One of the aspects of parenting second time round I was most looking forward to was having a pram to push again. There’s something just a little bit wonderful about it and, of course, you want a gorgeous pram or pushchair for your little one (and well for you too).
We were recently asked to try out the Baby Jogger City Tour Stroller and I couldn’t have been more excited. G didn’t last long in the carrycot of his pram as he hates being flat on his back and also hated that he couldn’t really see. So far he has been mostly parent facing in his existing pushchair but he is such a nosey baby that he loves being able to see the world around him. The City Tour Stroller is suitable for children from 6 months to around 3 years and at just turned 6 months G would be testing it out for the younger age range.
First Impressions
My initial thought when taking it out of the box was “It’s green!” I have to admit I wasn’t a huge fan of the colour at first sight, I’m not really a green lover but O is and he thought the colour was fab. I tend to play it safe with pram colours, so far I have owned a black, beige and navy pram so nothing that would particularly stand out. However, the more I looked at it and as we headed out to road test the stroller the colour really started to grow on me. It felt nice to have a different colour, something a little brighter. It wasn’t a colour I would have chosen but actually it looks great. The official colour is juniper, but it also comes in onyx and violet (or black and purple if we’re not being too fancy).
After being used to pushchairs arriving in huge boxes this came in a very compact one, highlighting how small the pushchair is when folded up. It couldn’t have been easier to put together, the wheels needed popping on and then we were good to go.
I was pleasantly surprised at how light it was and how easy it felt to control. Admittedly this was whilst I was pushing it around my dining room so it was time to take it for a real test run and we headed out.
What We Liked
It really is a lovely push. It felt light and very easy to manoeuvre. I love my current pram and I knew that it would take some beating but I surprised myself with just how much I liked this. We took it over the fields as it was a beautiful day and it’s one of my favourite walks and despite the road being a little bumpy G was perfectly happy.
It’s very easy to put up. There is a small clasp on the side when it is folded that needs to be unclipped but once that has been done it’s up in one swift move. The handlebar folds up whilst the seat folds down and it is ready to be used in seconds.
The canopy is huge which is great for keeping the sun out of your children’s eyes.
The fabric comes with sun protection built in.
It’s also very easy to put down, and the instructions are very clear. There is a red button to push on the base whilst pulling the strap on the seat and when this is done the chair folds up. The handlebar also folds forward resulting in the pushchair ending up very small. I really liked that the instructions were written on the pushchair, every time my parents borrow his chair I have to show them how to put it up and down, this would be a huge help to them.
The city stroller comes with a bag which I liked for various reasons. As well as being handy for storage, I also liked that if you had been for a muddy walk you could pop the pushchair in the bag and avoid getting dirt all over your boot.
Also, the bag has straps meaning that if you needed to you could carry the chair on your back. This could be useful when travelling and also with older children who may want to walk some of the time, it really is light so although a little big to be on your back it isn’t heavy and means your hands are free.
What We Didn’t Like
As I mentioned earlier at just 6 months G is the youngest age at which this pushchair is aimed at and doesn’t weigh as much as an older child would. When my changing bag was on the pushchair (I have a complete inability to travel lightly) it felt that it could quite easily tip backwards if a little extra weight was added to it. This can be combatted by putting more in the basket underneath and as G gets bigger he will add more weight to balance this out.
Speaking of the shopping basket, personally I think it could have been a little bit bigger, but that may just be me being fussy as I like a big basket.
A nice feature would be for the handlebar to be adjustable, it was the perfect height for me but I know my 6ft 1inch husband would find it a little low.
I think it’s really important that a pushchair has an adjustable seat so it can be raised up or down, handy when your little one is napping and I was pleased to see the city tour had one on the stroller. Whilst it was easy to put down I found it quite fiddly to raise up when G was in the seat. It was certainly a two handed job and I found it quite hard to raise the seat whilst adjusting the strap. I’m hoping I’ll get better at this over time.
Final Thoughts
Despite there being a few niggles I would possibly change about the Baby Jogger City Tour Stroller I was quite easily won over by it. It is so lovely to push and despite not being too keen on the colour to start with, it really grew on me and I ended up loving it. I was worried it would feel too big for G but that wasn’t the case at all and he was more than happy to be sat in it having a good look at the world around him.
Whilst he is still so young I do like him to be parent facing some of the time but as he gets older I can see us using this more and more on a day to day basis. It is worth mentioning that it is an ideal pushchair for travelling, whether that’s by car, train or plane. We are going to Disneyland Paris in February and this pushchair will be perfect for the trip, and again when we are on our summer holidays next August. One huge advantage of the city tour stroller is how small it folds up which is ideal when holidaying in this country as it doesn’t take up much boot space, something that is so precious when you’re travelling with two kids and you need as much room as possible.
