Full-Featured Stroller Review

Comparing reviews of strollers

Full-featured strollers are just what you'd think. They have the most bells and whistles: cup holders, extra storage, lots of padding and, importantly, a fully reclining seat for newborns that cannot yet support their heads. Lightweight strollers, usually umbrella-style strollers, weigh less than 15 pounds and are covered in our companion report on umbrella strollers. Umbrella strollers don't have as many features, and only a few have fully reclining seats.

ConsumerReports.org reviews some full-featured, lightweight and double strollers for ease of use, safety, handling and durability. Ratings are based on independent testing, and there's a good selection of full-featured strollers, jogging strollers, double strollers and umbrella strollers.

Although ConsumerReports.org does a thorough job of rating strollers, we preferred the reviews in the excellent baby-gear book "Baby Bargains" by Denise and Alan Fields. The write-ups in "Baby Bargains" are more comprehensive, and they review a wider selection of models than ConsumerReports.org.

There's a lot of buzz about fancy high-end strollers from Bugaboo, Quinny and Stokke. The Stokke Xplory, for example, costs $1,000, and that's just for the basic model that sells without a bassinet accessory. Yet in reviews, testing doesn't reveal that handling and durability are that much superior to other, less-expensive strollers. In fact, testing actually reveals some compromises. The Xplory, for example, has no storage basket. Rather, there's just a small zippered pouch. While that helps the stroller look streamlined, it also means that you've got no place to stash a diaper bag, blanket, toys or other essentials.

This is why we also consulted hundreds of parent-written reviews, comparing expert advice with field reports from parents and caregivers using these strollers every day.