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Our author and mother of a two-year-old daughter Alena Bezmenova tried five popular “walks” on herself and compiled a detailed guide for each with pluses, minuses and personal impressions.
Lightweight. Just going. Maneuverable. With good cross-country ability. As compact as possible. Convenient. Stylish. The list of my stroller requirements grew as my belly grew. The task is to choose the very ideal problem of the century in my family. At first, we live on the fifth floor without an elevator, every kilogram counts. Secondly, we have two cars in the family, but both with tiny trunks. Thirdly, the grandmother joined the choice, who still remembers in which “ships” the babies were taken in the eighties. Fourthly, I had a cesarean section, so there was no question of a low-maneuverable wheelchair. Fifthly, we live outside the city, sometimes the asphalt can end abruptly, and dragging a stroller with tiny wheels on itself is still an attraction.
Our current fleet of vehicles: Thule, Stokke, Mothercare
For 6 thousand or 80?
There was a whole line of strollers in the chain store near the house. Verdi… The prices were pleasantly surprised: the most expensive 2-in-1 model would have cost 20 thousand – and this with a car seat, without it you could buy for 8-12 thousand. But they were already creaking in the store, collecting and disassembling them was still fun, and the weight started from 15 kg. The quality of the fabric and the shape itself upset me. Imagine: the stroller has a huge outwardly cradle, but in fact the usable space is half as much. A baby in overalls and with a blanket or in an envelope could not have been put there, but only stuck in it. Moreover, with a characteristic “chpok” sound. Plus the abundance of foam rubber, windproof fabric, the densest hood – you can bake a cake in such a stroller in the summer. Another feature of these strollers is the obligatory bottomless bag on the parent’s handle and the lower basket of such dimensions that it would be possible to carry sacks of potatoes in it.
Everyone’s favorite model was found in a mid-price store Inglesina Sofia… A 2-in-1 model would cost about 40 thousand rubles. I know that this stroller has a lot of positive reviews. But it did not suit us because of the classic chassis: such a stroller simply will not fit into our modest trunks, and the maneuverability is so-so.
Anex Sport I attracted externally: at least some originality in the design of the lower part, interesting colors, but a very strange choice of external fabric, which, in my opinion, is absolutely impervious to air and is not ventilated.
Another popular option is the stroller FD Desigh Salsa… I was already ready to agree to it: I was going compactly, looked stylish, only the weight was embarrassing – about 15 kilograms, and it felt like all 17. But then I finally got to the recognized manufacturers of strollers – Bugaboo и Canes… When strollers for 10, 30 and 80 thousand stand nearby, you already outwardly understand why the one over 80 is worth its money.
My personal test drive
Stokke Scoot 3
Price: 52 thousand rubles. 29 900 – chassis + walking block. 18 – cradle. 000 – hood.
The weight: 11,7 kg seat unit + chassis.
Advantages: I can sing the odes to this wheelchair endlessly. Scoot is very compact. When the wheels are removed from the chassis, the stroller can be tucked into the tiny trunk of the Mini Cooper. The wheels are removed with one click, and put on the same way. The cradle is deep, only the bottom is hard in it, the sides are kept on the frame, thanks to which it is very roomy. It turns into a flat design easily and naturally. The fabric is easy to remove for washing, but it practically does not get dirty: dust and dirt from it seem to fly off. There is an orthopedic mattress for the baby and fabric carrying handles.
Not a stroller, but love from the first walk
The walk is even better. Three positions of the backrest, which are regulated by two straps. Initially, the walking block was recommended for children from birth, as it unfolds almost completely horizontally. If you do not want to buy an additional carrycot, there is a special insert. The child sits in a sitting block with a flat back, legs – clearly on the footrest. She does not slip anywhere, does not try to bend, I am absolutely calm behind my daughter’s back. A raincoat is included, but I have never used it, the hood perfectly protects from the rain – it does not get wet and closes with legs.
Cons: for me – no. Is that the colors of the walking block and the cradle are not enough: light gray, dark gray, black.
Evaluation: 5 of 5.
Valco Baby Snap 4
Unfortunately, no more photos of this miracle have survived.
Price: 17 rubles for the simplest model.
The weight: 6,6 kg. Convenient shoulder strap.
Advantages: ease. Outwardly, a stroller looks much heavier than it actually weighs. Very spacious baby seat. Huge sleeping place. Folds out almost horizontally. Even a newborn baby can be rolled when using the inlay. The stroller is very maneuverable, due to its low weight, there is no need to buy an additional light model. The deep hood protects the child from rain and sun. There is a bumper, the grown-up passenger may well do without seat belts, or rather, without the upper part, and survey the world. Non-inflatable wheels.
Cons: the quality of the fabric. Sometimes it seems that the slightest clue – and there will be a hole. Strange stuff the wheels are made of. After a month of use, the tread pattern disappears from them. There is no position facing mom. The footrest, on the one hand, increases the berth, on the other hand, since it is fabric, it constantly gets dirty and wears out quickly.
Evaluation: 4 of 5.
Thule Urban Glide 2
You can run with such a stroller
Price: 56 chassis + walking block. 000 – cradle.
The weight: 11,4 kg chassis + seat unit.
Advantages: first and foremost, it will take place everywhere. These wheels are a villager’s dream. Even in the worst weather, Thule will take your little passenger to the right place. The story of my use of the stroller is pure coincidence. I rarely met them, seeing that it was huge, I boldly crossed it out from the list of possible options. Now I can say for sure that in vain.
