Win a t-linx stroller from teutonia! Enter the battle of the Stroller Wars!
Saturday, August 28, 2010
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Sara Rontal Fisher
Recent posts
Another date with early intervention? - 12/10/2010
Chicago Baby Holiday Gift Guide - with giveaways! - 11/27/2010
Baby, it's cold outside - 11/23/2010
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Living in Chicago we all know how important it is to have a great set of wheels to get around the city's craggy sidewalks. That's why I'm so excited for the opportunity to giveaway an amazing stroller - the t-linx stroller from teutonia.
Back in the day when I had my first, the most coveted luxury stroller brand was Bugaboo. Of course, I rushed out and requested it as a baby gift from any living relative. My father-in-law obliged, and for awhile I was in stroller heaven. But as my son got older, the Bugaboo became less comfortable and I realized there were a lot of other luxury stroller brands on the market as well.
Now, with my second at almost 10 months, the luxury stroller category is filled with an abundance of options. The nice folks at teutonia realized this, and have given me a t-linx to test drive. But since I know that these types of strollers can be quite prohibitive for everyone, I've decided to give my brand new teutonia t-linx away in a drawing on this blog. So listen up, here's how you enter:
Is your stroller a beat up mess? Did you never get the chance to invest in some haute wheels and are using cousin Jane's hand-me-down? Enter the battle of the Stroller Wars!
- Tell me why, either on your blog in a post (and send me a link or link back to this blog), or in the comments here why your stroller has been through a WAR - why it's beat up, doesn't work, is a mess - and why you need a new one.
- Pictures of your beat-up crap-tastic stroller are helpful
- Best story wins!
- I'll pick a winner on September 15.
GOOD LUCK!
Sara Fisher is a mother of two living in Roscoe Village. She also blogs at selfmademom.net.
See more of Sara's stories here.
LAURA is the WINNER!!!By sara on Tuesday, August 30, 2011 Laura, I drew your name out of a hat and you've won the t-linx. Please email me your information and I'll send it onto teutonia. Thanks for entering and congratulations! Sara |
contest is closed!By Sara on Tuesday, August 30, 2011 Hi all, thanks so much for all of your stories! I'll be posting the winner tomorrow! Good luck. |
"don't smash the baby!"By melanie on Tuesday, August 30, 2011 With four kids under the age of 8, and the same stroller being handed down from one to the other, you can imagine what a toll the stroller has taken. Just to get it open requires the patience of Job. I bought it because it could "open! with! one! hand!." now it requires 4 hands, a leg and a chin to get it open. then we all lay hands on the stroller asking it to stay open for the duration of our trip without smashing the baby inside of it. to make matters worse, the three older kids all want their turn pushing the stroller. unfortunately, there is no "driver's ed." available for stroller pushing. the stroller, already on its last legs, has been pushed into bushes, trees, fire hydrants, through mud puddles, snow drifts, dog poo, over people's feet, gigantic sticks and boulders (at least, that's how it feels to the baby!). now when we go out, we pray to all the gods above that neither the stroller, nor the kids, smash the baby! |
Stroller?By angel on Tuesday, August 30, 2011 My stroller has been used and abused. I had to buy it used off of Craigslist because I couldn't afford a new one. It was then used for a year on dirty Chicago streets. Since then we've moved and the ride in the truck messed it up pretty good. Its very wobbly, the material is wearing through in places,and I had to sew the back rest bar back into the seat. All in all its a disaster:( |
WOW!!!!By Hilda on Tuesday, August 30, 2011 It's awsome, hope I win it... :) |
I'm about to give up!By Susan B Kason on Tuesday, August 30, 2011 I bought a Kolcraft double stroller a year ago when my youngest was born. It received great reviews on Amazon and Baby Center. I thought it was the answer to all my prayers. But then I tried pushing the thing and boy was it hard to maneuver. Not only did it not turn well, but the thing weighs 44 pounds without the kids in it and I somehow didn't realize that with the kids, I'd be pushing close to 100 pounds. Then last fall I was backing out of my garage and ran over one of the wheels. It's on the verge of popping out every time I use it. We live in the suburbs and try to walk to our downtown, but I'm afraid the stroller will break so I end up using a handmedown-four-times umbrella stroller for my youngest and asking my three and a half year old to walk. She's big enough to do that and now that she's in preschool, I find myself alone with my youngest anyway. The umbrella stroller has no cargo space, so going to the grocery store is almost impossible unless I drive, which I'm trying to cut down on. Oh, and did I mention that the Kolcraft is so heavy I can't lift it into the car unless my 12 year old is with me and even we have a rough time fitting it into the back of the Outback. Please help! I'll cut down on my driving and will get more exercise. My 15 month old will enjoy getting out more, too. |