I love our current pram (it was my little treat to myself when I was pregnant) and it is great whilst G is still a baby but this has given it a run for its money, and I can see the Baby Jogger becoming our number one pushchair as G gets older.
The Baby Jogger City Tour Stroller retails at £249 and is available in three colours.
Disclosure: We were kindly sent the stroller for the purpose of this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Thanks for the really comprehensive review! My parents bought our buggy secondhand for us from an auction and we didn’t have a clue how to put it up or down or what features it had, so instructions on the buggy itself would have been very handy.
Mary recently posted…Test driving with Running Buggies
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Thanks for the comment. We got our old Maclaren buggy out for holidays in October and I had to google how to fold it down, I couldn’t remember! I must have done it hundreds of times with O but had a complete bank. It’s all come back to me now though! xx
Not A Frumpy Mum recently posted…Coffee, Christmas and A Touch Of Sparkles #LittleLoves
Woah, how amazing is that fold!? That is incredible and definitely a USP for me. Love the colour too! x
Donna recently posted…Blogger Behind the Blog {Beauties and the Bibs}
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The fold really is amazing, it is so small when it’s all packed up. The colour has grown on me! x
Not A Frumpy Mum recently posted…Coffee, Christmas and A Touch Of Sparkles #LittleLoves
Great review Jo, we have a baby jogger double for the twins and agree with pretty much everything you’ve said. I love how easily ours folds down and we got it as it doesn’t take up too much space in the house and fits through our front door! I agree about the adjustable seats too, they are a little fiddley. I think they are such a good quality make though for the price, ours was second hard and is still going strong. Love that last photo of G, how cute is his hat? xx
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Thanks lovely, his hat is cute isn’t it? I have a matching one (and so does O!)
I hadn’t even looked at a Baby Jogger before but you’re right the quality is amazing. I was really impressed with it. xx
Not A Frumpy Mum recently posted…Coffee, Christmas and A Touch Of Sparkles #LittleLoves
Love love love Baby Joggers and love the colour! I had a twin city mini, a city mini single and a City Mini GT (if I remember rightly!) Great sturdy, small fold, hard wearing pushachirs! Totally forgot they do this smaller version which I will be recommending for my niece should her parents want something smaller when she is old enough! Great review Jo! x
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Oh wow, you’ve had plenty of Baby Joggers, and my husband thinks I have a small pushchair addiction problem! They are great though, aren’t they? xx
Not A Frumpy Mum recently posted…Coffee, Christmas and A Touch Of Sparkles #LittleLoves
I must admit, I’m not a fan of the colour I think the black or purple would have been a colour that would have chosen. It’s great to see that it’s easy to manoeuvre and fold down (the instructions on the chassis are fab, my husband still struggles putting our pushchair down)
Sarah | Boo Roo and Tigger Too recently posted…Groundhog day, thank goodness for technology
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Haha, my husband tries and then usually ends up handing it over to me to do (and then I get told off for not showing him how to do it!) x
Not A Frumpy Mum recently posted…Coffee, Christmas and A Touch Of Sparkles #LittleLoves
I LOVE your colour. We got a black / onyx one and I love that one too. Its such a fab little stroller isn’t it? I couldn’t do the one hand fold at first but I eventually got there after a few go’s and now I feel comfortable with it. E climbs into ours any chance he gets. It’s proving a huge hit for nap time 🙂
Notmyyearoff recently posted…The City Tour by Baby Jogger – Our review and favourite features
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I haven’t tried the one hand fold yet, I feel like I need to go and do it now. It is a lovely stroller, I love the single handlebar. The two handles was one thing that always niggled me about my old Maclaren. x
Not A Frumpy Mum recently posted…Coffee, Christmas and A Touch Of Sparkles #LittleLoves
I love how well this folds away and yet still looks like a substantial pushchair when it is up #TriedTested
Fiona Cambouropoulos recently posted…MilkShake Fabulous Friends on DVD
Wow how small does that fold!? I love the fold feature too, my parents are the same they always call to ask me how to put the pram down! Love that it comes with a bag too, my littlest is 19 months old and this looks perfect for him now at his age! I might have to have a little browse online now as this looks perfect #TriedTested
This looks fab! I’ve struggled to find a decent compact stroller for my toddler as they are all absolutely tiny. This looks like the best of both worlds.
Jodie x
http://www.wiganmum.com
#TriedTested
I love this colour. I’m glad it’s grown on you. It’s such a good point about the instructions being on the stroller. Whenever we leave our kids with the grandparents they always complain about our pushchairs being hard to use! #triedtested
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Pair the City GO with your favorite Baby Jogger stroller, and simply add an adapter to create the right travel system for you.