Baby Jogger 2011 City Mini Double Stroller, Black/Black - Babyphone Discounters

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B. Benson “Licy’s mom” (California) –

  

I adore this stroller! I have had a Safety First tandem double stroller for 4.5 years. It is so bulky, hard to steer, and if I put more weight in the front, I might as well forget it. It also took up the whole back of my Jeep Grand Cherokee and was a major struggle for me to get in and out of the bed of our Chevy Silverado. I started shopping for a new double soon after our newest addition was born. I have a very tall 4yo, tall 2yo, and a 5mo. I wanted them all to be able to ride in either seat and be able to manuever, fold, transport, and steer easily. I’m also tall, 6ft, and my husband is 6’1″ so I wanted one with a high enough handle and that we wouldn’t kick.

This one works GREAT! I’ve actually taken all three children shopping in this WITH a shopping cart, by myself! I can have any of the children in it with either one of the other children on either side and it steers like a dream! It turns on a dime and has fit through ever door way. When I go shopping, I can push them straight into the bathroom and into the handicap stall with me! My very tall 4yo LOVES riding in it and can lie all the way down comfortably. My 5mo also fits in it really well. I do recommend the Kiddopotamus Snuzzler to give a small baby some extra stability, but it’s easy to fit in and out. The strap height is easily adjustable and my kids haven’t had any problems with the hardware.

This stroller is light and folds compact. If I pop the wheels off, I can fit it in the back of my mom’s Chrysler Pacifica! It is so easy to do, I don’t mind at all. It also fits in the side door if I just don’t feel like popping them off. I can still fit it in the back with the wheels, but it touchs the glass of the back window. It really is just as easy to fold it as lifting the strap in the seats! There are 4 snaps on the frame as safety straps, but they are no more of a pain for folding and unfolding than the squeeze, twist, lift, lock…of other strollers. I also find I don’t have a problem motivating myself to carry this stroller in from outside from the weather and changing vehicles. So many times, with my other stroller, I wanted to have a stroller with me, but getting it loaded and wrestling with it all day caused me to leave it behind and just struggle without it.

The only cons: 1. The storage bag is as hard to access as they (reviews from earlier year models) say it is. I access it from the sides and use it mostly for coats and blankets. I also keep items packed in individual bags and cases in my diaper bag, so I just toss whichever ones I think I’ll need into the bottom or back of the seats. I bought two stroller hooks for the handle and use that for my bags. 2. I’m going to have to buy the belly bar, console, and snack trays separately. I do think they will come in handy. I’m still debating on whether or not I want to buy the car seat adaptor for it. I’ll be getting a new car seat with our next baby and plan on using this stroller for a LONG time!

I love this stroller so much, I look forward to going out and having opportunity to use it. The price is more than I’ve spent on anything for my kids before. But my tandem was $250 and I dreaded using it! I was looking at the other available doubles at the local baby stores and they were $180 and up and were just as big, bulky, unweildy, and heavy. I’d buy this stroller again in a heartbeat!

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The wait is over; we have the new 2011 City Mini! I’d buy it again in a heartbeat. The new feature on the 2011 version is the pair of pre-inserted backboards for a more supported ride for the little ones. I honestly can’t say that the seats appear to be more upright than the 2010 (this is my opinion from visually comparing ’10 & ’11 strollers side by side). I have a BJ Elite 2010 double stroller and I bought backboards separately for each seat. They are basically the same principle. By buying the 2011 version, we saved the money it would have cost us to purchase the 2010 version PLUS 2 additional backboards.

This stroller is fantastic (the best we found!) and I highly recommend it. For a sturdy, well made double stroller, it’s lightweight and fairly easy to lift in and out of the back of our van. It turns on a dime and is extremely easy to maneuver with the babies (or kids) riding along. The seats can be reclined all the way back to a lying down position. One can use this stroller with babies as young as infants, but the shoulder harness and waist strap might not be snug enough around tiny newborns. We started using ours when our twins were 3 1/2 months.

This stroller fits easily through handicapped doors (standard for businesses). I can get around pretty much anywhere except in stores on the showroom floor between the racks. I was worried about not getting through doors, and I’m happy to say that I haven’t been anywhere that I couldn’t get through.

We already own the BJ Elite, & we love it, too. We got this City Mini for trips around town (in & out of the car). It’s much lighter weight & easier for Mom to get in & out of the van. We use our Elite mainly for neighborhood walks and bumpy all-terrain trips outside. We love the Baby Jogger brand double strollers. We are a very frugal family & hated to spend so much money, but now realize what a fantastic investment we’ve made! My husband is also very happy with this stroller.

What is not advertised with this stroller is one of the safety features. There are 4 “safety snaps” around the back bars. When the stroller is being opened up, I have to wrap each of the 4 straps around the base poles and snap into place before loading the babies. When I’m ready to fold the stroller and stow it away, I first must unload the babies, then unsnap the safety straps (they’re tough to get off, but “safety first”) and then fold and stow.

Another draw back to this stroller is limited access to the storage basket underneath the seats. There’s a bar and seat straps blocking the access to the basket. I can access it more easily by unsnapping the seat straps and stowing my goodies before the babies are in the seats. It’s a roomy basket, but it’s almost impossible to get to. Recommended weight limit for the storage basket is 4.4 lbs. Recommended weight limit for the seat pocket storage (behind the seats) is 2 pounds per pocket. I use this storage mainly for baby blankets, hats, mittens, or jackets.

In all, we love it and highly recommend it.

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Alicia A. Wilson (Rolla, MO) –

  

I owned a kolcraft options II tandem stroller before purchasing this stroller. I absolutely LOVE this stroller and it has confirmed my doubts about the kolcraft. Here are the pros and cons of this stroller:

Pros: 1.pushes beautifully on grass, gravel, and pavement due to the suspension on the front end.
2.seats are independent and fully recline- they also have velcro tabs to make the seats more upright
3.backs of seats are very supportive
4.straps adjust small enough for my 8 month old twins and are easy to adjust the height of the straps- just undo the latch on the strap and adjust the strap to the desired height by selecting the appropriate rung on the seat….no threading the strap through the seat back.
5.easy to fold…just undo the safety snaps on the outside of the stoller and pull up on the straps in the seat marked pull to fold….it’s that easy and now they have a strap to keep the stroller closed.
6.extra large independent sun canopies with two peek a boo windows
7.seats are extra wide and my six year old can fit into them (though she never rides in the stroller I just wanted to see if she fit).
8.the stroller has two double front locking wheels to make the stroller more stable when running or jogging.
9.the fold is very compact and fits nicely into the storage area of my toyota sienna minivan.
10.lightweight….it’s 26 lbs compared to 53 lbs with my old stroller
11.very easy to steer which can be pushed and steered with one hand while carrying two babies totaling 36 lbs.
12.the handle has a nice rubber grip so your hands don’t slip while pushing it.
13.large mesh organizers on the back of each seat where you can store lots of stuff.

Cons: 1.the basket underneath is a decent size but very hard to access since there is a bar that goes right in front of the access area (you cannot get a large diaper bag in there).
2.the accessories are expensive and you have to buy everything separately such as a belly bar, child snack trays, parent organizer console, cooler(which I ended up returning since I couldn’t get it to fit properly on this stroller).
3.will only accomodate one infant seat at a time and you have to buy the infant seat adaptors separately.

as you can see the pros outweigh the cons and that is why I absolutely LOVE my baby jogger 2011 city mini double stroller. My babies love to look out at everything and now they can with this stroller.

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