This Cosco Stroller has an okay design but poor quality - buy something else!
Written: Jun 11 '06 (Updated Apr 06 '07)
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Pros: lightweight, low cost, easy to fold
Cons: quality issues, poor durability
The Bottom Line: This stroller had good storage and was a decent price but the poor quality means I can't recommend it.
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| modernmarvel's Full Review: Cosco Juvenile Eddie Bauer Lightweight - Blanchard... |
I have three kids and have bought many strollers over the years. I am very tough on strollers and drag them through New England winters, fly them on planes and toss them in and out of cars. I bought this stroller in April 2006 as a lightweight stroller for a trip from Boston to California and back. The stroller was such low quality, in two months I have already trashed it and moved on to another stroller.
I was originally attracted to this stroller because it was more substantial than an umbrella stroller and it had a deep basket for carrying not only the baby's items but items for my older kids. It was also easy to fold and unfold. I liked the low cost of $60. I originally bought the stroller for a trip to California and back. I don't want to bring my expensive stroller because I know the airlines are rough and I have actually seen one airline drop strollers over 15 feet from the boarding ramp. I didn't want to bring a stroller I was fond of so if it got lost or broken I wouldn't be too upset. This stroller seemed to be the right mix of low cost, good storage, comfort for baby and weight.
FEATURES
This stroller has a reclinable seat, but it doesn't recline all the way. This stroller is best for a baby at least 12 months old.
The stroller has two trays which I describe futher below. It also has a nice-sized canopy to keep sun and rain off baby. I was particularly attracted to the deep basket below the stroller. This basket is as large as some more expensive and substantial strollers.
According to product literature, this stroller works with car seats also made by the same manufacturer. We didn't use it with a car seat so I can't comment on how that works.
This stroller has fabric for the seat and canopy. Fabric is more comfortable for baby than plastic or mesh on the seat. Still, the problem with fabric is that it stains easily and is hard to wash. Also, we used this stroller in the rain and the canopy got soaked.
This stroller does not come with a weather guard. More expensive strollers sometimes come with a plastic shield that can go over the stroller in bad weather. I don't really use the plastic shields so I didn't care, but if you are looking for a stroller to use in bad weather, this isn't a good one for you.
ASSEMBLY
Like a lot of strollers in this price range, this stroller needed some assembly. For the most part, the assembly was easy and took about 20 minutes. The only hard part was that the wheels were secured on the stroller by what looked like industrial staples. These staples were hard to manipulate and it needed some strong fingers and determination to get the staples through the right holes in the axles to secure the wheels.
DESIGN
This stroller has a pretty good design. The frame is metal but the wheels and brakes are plastic. The wheels probably wouldn't stand up to a lot of time outside in a New England winter. If you are looking for a stroller for outdoor use, you should get one with more durable wheels. The brakes worked okay but they don't seem to click in as securely as other strollers I have owned.
My favorite thing about this stroller is the basket. The back of the basket is on springs. When I went to get something in the basket, I could pull down on the springs so it was easier to reach inside even if the seat was reclined in the lowest position.
I also liked the fact that this stroller folds easily. It isn't the one-handed operation of other strollers I have owned, still it is pretty easy to open and close.
When closed, this stroller doesn't get as flat as other strollers. It stays rather bulky which takes up more room in the trunk than I anticipated but it wasn't a big deal.
QUALITY
I had a lot of quality problems with this stroller. The stroller comes with a tray for parents that is supposed to snap on the handles of the stroller. The purpose of the tray is to carry drinks, keys and other small items for mom or dad. I found, first of all, the cup holders were not wide enough for some of the drinks I bought. More annoying, however, was the fact that the tray never snapped on securely. I could get the tray to snap on but it was loose and wouldn't support much weight. The tray also snapped off every time I folded the stroller. After two weeks of the tray snapping off every time I folded the stroller, I threw the tray away.
I didn't like the seatbelt on this stroller. My baby was 20 months at the time we bought the stroller and we couldn't secure the belt on her. She is a wriggly and determined toddler and she was able to escape the belt with little effort. Since the belt is hard to adjust, I wouldn't recommend this stroller for infants since the belt wouldn't secure them.
Another problem with the stroller is that a wheel popped off while I was pushing the baby. The baby wasn't hurt. However, it was very inconvenient for me to unload baby, unload the basket and tip the stroller on its side so I could reattach the wheel. Once I reattached it, it seemed to stay on but I didn't really feel like I could trust the stroller after that.
This stroller has a tray that fits in front of baby. This tray is handy for snacks for a toddler but it wouldn't be as useful for a smaller baby.
This stroller is also a little harder to steer compared with other strollers I have had. It isn't awful but it can sometimes be difficult to maneuver it with one hand in tight spaces.
FINAL RECOMMENDATION
I don't like this stroller for the poor quality and can't recommend it on that basis. If you were to still consider this stroller, it would be best for indoor use (malls and such) for a baby that is 12-24 months old.
NEW BABY? HERE ARE SOME BABY PRODUCTS I HAVE REVIEWED:
STROLLERS: Maclauren Techno Stroller; Graco MetroLite LE Stroller.
GEAR: Skip Hop Diaper Bag; Evenflo Snugli Baby Carrier; Infantino EuroRider Baby Carrier.
SLEEPING: Pali Sabrina Crib; Sozo USA bedding.
SOOTHING: MAM pacifiers; MAM pacifier keeper.
NURSING: Bravado Nursing Bra; Lansinoh lanolin; Lansinoh nursing pads.
FEEDING: Avent Feeding Bottles; Take & Toss Infant Spoons; Nuby Sipper Gripper Cup; Dora the Exporer Insulated Straw Cups; Playtex Sipster Spill-Proof Cup; Take & Toss Bowls.
BATHING: The First Years Bath Tub/Bath Seat Combo; California Baby Super Sensitive Shampoo & Bodywash.
BABY BOTTOMS: Burt’s Bees Diaper Ointment; Desitin Creamy; Balmex; California Baby Diaper Rash Cream; Weleda Diaper Care; Huggies Supreme Diapers; Playskool Cottony Cloth Wipes.
POTTY TRAINING: Graco Training Rewards Soft Seat Potty and Stepstool; Elmo’s Potty Time DVD; Huggies Clean Team Flushable Wipes; Huggies Clean Team Foaming Soap.
BABY SKIN: Mustela Hydra-Stick for lips and cheeks; Burt’s Bees Apricot Baby Oil.
TOYS: Tiny Love Symphony In Motion Mobile; Soft Teething Beads; Sassy Teething Wing Butterfly; Lamaze Clutch Cube;
Lamaze Freddie the Firefly.
BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENTS: Baby’s Here Birth Announcements.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 60
Age Range of Child: 12 to 36 Months
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modernmarvel
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