Somewhere during my trek from Temple of the Feathered Serpent to Pyramid of the Moon, ambling in the unforgiving January Mexican sun through nearly 300 yards of sand and pebbles, a thought suddenly dawned on me: How did pre-Columbian parents drag their toddlers along this hot, rugged route without a stroller? Did Mesoamerican moms and dads—albeit from an extremely advanced ancient civilization that built a thriving metropolis with temples and pyramids—really go from point A to point B in high altitude with thinning air without the basic 21st century family necessity of a stroller?
Good thing my family and I didn’t live back then. What saved us from the near back-breaking (and at times soul-crushing) parental rite of passage of carrying two nearly 40 pound children, who are constantly hungry, loud, and cranky, across the all-too-ironically named Avenue of the Dead in the archeological site of Teotihuacan was a true modern marvel: our Ergobaby Metro Plus stroller.
Considered an ultra-compact stroller, the Metro Plus is the Muggsy Bogues of buggies: lightweight, sturdy, incredible suspension to absorb and redistribute bumps, and with the maneuverability and handles of an NBA point guard, all at under 17 pounds (for reference, our go-to stroller to use at home is a whopping 25 pounds). Adding to its versatility, the Metro Plus didn’t miss a beat as it rolled along the Teotihuacan ruins and then a 45-minute drive later to the cobblestone paths of Mexico City’s famed market, Mercado de Artesanías La Ciudadela.
A trip to Mexico City as a family of four (my husband, 6-year-old daughter, 4-year-old son, and me) wasn’t in my sight lines until about two weeks before we took flight. I scrambled to find a compact stroller that packed up neatly in any situation we would find ourselves in—from weaving through a churro line at the always-packed Churrería El Moro to shopping for artisanal wares inside the densely-populated El Bazaar Sábado to strolling through parks like Parque Mexico and Chapultepec. When the Metro Plus arrived in its tightly packed box, I was nervous the assembly would be as daunting as planning a family vacation abroad. Fortunately for me, it wasn’t. To my surprise, all I had to do was open the box, discard some packing materials, and the Metro Plus popped open, fully assembled and ready to roll.
In my six years of being a parent, I’ve purchased four strollers (five, if you include our trusty Veer wagon stroller). The Metro Plus stroller proved to be the most travel-friendly and city-compatible, combining all the features that our always-on-the-go family requires. It folded up just as neatly as our Maclaren Techno XT stroller, fitting in most airplane overhead cabins (we flew on American Airlines for this trip); had as beautiful and comfortable of materials as our European-designed Nuna Tavo; and featured a springy suspension system that rivaled our Thule Urban Glide 2 jogging stroller. In fact, both kids enjoyed the Metro Plus stroller so much that by hour two of our trip, they were fighting over who could ride in the stroller while the other one had to be relegated to the other, less comfortable umbrella stroller we brought.
One of my favorite parts of the stroller’s design is its handlebar: a crossbar that can telescope in and out, making it ergonomically comfortable for my five-foot-two stature, as well as my six-foot-one husband. Just as important, the handlebar allowed for accurate one-handed steering and pushing, a necessary amenity when the other hand is needed to either hold another child’s hand or scroll through Google Maps to find our next street taco destination.
Now back from Mexico City, the Ergobaby Metro Plus stroller still gets its fair share of use over the other prams in our family’s fleet. The last time we used it, my son and I noticed a sprinkle of dusty sand from Teotihuacan that somehow remained lodged in the corner of the underseat storage basket. As I wiped it away with a damp cloth, I heard my son saying, “I can’t wait to go back to Mexico City.”