Does Anyone Love Their Umbrella Stroller?

I used to have a Maclaren Quest I really, really liked it. The only reason that I got rid of it is because I needed something more sturdy for the weather we get (Wisconsin). The fold is a piece of cake once you get the hang of it and it is one of the lightest weight out there.

You might want to check out the Mia Moda strollers. I have the Cielo and I LOVE it. It is a bit bigger and bulkier than your average unbrella stroller but my kid LOVES her "buggy"...and that is saying a lot for a 2.5 yr old who is constantly on the go!!! I love that the Cielo is more of a chair and that my daughter can see all around her...it makes for a much happier stroller ride. The construction is great...the wheels are solid...and there is a cup holder :)

It looks a bit funny...but it is the best stroller I have used...and I have used some very, very expensive ones including Valcos, Quinnys and Bugaboos. This one beats them hands down AND it's a fraction of the price!

http://www.miamodainc.com/strollers/strollers.asp

Love my Maclaren Quest.

I really like my Chicco Capri Stroller. If you can, get a dark color. I have the lime green and the wheels leave black marks on the canpoy when it folds up. As far as a cup holder, it doesn't have one but I just tuck my bottle water in the basket below.

I LOVE my MACLAREN QUEST!!! It is so easy to use, my daughter is extremely comfy, and it is really light. The only problem is their is no cup holder for me, but i think they sell attachments for them.
Highly recommended though!!!

I thought I needed an umbrella stroller, but returned the one I got b/c I thought it was so awful. (Jeep brand, but I think I just didn't want such a flimsy stroller).

If you are going to use it every day, you want something that is easy to fold and push without hunching down. I use the parent cupholders on my Graco MetroLite stroller all the time--either to hold my water, a sippy, or keys and snacks. I would personally recommend my stroller b/c the carseat fits in it, I can push it one handed (bar for handle so I can push the middle), folds almost one handed, ... The child tray comes in handy too when it's time to eat and you don't have a table handy--I fed my 1yr old in there at the zoo and when out running errands.

YES YES YES!!!!! The Maclaren Volo is one of the best baby items I've owned. I have two boys- 3 and 1 -and both have used this stroller almost every day. We first purchased it to take on a trip, and it unfolds and folds very easily. It's also incredibly durable. Ours has been through a lot and still looks good with no damage. I think they're $80-$100, but you will use it constantly. We had the Graco travel system carseat and stroller with the first, and I rarely used it after we purchased this stroller. I haven't used the Graco once with my second -and he's 16 months old! By all means, go get a Maclaren Volo!

I love my Maclaren for everyday use. Very lightweight and easy to fold, also takes up less space in the car. But I use my big Graco for shopping because there isn't much room in the bottom of the Mac. I don't know about other Macs (mine isn't one of the really expensive ones) but I don't recommend it for an infant though. Mine doesn't recline, so I didn't use it until my son was older and sitting up on his own. I do miss him having a tray and the cup holders for both of us, but there are things you can buy to put on the back of the stroller. My biggest complaint about most umbrella strollers was always the height of the handles (way too low) and the wheels not wanting to turn at the same time with the others. I don't have those problems at all with the Mac. Good luck!

I love my Maclaren Techno XLR. It's on the pricy side but you can find previous year models online for a little less. It's a little larger than other Maclaren umbrella strollers buy can be used as a travel system (w/car seat). I have one stroller & it will work from infancy until my child is 4 or maybe even older if I wanted to. Anything by Maclaren is great. My sister has the Quest & loves it also.

I LOVE my $30 one from Babies R Us. I really don't see why people spend like $100+ on a simple umbrella stroller. It folds easily (w/ one hand), is super light weight, and has been amazing on all terrains. It doesn't have a basket, but a mesh bag attached. I've never seen the need for the cup holder myself. I am a first time mom who initially got one of those stroller-carseat combos, and quickly got rid of the huge bulky Graco stroller for my $30 umbrella one. Save yourself some $$!!!

Graco Mosaic. LOVE IT!! We had the little stroller frame for the car seat AND the big "travel system" but got the Mosaic and its the perfect combo of both and is compact and light like an umbrella stroller. An infant carrier can click into it as well. We have had ours for about 4 months and my sister-in-law just to one for her baby shower.

good luck!

