The Baby Jogger is a wonderful stroller that is light-weight and has a brake, as well as a strap to prevent the stroller and your little bundle of joy from getting away from you. Getting used to the Baby Jogger is very important. You don't want to go out and just start running with your new toy. Take some time to walk your baby in the jogger first, then slowly move up to running with it. Running with a Baby Jogger is very different than running on your own. You realize very quickly how much you use your upper body when running.
As far as brands of joggers, I really recommend the original Baby Jogger. I did have the opportunity to run with a jogger made by Jeep. It was nice and very sturdy, but it wasn't nearly as light and it was tough to make turns with.
I had the opportunity to interview a couple other Mom's about the Baby Jogger.
Colleen Acerra: triathlete, swimmer, runner and Ironman
What brand do you use? I have the Baby Jogger--it was the original jogger and is almost identical to the Bob Jogger. Originally, we were going to get the Bob, but J found this stroller at a running store for HALF OFF!!! That being said, we got a $400 stroller for $200 all b/c it was last year's model! Lesson learned to not buy these at baby stores.
What do you like most? Honestly, I like everything. It's lightweight, has a swivel wheel that I can lock, if necessary...is really easy to pack/unpack in the car. It's so easy to use that I often run with Shannon and the dog, Dixie, with no trouble at all!
What do you like least? The front tire is a pain in the butt to inflate. It's so small that I can't use my bike pump for it(I use the regular pump for the back tires)--we have to use a little hand pump. Luckily, the PSI is only like 30 or something and they don't have to be inflated but every few weeks, but still, 2 different pumps for 3 tires is a bit of a pain.
What are the benefits of a baby jogger? I can exercise around the baby's schedule! Seriously, I hate running on treadmills and the jogger allows me to get my workouts in without messing up Shannon's schedule. Plus, it's so much faster for me to take a quick run outside--as opposed to driving to the Y, dropping her off, swimming, showering, picking her up, driving home, etc... I only use the jogger to run, but J is excited to take it on trips when she gets older b/c it's so smooth and can store lots of stuff. Honestly, I think it's easier to use a lightweight stroller (McClaren) to get around at the mall, restaurants, etc..., but I have a friend who only used their Bob stroller--for everything BUT exercise, ha ha ha....
How much has it helped you to get back into shape? In the beginning, the jogger was the reason I got back into shape. Shannon is exclusively breastfeed (no bottle), so I had to be around a lot more during the first few months. Being able to have her with me was great. I started running with her in the stroller when she was about 2 mos old. Plus, it's so much harder to run with the stroller--wow- what a workout! Especially on hills!!!
How does Shannon like it? She loves it...she likes to look around and she really seems to enjoy it.
Sarah Antal, runner, swimmer, and triathlete
I had a purple Babyjogger (the original, with that brand-name). The thing was great -- it allowed me to get in runs with baby Thomas when Brian was out of town for work. I even had the rain cover... pretty cool, for the die-hards like us.... Then when Elsa came along, I kept using it for walks (strap one kid on my front or back and the other in the stroller) because it was so much easier to push than the regular stroller... so I definitely got my money's worth. The one thing I have to say about baby joggers... I learned that it was better for ME if I could find a way to get out for an hour by myself for a run rather than going through all the trouble to drag a child along. It was great that I COULD get out with the child... but I always tell runner moms that you're better off getting your husband/mother/whoever lined up so you can be guaranteed an hour of peace every so often.....