18 out of 18 people found this review helpful.
Complicated, poorly designed stroller
Date of Review: Oct 8, 2003
The Bottom Line: I would avoid this stroller for any usage because I have seen better strollers in every other category than this one. Only if your child MUST stand...
I had high expectations of the Baby trend LXIII Plus. I had previously owned the Snap-N-Go model which allows you to put a single infant carrier in the cart and shop with a large basket underneath. That particular model is flawless and was a joy to use. Unfortunately I cannot say the same good things about the LXIII Plus.
I just replaced this stroller with a Graco model designed to accomodate 2 children from infant to young child. The replacement stroller cost exactly the same as the Baby Trend LXIII Plus ("BT") and in my opinion is far, far superior in build quality, and general usefulness. I encountered several problems with the BT, first of all the rear wheels "clicked" often and was very annoying unless drowned out by the ambient noise. I ordered replacement wheels from BT, and the company was happy to oblige by sending the replacement parts via express mail, but it did not solve the problem. The problem appears to be that they use a metal retaining clip and this rubs on the axle causing the noise. I noticed Graco uses a couple of plastic containers that set in a groove on the outermost part of the axle. Further the Graco has a front suspension which makes for a far superior ride over the BT.
The next problem I had with the BT was that my older child (aged 2) did not want to stand in the thing. He would whine after awhile and our outings were very stressful. With the Graco he either sits down or gets out and walks. This brings me to the other thing I disliked about the BT in this regard, my older child could not sit down when the infant seat was installed! Because the infant seat has to be installed in front, there was like 4 inches of space in front of my child and all he could see was the back of the infant carrier. By contrast the Graco has the carrier in the rear and the rear is elevated, so that when the child sits in the regular seat he/she can have good vision over the child sitting in the front seat (and while you are using your infant carrier, the child is closest to you).
So, on top of these problems, the setup on the BT is very complicated to setup and configure. There are numerous belts, bars, and buckles everywhere - a real trainwreck. With my Graco I was ready to go 5 minutes after taking it out of the box.
Other amenities found on the Graco include a larger bag on the bottom, numerous cupholders and trays (for Mom, Dad, and infant), and a more ergonomic handlebar.
I can tell you with everything in me that I do not work for Graco or any other stroller manufacturer, but I can appreciate a quality product when I see it. I didn't test other manufactuers other than Graco, but if you are interested in adding an infant carrier you should look at the maker of the carrier to see if they offer a combination stroller. Also, if you have a fidgety kid, think about how long they are going to want to stand in this thing.
