings store in Gaithersburg, MD. This place is rated in the Baby Bargains book as one of the top rated baby stores in the US. Now, we know why! Their customer service was excellent. Their staff were very helpful and knowledgeable about the different products. They took time out to explain everything we, first time parents, need to know and consider about purchasing cribs and strollers.

Before going to the store, Daddy Jarbs and I know that we want the following for a crib:
- made of solid hardwood (long lasting and sturdy; doesn't scratch easily)
- in espresso finish (so that it matches the rest of our furniture)
- not made in China (because of lead paint scare)
- not a drop side crib (this article came out today about drop side cribs)

As soon as we walked in the store, we saw the crib below and loved it instantly. It is a Munire Urban Safeside 3 in 1 crib. We like that it has a simple, modern and clean design. We do not like very traditional looking, bulky cribs. Our house decors/furnitures are very contemporary so this matches perfectly with our style. The crib comes in espresso and the design actually matches with our own bed. Also, it is a stationary crib with no moving parts. It converts into a toddler or day bed. Lastly, it is manufactured by Minure which has an A- rating in the Baby Bargains book. Munire cribs are manufactured in Indonesia but the sales associate told us that they are moving their plant to Canada soon. We looked at other cribs in the store but did not find any other one that we like. I think we'll end up getting this :-).

For the stroller, we have not made up our minds yet but so far this is what we like:

This is the  BOB Revolution stroller. Since we live in the city and are always out and about, we think this will be a good fit for us. This stroller is lightweight and very easy to maneuver. We can even use it for jogging when Baby Jarbs is much bigger! A carseat adapter may be purchased so that we can use it with the infant carseat when Baby Jarbs is still a few months old.  When Baby Jarbs is bigger and can hold his/her head up, then we can do away with the carseat and have Baby Jarbs seat upright inside the stroller. However, since Baby Jarbs will be born late fall and I will be on maternity leave through winter, we may not be able to do a lot of walking and use the Bob stroller a lot  during that time. If and when we get another Snowmageddon like we had this past winter, then this stroller will be perfect iin braving the snow if we want to leave the house and walk out to get some fresh air. The BOB Revolution has gotten rave reviews online so we know this is a good product. We saw a couple with a BOB rev stroller at out neighborhood Farmers Market. We asked them how they like their stroller and they said they really like it! One downside with this though is that it looks a little bulky especially for  little Mommy Jarbs. Since the stroller is so easy to maneuver, the pros may outweigh the cons though.

We are also considering getting a Snap N Go (pic below) stroller to use with the infant car seat for the first few months. It is lightweight and great for quick trips to the grocery store, mall, etc. Not to mention, it is also relatively cheap (~$60)! We still have not fully decided if we'll use an infant carseat or start with the convertible one so that will be the deciding factor whether we will get a Snap N Go or not.

We also plan to use baby carriers and "wear" Baby Jarbs lot especially during the first few months.  So far, we have gotten the Moby & Ergo carriers. We both got them at a great deal!

Daddy Jarbs and I will continue to look at other stroller options but this is a good start. Now we have an idea what we want and need so hopefully it will be easy to make the final decision.