A great FULLSIZE stroller ...

When my wife and I were expecting our first child, we went for a fully loaded, heavy duty stroller - and ended up purchasing the Graco Quattro Tour travel system. We loved the matching stroller, infant seat, and base. They are discussed below:

The Graco Quattro Tour stroller:

The Positives:
The Graco Quattro Tour is big and sturdy (not cheap plastic like others we looked at). Its large wheels rolled smoothly over any terrain. It was great for the mall where the large basket could hold a number of purchases and the diaper bag. And the pattern was neutral enough for our daughter, without being too girlie for me to push around in public. It folds with just one hand on top of itself and always stays on its wheels, meaning that it doesn't get the fabric dirty. You can even leave stuff in the basket when you fold it. The three point harness is easy to use, but a five-point is probably a little safer. The front kids tray is great, and the parent tray has cupholders and two separate compartments for all your stuff (especially useful for sunglasses). The canopy for the stroller is quite large and does a good job of blocking out the sun. Combined with the one on the car seat, and your infant is practically in its own protective cocoon. The back rest can go perfectly flat, has a built in head support pillow, and easily adjusts to four different settings. Everything snaps, turns, and rolls with a quality feel.

The Negatives:
No way around it, this thing is heavy and bulky. At twenty-five pounds, we struggled to get this thing in and out of our car trunk. I am sure with an SUV it would be easier, but we have a fairly large car with a good sized trunk we would have to slowly put it in just right just so it would fit. And then, once it was in, we really couldn't put anything else in there. Definitely consider the size of your car before you purchase this stroller.


The Infant Seat:

The Positives:
The Graco Snugride infant seat is simply the safest on the market. Its 5 point harness is a bit snug to put on, but that is the point. The fabric can be washed and drip dry, but I have no idea how to clean the canopy other than wiping it. It is available in a number of colors and styles, and all are interchangeable with numerous Graco strollers (and some other brands as well) as well as the Graco bases.

The Negatives:
It is a bit bulky and heavy for an infant seat, and the canopy "sticks" a bit, but neither is that big a deal.


The Base:

The Positives:
The base works great. I don't know why anyone with an infant seat wouldn't use one. You just install it once, get it checked by a professional (highly recommended - check with local hospitals or fire stations), and then you can put your infant seat in and out of your vehicle in seconds. The base is LATCH compliant so it installs into any vehicle with LATCH (generally 2002 model year and later but check your owners manual) with ease. The base is available in other colors as well. Note that the travel system only comes with one base. I bought a second (same color) for our other car so it is easy to switch the infant seat from car to car.

The Negatives:

The base doesn't install too well in older, non-LATCH cars. I struggled to install the second base I bought in our older car, and made it as tight as possible. But the way the seat belts thread still allows for some movement of the base. I received an aftermarket belt tightener for car seats and it worked pretty good on really tightening the base. Still, it just isn't as tight as the base in the LATCH car.


Conclusion:
Despite its bulk, we love this travel system. You get everything you need, the stroller, infant seat, and base, and they work great together. The biggest drawback is the overall weight and bulky, and the high price. Just be sure to have another lightweight stroller for running errands (going in and out of the car constantly), and save the Graco for long walks or mall crawling.

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 200
Age Range of Child: 0 to 12 Months