There is no 'magic bullet' when it comes to strollers

Alan Fields knows more about baby locomotion than most dads. With his wife, Denise, he wrote "Baby Bargains" (Windsor Peak Press, $17), a compendium of baby-equipment reviews that is in its sixth printing.

But it took parenthood to alert him to the first truth of stroller-buying: "There is no magic bullet stroller."

The solution: Be prepared to buy two or three sets of wheels that together will have your little bruiser cruising.

So-called travel systems appeal to new parents, as Fields can attest. Snapped to a base, the carrier acts as a car seat; secured over the stroller, it serves as a rolling bed.

The downside? "The more that companies add to strollers, the bigger and heavier they are," Fields says.

Instead, he says, take the minimalist approach with a frame on wheels that carries an infant car seat and includes a big basket and a cup holder for you. The Kolcraft Universal Car Seat Carrier ($50, plus $80 or so for the car seat; www.kolcraft.com) accepts any of about 20 car seats and weighs a comfortable 13.6 pounds.

True, you'll have to buy another car seat and a more serious stroller in about six months, when the baby outgrows the infant seat, but you'd probably do that even if your first stroller were more expensive, says Fields.

Like SUVs, all-terrain strollers don't necessarily spend their days rambling across rocky fields. These strollers feature pneumatic wheels — usually 12 inches in diameter — and buggylike suspension. For maneuverability, the front wheels swivel.

The Valco Baby Runabout ATS ($375; www.valcobaby.com), made by an Australian company, has an optional bassinet ($120), which turns the frame into a pram. A toddler seat ($80) attaches to the front bar to let an older child ride up front.

Big families can opt for Valco's double stroller (starting at $550). With two stroller seats, a toddler seat and a running board, the vehicle can carry four children.

You'll also want a stroller that folds like a matchbook, turns on a dime and practically jumps into the trunk, yet isn't flimsy. Umbrella strollers fit that bill.

Fields' favorite pick for a bantam-weight stroller is the Combi Savvy Soho DX ($130; www.combistrollers.com). With a fully reclining seat, double wheels and an aluminum frame, the Soho weighs a modest 12 pounds. Combi's twin stroller ($320), in the same line, maneuvers just as nicely and tips the www.combistrollers.com). With a fully reclining seat, double wheels and an aluminum frame, the Soho weighs a modest 12 pounds. Combi's twin stroller ($320), in the same line, maneuvers just as nicely and tips the scales at 21 pounds.