Taking Selfies With Your Stroller
Using a DSLR these days is extremely impractical for me. Gone (for now) are the days of pulling out my tripod for blog photos. I needed another option. So, I began my search for a more practical stand for my cell phone. The only problem I had was that I have an Android and most stands don't play nice with phones that aren't iPhones. That's when I got the idea to use my stroller as a stand!
I found this cell phone holder for stroller and bike handles on Amazon and, seeing it had the most reliable good reviews, I decided the risk was worth it. I tested it out first while in Disneyland. My husband had to go down for work and we got to tag along for the ride. Miles and I went into the Parks during the day while Mike worked. These photos were taken on my Samsung Galaxy S8 using the timer feature on Selfie Mode between 10a and 11a in the middle of January. It was amazing weather!
I didn't have as much trouble using it as I thought. A few people near the castle took a minute to realize what I was doing before they took a step out of our photo, but otherwise we had nothing but success using it! Place your stroller as far in front of you as you feel comfortable. Make sure that you have it angled and locked down secure enough before walking away from it. People may stare at you oddly for a second, but they realize quickly what you're trying to do. Once Miles figured out what we were doing, he started having a blast with it and smiled in EVERY photo! That alone is enough to call a true success.
If you will be using a 2-handle stroller rather than a bar handle stroller, you might run into an issue using this product. Depending on how the handles curve, you might be able to attach it to the top and place the stroller sideways to still make use of it. We used our Graco stroller at the parks so it wasn't an issue for us.
The biggest downfall I experienced was that the side rails would rest right onto the Bixley button that was on the S8. I'm now using the Google Pixel 4 and I have no issues with the side rail. If you have XL phones, whether Android or Apple, you might feel like you're really stretching the corner bands to the max. I rarely ever touch them and don't even bother using them these days. I think you might be able to get away with not using them if you've got a great case and you double check the lock-in mechanisms. I don't typically keep my phone in the stand for long periods of time, though, and try to only use it for taking photos.
My Google Pixel 4 does seem to fit a lot better, though I do have to make sure I remove my popsocket before placing it in the holder. So, if you use popsockets, consider investing in the swappables to make it easier for your phone to be mounted. Alternatively, you can also remove the case completely and place the phone in the holder. I did this for a portion of the time while we were in Disneyland and several times just left my phone in the holder while going over brick flooring, up and down inclines, and on a few occasions going up and down stairs roughly. I never had an issue with my phone jumping out from the holder which was very astonishing for me considering the fact that I was using my Galaxy S8 at the time.
To ensure longevity of the product, I recommend being gentle and remember to loosen it before trying to make it move. I think that may have been the reason why some people experienced breaking of the product. It's not made of metal so it's not something to just manhandle like a crazy person.
How do you take family photos while on vacation? Are you brave and ask strangers, use a selfie stick or tripod, or do you have a different product that you recommend? Let me know in the comments below!
