Back in March I courageously admitted that I was a Bumbleride addict and professed my love and decided to leave Bob (that’s “Bob” of the stroller-variety).

Well, this weekend something happened and I thought our torrid love affair may be over. For months I have been somewhat annoyed by the fact that the “crotch-pad” (for lack of a better word), the cover that slides over the belting system at baby’s crotch, keeps slipping off every time my preschooler gets out of the stroller. It’s not so bad with the baby’s exit because I am taking her out, but my son just slides out and with him goes the crotch-pad. I have been thinking for a while now that this is the one flaw of the Bumbleride Indie and Bumbleride Indie Twin and have been annoyed each time it happens. However, the infraction wasn’t enough to end the love affair altogether. You know, it’s kind of like how a husband’s weird quirk grates on you…like how when he flosses his teeth he licks the flossed bits off the floss! Ewwwww! Well anyways, my point is, while it’s highly irritating it’s not anything to get a divorce over.*

And this crotch-pad thing is kind of like that. However, on Sunday the “floss” finally almost broke the Bumbleride Addict’s back. As I was outside of Von’s I let my son out of the stroller and we go in to shop. After shopping, I go to put him back in the stroller and notice that the crotch-pad is gone! OMG!!!! A tragedy of epic proportions!!!! Okay, so some of you may say, “Big deal!” but for someone who has OCD tendencies towards her strollers I freaked! We spent 20 minutes retracing our steps and asking at the lost-and-found but there was nary a crotch-pad to be found. I went home dejected, completely annoyed, and with a few choice words for Bumbleride (and myself)!

Fast forward to this morning when I called the San Diego office of Bumbleride. I told them how I had lost the crotch-pad because it falls off so easily and asked if they could please send me a replacement. “Of course”, they said! They would be happy to! The woman was so nice and friendly and she even told me how to prevent another loss! I told her how I had been thinking of jerry-rigging the stroller so the crotch-pad would stay put better but hadn’t yet gotten to it. She suggested sewing some tacking into the back of the crotch pad to connect it with the strap inside. That way the crotch-pad (or “belt- cover” as Bumbleride more eloquently calls it) can still be easily removed for washing by simply cutting the tacks.

So, in addition to top-notch strollers, Bumbleride also has top-notch customer service. I am impressed and still deeply in love.

*Dr. McCutiePants no longer does this. Once I pointed out the sheer grossness of it (and refused to be within sight or sound of him when he flossed his teeth) he quickly changed his ways.

I’m baaaaaaaaack! I’ve been off the grid for a few days with a cold and just busy days, in general. It’s been a chorus of sneezing around our house but we’re on the mend.

Mercedes at Common Sense With Money is giving away a Bumbleride Indie. Now, it’s no secret that I am a big fan addict of the Bumbleride Indie and here are some of the many reasons why.

I recently recognized and admitted that I have become a Bumbleride Addict. Before I had kids, the addiction was limited to shoes. Oh, how I love cute shoes! It’s actually quite a ridiculous addiction for me to have now that I am a San Diego SAHM and I really just mostly wear flip flops…but I do enjoy gazing upon my fantastic and somewhat dusty collection of fabulous shoes. Once I had my first child, my stash expanded into baby carriers. And then, of course, there is, my much beloved stroller collection…

I do appreciate a beautiful and functional stroller. You know how a guy’s head turns when a gorgeous girl walks past? Well, that’s me with strollers. Oh yeah. I’ve practically given myself whiplash on more than one occassion, when a sweet ride has caught my eye. I’ve even gone out of my way to do a stroller “drive by” to find out the brand. I am helpless when confronted with a particularly sharp-turning swivel wheel or a blissfully easy one-handed fold. I’m a sucker for sleek lines. I am paralyzed by beautiful fabric. I am a complete basket-case over a big and accessible basket (tee hee, get it?). I swoon over an adjustable handlebar. And I am rendered positively powerless by a ride so smooth you can steer with one hand. These are just some of the many wonderful characteristics of the Adonis that is the Bumbleride.

My collection currently consists of three strollers. My favorite: The Bumbleride Indie Twin; My first: The Chicco Cortina (travel system); and My Jogger: The Bob SUS. I used to L-O-V-E my Bob but now that Bumbleride has entered my life, Bob has sadly become the proverbial red-headed step-child. For the record, lest I offend anyone, I love red-heads and I am partial to step-children, as I was one…more than once. Anyways, now I think I want a Bumbleride Indie to replace my Bob SUS stroller. I’m always surprised and somewhat impressed that families can get away with owning just one stroller, but with Bumbleride I almost get it.

