I have a confession to make: I never dreamt of being a mom. I wasn’t opposed to it per se, but I never fantasized about the picket fence and the 2.5 kids or whatever. I have a solid career and a great group of friends, and I was one of those people who side-eyed moms struggling with their strollers while silently congratulating myself on my life choices.
Then life happened, and I love my husband, and I love my kid. That’s not why I’m writing this. My confession is that after I had my son, I sort of dreaded leaving the house because I didn’t want to be one of those moms struggling with her baby gear. How could I maintain my identity as a functioning adult human and also maneuver a bulky, embarrassing stroller with a screaming baby? The patriarchy doesn’t need more ammunition.
Would I ever travel again? They make you check strollers at the gate. You know when you’re boarding a plane and there’s a stroller at the end of the gate with a tag on it, and you think, “those poor, poor people with that ugly stroller and screaming baby”? I refused to become a cautionary tale in someone else’s “reasons I’m child-free” list. There had to be a lightweight travel stroller that wouldn’t announce my arrival like a cyber truck.
There had to be something better, right? I scrolled Instagram and found Mamazing, which is geared towards “modern parenting and baby gear.” That’s me! They make compact strollers that are built to last! OK, that’s great, but does that mean they’re ugly? Actually, no. These are pretty sleek for compact travel prams. They’re made with carbon fiber, which allows for sturdiness without the bulk. The Ultra Air is the first carbon fiber stroller I’ve seen that doesn’t scream, “my partner works in tech and this is how we signal our disposable income.”
So I bought the Ultra Air, and finally feel like someone gets it. Like this isn’t a stroller created by some guy who just wants points for having a seat with a buckle and then expects a parade for his basic engineering skills. This easily foldable stroller does have a nice ergonomic baby product vibe with an adjustable backrest and foot rest, but it also has a cup holder and roomy storage without looking like it was built around the cup holder and storage space.
My son and I navigate the city streets without smashing into people because I can’t see over the canopy. The lightweight stroller makes subway stairs less of an Olympic event. We join my friends for lunch and fold that thing closed with one hand. ONE. HAND. FOLD. STROLLER. It’s the real-life parenting solution I never knew I needed. (Of course, I take the kid out first. I’m a rebel, not a monster.)
Is it sad that I’m writing an entire piece about a stroller? Maybe. Is this what feminism fought for? Debatable. But when I spot a baby device actually designed by parents who understand the daily small indignities of raising tiny humans, I feel like I can’t hoard that info. So now I have a new confession to make: I just wrote a review about a baby stroller. And not a sarcastic one either. And I’m not even sorry. The Ultra Air has me feeling like maybe, just maybe, I can still be me…just with better gear.
Explore the full Mamazing collection—from stroller to nursery—and discover how smart design makes parenting slightly less ridiculous.
The Jezebel editorial staff was not involved in the creation of this content.
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