You definitely want a cup holder. We just bought a Jeep stroller from Wal Mart. It was $50 and well worth it. It's very easy to push, light weight, doesn't take up a lot of space at home or in the trunk, has a large storage basket and a tray up front with a cup holder. We did a lot of research and this one seems to be just right for us. Good Luck!

You don't actually say what you want to do with it. Do you go on a lot of 'excursions' - more than an hour at the zoo or the mall or festivals, etc.? Or do you just want something for quick store trips or walking to the park? We have the $20 cheap umbrella stroller from Babies R Us, which we use for walks, travel, and quick shopping trips to places with no carts (and bonus that my son loves to push it around the house). But it has no drinkholder or tray, there is a tiny little bag to hold stuff, and it's a little short, so it's annoying for more involved excursions like the mall or things like the Tempe Arts Festival where I want to stash all my stuff below. So it depends on what your daily mix of activities is how many "features" you're going to find useful.

Depending on the age of your child, they are great! When my kids got old enough, I used the umbrella stroller exclusively, instead of trying to lug around my other HUGE one. Especially for travelling - they are a breeze to open and close, and so much lighter. And honestly - I've had two different convertible strollers - the kind that the car seat fits on, with all the bells and whistles - I hardly EVER used the cupholder, and neither did my kids.

My recommendation on umbrella strollers is at least wait until your child is sitting up by herself - they don't offer a lot of support. But you can find them really cheap - I actually had to leave mine at an airport once because I was going to miss my connecting flight, and just bought another one when I got to my destination - a whole whopping $11! And I think I used mine until my kids were almost 3!

We have the Chico Capri also and have loved it. I'm tall, so I like that the handles come up higher and I don't have to bend over when I'm pushing the stroller. I will also second the comment about the canopy getting scuffed up by the wheels. Ours is red, and the canopy scuffs are still noticeable. But, overall, we've loved this stroller. It's still in great shape and I've been using it for 3 years.

After owning 4 other strollers (Graco Travel System, Double Zooper, Peg Perego, Sit & Stand & now a MacLaren)
I love my MacLaren!! It's light, functional, easy to fold and easy to manuever. It does not have drink holders...but for me, everything else makes up for it, my children though are 2 & 6.
I got mine at Target for 10 percent off, and I believe it was right around $100.
Check craigslist too--I sold both of my beautiful strollers there. Good Luck!

We used (past tense because our 4 y.o. dd doesn't need it anymore) Chicco for both our umbrella and travel system strollers and loved them both. They have upgraded our umbrella stroller, but not much appears to have changed. It is the Chicco Ct0.6 model. It did not have a cup holder for my daughter or me. I didn't see how it was too necessary especially for her. We liked it because the wheels are bigger and sturdier than a typical umbrella stroller so it rolled well on dirt, gravel, grass, snow, and of course pavement. It is plenty roomy (room for a water bottle/sippy cup) and the back of the seat unzips to recline a little bit. It has a nice shade, with a zipper pocket on each side (which I found holds a cup for me just fine), and a good basket underneath. It folds up easily an fit just fine in both our trunks - a Saturn Ion and two door Chevy Cavalier. It comes with a nice bag for traveling which comes in handy if you are flying and need to gate check the stroller. It was $60 but well worth the extra money. We used that much more than our big travel system stroller! Good luck and enjoy!

I asked a similar question a month or so back and got some great advice to go up to Lullaby Lane in San Bruno where you can try the strollers out. 'Tis expensive though. One of the storefronts there is discount. Happy shopping.

I absolutely love my Chicco umbrella stroller (see link). I bought mine used on Craigslist for $20 intending just to use it as a back up stroller to be used at grandma's house. I loved it so much though, that I ended up giving grandma the brand new stroller that I just *had* to have when my son was born. We like to call it the SUV. Chicco umbrella stroller is awesome - great design, easy to fold, very compact, lightweight and durable. As for the cup holder, I have never used one. My kid would just throw the cup anyways :)

http://www.target.com/Chicco-C6-Stroller-Tangerine/dp/B00...

I love mine. I just bought the Babies R Us brand strollers for my kids. I have 2 and they fold up easily and had a bag that attaches to the back to carry things and a detachable sun cover. Only about $18.