Customer Reviews:
Average Rating = 4.5
Total Reviews = 46
[3 Stars]: No Seat Support and Accessories Cost Extra
I bought the City Mini for my 16-month-old, as a lightweight replacement for our travel system stroller. In the store I was impressed with the folding mechanism and easy maneuverability. However, I purchased it before letting my child sit in the seat, which would have been a dealbreaker. This is a really nice stroller in many ways, but it fails to impress when it comes to child comfort.
The seat back is not supportive-- there is nothing firm in it except for a wire frame around the edges. The baby has no choice but to slump, and he can't sit up straight in the seat. It is a challenge to figure out what height the shoulder straps should be adjusted to, because once you are finished putting them at "shoulder height", your child will have already slid down the seat into a lower position. For my child, this causes a lot of squirming and whining, and I fear getting him out of the house in this stroller and finding that he can't be comfortable in it for more than a few minutes.
You can purchase a board from Baby Jogger to insert in the seat back for more support. While I am relieved that the company has a fix for the problem, it bothers me that this simple $8 part is not included in the initial purchase. I have read that some parents have figured out a home remedy for the problem by using 3-ring binder covers as seat reinforcement. If it works and that's what you want to do, go ahead, but I think that for this much money it's just wrong to have to rig a brand new product so it can do what it should have done right out of the box.
To be fair, there are some good things about this stroller. The City Mini probably has the best and easiest folding mechanism of any stroller on the market. The seat cover is removable and machine-washable, and made of good-quality fabric with nice padding (although the padding isn't really necessary unless you reinforce the seat). The sun shade provides great coverage, and the seat reclines to a flat position. It turns on a dime and is easy to steer with one hand. The harness straps are padded. It has a nice footrest area for the baby, and the rear brake is easy to access. The underseat storage compartment seems decent, too.
However, the better aspects of this stroller don't make up for the issues I am having with the seat back and straps. The plastic buckles and shoulder-strap clips seem flimsy. There is also excess strap length that remains in the seating area once you have tightened the harness, although the strap pads can be used to hide this as long as your child doesn't pull it back out.
I will most likely return it, but I am going to buy the seat back board and try it out in the house one more time, because I had high hopes for this stroller when I bought it. I will update the review after we receive the seat back insert.
Overall, I would only recommend the City Mini after making it clear that it takes some fiddling around to get your child comfortable in its seat, and you may have to buy the extra part to achieve this goal. As another reviewer stated, you should factor in the cost of the extra features such as cupholders, snack trays, and the seat back insert(!) as part of the real cost for this stroller. My impression of this stroller was better before I placed my child in it, and for that reason I highly recommend test-driving it before you buy, if you possibly can.
[5 Stars]: Great Stroller
We love this stroller. My son is now 18 months and we have used it since he was 3 weeks old. Great sun canopy! Easy folding. Rolls easily. We did get the bassinet for when he was little but could have used the stroller without it. I agree with the poster who mentioned the carseat never really felt totally solid on the mounting bars. This wasn't an issue for us as our son never stayed asleep during transfers anyway so we just put him in the bassinet so he could lay flat. My son who loves to run still likes to ride in this stroller in fact he often climbs up in it in the garage.
[3 Stars]: Wanted to love it!
I really did love this stroller, the canopy, 3 wheels, the stylish design, easy fold.... however I had to return it for a few reasons. It is NOT for tall people, I am 5'10 and was constantly kicking the bottom. Also the front wheel shakes and has a pretty bumpy ride! I opted for the baby jogger city elite and am much happier... although it is much bulkier, I guess you can't have it all. But I live in the city and a smooth ride was important for me to navigate through the rough streets and the easy fold is so much better than other high end strollers that offer the smooth ride, bugaboo, uppa!!!
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