Mom's Key Parenting Forum

Before the Dutch-designed Bugaboo Frog arrived, the trendiest stroller on the block was the Maclaren. As soon as the Frog debuted for $729, everything changed. Now, there are a dozen designer baby strollers with polymorphic features. But are these fancy strollers really necessary for a trip to the mall or Whole Foods?

Using the city as an obstacle course, we tested the top "must-have" strollers. We made sure to include a stop at the grocery store to see how many six-packs of yogurt we could fit into the storage space. 

Stokke Xplory

Price: $1100

This Norwegian attention-getter is all about the high-altitude seating pod. Instead of having to bend over to see your baby, in the Xplory, your baby is at eye level and above pollutant factors such as bus exhaust pipes. The frame is aluminum and automobile-grade plastic, and the fabric in the seat is machine washable. Included is the frame, the bassinet chair, a cute little blanket, rain covers, a mosquito net and a shopping bag.

Specs: 28 pounds. Rated for birth to 45 pounds. Collapses to 40 by 22 by 19 inches.

Storage: 11 yogurt 6-packs

Pros: Being able to see your baby without neck strain. The extremely comfortable hand grip is ideal for one-handed swiveling, making cell-phone conversations much easier.

Cons: It feels rigid on stairs and cobblestones owing to the plastic frame.

Orbit

Price: $900

It’s heavy, a bit stiff, and all but refuses a one-handed turn. So why is the Orbit so appealing? It has a multifunctional dock that lets you clip on a bassinet, car seat, or toddler chair, allowing for ridiculously easy, 360-degree seat rotation. The Orbit comes with an an infant car seat (lined with microfiber), car-seat base and stroller frame. Other add-ons include the toddler seat and the new bassinet. 

Spec: Stroller with car seat, 33 pounds; with toddler seat, 32 pounds. Rated for birth to 40 pounds. Collapses to 35 by 18 by 24 inches.

Storage: A measly 5 yogurt six-packs (in a doctor’s-bag design that slides under the seat)

Pros: The design makes for speedy car-to-sidewalk transitions. The ride is decently smooth, but it’s no Bugaboo. The car-seat carrier is narrow enough for an easy hip-sling descent for stairs.

Cons: Travel would be tricky. Required help from other people to juggle car seat, stroller base, and infant when boarding a bus.

Bugaboo Cameleon

Price: $900

Beyond its position as a status symbol, the top of the line from the Dutch stroller-reinventers is everywhere for a reason: It’s a pleasure to drive. It turns tightly, takes bumps smoothly, and navigates easily with one hand. Included is the frame, bassinet, sun canopy, seat inlay and bassinet apron, carry handle, mosquito net and rain cover. There are also a number of add-ons and extra features such as clip-on cup holders and parasol, car seat adapters and blankets and snugglies. 

Specs: 26 pounds. Rated for birth to 40 pounds. Collapses to 36 by 23 by 16 inches.

Storage: 11 yogurt six-packs.

Pros: Super-smooth ride even on unpaved pathways. Glides over crags with trademark springy suspension.

Cons: Awkward moments on stairs. 

Peg-Perego Skate

Price: $899

The Italian-designed Skate weighed in nine pounds heavier than the Cameleon and has a shape-shifting pod that starts out as a newborn bassinet and morphs into an infant/toddler seat. It also offers the highest ride next to the Stokke and can collapse with the seat attached. There are adapters for attaching a Primo Viaggio SIP car seat (not included), cup holder, rain shield, leg cover and an air pump for the rear tires.

Specs: 35 pounds. Rated for birth to 45 pounds. Collapses to 36.5 by 23.75 by 20 inches.

Storage: A whopping 16 yogurt six-packs.

Pros: Rides like an SUV. The human energy output required means it’s great for working off baby weight. Masculine design’s a dad-pleaser.

Cons: The weight and wheel width mean that managing subway and apartment stairs without help is basically impossible.

Micralite Toro

Price: $599

This lightweight U.K. import has luxury suspension and Maclaren proportions. Better still, it stands upright on its own when collapsed. It comes with a foot covering, zip-on rain cover and air pump. The Toro for newborns also includes bassinet and adapters for the Maxi Cosi Mico car seat.

Specs: 18 pounds. Rated for birth to 40 pounds. Collapses to 39.5 by 15 by 16 inches.

Storage: 7 yogurt six-packs.

Pros: Practically turns itself. Narrow rear wheels make it a wonder in reverse, through doorways, and most important, up and down stairs. Buses and subways were a piece of cake; the stroller is light enough for a hip sling. Great for walk-up apartments and public transportation.

Cons: The seat does not reverse.

Quinny Buzz

Price: $549

Funky style and a slick ride, but beware the perilously wide, 25.5-inch rear-wheel spread. It is good for power walks and park jaunts but not great for doorways or grocery-store aisles. The seat is made of cushy nylon in five grown-up colors. This stroller comes with a sun canopy, bug net and rain cover.

Specs: 30 pounds. Rated for birth to 50 pounds. Collapses to 39 by 25.5 by 16 inches.

Storage: 7 six-packs of baby yogurt.

Pros: Easy to navigate crowded, craggy sidewalks with one hand. Sleeping baby stayed unconscious during cobblestone test and even a hike in woods.

Cons: Clipped a few parking meters with wide rear wheels. Ran over several feet on the subway and a bus and found climbing stairs unassisted was next to impossible.

Bugaboo Bee

Price: $530

Bugaboo’s new featherweight is a close competitor with the Maclaren and other umbrella strollers, but with a reversible seat. It comes with the frame, seat, sun canopy, rain cover and under-seat bag.

Specs: 20 pounds. Rated for birth to 37.5 pounds. Collapses to 35 by 17.5 by 13 inches.

Storage: 10 yogurt six-packs.

Pros: Nimble but not stiff; it handles bumps and sharp turns better than most in its weight class. Stairs, subways and buses were a total breeze.

Cons: The frame is so narrow that our baby's arms stuck out the sides. Small wheels got stuck in cracks. The lightness is great, but it raises the question, is it solid enough to hold up over time?

Maclaren Techno XT

Price: $280

Can this New York classic hold its own against the new designer names? Devotees have been complaining lately about this popular umbrella stroller’s wheel quality; more substantial wheels add some unwelcome heft to this light bus- and subway-hopper.This model comes with a hood, shopping basket and a rain cover. 

Specs: 17 pounds. Rated for birth to 55 pounds. Collapses to 42 by 19.5 by 13 inches.

Storage: 7 yogurt six-packs.

Pros: Takes subway stairs easily, up and down. It is ideal for shopping and subway and bus transit.

Cons: It clacks along like a train on a wooden track. It is also not good with one-handed swiveling or cobblestones.

Dreamer Design/Fisher-Price Infant to Toddler

Price: $150

This low-price Bugaboo look-alike has some of the same touches as the European-designed brands for a quarter of the price. You get a reversible seat, a recline lever behind the head rest, sun canopy and a ton of storage, all in a decent-looking package.

Specs: 21 pounds. Rated for birth to 33 pounds. Collapses to 35 by 26 by 13 inches.

Storage: 15 yogurt six-packs.

Pros: An excellent deal for the price. An all-around performer with a smooth, if not Bugaboo-league, ride and an effortless one-handed turn. Quick fold and light weight make it one of the best for subways and buses.

Cons: The squeaky sun canopy could wake up baby. It has a mildly scratchy nylon seat and wide rear wheels. Design snobs may dislike the large logo.