Lightweight strollers (or umbrella strollers as they are often called) can be a blessing for quick trips to the store, or a weekend at the grandparents’ house when your big, everyday stroller just isn’t an option. With so many options, how do you know which one to pick? Do you go the cheapest possible route and get the $20 generic store brand option? Or is it worth it to spend more?
This month, our Savvy Shoppers explore 5 options for lightweight strollers and let you know what your best option really is!
1. Avalon Cosatto – $64.99
2. Basic Umbrella Strollers – $10-$30
3. Chicco Echo – $149.99
4. Cosco Umbria – $49.99
5. Peg Perego Si – $249.99
Avalon Cosatto – Dana purchased this stroller as an easy to pack option when taking trips and other packing space is occupied with luggage. She know she didn’t want the cheapest option, and thought that this mid-range option would do the trick. She is happy to report that she was right! The 5-point harness makes for added safety, although the buckles themselves can be a little tricky to open, and the storage basket underneath provides enough space for a small collection of diapers, snacks and toys. The canopy isn’t huge, but does provide a decent amount of shade and while the seat doesn’t fully recline, it does go down about half way to allow the rider to be a little more comfortable if they need a rest.
Basic Umbrella Strollers – Basic umbrella strollers, like the Cosco Umbrella Stroller tends to be the lowest priced option. In fact, at the time that we wrote this article we found one on sale for just $10! Many people rely on these strollers as their only option and don’t have many complaints. Dana personally found it to be a little short for her 5′ 7″ frame and finds the stroller itself just doesn’t feel as sturdy as some of the other options. Also as Dana’s boys tend to be on the bigger side, the stroller seat itself seems quite narrow, and the lack of storage is frustrating at times.
Nicole has used numerous cheapie brands of umbrella strollers, including Cosco’s basic umbrella stroller. While easy to pack into a full car, she agrees with Dana that the lack of storage with these strollers is inconvenient. Plus, she finds that they break relatively easily. Nicole has been on the lookout for a slightly better (yet still relatively inexpensive) umbrella stroller for awhile.
Chicco Echo – With a $150 price tag, we expected more from this stroller. Presumably, the Chicco Echo has a higher price tag due to its 5-point harness and 4-position seat recline. But, for that price, a snack tray/child cup would be nice too. The Chicco Echo only has a coffee cup holder on the side for the person pushing the stroller, nothing for the antsy child who might want a snack.
The snack holder issue could be overlooked if the Chicco Echo was totally awesome in every other way, but it isn’t. This stroller is awkward to fold and unfold. Plus, the sunshade has weird fit in relation to the handles, making the stroller either hard to push or hard to fold. We recommend you spend your money on something else.
Cosco Umbria – A step above a basic umbrella stroller, the Cosco Umbria has a sturdy sunshade, a roomy storage basket, a two-position recline, a mesh parent organizer on the handle, and a snack tray with a centre cup holder for your child. The stroller folds easily and weighs only 11 pounds. The best part, you can get all this for only $49.99 (this stroller was, by far, Nicole’s favourite).
Nicole is 5’2″, and does not have any issues with the height of the handles on this stroller (or other umbrella strollers, for that matter). A taller parent may find that the handles of this stroller are too low, especially if they intend to use this stroller for long walks or all-day events. Also, we should note that this stroller has only a lap buckle, not a 5-point harness.
Peg Perego Si – Dana had the opportunity to use this fabulous stroller while taking a week-long trip with just baby A. It is one of the larger lightweight stroller options available, and would likely serve as the primary stroller for many families. It folds up to be quite compact and both folding and unfolding can be done relatively easily. There is a generous storage basket and can easily be carried with one hand. Like with most lightweight strollers, the storage basket can be tricky to access when the seat is reclined. This particular model of stroller is no longer available, but based on appearance and function, we would suggest that the Pliko or Book models would be comparable. This is the most expensive option we tried.
Overall Rating
Avalon Cosatto – 4 stars
Basic Umbrella Strollers – 3 stars
Chicco Echo – 1 star
Cosco Umbria – 4.5 stars
Peg Perego Si – 4.5 stars
The question remains, do you spend big bucks on an umbrella stroller? Here is our final tidbit of advice:
If (like most of us with young kids) you operate on a tight-ish budget and you have already bought a high-priced stroller, then use your pricey stroller as your primary stroller. Buy an inexpensive stroller, like the Cosco Umbria, for those rare times that you need something smaller. If you find that you need a smaller stroller more often than not, then sell your biggie stroller and get a fancy-schmancy umbrella stroller to use as your primary stroller (we’ll provide a comparison of higher-end umbrella strollers in the future).
Tell us: What brand of umbrella stroller do you own?
Disclosure: This article is unsponsored.
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