Why me?By Liliana Cortez on Tuesday, August 30, 2011 I have had my stroller for two years and ever since I bought it the wheel always sticks to the side. Can you imagen? its like when you are pushing one of those carts in the store and the wheel gets stuck. It drives you nuts you have to go back to the entrance and get another cart. I am tired of going on walks with my child, with this stubborn stroller. Not only does it get stuck the wheel starts shaking the entire stroller. I am embarrassed to go to the mall with it .Why you might ask? Well, when the wheel starts shaking so does my baby. I am unemployed and my husband told me he won't by another one. Help!!!! |
battle of the Stroller Wars!By Dina B on Tuesday, August 30, 2011 When I was pregnant with my daughter, now 3-1/2, I went to a baby superstore and picked a matching set from Graco, without giving much thought to it. The stroller, highchair, pack & play, diaper bag & bottle bag ALL MATCH! I thought that was so cool. I put the stroller together while on bed rest (not smart). My husband had to reattach the wheels when he got home. After about 6 months, the head rest broke off. It's a plastic piece that's attached to the back that gives support for the childs head. We tried many times to fix it, but gave up. So no head support for our little girl. We used that stroller everywhere & loved it. We eventually put it in storage for about a year, then found out I was pregnant again last summer. I dragged it out and cleaned off the dust. There is a gash in one of the tires, but luckily with the hard plastic, we can still push it. The basket ripped this summer when we went to the beach, appearantly the beach umbrella wanted to stay at the beach. My baby boy just turned 8 monthes old, and he's definiely a little chunky monkey. My daughter is a little jealous that he gets to ride in the stroller, so she likes to jump on, standing on the footrest, facing her brother. Either that, or sitting where the broken head rest was, because that makes a nice sling holder for her now. But of course, her sitting there pulls down the cup holder when she leans back and there goes mommy's water! ugh, I really need a new stoller! |
mrs.By rosemary on Tuesday, August 30, 2011 good luck |
The ghost of strollers pastBy Robyn on Tuesday, August 30, 2011 I started out in motherhood thinking that strollers were a waste of money and made nothing but obese, lazy children who insisted on being pushed around by their clueless parents. Two weeks after the birth of my son, I couldn't take another second of lugging around his ridiculously heavy infant carrier with a ridiculously heavy baby strapped inside it. After a very frustrating morning, I headed to our local Baby Super Store Chain and bought the most expensive jogging stroller they carried. You know, because "most expensive" equals "the best on the market." I didn't even take the stroller off the display to give it a test drive in the store. It was fancy. It was black. It made me feel good. Until I tried using it. The stroller was a mammoth. The only way I could get the stroller to fit in my truck was to first empty my trunk because nothing else was going to fix in the trunk. With a fixed front wheel (which is totally needed if you are actually going to jog with your jogging stroller), the stroller was a pain in the back to turn. In fact, it doesn't actually turn unless you lift the front wheel off the ground and turn using the back axis. Makes sense if you are running a trail. Not so much when you are navigating tiny aisles at the mall. In fact, you might as well forget about shopping. The basket is so small, you'd be lucky to squeeze in a pair of flip flops, a tube of lipgloss, and a bottle of sunscreen. Forget about a diaper bag. My very expensive stroller purchase has been collecting dust in the corner of the garage for nearly six years. I've thought about selling it, but feel like I should probably pay someone to take it off my hands. Now with baby #2 coming in October, I'd love to fall in love with a stroller that actually works (and looks so luxurious to boot). |
Need a strollerBy Mommy on Tuesday, August 30, 2011 I am a mom of three, currently pregnant with my fourth child. My kids are all school age children, it's been over six years since my last child, gave all my baby stuff away thinking this was it. To my surprise, here I go again starting all over, I have no baby items and need everything. Please help... |
StrollerBy Cheryl on Tuesday, August 30, 2011 Like you, I wanted a Bugaboo stroller. However, my husband had another idea and went with the Stokke. It is great for a tall man but for an average woman who likes to shop, it is not useful at all. It has no storage at all or even a cup holder. I got the original model so the baby can not lay down completely. To sit up, you have to physically unlatch the carriage and turn it completely around to flip into a "reclining" position. The wheels are defective and make a noise when you push it. I will say, it is a cool looking stroller but not practical at all. |
