moving to hk - looking for stroller purchase advice

D

dcthk

Registered User
i am moving from nyc to hk early next year with a 3 month old baby. we held off purchasing a stroller so we could buy what would be appropriate for HK.

What are important factors to consider when purchasing a stroller that would work well in HK...we will not have a car. Any recommendations on strollers? I have looked at the Bugaboo and the Uppa Baby here. I have not seen any mention of the Uppa Baby on the forums. How would those work for HK living?
 
Hi dcthk, we have a Graco Metrolite from the States. It's good and sturdy, but I find that it's too big for HK. When we travel around with the car, it's ok, but when I'm out alone, the stroller is too cumbersome for the taxi. I would buy a lightweight stroller for HK if I can do it all over again.
 
We're on our third stroller and its by far our favorite for Hong Kong: the Maclaren Techno XT. I walk or take the MTR almost everywhere, but its also light enough that I can fold it and lift it into a taxi with my daughter in the Ergo. My favorite feature is the larger wheel size, which makes it really easy to walk along the uneven sidewalks, as well as get up and down steps when necessary.
I would also consider a stroller that has a car seat adapter for a younger age if you are planning on taking a lot of taxis. I will definitely get one if/when we have another child. I can't make a recommendation but I've seen a lot of Quinny Buzz/Maxi Cosi combos as well as the Bugaboo Bee with a Maxi Cosi car seat.
 
Important factors are lightweight - to get it in and out of taxis / buses plus HK is not that stroller friendly - loads of steps etc. Plus easy to fold. Good sun shade would also be useful.
Good luck
 
i ALWAYS looked for a single-handed folding, light-weight.

the single-handed folding was important if you are holding your baby and having to fold the stroller by yourself. taxi drivers do not help out mums... at least they didn't when i had my first.
 
also, a stroller where you can reverse handle and push the other way round.. coz' hk is so crowded, if you can have the baby facing towards you , no worries about ppl bumping into her feet and all that.
 
Yes on the single-handed folding, light-weight.
We also looked for one that had a wheel-base skinny enough to fit through the MTR turnstiles. Hunting for the wide gates is not only a pain, you might not end up at the exit you wanted to go out.
And you can forget the elevators as they will be full of what appears to be two-legged, apparently healthy adults.
 
You can probably borrow one or buy one second hand when you get here. Where we live, there are so many stairs/hills that we have only taken our McLaren Triumph out twice in 4 months. We don't have a car, but the mini-bus these days often have a place for you to store it. We made much more use of our Baby Bjorn and slings. The Ergo carrier also looks great - would consider getting one for my next one!
 
HK is crazy and aggravatingly stroller unfriendly, though not the worst city I`ve been to. Take for granted that you will have to lift the stroller up and down stairs (it grows tiresome to countlessly assign strangers to the act of this kindness) in the MTR stations. for this reason I value the lightweight Combi stroller I bought(4 kg).
Second, one handed opening and closing is another must have. I can`t imagine what my life would be like if it took two hands to open and close my stroller. Where would baby be - on the ground crawling away?
Finally, something my stroller lacks but I would not trade the other 2 features is a good set of wheels. Mine aren`t bad, but more ideal for malls and the inside of train stations rather than on a rougher sidewalk or road.
And do yourself a favour and buy it over there - things are soooo expensive for baby here.
 
choice between 2 strollers

hi,
thanks for all your suggestions. so useful to have practical advise from people on the ground.
i am now considering either the bugaboo bee or the city mini (from baby jogger) - the city mini has a one handed fold etc. any thoughts?
is a wheel base width of 24" too wide to get through the mtr turnstiles?
 
shenennifer,
thanks for the suggestion i am going to buy it here. my baby will be 3 months by the time we get there and i was hoping to buy some toys etc for when she is older and pack it in with the stuff. what did you find most useful as the lil kiddo grew up from 3-6 and 6-9 months?
thanks for the advise
 
dcthk said:
shenennifer,
thanks for the suggestion i am going to buy it here. my baby will be 3 months by the time we get there and i was hoping to buy some toys etc for when she is older and pack it in with the stuff. what did you find most useful as the lil kiddo grew up from 3-6 and 6-9 months?
thanks for the advise
Click to expand...

If you mean toys, probably my best purchase was this Chicco activity centre thing that`s in 3 stages - overhead, sitting and standing. I got it when my son was 3 months old and at 10 months old he`s still using it. I got that here though. I think any toys you could fit in with your luggage will be appreciated when your baby is older here. But there is no shortage of toys here.
However, I would have bought a high chair at home if I had realised how expensive they were here.
 
Unfortunately MTR turnstiles are about 18.5 inches wide, so24 inches would be too wide. Seems they are trying to make some more, wider ones but availability is spotty.
Honestly, when we had one child we used a Maya wrap sling as much as possible. Now with two we use the stroller a little more often. Stroller also comes in handy for hauling bags around HK.
And I would agree with buying the stuff before you get here due to price and safety. No way to tell what might be wrong with a used stroller. For instance, our seat is pretty much shot but I'm not sure you could tell that just by looking or test driving.
 
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