WE HAVE A WINNER!

As some of you may have read awhile back, we've been going through the great debate of selecting a new stroller that will fit my changing needs in terms of Caroline's size and my wheelchair. This past weekend, we made our choice.

For the past 20 months, our trusty Bugaboo Chameleon has been fabulous, and I would recommend it to anyone, especially those of us who use wheelchairs. Although it is exorbitantly expensive, it has truly been worth every penny for us, as both Steve and I can push it easily. Although it's big, it comes apart into two pieces so that it's simple for me to put into my car. It has one telescoping handlebar instead of two fixed push handles, which is perfect for someone in a wheelchair who has to repeatedly switch hands to push the chair and the stroller. We were also able to buy an adaptor so that we could snap our infant seat right to it when Caroline was little. Most importantly, it's really sturdy and turns easily, which takes some of the strain off of my wrists - a good thing, since wheelchair users often develop chronic wrist issues (and I already have some pain from time to time). It doesn't hurt that it's a really cute stroller, either!

just three of the several set-up options for the fabulous Bugaboo Chameleon

Sadly, some issues evolved over time for us. The major drawback for the Chameleon from a wheelchair standpoint is its weight - the stroller itself weighs a bit over 20 pounds, which is fine with an infant but begins to get heavy as a baby grows. For me, this meant that, despite coming up with a system that attached the stroller to my chair with some large carabiners from a hiking store, I wasn't able to take Caroline out for walks in our hilly neighborhood in her stroller for too many months before she got too big and I had to begin using my Baby Bjorn with her on my lap. The hills, plus the weight of me, the wheelchair, the stroller, and Caroline, got to be too much for my "little stroller that could."

The Bugaboo still worked amazingly well when we were out and about (and continues to be a favorite purchase of ours), but our needs were changing as Caroline got more mobile. I needed something simple, quick, light, and easy to manage so that she and I wouldn't begin to feel trapped close to home as Caroline wanted to spend less time in her stroller while out running errands. We had to come up with the next solution to the ever-evolving challenge of managing a toddler from a wheelchair.

My hunt for our perfect next solution has been exhaustive. I've been to Buy Buy Baby and Great Beginnings umpteen times to test drive, lift, and collapse different models. I've scoured the internet and watched You-Tube videos of people using their strollers to see how easily they maneuver. I continually referred back to this great comparison chart to look at the features I knew we needed. I also talked to friends who are in wheelchairs and looked at some of the (limited) resources that are out there for adapted types of strollers. It's been a somewhat long and frustrating process, since we have to put even more thought into this kind of purchase than the average parent.

It finally came down to two strollers - the new Bugaboo Bee and the Quinny Zapp. Both strollers come from good brands who know their stuff in terms of building something sturdy and maneuverable, which is what kept bringing me back to them on my test drives. Their turning radiuses are quite tight, meaning that I could zip them around store displays and through crowds easily. They are both lighter than my Chameleon (the Zapp is the lighter of the two), and come with canopies and a small underseat bag.

Bugaboo Bee vs. Quinny Zapp

The major draw of the Bee for me is that it has the same telescoping handlebar as its big sister Chameleon, while the Zapp has two push handles (with a bar that spans between them that I could use to push, although it isn't padded). It also has a fully reclining seat and available adaptors with which to attach our infant carrier. The major draw for the Zapp is that it collapses so easily - just push two buttons on either side of the seat to fold the seat down, and then push a button underneath the seat with your hand or foot and it folds into a very small unit that's easy to handle. The Bee was much trickier for me, requiring more leg strength than I have and being set up to require to0 much contorting of my arms to fold with my hands. The Zapp doesn't officially recline, but sits at a bit of an angle so that if Caroline catnaps, it wouldn't be the end of the world. It's also less expensive. The decision was made.

We picked up our brand-new black Quinny Zapp this weekend and immediately took it out for a test-drive. It did well in the mall and was pretty easy to push up ramps (we'll have to see how it handles an incline on neighborhood walks). It was easy for me to lift Caroline into and out of, and maneuvered exceptionally well. When we collapsed it to put in the trunk of our wagon, we had plenty of room for my wheelchair, which was nice because with the Chameleon, Steve had to play a game of "Tetris" every time he tried to fit the pieces of the chair and stroller in the back of the car. Two drawbacks are that it gets tipsy if you hang too much on the handles, and that the underseat bag isn't too spacious. I ended up carrying stuff on my lap, which wasn't too bad. I'm used to feeling like a pack-mule these days with a toddler in tow.

Check out this video of how the Quinny Zapp works:

**Be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the page to turn off the music player before playing the video!**

I've also broken down and bought a baby harness for those times when Caroline just wants O-U-T of the stroller so that I can keep tabs on her. Although I hate to put her in it, sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do, right? I keep it in my bag and will have it when we're out with the stroller. The real stroller test for us will be a trip to Ft. Myer's Beach, Florida for my cousin Brian's wedding in May. I am excited to see how it handles at the airport - it comes with a travel bag that I think we'll pack it into before gate checking it. I will keep everyone posted!

Being in a wheelchair means that you have to constantly be on your toes, thinking about better ways to do the everyday things that many people take for granted. I've gotten used to this over the past almost 19 years that I've been in a chair. While it's not always fun to have to think about this stuff, I am always happy when I feel like I can pass along a new way to do something to others who might be in my situation. Hopefully then, they won't have to reinvent the wheel (no pun intended!). Maybe something I stumble across can help out my walking friends, too!