Light or Umbrella Stroller

I love my MacLaren Volo! My son is almost 4 and it still looks brand new after loads of use and many airplane trips. It was $100 well spent. Good luck :-)

try looking on freecycle .org and join your community or area-there are people getting rid of things they no longer need instead of throwing them away they free cycle or recycle to someone who needs it

Hi E....

Oh my gosh...I so just went through the whole process that you are starting...looking for a lightweight stroller for a third child. We had two older children and unexpectedly were blessed with our third (who just turned a year) and having been through this two times already I KNEW what I wanted...a lightweight stroller that was easy to open/close, a nice-sized basket, comfortable to push at being almost 5'8", and a reclining seat for long outings, and I wanted a solid-feeling stroller...so wanting to stay at $150 or under, and after hours and hours of review reading and some research, and an hour or so of playing with the strollers at Babies-r-us & Burlington Coat Factory, it came down (for my personal opinion) to two strollers...

The first one I heavily considered was the EVENFLO XSPORT PLUS CONVENIENCE STROLLER (at Burlington Coat Factory), it is what I guess you would call a glorified umbrella stroller---and I mean that in a good way. It has so much more to offer than your typical umbrella stroller...nice, long, extendable/retractable handles, a repositionable sunshade, easy open/fold, a place to put a water bottle/keys, and a small basket---and I do mean small. I deeply considered this one due to a few PROS: the open/close simplicity; the long moveable handles; its weight (10 lbs.), and the sunshade. However, the two CONS weighed heavily on me due to what I already knew I personally liked in a stroller---a decent-sized basket and a seat that RECLINES. This stroller had neither of these. And when I put my dauher in it to test it out, she seemed squished into the seat already and when I knelt down to see where her head would go should she fall asleep...she would have been leaning onto a piece of the metal tubing, and I could tell by looking that her head would have bobbed forward since the seat is fairly straight up. However, the stroller didn't feel rickety like many of the ones I tested out did--even some top named ones and when I hung my diaper bag onto the handles it didn't tip--which was nice.

The 2nd one that I considered was the Graco Mosaic stroller from BRU. So, here I was...weighing out the differences between the two and here were my main points: Do I go with the lighter stroller and nicer sun-shade (Xsport) or do I go with the stroller that reclines and has a nicer sized basket (Mosaic)?

Well, in the end I decided on the Mosaic...here are some notes about the Mosaic and some of the differences between the two...the Mosaic is a bit bigger than the Xsport, but still lightweight compared to a lot of them--19 lbs., but it feels really well made and solid, not rickety at all; the sun-shade is decent, but I did prefer the repositionable one on the Xsport (I just bought a net that was made for the strollers to shield from sun/bugs and it works fine if I need it); the seat RECLINES, unlike the Xsport, and is really easy to adjust; it has a really nice-sized basket for my needs (way more than the Xsport offered)---I didn't want a huge one---just enough space for a diaper bag and a few things; I like the padded, ergonomic handles, AND I have hung just about everything you can think of on these handles and the stroller never tips---I love that; it is just as easy to open/close as the Xsport; I didn't think I would care about the padded bar that goes across the front (which can be removed) but, I actually love it, and so does my daughter---we clip toys to it and I even purchased a snack/drink holder to attach to the bar that I bought off of Amazon (the Buggy Buddy by Sunshine Kids) and it works great; even though the stroller comes with an attached cup holder for the parent, which I use more than I thought I would, I also purchased a velcro stroller organizer to attach to the handles to hold any extras if I plan to be out for an all-day trip. We took the stroller to Navy Pier all day Saturday and it didn't miss a beat...it drove smoothly on all surfaces and was slim enough to make it through the crowds/places to eat without being a hassle and I ended up happy that I had opted for the reclining seat instead of the lighter stroller when she fell asleep and her head began dangling and I was able to recline her back and let her sleep---and sleep she did, which tells me that she was comfy in it. It does cost more than the Xsport--I paid $109.99 at BRU. But when I weighed the differences of (Xsport): lightweight, less cost, nice shade, no recline, x-small basket *VS* (Mosaic): lightweight enough---but sturdy, moderate cost, decent shade, full recline, nice-sized basket...it was the things that were important to me that made the extra cost worth while and 3 months later I have no regrets. And...another plus is that my hubby doesn't mind pushing it because it doesn't look too girly (I got the "Jewel" model), and the stroller has a nice style to it, and it so easy to maneuver that my 7 year old can do it with ease---matter of fact she can even fold it up or open it for me.

However, if it is of utmost importance that you stay under $100, then I think the Xsport PLUS would be great...since you are 5'9", you will appreciate the handles on this model and you could purchase the Buggy Buddy to attach to it to give you more storage, if needed. So, depending upon your own personal needs/preferences here are two great strollers to consider and I hope this helps out! ~Kimberly

I don't actually have one yet but have been checking them out as well. My d is almost 14 months. I plan to check out a stroller in person at Walmart that runs about $40. I think it is by Evenflo and comes in Pink or Gray/Blue. I checked out comments online and most say it is great for tall people (I am 5'8"). Of course, there were a few people that didn't like it but most thought it was a great stroller, especially for the price. BTW, I had also checked out Craigslist for a used one but either the price was too high or didn't really care for what was out there.
I was watching your post to see what others had to say, maybe giving me suggestions as well. The stroller I am considering is the Evenflo Xsport mentioned by other posters. Walmart is 39.99 and most stores do have it in one or other color. If you want a specific color, you could order online to deliver to the store for no shipping charges.

I was out of town and was tired of carrying my son around in the snuggly. I went to walmart and bought the jeep wrangler stroller. It is the best. I sometimes prefer it to the big stroller. It has a basket, the handles are high wnough for tall people (my husband is 5'10"), you can fold with one hand, it is light, and it was $49. Very easy to put together also. It has side pouches that I put a little blanket in and whatever. It reclines also not all way but enough to make them comfortable. Of course it has the shade and it even has peek-a-boo top. I love it. Good luck

Here's another vote for the Evenflo XSport Plus. I'm 5'11" and my hubby is 6'1" and the extendable handles are a life saver. Bought it from amazon.com - I think $69 or maybe $79. We've used it for about 4 months and like it.

The Combi Flare!! It is wonderful, lightweight, easy to fold, compact, and does have a basket underneath. My little girl is almost 1 and we've been using it for a couple of months. We bought it at Bye Bye Baby. Here is their (Combi's) website www.combi-intl.com
Good luck!
J.

I love my Evenflo XSport Plus Convenience Stroller. It's an umbrella stroller with extendable handles (great for my husband's back - I'm only 5'2), a nice size storage basket underneath, adjustable canopy (also removable), fabric zipper storage bag and cup holders, and it only weighs 10lbs. Mine is grey, but I could only find pink ones now, which I guess is OK since you have a girl. Here's a link to the one at the Burlington Coat Factory (cheapest I found - same price I paid when I got mine at Amazon):
http://www.burlingtoncoatfactory.com/IWCatProductPage.pro...

I love my Maclaren. I know they are more than $100, but I would recommend checking craigslist and garage sales. They last forever. I'm 5'10" and have had trouble with most of the strollers I've run into. I prefer my Triumph because the back has two levels and is not sling (like Volo) and I love the carrying strap, weather shield and compact folding. What's really great is that the maximum weight is 55 lbs. My 7 year old JUST grew out of it and once in a while it was nice to have her in there.

Good luck!