Combi Twin Sport Stroller

The Combi Twin Sport stroller is just simply put a great stroller. In fact, it's high on my list of "must haves" if you have twins or two small kids close in age and are on the go a lot. Especially when the going involves air travel and foreign countries. 

When our second child was born we already had a garage full of strollers and couldn't imagine buying yet another one. But we also knew that we needed something that could hold both kids, particularly for our upcoming international travel (with two layovers). Our 2.5 year old was too little to walk long distances and our little one was too big to be carried in a carrier for long periods of time. I've also traveled enough with my kids to know exactly what I need to get through airports, especially when layovers and walking long distances are involved.

We came across the Combi Twin Sport and realized quickly that it was going to get us through the next few years. It's light-weight, fits through all standard doors (even in small Spanish towns) and folds very easily. The seats recline all the way down - I even changed my daughter's diaper in it a few times. It's supposed to be compatible with the Combi car seat only, but we were able to squeeze our old Graco Safeseat into the seat just fine and attach it securely with the belt that the stroller comes with. I actually think the new Graco Snugrides are slightly smaller than our old Graco Safeseat so I'm almost sure you can do this with the Snugride as well. The stroller also has an infant safety boot for babies that you can pull up and attach with velcro so your little one feels safe and secure, and pacifiers, bottles, rattles, etc don't fall out. This is one of the details that makes me love this stroller although I'm slightly nostalgic to say my little one no longer needs the boot.

While she was snug in her seat, my son could open and close his side of the stroller bar/guard rail and get in and out on his own, which made him feel big and proud.

The stroller has good pockets for storage, decent baskets underneath, and cup/snack holders on the guard rail for each child.The sunshade is long enough to give decent shade and there are small plastic windows on them that you can peak through, to see what your babes are up to.  

The one unfortunate thing relating to this stroller has nothing to do with its actual features as a stroller. I guess American Airlines got tired of replacing broken gate-checked double BOBs etc, and passed a new rule on June 1, 2011 which allows you to only gate check strollers up to 20 lbs. Well, the Combi Twin Sport weighs 22.25 lbs... In our desperation we figured out that removing the front wheels of the stroller shaves off about 2.25 lbs and so we traveled with it anyway (and made sure there was space in a carry-on for the wheels, just in case). They gave us a hard time at the check-in but let us bring it anyway. Rules are rules. 

So in my humble opinion...

Pros:

- Light-weight (22.25 lbs) as far as twin strollers go.

- Smart, well engineered stroller.

- Great seat recline.

- Good storage.

- Easy to fold ("3-second fold").

- Self-standing when folded.

- Canopies have viewing windows.

- Carrying strap.

- Easy to open/close guard rail.

- Snack/cup holders in guard rail.

- Infant safety boots (if you need them).

- Decent suspension in the wheels (traveled better than expected on cobble stones).

- Does not cost a fortune.

 Cons:

- I honestly can't think of any... As far as twin "umbrella" strollers go, this is a great option.

Graco Infant Car Seat Stroller Frame

I think it's fair to say that this Graco stroller frame is one of the baby products in our household that we got the most use out of. We used it for both kids, so we got almost two years out of it (one per child). And as far as baby gear goes, I think that's pretty good!

It lived in the trunk of my car and came out literally every day for as long as our babies were in their infant car seats. The frame even traveled over-seas with us once. It's light-weight, easy to fold and comes with a huge basket underneath to stuff diaper bags and shopping bags into (and if you've read my review on the UPPAbaby Vista, you know that I'm a huge fan of big stroller baskets). And the best thing is of course that you can seamlessly transfer the car seat into the stroller frame without waking up your sleeping baby.

The "cup holders" are shallow because they are not meant for drinks (especially hot ones!) so you can't use them for that purpose. I used them mainly for small items like my keys and our baby's pacifiers.

This stroller frame doesn't have much suspension in the wheels so don't expect it to run great on cobble stones. However, for your daily errands it's a perfect little invention that makes the life of a parent much easier.

I think this is a must have product, especially if you are on the go a lot and own a Graco car seat. You can use it until your baby grows out of the infant car seat and it's not an expensive item as far as baby gear goes (Amazon and Babies R Us sell them new for $69). Of course, if you have a stroller like the UPPAbaby Vista, that has a car seat adapter (and a large basket for your bags), you technically don't need this frame. We, of course, as stroller obsessed parents, had to have both. But in this case, I'd rather give up the car seat adapter on the UPPAbaby Vista (which I also used quite a bit), than my Graco Infant Car Seat Stroller Frame. 

