Infant in Europe. Should I use a jogging stroller or a baby carrier?

I think a jogging stroller is going to be too big. Remember, you're going to be carrying this around with you for a month, and taking it through airport security. We haven't traveled with babies, our kids were 2 by the time we took them to Europe. We used small but sturdy umbrella strollers.

I think whatever you're the most comfortable with will be the best answer. A month may be a long time to only use the baby carrier.

One of the most important things is actually wheel size. Avoid umbrella strollers with tiny wheels. they are only good for smooth floors like shopping malls or airports. Larger wheels ride much better on uneven sidewalks, gravel, cobblestone, curbs etc.

Since you are visiting family: how about asking them to help you find a stroller that you can borrow for your trip? They might have a friend with a small child who outgrew his/her stroller, and you could borrow it or buy it from them. Then you could bring the baby over with a baby carrier like Ergo but also have use of a stroller.

If the strollers in Europe are similar to some of the prams I saw in Finland you might find yourself wanting to bring one home. ;)

In my travels to European cities I haven't seen families use the giant, American strollers that you see here. They just aren't going to fit in the tighter spaces you'll find in cafes, stores, on the metro, etc. It seems like umbrella strollers are the norm, at least in the cities I travel to.

I was thinking of using an umbrella stroller but I wonder if the cobblestone roads pose a problem. Does anyone know?

An umbrella stroller might be a little hard to use on cobblestone streets.

We went all over the world with our son when he was small and a stroller was definitely the way to go. The super lightweight umbrella strollers were not durable or sturdy enough, even if we did not use them a lot on cobblestones.
One year we came back from Japan with only 3 wheels on his stroller. It was tricky balancing that one.

Finally we found a McLaren stroller and that was a happy compromise between weight and sturdiness. It was pricier than an umbrella stroller, but it was worth it because it lasted several years through several trips.

Another important convenience for us was that the stroller could also carry the diaper bag/day bag. This was especially great when he fell asleep just when we were on a tour up some castle tower...only about 200+ steps!

Have a great trip!

Ones like the McLaren are good, they still fold up small, but have bigger, sturdier wheels for handling cobblestones and gravel. And, with a 6-month-old, you'll still get plenty of use out of it. You may even be able to find one on Craig's List.

Thanks for the tips on the MacLaren strollers. Do you have a particular model that worked really well or would any decent looking stroller be a good choice?

Also, I'm not sure if this is a dumb question, but can I purchase a stroller in Europe for a comparable cost to the US? I'd rather not pay the luggage fee for a stroller on the way there if we can just buy it there. Is there a store like Walmart or Costco in some countries?

There are actual Wal-Marts and Costcos ;-) Plus a variety of local branded 'box stores'. I'm not sure what they go for in the states but in the UK they start at about £30 for the very light weight ones and go up to a lot.

Have a look at some prices and such Mothercare.

I'd be surprised if there is that much price variance country to country with in Europe.

One thing to be aware of, as in the states, if you want to buy on from stock there-and-then you'll need one of the larger stores which are usually out of town and probably only accessible by car, I'm not sure how you're travelling. Costco and similar are out of town as standard, if you want to shop somewhere more central you may end up paying more at a dept. store rather than a discounter.

P.S. Depending where you are travelling cobbles might not be an issue, most of Europe isn't cobbled out side of historic centres (although that's where tourists tend to go!) Family travel might be different.

P.P.S. I don't think I've seen a post that mentions long-term travel go this long without someone mentioning the Schengen Accords, I assume you've go all that in hand.

We gate check our stroller. That way, you'll have it in the airport and can pick it up right when you get off the plane. No extra luggage costs.

Thanks for the tip, the airline said we could have an additional piece of luggage for the baby at no cost when checked in at the gate. Since we have a baby carrier and a stroller, it looks like we'd have to pay for one of those.

Hello Devin,

Our son is grown now. And we no longer have his stroller so I don't have the model number. But I recall his McLaren had more back support than his old umbrella stroller. I could recline it for his naps. The McLaren was also easy to unfold and fold. The seat was wider than his umbrella stroller too, so he used it until he was 5 years old.

One of the posters was correct when she or he said a jogging stroller might be too big for certain establishments. We were shooed out of several restaurants when we walked in with our son in his umbrella stroller. That was a surprise.

Out of curiosity, I checked prices at several baby shops in Europe and I found that their prices were higher. But once we had to bite the bullet no matter the price: It got super cold and we bought him a snowsuit.
Hope this helps!

Where are you going first? You could buy a stroller on ebay. whatever country.com and have it shipped to your fist nights stay. Be sure to tell them to expect a delivery. That way, you can carry the carrier on the plane for free, since you get 1 free baby item. Stroller will be waiting when you arrive. OR, you could do the reverse. Take stroller and buy carrier.

We're flying into Frankfurt, Germany. I'll checkout ebay and see if there's anything that will work. Thanks for the tip.