Traveling With Kids

By Dea Birkett: The Guardian
Date 7/27/02

My brother has now left for a week's holiday in Manhattan, the last break for him and his girlfriend before their first baby is born in October. As he is currently unencumbered, I have sent him off with a large order for us: he is to bring back a double jogging buggy for the 16-month-old twins.
I first discovered the delights of a jogging buggy when nine-year-old Storme was just an infant in arms. After struggling with a traditional pushchair over unpaved paths and sandy beaches, I was encouraged by an American friend while in the States to buy a three-wheeled stroller. Since then, three-wheeled pushchairs have become available here, but they're not nearly as good as the American-made models.

Here, they're purchased mainly as a fashion item; on the other side of the Atlantic, they're admired for purely practical reasons. The wheels are far larger (but less pretty) than those on their British counterparts, making them even easier to push over rough terrain. The American buggies are also much cheaper, costing approximately the same in dollars there that they do in pounds here.

I have already ordered our double buggy over the internet, and arranged for it to be delivered to my brother's rented apartment; most companies do this free of charge. It's easy to find a supplier on the web. You can either go to one of the manufacturer's sites, such as the limousine of the three-wheeled pushchair world, Baby Jogger (Baby Jogger), where dealers will be listed. Or you can log on to one of the many online discount suppliers - www.joggingstrollers4less.com, www.arunningstroller.com and www.strollers4less.com among them.

The cheapest twin three-wheeled buggy I found was just $149.95, including free delivery within the US, from www.comfort1st.com. The only challenge is finding someone to bring it back to you. But then, at those prices, you could cover the cost of your airfare in savings and fly there yourself. Good excuse.