How to choose a baby stroller?

Before comparing models, describe the scene: after the hustle and bustle of the first few weeks, you are alone with the baby and decide to go out. What's outside your door? Quiet sidewalk, elevator, two flights of stairs, or the garage, because in practice every trip starts by car?

This scene answers almost everything. Ladder and trunk require lightness and compact folding. A routine at your grandparents' house or a quick return to the office requires a sleeping spot in your own stroller. Life changes with the baby, but the place where you live and the family's habits remain the same, and they are what define the purchase.

The compact ones weigh 6 to 9 kg and, an important criterion, are really small when closed. There are lightweight strollers that remain huge when folded. They are the natural choice for apartments, buildings without elevators and small trunks.

Compact does not mean spartan: many accept child seats for attached cars and some even accept bassinets. What you need to check is whether the model is approved for newborns. This depends on whether the seat reclines enough, and is always clear in the manual.

In sturdy ones, the seat itself usually becomes a bassinet: completely open, it is a safe space for the baby to sleep for the first two or three months, day or night. For those who need an extra point of sleep, whether in a two-story house, in the office or at their grandparents' house, this replaces the purchase of a separate bassinet.

Another exclusive feature in this category is the reversible seat, so you can walk with your baby facing you, not the street. For some families this is the decisive criterion. The price of robustness is literal: they are bigger, heavier strollers that take up more space when closed.

Two strollers in the same category can cost twice as much as each other and work equally well. The difference is in the details: fabric with sun protection, magnetic buckle, visor with magnet, finish. If the budget allows, the more expensive one delivers a more refined experience. If you don't allow it, don't worry: the cheapest in the same category solves the routine in the same way.

Also add accessories to the bill. A rain cover is the most important of them, and some strollers already include it. Mosquito nets usually have a cheap universal version, and fabric covers and leg covers are options that can wait until the need arises.

In Brazil, children up to two years old are entitled to a free stroller or car seat. You use the cart to the aircraft door, hand it over to dispatch and receive it upon arrival, sometimes at the plane door itself, sometimes on the conveyor belt. Carrying it in the cabin depends on the company's measurements (the reference is 55 × 35 × 25 cm). Compacts usually pass, but no brand guarantees it, so treat it as a possibility, not a certainty.

For twins, there are three paths: a side-by-side stroller (there are surprisingly compact versions), a train-style in-line model (larger, but with more features) and two individual strollers joined by an adapter, which is flexible, but too wide for many doors and sidewalks. Measure your day's routes before deciding.