I feel compelled to remind anyone who buys this frame to always remember to use the locks that are meant to secure the car seat to the frame, after it clicks into place. It's common sense really, but if you don't use them and bump into something, the car seat can actually tilt out of the frame.

So in my humble opinion...

Pros:

- Makes running errands with a baby very easy (especially since babies always tend to conveniently fall asleep in the car).

- Huge basket underneath. I've even used it to do all our grocery shopping for the week.

- Folds easy. 

- Folds flat, so it doesn't take up much space in the trunk.

- Comes as a twin frame as well.

Cons:

- Doesn't have great suspension in the wheels but it's not really meant for off roading anyway so I don't think this is a big deal.

BOB Revolution SE

The BOB. The ultimate jogging buddy. The SUV, 4 wheel-drive of all strollers. You see this stroller and instantly feel more fit than you did before you saw it. Or you feel bad, because you aren't fit (yet) and can't fathom buying yet another stroller.

Or you do like we did and bought it, thinking that we'd be fit and trim just because we own it. 

Jokes aside, the BOB is an amazing stroller. It's incredibly light-weight and it runs smoothly, on almost any kind of terrain (except on a wet beach, which we were lucky enough to test last January). It has all the sporty features that one would expect from a well-made jogging stroller: big tires, swiveling or fixed front wheel, suspension system, parking break, etc. It also has your typical stroller features such as: reclining seat, harness, multi-position canopy and storage features. The recline is nothing much to write home about, as there is just a strap behind the seat that you can tighten or loosen to adjust the recline, but all in all it's a great stroller for an active family.

I'm a bit sad to admit that I don't use our BOB. But that may have more to do with the fact that I'm so content with our UPPAbaby Vista, than with anything else. In fact, I'm pretty sure this would be my favorite stroller if I didn't own the UPPAbaby, because there is truly almost no comparison out there to the smooth, light-weight ride that baby gets in the BOB.

Luckily our BOB has not been a complete waste of money and space in our household, even though I don't use it. My husband has used it for the occasional run, and he loves it. It's masculine enough, even with a bald baby and a pink blanket in it, and he particularly likes the tracking adjustment that it comes with. And I'm pretty sure he will use it again one day. When there is more time...

So, in my humble opinion...

Pros:

- Durable.

- Relatively good shock absorption.

- Good sunshade.

- It's basically made for what you want to use it for (street, jogging, heavy transport of kids, light off-road jogging, etc).

- Comes as a double stroller as well.

Cons:

- Handlebar is not height adjustable (unless they changed this recently).

- There is nothing small about this stroller.

- It's like buying a Jeep Wrangler - you need to be able to live up to the image of owning it (but that could just be me).

UPPAbaby Vista Stroller

This post is very long but it's because I love this stroller and have many things to say about it. In fact, I would put it on the top of my list of things I could not have lived without. I say this even though our UPPAbaby Vista is already “ancient” compared to the newer Vista models that are out there. I've recommended it to everyone I know, and my friends who have bought it have been equally happy. In fact, I don't know anyone who has had any complaints about it.

Our "love affair" with this stroller began in 2007 when we were expecting baby #1 and went to a Baby & Kids store to check out the fancy pants Bugaboo. Being from Europe where everyone walks around with proper prams, I really wanted a stroller that came with a bassinet so we were quite set on buying the Bugaboo. Well, that was until I saw a couple strolling around the store with what must have been the first generation UPPAbaby Vista. The stroller had a great design already back then (although one could argue it was a bit wide at the time) and it looked so comfortable for both parents and baby. And best of all, it had a giant basket underneath that I just couldn't take my eyes off.

Stroller highlights:

We quickly learned that the stroller actually came with a nice, sturdy bassinet and a seat (which could be forward or backward facing), and as a bonus for us - new colors and narrower tires. Folding this stroller was a breeze, as opposed to the Bugaboo that you somehow needed to flip with your foot while using both hands to hold it upright. You could even fold the stroller without removing the seat if you wanted to (forward facing) and it wasn't very heavy as far as strollers go. The seat was also higher off the ground than on most other strollers, keeping our dog’s nose - or any other dog’s nose - out of our precious baby’s face. Oh, and let me just emphasize that basket size does matter. Even my at the time incredulous husband now sincerely agrees.

The handle bar could also easily be elevated or lowered, which was perfect for us since there is a bit of a height difference between me and my husband.

