great idea; but too cheaply made

We took a recent trip across country with our 23 month old and I wanted to decrease our luggage load. So instead of a separate stroller and car seat, I decided to get the Sit n' Stroll combination unit in hopes that it would make traveling and getting through the airport easier. In theory, it did. We had one less item to lug and check. We strapped our little demon, uh darling into this and wheeled him right up to the security checkpoint. It folded up nicely and fit through the x-ray machine, and we were able to gate check it at our departure gate so it was carried down to cargo before take off and returned in time to meet us as we departed the plane.

Unfortunately, the manufacturer did not put as much quality into the making. Our first trip with the Sit n' Stroll is also our last.

I noticed upon first deploying the seat into stroller mode that it seemed rickety. The push handle, when extended, is not sturdy at all. It wobbles back and forth. Also, folding the unit back into seat mode can be tricky. You have to make sure that the bottom "flaps" which cover the wheels when it is in car seat mode don't get pushed in before the wheels go up into the seat housing. Otherwise, it is fairly simple to operate. The seat itself is well-padded and the five point harness is easy to operate by way of a release located on the bottom front. There is a nice infant head cushion which can be removed for older babies and it secures quite easily into a car for car seat use with anchor fastenings as well as slots to strap the seat right into a car, however, the baby MUST be strapped into the seat before the car seat can be fixed into place in the car. The automobile seat belt stretches across the front and fits into slots on either side of the seat, which can be a hassle when going in and out of the car.

Another thing that I didn't care for right away was that the Sit n' Stroll does not offer any way to recline or upright the seat and it seems to lean back quite a bit, especially when in use for a car seat. Our two year old spent most of his time trying to sit up in the seat so he could see out the window when we were driving.

But in the end, the lack of quality construction was this unit's undoing.

As I stated earlier, when we arrived at the gate for our first flight, I gate checked the unit. I even put the Sit n' Stroll into a car seat cover/bag to protect it. But when we got the seat back upon arrival, one of the sides of the stroller handle had already been broken off. The handle is a T-shaped bar that is made of nothing more than hollowed out, hard plastic covered in foam. The way it sticks up above the top of the seat back makes it rather vulnerable. The literature that came with the Sit n' Stroll indicated it would be safe even as checked luggage. We simply gate checked this, which meant an airline employee walked up to the plane and carried it by hand down to cargo, then returned it the same way, and still it broke the first try out. I cannot imagine what would have happened to it if we had checked it with our other luggage instead. It certainly isn't worth the $180-$200 you're likely to pay in purchasing it.

So ours is going back to the store for a refund, and I guess I'll go back to lugging both our stroller and car seat separately. We have an Evenflo Triumph car seat (that I love!) that we have checked with our regular luggage several times and I have never had any damage done to it.

I'm sorry to say I cannot recommend the Sit n' Stroll for any lasting use.