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so far, so fantastic, November 29, 2005
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Reviewer: B_B from Somerville, MA
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B_B
saw things this way
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Overall Grade
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(10) |
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Pros:
Bassinet. Ride. Slick. Baby can face you. Great on stairs.
Cons:
Price. Height limit. You need a big trunk.
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I love this thing. I'm aware that its major downside for us (tall family) is that our kid might outgrow it, height-wise, sooner than other strollers, but so far I have nothing but praise for this well-designed, essential piece of equipment. The Frog was the first--and most expensive--bit of baby equipment we bought, but so far it's been used almost every day of our kid's life. We bought ours used via Ebay (looked on StrollerSwap Yahoo group, too) for . . . hmm, $600 or so, fully loaded. Probably it's cheaper now that the new Bugaboos are out, but at the time it was a steal. We put all the cloth parts through the wash and it looked like new--still does, apart from the drool and puke stains on it.We test-drove this and several other strollers in narrow store aisles and on winter streets, and the deciding factor was its versatility in these settings. It turns on a dime but the big, inflated rear wheels mean you can bump it over tree roots and high curbs without waking your baby.When our baby was small, the bassinet was incredibly useful. I didn't have a c-section, but climbing stairs still sucked for the first couple of weeks. When the kid wasn't nursing or lying in an adult's lap he was in the Frog's bassinet. I wheeled him around the first floor of our house to wherever I'd set up shop. There was enough room to tuck a few supplies, too (book, wipes, Tylenol, Tucks, etc). Once I could walk comfortably, we went out every day. The Frog bumps smoothly down our 7 front steps and easily navigates curbs. Early on, my husband bumped it up and down stairs to our second and third floors, sometimes, to keep from waking the baby, and I often carried it up and down stairs detached from the chassis. With a blanket, the bassinet's plenty warm outside in cold weather. The rain shield did fine on the few days it rained, and I could see my baby through it. The only challenge with the (largeish) bassinet attached is crowded stores. Though the wheelbase is narrow enough and the turn radius small enough to get through almost any maze of store racks, heavy crowds make you feel like you're driving a nimble SUV--yes, it turns easily with one hand and fits through narrow spaces, but it takes up a fair amount of space while doing so.My guy sat up early, so we were able to start using the seat at 4 months. We walk about three miles a day on city streets. I use the handbrake frequently, and it's solid and reassurring when it clicks into place. I love the multi-recline feature (he can nap completely flat, semi-recline, or sit up nearly straight) and the fact that he can face me (I burble numbers and ABCs at him) or the world, depending on which is more interesting to him that day. The storage bag is big enough for three plastic bags of groceries (it expands upwards substantially) and hasn't yet limited me, which was a surprise after reading other reviews. I take it to farmers' markets and can load up without worrying about having enough room for my purchases. The parasol, while cute, is fairly useless. I never used the mosquito cover or the footmuff--at least, not yet. The two-part fold isn't much of an issue for us. When we go on trips, I put the baby into the car seat (convertible now, Snugride then) and buckle him in, then put the Frog into the trunk (we have a Honda CRV, a tiny SUV). While shopping, I put together the Frog (with a little practice it's quick and simple), roll it to the side of the car, engage the handbrake, and transfer the baby from the car seat to the stroller. I drape the Skip Hop over the handle and go. For longer excursions, I buckle the Skip Hop to the handle, and when he was smaller, I'd pop our Graco Snugride into the car seat adapter without waking him--a huge improvement over wrestling a sleepy, floppy infant out of one 5-point restraint system and into another.I use the Skip Hop diaper bag in the same color (red), based on the recommendations I found on the boards here. I can tuck a large drink (e.g. Starbucks latte or even a large McDonald's cup if pressed) into the mesh side pocket, and it's well organized and washable, and like the Frog its tough nylon fabric shows no wear. If I had it to do again I'd get a contrasting color, though, like orange or spring green. Useful accessories: Skip Hop, bag clips, rain cover, car seat adapter (essential when small and sleeping in car seat).Useless accessories: parasol, 3d party cup holder (hampered fold and asthetics, made unnecessary by Skip Hop).other (unknown) accessories: footmuff (looks slick, haven't needed yet), other 3d party cupholders, 3d party (and cheaper) warmth accessories like the Bundle Me, toddler board (have read that users find it small). I'd get it again, and I'd get it again through StrollerSwap or Ebay. For us, the Skip Hop, bassinet feature, and easy steering were irreplaceable; I considered the Valco as an alternative, but found it bulkier and harder to get through narrow store aisles, though the steering was smooth and it handled rough terrain easily. If money was no object, I'd probably look harder at the new models. They have a few more inches of height for the baby to grow into, funky colors in attractive, lightweight fleece, a bigger storage basket, adjustable handles to accomodate taller adults, and a few other features. Good luck!
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