I’ve received a lot of emails and questions about my Bumbleride posts, Hi My Name is J and I’m a Bumbleride Addict and Bumbleride Solves Double Stroller Dilemma. Choosing a stroller is serious business. A stroller is a vehicle for your most precious cargo and so we Moms need something that is going to be safe. Also, a stroller helps us get from point A to point B and get our seemingly endless mountain of tasks accomplished (hopefully). The Kingdom of Mom is full of enough obstacles and road-blocks; we don’t need our stroller making things more difficult, rather we need it to be super functional and help (or at least not hinder) us as we go about our daily business. Sounds like I put a hefty role on my stroller, doesn’t it? Indeed I do. Kids have a mind of their own and give us enough grief that I don’t need my stroller to be of the same beast. A stroller must be tame and help me navigate through my day without making me crazy in the head. Some strollers are so awful and so horribly annoying that I’d rather just do without and carry both kids. And my many bags of groceries. While I walk 3 miles. In the snow. And poke my eyes out. Get the picture?

Seriously though, I spend so much time with a stroller that I need to “love the one I’m with”. Fortunately, I don’t personally own any strollers that make me want to poke my eyes out but I am becoming disenchanted with my Bob SUS. There isn’t anything super wrong with it. I just fell madly in love with my Bumbleride Indie Twin and all it’s features that I didn’t know I was missing before. So, now I am looking squarely in the face of an adulterous love affair with the Bumbleride Indie. Sorry Bob. It’s not you, it’s me. I met someone else. I didn’t mean for it to happen.

Okay, so anyways, to the grit of this post. Momma’s, you asked lots of questions and I will attempt to answer them. I too was curious about the changes to the 2010 model – specifically, how the 2010 Indie differs from the 2009 (I have the 2009 Indie Twin). I did some due diligence and this is what I’ve been able to determine:

Some nice changes have been made to both the 2010 Indie and Indie Twin strollers. First, Bumbleride has brought back the bumper bar. This time, however it is a multi-purpose, adjustable bar and the cover can be removed to use it as a universal infant seat adapter bar. It can also be used to attach the snack tray fabric which is sold as a separate accessory. I’m not sure that I understand Bumbleride’s snack pack. Why is it fabric? Kind of knarly. However, people seem to love it so maybe I’m missing something? Anyways, the 2010 line also comes with a $20 price increase but this seems really minimal and reasonable to me when you consider that the bumper bar is now included (it was an optional accessory for 2009). I absolutely love that Bumbleride doesn’t make you pay extra for the infant car seat adapter (like some other companies do). They win huge points from me on that one. Another change to the 2010 model is that the handlebar adjustment mechanism has been moved to the inside of the handle to make it more ergonomically easy to adjust. Also, the peek-a-boo window on the top of the stroller canopy has been changed from plastic to UV mesh. Lastly, Bumbleride has made the canopy even larger so that it now provides an additional 9 inches of sun protection. Plus, the canopy can now fold forward more and goes all the way down to the bumper bar!

Based on these changes, Bumbleride must take their customer feedback very seriously. The newly improved 2010 line makes me swoon over the Indie even more than before.

I have stroller envy. Bad.

I want a Bumbleride Indie stroller. Even though I already have one. I have the double and now I also want the single. Clearly, I have a problem.

Several months ago I wrote about how Bumbleride solved my double stroller dilemma. After extensive research, I ended up purchasing the Bumbleride Indie Twin and I absolutely love it! Not only does it look super sleek and awesome, but it is super sleek and awesome. I love everything about it. It doesn’t even really feel like a double stroller…until you pick it up to put it in the car. Of course, that’s to be expected with every all-terrain double stroller. Especially ones that have all the bells and whistles that this one does. So, now I want a single Bumbleride Indie. I used to love my Bob Sport Utility Stroller and now it just doesn’t compare to the Bumbleride. Even my toddler prefers the Bumbleride.

The Bumbleride Indie weighs less than most all-terrain strollers, coming in at 20 lbs. The Bob SUS comes in at 22.5 lbs. Granted, the Bob’s carrier weight limit is 70 lbs and the Indie’s is 45 lbs, but I seriously do not want to be strolling my kid around when he or she is 70 lbs! The other thing that I really like about the Indie is the adjustable handle bar (from 32″-45″). I’m a petite 5’2″ and the Bob’s fixed handle height doesn’t work well for me. It’s hard on my neck to push a stroller with such a high handle height. Also, my husband is 6’2″, so with a whole foot of height difference between us, he appreciates the adjustable handle as well.