Just UsBy Laura on Tuesday, August 30, 2011 I'm also a single mother with the most wonderful 11 month old daughter in the world. When I first told her father he was going to be a father, the answer was something that I will never tell this wonderful girl as it would break anyone's heart to hear. Knowing that I was in this alone I scoured garage sales for baby gear at the cheapest prices available. The previous owner of our stroller said that it was $300 when she bought it 5 years ago, and sold it to us for only $30. I thought it was such a great deal! I of course didn't notice how worn down the wheels were, how faded and worn the fabric, how it didn't align quite right. Then, we heard from her father that he was coming back into her life. He was there for her when she was born but shortly after was deployed in the Army. He came home early due to serious injuries, both physical and mental. It's been real rough with all that going on. We've had to deal with the fallout from his injuries. He's never helped with any support whatsoever. He is unable to care for our daughter either physically or mentally, and refuses to care for her financially. With all this frustration, unfortunately the stroller has gotten a bit of rough handling. Going for walks with my little girl has been such a stress reliever for me but since I don't have much room, the stroller takes up permanent residence in my car's trunk. So, the fabric has been tearing up, the alignment even further out of whack, the wheels, well those probably can't wear down any further than they are. The worst part of it is the seatbelt has only one clipping part so I've never been able to secure my daughter inside. This was fine when she just lay down inside, but now that she is moving around so much it worries me that she'll fall right out. Anyway, I promise that if I win this new stroller I will take great care of it, and try to find a place for it inside ;) |
pleaseBy rachel on Tuesday, August 30, 2011 im a single mom with a 7 month old boy. his dad does not help. and i would love to have t-linx stroller to take my son for walks. hes a great boy i just want to give him everything i can. thanks :) |
mrs.By rosemary on Tuesday, August 30, 2011 Need one. |
My beat up double stroller story...............By Aracely- on Tuesday, August 30, 2011 My stroller story is simple. I had back to back babies, My two wonderful mischievous boys are only 17 months apart, Neither was plan. I needed a double stroller, went out to the store and bought the first one I liked. I was used too my light weight stroller, the double one felt like a "limo". Needless to say, I loved it. My double stroller was my new best friend, I drove it like a champ and went everywhere with it. My hubby and I are currently working on baby #3. We have no baby stuff. This beautiful stroller your giving away would be ideal only because my stroller recently took a beating on our last vacation. Poor double stroller has been through hell and back, beat up, thrown around, has broken parts, has a hole on the front chair and most recently lost the front two wheels at the airport. God willing, I'll pg before I know it and I promise you'll be one of the first ones to know (SMM). Thanks! |
funny!By Sara on Tuesday, August 30, 2011 Meghan, that is a great story! Keep 'em coming! |
ha...you think your's is bad get a load of this!By Meghan on Tuesday, August 30, 2011 So lets get the main issue out of the way...I have had my stroller since I was pregnant with my 1st child in 2003. I also use it for my youngest now, how I'm not quite sure but this thing is a trooper! Lets start by saying there is a huge stain of lord knows what all over the part that reclines, which is very embarrassing..I'm sure no one pays any attention but I know its there. The stroller is navy blue and a yellow tan color, and this stain is like brown rusty color. When my son is sitting in the stroller the stain is in clear sight just over his right shoulder. Of course this thing is so beat up that I cannot cover it with the umbrella hood because one of the rods in it are bent so its all crooked. The tray in the front has a mind of its own...it just falls when it wants to, so I've learned that putting snacks on the tray isn't such a good idea. I think the worst incident that I've encountered with this stroller is when a friend and I were walkng through the mall, she was pushing my son and she's like "Um...Meghan?" and i'm like "Ya.." she's like..."i think we have an issue if you could come help me like NOW!" So i turn around to her holding the one side of the stroller up trying to push it towards me...the back wheel had came completely off and rolled away! I was laughing so hard that I couldn't breathe the look on her face was priceless...I know many people say stuff about their cars like "I'm keeping this until the wheels fall off" I guess I can say the same thing about my stroller.."I've kept it and the wheel has fallen off.." I kinda just rigged it and its been okay ever since...I'm very careful about going over bumps and not going long distances with it..but so far so good...but I would like to have that ease in the back of my head that my wheels aren't going to fall off, or that no one is focused on the stain behind my sun, or when walking the sun can be blocked from my son's eyes because on a new stroller the rod in the umbrella hood won't be bent....and that maybe he could enjoy eatting snacks and know that they will stay put and not disappear on him? I have a couple pictures which I was not able to attach to this, but if you would like to see my mess of a stroller I would be more than happy to share them with you! |
Evil stroller- never believe a book description!!!By Nicole S. on Tuesday, August 30, 2011 When we were expecting the 1st time, I relied on the book "Baby Bargains" for just about everything. At the time they said the best deal was a lightweight travel system (to remain nameless). They gave it 5 stars (or whatever the rating system was). We ordered it online because you could not buy it in stores at that time. Little did I know/understand that the carseat carrier part only fit children up to 15 pounds!!! My DD was 10 pounds at birth!!!! Plus, the manufacturer tooted that it was a "lightweight" stroller probably because the height of the handles is about 2.5 feet off the ground! I look like the Hunchback of Notre Dame trying to push it. Forget about my husband EVER taking the kid for a walk. Then, whenever you put the littlest diaper bag on the handles, it would tip over with the baby in it!. The "extra-storage" below the stroller is completely inaccessible unless the stroller is empty- REAL handy. Now that we have #2 on the way, I hate to invest in a new stroller, but cannot fathom the idea of using the rotten, horrible, evil stroller from baby #1. |
