Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Mutsy Update... what a cool ride!

So now that I've been playing with the Mutsy, I think it might be the single I end up keeping! I love this thing! The other day I used it with the pivot wheels... now - of course - I used it on the pavement around the block... so I used the big air tires in the mall and the little swivel ones on a walk... this is exactly opposite of what you are supposed to do. The swivel tires definitely make for a rougher ride around the block - not horrible - but the air tires are made for this type of terrain.

Now in the mall, I used the swivel tires... it's awesome. Gavin slept for 2 hours in this thing! He was all tucked in, laying flat!

But here's why I REALLY love this thing... check out this new accessory I received this week... it's called the FUN SEAT... and let me tell you - my boys are already fighting over it! It's basically a hard shell - almost like a bike seat, that attaches and has this HUGE basket off the back. It has a 5pt harness and the kiddos can "drive" while I shop! Now THAT is how I keep Gavin tied down for a little bit more without complaint! :)

The basket is awesome too... almost like a shopping cart. And I also got the beach bag, which will be awesome to pack if we have an outing where I need "stuff".

The ONLY reason Owen is tolerating letting his little brother ride - is that I also got the Mutsy toddler step. Now, I have two other toddler steps - the valco hitchhiker and the buggy board. Neither one can touch this thing in stability... it's awesome. And the fact that it has one wheel is awesome because you don't kick it.


So basically - this thing rocks. I would totally recommend this for anyone who wants a single stroller or even as a sit & stand. In fact - I haven't tried it - but I bet you could even use this step up with the bassinet attached... because of the telescoping handle.

Just a very cool stroller with lots of options! And it's solid.

Monday, October 15, 2007

Graco Quattro Tour Duo


Ok - so it is a beast. It's heavy and huge... BUT - I have to say - for just over $200, you do get a lot for your money. Don't even waste your time with the duoglider. At least this pushes well, and can move around a store with ease (just be careful not to run into anything... it is still very long!).


I know folks have complained that the front seat is small... and it is... but most kids don't mind. If they are bigger, chances are they are justing it as a jump seat - hence the missing belly bar... they jump in, they jump out. The back seat is very roomy - and the child has plenty of leg room.


I took it to Trader Joes and did all my grocery shopping with the two babies - they had cup holders for their sippys, and a snack spot for their treats.. and I have a HUGE basket below.


The funniest thing is, I can be pushing the $700 mutsy around... and no one comments... but with this dang thing, people can help it. It's so weird. I guess it's the handle bars and the lines on it are a bit unusual. And you can't buy one near me by walking into a store - so it is still not seen all over the place.


The fold is supper easy - and truly one handed - which you can't say for all doubles... but beware... bend with your knees... the thing is bulky and heavy to lift into a car. Technically it's a smaller fold.. but that's really only in length. What it looses in legth to the duoglider it gaines in bulk... so it's still a big double.


At the end of the day though, it's just over $200... vs. a double jogger at $400+. It fits the carseats which some people just can't live without and it folds easily. Just wish it wasn't so darn heavy! But then I guess it wouldn't be just over $200...


Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Mutsy Urban Rider

I just got this in. It comes to you in 3 boxes... the chassis, the seat and the bassinet. As I lift the boxes, I think - dang... this thing is HEAVY!

I open them up - the bassinet first. The fabric is beautiful. I have the charcoal black colored one - and it comes with a cream colored inside to the bassinet which is a nice contrast. It also comes with the Bassinet sheet- which is great and makes it super easy to clean. The bassinet has it's own hood and boot.

Upon putting together the stroller, I realized that Mutsy somehow forgot the extra set of swivel wheels. I contacted customer service and they got back to me in roughly 1 hour with a response that they would ship them out the next day. Great customer service.

The adjustable height handle is great. It's definitely a good stroller for a tall dad. The basket is very shallow - but I've heard they've corrected that partially for next year.

The hood has good coverage on the seat - and you can adjust the depth of the seat which is a nice function. The foot rest moves up or goes down and there is a metal plate for an older child's feet to rest on.

The seat can face you or away from you. You can fold the stroller with the seat facing either direction supposedly - but I had trouble with this - so i just took the seat off. I guess I need to just play with it a bit more.

Now - a first push and I LOVED the back swivel of the rear tires. This basically gives you a traditional pram feel without the lean down and pick up of the front tires to turn the pram. Now - the turn is not sharp - and the BIG pain is when you have to back up... it's like driving a boat trailer... you turn one direction, and the wheels go the other... so it's a little tough to use all 4 big air tires in a mall setting (which we did... and I regretted).

BUT - Mutsy fixes that - by including (most of the time!) these second set of 360 degree pivot wheels. This makes the Mutsy more "bug" like... you lock the back swivel and take off the big wheels and put on the smaller wheels. I imagine, once i get these small wheels, they will probably stay on the stroller. Walks around the block are awesome with the big wheels - but anywhere that you'd go from the car, you need those small wheels. I'll edit this posting when they come in to give feedback on the stroller with the new wheels.

As for accessories - the mutsy has them ALL! I did use a Lascal foot board - it was just too long. I think the Mutsy toddler board is the way to go with this one. Also it has this cool seat attachment you can get called a 'fun' seat. It really does look FUN! It creates almost a bike seat - like they would have on a tricycle. And it has a HUGE beach like bag off the back of it. Basically it creates a really fun seat for a toddler.

Another good accessory to get is the tray - it has a snap on tray similar to a high chair that you can put on the toddler seat - this would come in very handy for trips to the mall food court!

And they have the Mutsy Sitter - which is great! While your baby is an infant, you can use the bassinet on the stroller and use the mutsy seat inside the house!

At $699 - it is a hefty tag - but really - if you have your kids 3-4 years apart, you could almost use this and not use another stroller - if you buy the toddler board. It really has longevity. And the quality is top notch.

I like this one! ;)