Accessories/additions: 

Car seat adapter(s): UPPAbaby makes car seat adapters for the Maxi-Cosi, Peg Perego and Graco infant car seats. I can't speak for the other brands, but our Graco car seat adapter was very easy to install and use, and the stroller would even fold with the adapter in place. These adapters technically eliminate the need for a "snap & go" type of stroller base. (Of course, I wouldn't be writing this blog if this was the case with us...)

When we were expecting baby #2 in 2009, we learned that UPPA had come out with new goodies that a parent of course cannot live without. Especially if you think you'll have more children one day.

Rumble Seat: Genius. This answered all our double stroller questions before we even got there. The Rumble seat attaches to the stroller base with one small “click” and removes just as easily.

PiggyBack board: Another lifesaver. This board attaches to the back of the stroller and is meant for the older child to stand on.

We actually haven't used our rumble seat very much because the stroller got quite heavy when our older child sat in it (the baby always sits in the "primary" seat). The seat attaches to the front base bars which makes it front-loaded and heavier to push, especially going uphill.

However, we love, love, love the PiggyBack board. It's attached above the back wheels of the stroller so I really don't even feel like I'm pushing two kids at the same time. The board rides smoothly, also over bumps. The only thing to keep in mind with the board is that the handle bar needs to be “elevated” or your kid will have to lean forward or bump his head on the handle bar. Not a big deal for us, even though I prefer the handle bar on the lower setting. We get a lot of great comments when we’re out an about with my younger child in the seat and the older standing on the board.

Sunshade/canopy: When we bought our stroller in 2008 it had a normal size canopy, which didn’t give any sunshade on baby’s face when the seat was in a reclined position. UPPAbaby later replaced it with a much longer canopy for proper sun cover, in any seat position. Of course all the new strollers automatically have this feature, but there is also a retro-fit canopy for the 2008 stroller that you can order.

UPPAbaby has tons of other cool accessories for the stroller and bassinet that we actually didn't buy or try out (check these out on the company website www.uppababy.com), as unbelievable as it may seem.

Stroller recline:

Our stroller, being ancient as far as strollers go, has three settings. 1) Almost upright. 2) Slightly reclined. 3) Reclined.

The fact that it doesn’t have an “upright” setting never bothered me with baby #1 but has bothered me with baby #2. She still seems to slump into the seat, even though she is technically a toddler now. UPPA has of course since fixed this, so the 2010 Vista strollers have an “upright” position as well. We can’t get this feature without buying a new stroller, so we just live with this and try not to get too much stroller envy.

UPPABaby customer service:

I know I probably sound like an ad for UPPAbaby Vista at this point, but in addition to all the things I love about our stroller, the customer service has been fantastic. The few times that we have needed customer service it has been friendly, prompt and personable. I mean, who gets that anymore? You actually get to talk to a real person! And they answer emails right away.

Our first baby dug his teeth into the foam material on the “guard rail” and UPPAbaby replaced it for free and added a replaceable biting guard to it. The other time I needed customer service was when the carry bag had broken in airline transit and it was replaced with a brand new one for free. Lastly, we also wanted to update the upholstery on the stroller and get the retro-fit canopy for our second child, which proved to be a very smart and simple process to do.

So, in my humble opinion…

Pros:

- The UPPAbaby Vista stroller comes with both bassinet and seat for under $1000.
- It’s easy to fold.
- It folds with or without seat.
- You don’t break your back trying to lift it in your car.
- The seat is higher off the ground than it is on most other strollers so you can be extra close to your baby’s beautiful face.
- There is a giant basket underneath to put all your shopping bags into! Or groceries, if that’s what you decide to do.
- Handle bar that can easily be adjusted.
- Easy to use car seat adapters to fit the Graco, Peg Perego and Maxi Cosi infant car seats (check which models on the company website).
- PiggyBack board for your toddler to stand on. Lifesaver.
- You can re-upholster the stroller if you get tired of the colors or if your precious one makes an unsalvageable mess.
- Excellent customer service!

Cons (it’s hard to come up with any, but here goes):

- The Rumble Seat is a great idea in theory but didn’t work well for us because it makes the stroller front loaded and heavy to push. (It is also possible that I’m very weak...)
- While this stroller runs smoothly on a lot of different terrain, it is not a jogging stroller. So if you are looking for a stroller to jog with, the BOB or Phil & Ted etc, are probably better options.

http://uppababy.com/products/