Why are strollers so complicated? We are heading off on a trip soon so I have been doing a little research into purchasing an umbrella stroller. Who needs another stroller, right? Especially when we already have two! But, we don’t love the Mutsy Spider (which I won for free) for several reasons (small sun shield, awkward folding, Amelia never seemed that comfortable in it, etc). Apparently they have discontinued it, so we can’t be the only ones. Anyway, we could have used it for our upcoming trip, but I thought it might be wise to find another option that could work long-term.
Although I haven’t been to Sears in years, a friend recommended a stroller they sell there so I went to check out their options. The store was so depressing that I couldn’t stay for very long. And they didn’t have the Summer Infant stroller that my friend suggested. Many other people suggested Mclaren strollers and everyone who recommended them said they were happy with whichever option they found. Of course, Mclaren just had a recall on all their strollers due to several kids having their fingers injured. Apparently there is some sort of patch kit. Nonetheless, I was a little wary.
The family-run Carrousel du Parc, where we bought our original stroller, recently closed its doors. So I decided to check out trendystrollers.ca, because they are relatively nearby. Turns out, they actually bought Carrousel du Parc and will be re-opening a stroller store on the same block (potentially at the same location) in the near future. Anyway, they had a decent selection (although several of their models weren’t in stock but were coming in next week. Leaving things to the last minute can force your hand, sometimes). I looked at three options: The Quinny Zapp, the Maxi-Cosi Perle, and the Baby Jogger.
The Baby Jogger had the best features (biggest sun shield, full recline, one-step fold). It was also the most expensive and took up the biggest footprint when opened out. It did not look like an umbrella stroller. The Perle was a more “traditional” umbrella stroller, at least in look. It had fold out plastic rails so you could attach the company’s car seat, something I didn’t need, and it reclined. It also came with a cup holder. It was the least expensive option. The Zapp had the nicest design. It comes with its own travel bag (the other two did not) and folds up in three steps. It was about the same weight as the Perle but seemed lighter because it folds more compactly. It doesn’t recline (but Amelia falls asleep in her current stroller w/o it reclining, so I didn’t think that was a big deal). And we already have one fully-reclining stroller. The Zapp, although it was not much more expensive than the Perle, seemed much more sturdy and secure.
We shall see how it does once we attempt to navigate the airport/plane/hotel, etc.
Meanwhile, does anyone want a slightly-used (one winter) Mutsy Spider? Got it for free, so I’ll happily give it away for free.
Buying a stroller these days is like buying a car. I probably spent a month researching which double stroller to buy. Finally ended up with a Baby Jogger city series double, which was expensive but well worth it. Not for jogging, but for getting through Montreal winters.
The Maclaren recall from what I understand is more about bad parenting than problems with the stroller – you basically shouldn’t let your kid near any stroller you are folding as their fingers might get caught. THey sent me the kit to cover up the hing that was an issue but as long as no tiny fingers are nearby, you really don’t need it!
[...] I recently blogged about buying the Quinny Zapp for our trip, I thought I’d do a quick update on how well it [...]