What an Awesome Stroller! Really!

I got this stroller shortly before my second son was born. With my first only being about 20 months I figured a double stroller would be a nice thing to have. Never did I know what a lifesaver it would be!!!

Besides my Ergo Baby Carrier, this stroller is one of the best baby gear items I have purchased. With two under the age of two going into stores can be quite a hassle. With this stroller though, I can get in and out without having to worry about who is where and what they are doing.

Without further ado, let me tell you more about the features, pros and cons of this lifesaver.

First off, the stroller comes with the base, two seats and a car seat adapter. There are at least six configurations that you can place the seats or adapter in. The two seats can face forward. The two seats can face backward. They can face each other or they can face away from each other. The car seat adapter can be placed in the back with the seat in front (facing either direction). The car seat adapter can be placed in the front with the seat in back (again facing either direction). Also, you can purchase another car seat adapter for those with twins.

The seats and adapter snap onto the base. There are “poles” in the front and the back that the seats slide onto. To release the seats you press in on a red button on either side and lift the seat off. This button release system is one area that could be improved. The buttons must be pushed simultaneously and the seat lifted off very straight. If you don’t lift it off straight it will just get stuck and you have to snap it back down and try it again. It is not overly difficult nor the end of the world, but it could be improved so that it would be a little smoother.

The seats are very well designed in my opinion. They are made of very sturdy fabric that is easy to clean. You can either wipe them off or if they get really dirty remove the covers and machine-wash them. The seats are fairly deep and are padded so I think they are very comfortable (my son seems content). The seats come with a harness that goes around the child’s waist and over their shoulders. The shoulder straps have pads on them to make it more comfortable to wear. The shoulder portion of the straps can be removed so that you only fasten your child in via the waist strap. There is also a handle bar that comes across the front of the seat for the child to hold onto. The handle bar swings open from either side and can be removed if desired. It is very easy to swing out and snap back into place. The seats have adjustable footrests. They can be angled straight down or straight out or somewhere in-between. The seats themselves have three positions. You can have them sit straight up, sit slightly back or recline them fully. The fully reclined position is almost flat making it a perfect position for your child to rest in. It also is flat enough that you can place a newborn in the seat. Adjusting both the footrest and the recline position of the seats is very easy and quick. Last but not least, each seat has a large sunshade. It is very sturdy and comes way forward protecting your child from both sun and wind (probably rain as well thought it has not rained yet while I was using it). It can also be pushed way back out of the way if not in use.

As far as the size of the seats… It is a little large for a newborn (you wont be able to strap them in well) but I have placed my newborn in the seat for short easy walks and he was very comfortable. My toddler is very comfortable in the seat. He is 32 inches tall and about 26 or so pounds. Right now I would say he fits it about perfect. His feet reach the bottom of the footrest and his head is about at the top. I think he will be able to sit in it for at least another year. The seat is comfortable and sturdy enough that he could be slightly taller/longer than the seat and still fit just fine. All that being said, my son has always been on the tall but skinny side so he can fit into smaller seats than other kids sometimes can.

The car seat adapter is very simple to use and works with most infant car seats. It snaps in and two bars pull apart. The infant seat then rests with the base sitting in-between the two bars. A strap is then fastened over the top of the seat. When you are not using the adapter the two bars fold up (very easily) making it small and fairly narrow.

The stroller itself has a handle bar with a parent tray and two cup holders as well as a large basket underneath. The basket really is very large. It runs the whole length of the stroller and is very sturdy with a hard bottom and mesh sides. I have taken it into the store with me and fit my purse, two gallons of milk, a package of diapers, some produce and more. The weight limit according to the instructions is 10 lbs. I think I have topped that though and it has held it just fine.

The parent tray has a compartment with a lid for you keys and cell phone or whatever else you might want to set in there. The two cup holders are actually very large and fit most cups. The whole tray/cup holder system is only designed to hold about 3 lbs and if you put in more than that it is at risk for snapping right off.

The handle bar is covered in foam and is both wide and fairly tall so it is very comfortable to hold onto. I am 5'6" and I love the height. My husband who is 6'2" is also very comfortable pushing it.

On both sides of the handle bar there are red grips designed for having older children hold onto. This way if you are in a busy place you can have them hold onto these instead of your hands (since you will be pushing the stroller) and keep everyone together.

The stroller has brakes on both of the front wheels. They are activated by stepping down and are released by pushing up on the brake pedal.

The stroller is very easy to fold. There are two releases on either side of the handle bar. You simply pull these up and push the handle bar forward. Then you step on the back of the basket (there is a little step just for this purpose) and continue pushing on the handle bar. It folds very easily and there is a lock on the right side to keep it together.

Unfolding the stroller is a little more difficult (either that or I still haven’t got the hang of it). After releasing the side lock you have to pull the front out away from the handle bar. Once you get it going it snaps back and into position very easily. Sometimes getting it going though is a little awkward and difficult. I think it is just the size and weight that makes pulling it apart a tiny bit hard. It is not stiff just a bit heavy to separate. My husband seems to have less trouble with it than I do.

The stroller is designed to be folded with only one seat (or the car seat adapter) left on. The other must be removed. Once the stroller is folded you can slide the extra seat up against the stroller and there is a strap for you to hook around it to keep it all together. Because the second seat must be removed for folding there is an extra step required for set-up and put away (most other double stroller do not have removable seats thus they fold all at once). In my opinion this really is not a big deal. In fact… being able to remove one or both seats actually can help lighten the load. Bringing me to another point… The stroller is heavy. The frame by itself is not too bad. It is a little awkward but it can be done. The frame with one of the seats still attached on the other hand, is in my opinion way to heavy. For that reason I always take both seats off. Actually right now I am still using the car seat adapter most of the time. The adapter is very lightweight so I can leave it attached and it does not add too much extra weight. The seats though do make it more difficult to lift the whole thing in and out of the car. With both of the seats off the frame in my opinion is no more difficult to handle than one of the single strollers that comes with the travels systems (car seat and stroller sold together). Hopefully that gives you an idea… Set up time for me is only about a minute to a minute and a half (and the same for take down). I put it in the back of my van in upright position so there is still room for groceries beside it. I have also put it in the trunk of my sister car and again there is still some room for other items.

As far as steering goes… The stroller is big and long but it steers easier than any other stroller I have ever pushed. I can steer it around tight corners and in-between clothing racks with no problems what so ever. Because of the length you do need some space if you are wanting to turn around, but other than that this things pushes and steers like a dream. The wheels swivel in all directions and never, ever get stuck. In stores, down isles, around corners and in-between racks… This actually is easier to maneuver than a cart and even your basic umbrella stroller or travel system stroller. I have also pushed this through grass and gravel with no problems. The weight of your children, car seat, gear, etc… Do not seem to make any difference. Really and honestly, this stroller is the best when it comes to driving it!!!

Last but not least, assembling the stroller was not too bad. There is some assembly required, but the instructions were easy to follow and I think it only took me like 10-15 minutes total. No frustration here. It mostly just involved snapping and sliding things into place.

Trying to wrap things up here… I really cannot stress how much easier this stroller has made my life. There are a few things that I would change. The seats could be slightly easier to remove and the stroller could be a little easier to pull apart. Also it would be nice if there were cup holders for this child’s seats. Besides that though, I really can’t complain. It is well made and very sturdy. It is very trendy looking and I love pushing it around. I get compliments on it almost every time I take it out. Several people have asked me where I got it. It pushes so easy. I love the versatility of being to face the children in any direction. I love that the seats lay back far enough for my kids to take naps in them. I love how large the sunshades are (they can almost completely hide your child if you pull them all the way forward). Need I go on?