For the most part, we really like the one we bought for Alexander. I purchased it in the States (half the price of in Sweden) and of course I had all kinds of ideas about pushing it around town and wheeling him to the park, blah blah blah. Of course, I can't say that he is entirely on board with the concept; he's hated the thing from day one.
Actually, not true. Here he is on day three, liking it perfectly well (see how small? Keep that in mind as you read on):
But when he woke up a bit, and the time came to take him out and about, he let us know loud and clear that he wasn't a big fan of the wagon. He reacted so strongly that I started calling it Satan's Wagon. The only way he'd be in it was if he was asleep when I put him in (and he'd scream when he woke and found himself in it) or if he could be on his belly. Somewhat predictable, that. Of course, once I got the breathing monitor and gave in on the belly-sleeping issue, it did become better, but he still didn't like being in for transportation purposes.
All the other babies go into their wagons and fall right asleep. The park and streets of the Old Town are full of moms pushing their sleeping angels or rocking the wagon with a foot while reading in the sun. Really. I see them every day when I walk Jill in the park, Alexander strapped to my chest in the mei tai, hanging like a dead weight from my neck and shoulders. I also walk past them in the grocery store, with my wagon full of carrots and potatoes, and Alexander strapped to my hip with the sling, his fists full of my hair and neck skin (That's the newest trick, by the way, grabbing large handfuls of my neck skin. I'm liking it about as much as you can imagine, though hurray for grabbing what he means to grab and all that jazz.). Sometimes I walk past those moms when Alexander is actually IN his wagon, and they all jerk up from their books, looking around to see who is sticking pins in a child, or dipping one in hot oil. You'd think he was sharing the damn thing with a crocodile, the way he carries on.
Anyway, the bassinet has been really useful in one way -- I can put the baby breathing monitor under the mattress and he can sleep in it. This has freed me up to go to dinner parties and just put him to sleep in it at his normal bed time. So, anywhere I can walk to, we can go for the evening. I bring him (screaming) in the wagon and then when it's parked and still, I can put him to sleep on his belly and he thinks it is just as nice as his crib. I bring the music I play to him before bed each night, and nurse him just the same, so the routine is stable. So long as he's asleep when I move it again, on the way home, and he doesn't wake up on the way, we're golden.
But the problem is, he's growing too big for it. He kicks his little feet against the bottom, scoots up and rams his head into the top. This is clearly not very good for his head. Here he is yesterday, lying in it (on his back! I took the shot quickly before he started screaming at me):
A slightly bigger model of baby, no? I've been hemming and hawing about taking the bassinet off and putting the regular stroller body onto the frame, because despite his hatred of riding in it, I can use it as a bed. I will not be able to let him be on his belly in the blue stroller part, and we've yet to get him to sleep on his back. The bottom is soft, and even though it does recline, current rules (which are anti-tummy sleeping to begin with) dictate that he can't be belly down on something soft. Since he won't sleep on his back, I'm worried that we're giving up the ability to go out places after his bedtime.
The carriage part can be anything from fully upright to flat, and the plan is to get him to consent to fall asleep semi-reclined, and be lowered flat once he conks out. He doesn't mind being semi-reclined, he just doesn't like being flat.
So far, so good. He rode in it yesterday without screaming, and took short naps in it twice. Once on the bus going out to visit a friend and once at her house, in the back garden. Here he is, all bundled up and ready to catch the bus:
I'm hoping that he'll be able to sleep for longer stretches this way. I'm not sure when we'll test him on it yet.
The only part I don't like is that he's facing out now. There is a window in the sun canopy which allows me to look down and be sure he's happy in there, but I can't look into his eyes and make silly faces at him, and I miss that a bit. Doubt he gives a crap though. The truth is he's happier looking out at the world. He's terribly curious and I've just grown boring; he sees me all the time, sigh. I guess this is just the beginning of all the times I'll find him far more interesting than he finds me!
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