Test Drive

Last week, Mommy and I made our monthly diaper-restocking trek to Babies R Us.  Mommy always looks forward to this trip because she loves checking out all the new baby gear, clothes, and toys. 

Since I was in a particulary good mood, we got a little adventurous and tried out a few higher end strollers.  If I were to draw an analogy between strollers options and car options, these guys would probably be paired up with Acura/Infiniti/Whatever-Other-Manufacturer-Fits-Here.  In other words, these are some quality (pricey) strollers...but there are even better quality (pricier) choices out there.

Mommy and I didn't spend a whole lot of time trying out any of these strollers (since we had no intention of buying one), but we did manage to gather enough data to pull together this rudimentary report card.

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Maxi-Cosi Foray stroller in Coco Mint: A

This was the favorite of both Mommy and me.  The ride was extremely smooth, one-handed steering was a cinch, and adjusting the 3-position recline was super easy.  Having only one wheel at the front end made it really easy to turn tight corners, too.  We also like that the seat can face in or out.

Here are the two reasons we didn't give this stroller a higher grade:

  Mommy and I are both big fans of this color combo...at this moment in time.  It's a really trendy pairing, so we're thinking it will look quite dated in a few years.  If we were to shell out $350 for this stroller, we would be going with the more classic gray/black combo.

The storage basket was also teeny, tiny.  That wouldn't be a problem, though, if Mommy had a diaper bag with stroller straps.

 

Joovy Kooper stroller in Appletree: B+

This stroller was a bit lighter than the Maxi-Cosi, which (according to Mommy) is a big plus when you're hauling it in and out of your trunk space.  Fair skinned tots will also rejoice over the massive sun canopy.  We thought the reflective strips on the shoulder straps were a nice touch for families who spend a lot of time in urban areas.

We didn't give this stroller an A because the ride, while still fairly smooth, could have been a whole lot better.

It also had a small storage basket.

Quinny Zapp 4 stroller in Black: B

Mommy and I were suprised to find that we were a bit disappointed in this stroller.  We really wanted to like it more than we did.  It definitely had the roughest ride, shortest canopy, and teeniest storage basket of the 3 strollers we tried.

On the other hand, at only 18 pounds, it was also the lightest.

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Even though the Quinny and Joovy only made B honor roll, they are still wonderful strollers!  We certainly won't be turning our noses up at them any time soon...especially since the stroller we own is at least one step lower in the stroller hierarchy.