Teotonia StrollerBy BIG MOMMA on Tuesday, August 30, 2011 By babies are not babies anymore, however, we do plan on having one more child. This stroller would be perfect! My kids all used the same stroller, after four kids...it was totally beat up, broken and ready to be pick-up by the City of Chicago steerts and sanitation department. Wished I had some pictures to share with you of my embarrassing stroller. |
A GiftBy Ashley Andrews on Tuesday, August 30, 2011 Ok, so I know that this isn't much of a story about my crap-tastic stroller, but rather why two people are so deserving of a such a great one! It has been a really hard year and a half for my brother and his wife. They have been trying to conceive for the past 2 years and have had the worst of luck. They have miscarried twice and have been very overwhelmed and stressed by the entire situation. No matter how much you tried to tell them that God had a plan for them, it was so hard for them to believe. They did a lot of asking "Why, why, why?" But they had to believe like the rest of their family that it would come all in due time and when God had it written for them. Well, yesterday after months of undergoing the IVF process, we got the call that they were pregnant and that there was indeed a little heartbeat. We are all so extremely excited for them and are hoping that the little bean continues to grow. So, that brings to me to why I am writing this. While I am sure that there are a million other sentimental gifts I could buy them, I saw this and thought, "WoW, this is something that they will get years of use out of and as they are walking the trails they will be able to look down at their little miracle and know that it was all part of God's plan. |
TWO HANDS NEVER ENOUGH!By Carmel Heumann on Tuesday, August 30, 2011 My sister would love this ! She never seems to have enough hands for her toddler! Wish I was more available to help her...winning this would be a GREAT HELP! |
great stories!By Sara on Tuesday, August 30, 2011 OMG - I love these!! Thanks for sharing... good luck! |
Where's the stroller?By Sharon on Tuesday, August 30, 2011 I have to admit I am a resale shopper. One day I had my 3 young kids with me and I put my youngest in our small umbrella stroller and went into the resale shop. The umbrella stroller was small enough to stroll in the store with. My toddler started fussing when we were ready to check out, so I lifted her out of the stroller and paid my bill. We then left the store. A week later I went to get the stroller out of the car and couldn't find it. Ho-hum where was the stroller? I thought about it and back tracked in my mind and remembered I last had it at the resale shop. I went back up to the shop and asked if they found a stroller that I may have left by the check out and they said yes! They said they figured it must have been a donation left and that they had just sold my little one's stroller! I hope the new owner liked it ;-) I am sorry I can not submit a picture, because my stroller is a goner! |
my old stroller was a fly magnet!By Rosaanna Tagala on Tuesday, August 30, 2011 My sister-in-law gave me her old stroller that was used for her 2 kiddos. By the time it got to me, it was already 13 years old, and could barely make it up a 1 inch bump in the side walk. The time I was really embarrassed was when we took it to a petting zoo, it attracted every fly in the place. One person even said "oh I feet sorry for the person who owns that stroller". There were more flies on the stroller than on any of the animals. Anyway, we could really use a new stroller in these hard economic times. |
Yard Sale Hand Me Downs for Baby #4By marni finder on Tuesday, August 30, 2011 I just had my late-in-life 4th child. Not only is not rational to invest in all new baby equipment for my 4th child... but it is also my 4th boy so there was no baby shower for a different sex baby and everyone I know and his uncle have something baby-related that they pass on to ... you guessed it... to me!! I am very practical and when I purchased a stroller for my new little guy from a yard sale for $5.00 ... I thought I was being pretty savvy. The problem is... my stroller although it does roll... it is extremely squeaky. I get strange looks when we stroll through the library and also in the halls of the hospital when we go for doctor's appointments. You can hear us coming from around the block!! Also, it is not condusive for speed walking. I had sold my jogging stroller not knowing that in 9 months that I've have another bundle of joy to push around the neighborhood. I think and hope I could win your stroller because if not only for the sake of peace and quiet in our neighborhood.... my new little baby boy deserves at least one thing that is new and not a hand-me-down. |
THANK YOU SO MUCH!
By Laura on Tuesday, August 30, 2011
I can't express how very thankful I am that I had the chance to enter this contest and win such a beautiful stroller. It would be awesome to have something new (and so dear) to share with my wonderful daughter. Again, thank you so much Sara and "Chicago Parent"!!!!!!!!!