Strollers in Ohio vs. New York

Edith's first stroller ride, four days old.

Edith was four days old when she had her first stroller ride. It was by far the fastest and easiest way to get to her pediatrician's office.

My nephew Wyatt, on the other hand, was three months old when he first rode in a stroller.

The difference? In New York, a good stroller is one of your most used pieces of baby equipment. But for Ohio babies -- like Wyatt, and now Edith -- a stroller is convenient but not quite so important.

In New York, there were a few times when I would take Edith out in my Ergo baby carrier without a stroller, such as if we went to the Laundromat. But more often, I would lug the stroller up and down the apartment steps.

In Ohio, it's more common to take baby from house to car to destination, all without the use of a stroller. In part, that's because Edith is a little older. For example, we can place her in a grocery cart and leave the stroller behind. But even when we visited Paul's mom over the weekend, we didn't bring the stroller. No need.

Our stroller will, however, get more use here in Columbus than in other, more rural parts of the state. We can still walk places in our neighborhood. We took Edith in the stroller to a nearby farmer's market on Saturday, and we walked to a restaurant for lunch the next day. We took a stroller ride to the library last week, and I expect to get some stroller action on the nearby trail and park sometime soon.

I still could never do without a stroller. But I'm not going to be putting the same mileage on it here.