I love that the Indie can switch from an infant stroller to a toddler stroller in no time. I especially love that they’ve designed a clever global infant car seat attachment that will support infant seat models like Chicco. My options are very limited if I want to use the car seat, as most strollers do not accommodate Chicco. Even better, is that you don’t have to purchase the car seat adapter separately – it’s included! How awesome is that?! Other companies (which shall remain nameless) make you purchase their adapter package, which I really resent when I’m already spending $350+ on the stroller.

Other great features of the Bumbleride Indie:

Comes complete with a full accessory package: rain cover, cupholder, air pump, and car seat adapter
Seat that reclines flat
Large storage basket that is also easily accessible (I find the Bob hard to access even though it’s nice and large)
Adjustable handle bar
Multi-use bumper bar
Aluminum spoke wheels for reduced weight
Large, adjustable sun canopy with a rear pocket to hold parenting essentials

Not only is the Indie awesome for mom and dad but it’s also a pimpin’ ride for your little passenger. The Bumbleride Indie rides like luxury. It’s outfitted with tons of soft padding in the seat, roomy seating, an infant headrest, shoulder pads, a snug 5 point harness, and 12″ air filled tires to make the ride a smooth one.

Overall I think the Bumbleride Indie is a great full-featured stroller since it can handle light jogging and the fact that it works with my infant seat. I do need to get my hands on one to try out folding it up and lifting it into and out of the car. My Indie Twin is pretty big to fold up and lift in and out but not much worse than the Bob, or any other double full-featured stroller. However, I’m hoping the Indie single is easier to fold and lift.

So, I am seriously considering buying one. However, it’s a hefty price-tag considering that I also have their double stroller…and a Bob…and a Chicco travel system stroller. That would make 4 strollers. Kind of stroller whorish. Maybe one will fall out of the sky and land on my doorstep. Or maybe I can just tell Dr.McCutiePants that’s what happened since I doubt he would be behind yet another stroller purchase.

So, I spent the better part of the last half of my pregnancy researching double strollers. I had a few criteria that I wasn’t going to waver on:

1) had to accommodate our Chicco keyfit infant car safety seat.
2) had to be sturdy and yet be able to fit through a standard doorway.
3) had to have an adjustable steering handle (my husband is a foot taller than I am).
4) had to have a big and easily accessible storage basket

After much online and in-store research, I finally decided that I definitely wanted a side-by-side (the tandem are boring for the kids and a pain to push when they are so long) and I wanted the Bumbleride Indie Twin. At $659 plus tax, it’s not an inexpensive stroller BUT it’s a good one with all the bells and whistles and very functional. When Madam Poopsalot was 3 weeks old, I finally broke down and ordered one. The price-tag was giving me serious fright since I wasn’t even sure if I needed a double stroller at all! However, since baby girl was early and small it would be a long time before I will be able to put her in a baby carrier while I stroller my son since my Becco is for 8lbs minimum (Becco BTW is THE BEST baby carrier out there!!!!). I was going stir crazy not being able to take them both out for a walk down to the grocery store or out and about. My son isn’t the type to just walk nicely beside me or stand nicely on a wheely board attached to a stroller. The Bumbleride shipped quickly and I was so excited to receive it. Unfortunately, it had a manufacturers defect and we had to ship it back and order another one. The second one also shipped very quickly and this time it was in defect-free! My husband was able to quickly and easily assemble it and I’ve been enjoying it for the past 2 weeks! My son even likes it and he’s been very anti-stroller (another reason why I was scared to shell out several hundred dollars for it. Well, in the end it was well worth it and it’s only been 2 weeks. I love it! It steers beautifully and the basket is awesome! I love the versatility of the stroller and just today when it was a balmy 82 degrees in San Diego in mid-December, I was able to unzip the back portion of the stroller cover to let some air in for my 6 week old preemie and yet still have her completely shielded from the sun (and from peoples germs) while out and about. I even went for a walk and jog down to my gym to pay my membership dues and it worked great as a jogging stroller! Now, granted I haven’t tried to fold it up and take it anywhere yet so I’ll report on that when the time comes. I’m a little afraid!

My Organized Chaos is a great site and the Bumbleride is a great stroller!

Check it out!

http://celebrity-babies.com/