Jogging strollers... useful or not?

Yes! Get a b.o.b ironman. Mine lasted through four children ( I had a double ) and I just passed it along to my cousin. They are expensive but if a few people go in on the gift, it won't be so bad.

I got a second hand one when my son was little, then loved it so much I saved or a new one, I'm sad he's to big for one now because it was great. I'd definitely recommend them, heaps better than a normal pram especially with the big pump up tyres easier to manouver could take it any where

Very useful. Features to look for are a leash and a hand brake. Also, try it out to make sure it's maneuverable with one hand. Some are better than others here.

I can't recommend brands but definitely urge you to test them.

I wouldn't take a very young infant out in a jogging stroller - their head control is not strong enough yet. (Not that you'll probably be up to jogging when they're teeny anyway, but yeah.) I think we waited for anything except a bucket seat stroller until my daughter was 6 months +.

A jogging stroller is actually what pushed me to get off the couch and start couch to 5k! No excuses after getting one to not start running or at least regular walking. I absolutely love it and it is so much easier to push than any other stroller I 've had. We were fortunate enough to get ours for free, but I know you can look for other people selling there's for cheap? Look for those who got it and used it once and are selling it, their failure is your score! Haha

Love mine. Skip the regular stroller and just get a jogging one. I wish I had...now I'm stuck with two strollers.

I wouldn't take a very young infant out in a jogging stroller - their head control is not strong enough yet. (Not that you'll probably be up to jogging when they're teeny anyway, but yeah.) I think we waited for anything except a bucket seat stroller until my daughter was 6 months +.

Some jogging strollers, like the BOB Revolution ($$$), do have the ability to be used with a car seat, so if your baby is really young, it should be fine. We're not talking trail running here, I assume!

Frankly I find jogging with the stroller ridiculously hard. However, our jogging stroller is nice and smooth for fast walking. Before my son was big enough to sit in the jogging stroller, I just used his car seat and the Snap 'n Go, which worked well, after which point I used the jogging stroller for walks.

I bought a Bebelove stroller secondhand off craigslist for $75. My sister had the BOB Revolution, which she bought brand-new and then traded with someone (plus some $$) for a BOB Revolution Duallie (double jogging stroller). She and I have gone on walks together with both strollers, and there is nothing that the BOB has/does that mine doesn't.

For regular old outings or going for walks in the park or whatever, we use the Britax Blink stroller, which is kind of like an umbrella stroller with a few extra features. It stays in the back of my car at all times. However, there have been parks we've gone to with more rugged paths where we've wished we brought the jogging stroller with us. As such, I recommend a jogging stroller that folds small enough to fit in your car.

Also, I recommend making sure the front tire pivots/swivels but that you also have the ability to lock it, too. Surprisingly not all of them have this feature.

One more consideration is making sure the shade comes far enough down in case you are walking towards the sun. A good one should be able to almost completely close your child in and then have a plastic "window" so that you can see in from above.

Absolutely useful! They weren't around when my kids were born, but my friends swear by them. Not sure of prices, but my friends like the BOB Ironman one and the Bugaboo Frog. Get one!

At any kind of speed over walking, any type of normal stroller is unstable.

At the minimum, you need either a fixed front wheel, or a lockable one. Cheap swivel wheels won't lock and that's what causes instability. However, fixed front wheels are harder to operate at slow speeds, obviously they don't turn very easily. And don't even think about taking one into a store, they are HUGE compared to an umbrella stroller

I had an instep fixed wheel. $100. It was fine. It was much heavier than a bob or chariot and the wheels and bearings wern't nearly as nice, so it was much harder to push.

BOBs and Chariots are much lighter too, so they are much easier to store in a trunk. There is a definite $200 worth of quality between a $100 jogger and a BOB.

I have 2 kids, ages 3 and 6, and we have 4 strollers. With my first, I got the mid-range car seat and stroller combo. I tried to exercise with it, but it was impossible. I'm not even talking jogging here, but just walking fast would make the wheels shake. It was also too big to easily get in and out of the car for short errands and such. My hubby got me a cheap jogging stroller, and it was okay. It worked, but it was big and heavy and difficult to maneuver.

When I got pregnant with my 2nd, I decided to splurge on a BOB Duallie, and I love it! Yes, it was nearly $700, but I use it every single day. Even now that my kids are older, they still can't go for super long walks without getting tired, so it's nice to have the back-up plan. And the BOB has a 100 lb. weight limit, so it has lasted us much longer than the cheaper strollers would have. Plus, you can tell the quality by how easy it is to push, even carrying a load of nearly 100 lbs.

My second recommendation would be to get a nicer umbrella stroller. You'll have to wait until your baby has head control to use it, but it's definitely easier to keep in the car and take out for short errands. I have this one, and it's still in pretty good shape even after 5 years:
http://www.amazon.com/Chicco-Capri-Lightweight-Stroller-Tangerine/dp/B000FFS9VM/ref=sr_1_1?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1349361092&sr=1-1&keywords=chicco+umbrella+stroller

Just bought a double BOB jogging stroller (on craigslist). I LOVE it!!! my 3 year old loves it too and asks every night if we can go for a walk! that is all the motivation i need

agree with the rest of the posters that jogging strollers are quite useful, and can frequently replace the other ones, but wanted to add one quick bit of advice... check the height of the handlebar before you register (not sure how tall you are)... the first 2 strollers i had i ended up giving away/selling because they were designed for "normal" women (e.g. 5'4") - and it's hard to run well when hunched over to push the darned thing... :flowerforyou: best of luck!

Definitely yes, baby needs to be 6 months and able to hold own head before running with them though, I have a baby jogger performance and its fantastic, my daughter loved it and its only now she is almost 4 that we don't use it, its a fabulous freedom and i think helps show little ones a healthy lifestyle can be fun :-)

Totally worth it! Not only do you get a workout in...it always helped my little ones fall asleep!