when to use stroller?

[nona]

just curious...when did you guys start using a stroller for your lo? my lo is 4.5 months and he is not a fan of it. i'm beginning to think it is b/c he is not well supported in it and starts to slouch.  he holds his head up well and i think he is strong  but he obviously can not sit up yet.  he doesn't like the car seat too much either - he always arches his back as if he wants out - which is why i'm using the stroller w/o the car seat attachment.  additionally, we have a baby bjorn but our baby is 18 lbs already and so he is very heavy. i'm hoping to use a back pack carrier eventually. i want him to love going for a walk as much as i do but i can't figure out this stroller thing. it is hopefully just a phase!

[jumblebox]

I think we used ours from about 2 mo? We didn't go out much before that.

Does the seat of your stroller recline? Until he had decent head/neck control, we kept the seat of the stroller reclined somewhat. And, when out at nap time, we reclined it all the way flat, then hung a lightweight blanket over the canopy to make it a bit darker & less distracting. We didn't have him sitting straight up in the stroller until 4-5 mo, whenever it was that he started complaining about being reclined.

Do you offer him toys to play with in the stroller or car seat?

Somewhere around 4mo we also put an extra stroller (hand-me-down) in the living room, and propped him in it (sitting up almost straight) with a rolled blanket on each side. Then toys in his lap. That way he could "sit" in the living room at our level, see the tv, etc. Also good sitting practice, and an easy way to move him from one room to another.

[nona]

he prefers it straight vs reclined. i've tried the reclining thing. however, i did take him out in it the other day and he did much better. when he started to get sleepy, i did start reclining it and he took a nice nap. it souunds like he is old enough for it, he just needs to get use to it. i'll just have to start taking him out in it more often. i do give him toys in the car seat, which has helped tremendously. i will start using the toys in the stroller. i do have a stroller toy bar but of course it doesn't fit my stroller! i thought looking outside would be entertaining enough but i guess not

that is such a good idea about the extra stroller. i have a snap n go and i could put him in the car seat and roll him around in that inside the house. i'll start today!

thanks for the ideas!

[wfabby]

I had a convertible stroller which was the car seat which attached to the stroller and I started from about 2 weeks on walking my neighborhood.  Once I felt he had some more stability, around 3 months, I put him in the stroller without the seat.  He is 13 months, we take two walks a day and I can put him in the stroller for the mall, my dentist appointments, whatever and he will generally last 1.5 hours (that is in a walking situation).  I even bring him to OBGYN appointments, give him snacks and a portable dvd player and he is gold!

To top it off he is VERY active and never stops moving if he is out of the stroller!

I did start out short walks when he was in the stroller at first without his car seat and worked my way up in time.

[jumblebox]

For stroller toys, get some of those plastic "links" that link together into chains. (Walmart, dollar stores) That way you can attach one end to the stroller and the other end to the toys, and the toys won't land on the ground when they get tossed. 

Some kids (like my DS) just like to keep their hands busy.

Also, I tend to chatter during our walks, and stop now & then to point out stuff... "see the pretty flowers?" "that was a BIG truck!" etc.