In Russia, there is a rental service Next2u, where you can rent many things for a while, for example, try before buying. If you like it, they will bring a new one, if you don’t like it, you return it, and that’s all. Thule came to us from this service.
“The courier will bring you a box,” I instructed my husband. – You can leave the box at work, it is unlikely to fit into your car, push the stroller somehow.
I met my husband with a stroller on the stairs. He threw it over his shoulder and carried it quite naturally. At the same time, the stroller turned out to be as compact as possible. As an avid Stokke Scoot fan, I found it much more convenient to drag Thule up to the fifth floor. The baby harness can be easily draped over the shoulders like a backpack. It is not necessary to remove the wheels, the average woman fits easily between them. In extreme cases, the wheels can be easily unfastened and put in a bag, at the same time at home you do not have to clean the floor again.
Thule looks very large but is actually light and compact
The second indisputable plus of the stroller after cross-country ability is maneuverability. I have not yet met a stroller that you can actually carry with one finger. She listens to your every move. Handle material – would touch and touch. The fabric of the walking block is pleasant, but the black color gets dirty quickly.
Cons: there is no position facing mom. In my opinion, it is not suitable for a child older than a year and a half, since the back of the stroller is slightly inclined in the maximum sitting position, the child tends to slide down, sits with a back-wheel. The hood is very low, a tall baby will touch his head. The assembled stroller rests on the parent handle, which can cause scratches.
Evaluation: 4,5 of 5.
I would choose this stroller if I had my second child. She is ideal for a kid and country life.
Cosatto Woosh
The Cosatto stroller now has a different owner – Marusya has grown out of it
Price: 18 000 rubles.
The weight: 6 kg.
Advantages: its weight. Despite the fact that the stroller can be used with a special tab from birth, since it can be disassembled almost completely horizontally. It is convenient to fold and unfold; with proper skill, you can easily do it with one hand. This stroller will definitely not go unnoticed. The only model that caused me to be stopped on the street and asked what kind of company it was and where I bought it. All Cosattos are distinguished by their original colors, there are girls, boys and unisex. The fabric is very pleasant, easy to clean, does not get wet in the rain, a raincoat is not required, but is included. Great for summer as the back can be completely unfastened, leaving only the canopy overhead. The hood is enlarged thanks to the visor, which retracts inward.
Cons: after a year of use, our front swivel wheels began to behave strangely: on a smooth surface they preferred to disperse in different directions. Perhaps the weight of the child was not enough. The second minus, which overlapped all the advantages, was the tilted back. It does not fit for a grown-up child, the baby slides forward, sits with an uneven back.
Evaluation: 3,5 of 5.
Mothercare Jive
An excellent purchase for 699 rubles.
This is how the strollers look when folded.
Price: 699 rubles (with a discount, initially 3800)
The weight: 5 kg
Advantages: price, simplicity of design. I confess that I really bought this cane because of the price, or rather, because of the huge discount. Because initially, this cane, without a hood and other accessories, costs not so little. Either because the color of the stroller is very similar to a toy one, or my daughter really liked it, but as soon as the courier brought it home, the child immediately sat down, buckled up and ordered to go for a walk. Since the stroller came to us in March, they did not immediately go outside with it, they waited for warmth and sun. When warmth and sun came to St. Petersburg, quarantine came and walks became practically illegal. So our beauty while we rolled only around the apartment. There are no complaints here. The child likes it, folds compactly, maneuvers perfectly. We are waiting for the withdrawal of the self-isolation regime.
Cons: the pink plastic handles are likely to get very dirty. No sleeping position, only half-sleep. You will have to buy an umbrella separately, although, according to reviews, umbrellas are much better than hoods to save you from the sun.
Money is not for the brand
My conclusion is that in expensive strollers everything is thought out to the smallest detail. You do not need to make unnecessary movements to collect and disassemble them. Everything is simple and straightforward, and these operations can be performed with one hand. Here he raised it, moved it here, and now the transport for the baby is ready for the trip.
Three is a bit too much, but I will certainly leave two of them.
Second, manufacturers are trying to reduce the weight and size when folded as much as possible without losing functionality. If the stroller is assembled with a book, then this “book” will not look like a Soviet encyclopedia. On wheelchairs Bugaboo и Canes, for example, they use aluminum, light plastic, fabrics protect the baby from ultraviolet radiation, but at the same time they are not impregnated with weighting compounds. In such a cradle or a walk, the baby will not be hot in summer and not cold in winter. Hoods do not click when opening-closing, adequate size. The fabric does not fade, does not fade in the sun. Cots and walking blocks with an orthopedic base, in which the child is correctly positioned, correctly fastened, the spine does not twist and does not experience excessive stress.
Or company Thule – produces all-terrain vehicles on huge wheels, they are suitable for sports parents and joggers. You look at such a stroller, and it seems that it is heavy and huge. In fact, it is less than 10 kilograms, it can be easily folded and carried.
instead of an epilogue
It is a pity that the stores do not have strollers for a test drive, since it is very difficult to find exactly the model that you like. Sometimes in the trading floor it seems that you have found the perfect one, but on the street you realize that it is inconvenient to use it. It is no longer possible to return the transport, and on free classifieds sites it will have to be displayed with a huge discount. Well, or suffer and use.