Umbrella Stroller Review

Umbrella strollers: plain and fancy

Although we found many magazines and websites that make stroller recommendations, two reviews share the top spot in the Our Sources chart as having the most credible, thorough tests. The excellent book "Baby Bargains," by Alan and Denise Fields, relies on parent and manufacturer interviews, hands-on testing and manufacturer histories of build quality and recalls to assign product ratings to umbrella strollers and other lightweight strollers. ConsumerReports.org tests strollers, including several lightweight umbrella strollers, for ease of use, maneuverability, safety and durability. Both publications are reasonably up to date, but "Baby Bargains" covers nearly every brand available in the U.S., and generally goes into more detail about each brand's stroller lineup and performance history.

Other stroller-review sources fall short of these two. Cookie magazine and Babble.com -- both aimed at trend- and style-conscious parents -- have roundups of the latest stroller models, but neither source goes into much detail about how strollers are evaluated. We found some good user reviews at Amazon.com. However, one problem with Amazon.com, Target.com and other retail sites that solicit user reviews is that older reviews are lost when manufacturers introduce new fabrics. So while a stroller may structurally be identical, the models with new fabric colors must start amassing reviews from scratch.

Umbrella strollers are lighter and more compact than the models discussed in our companion report on full-featured strollers. Umbrella strollers usually offer spring-action folding, but they have far fewer convenience features (such as cup holders and larger baskets); they're less stable and durable than full-featured strollers, but also less expensive. Also, lightweight umbrella strollers don't usually recline fully, and thus aren't appropriate for newborns up to 3 months old, who need to lie completely flat. For slightly older babies, however, it's often easier to use a lightweight umbrella stroller, especially after packing a diaper bag, snacks and toys.

The vast majority of parents say that a cheaper umbrella stroller, like the Evenflo XSport (*Est. $50), is indispensable, and many moms and dads say they quickly abandoned their more expensive strollers for less fancy (and less costly) strollers like the Evenflo XSport and the similar Chicco C6 (*Est. $70).

On the other end of the spectrum, we found reviews of higher-end umbrella strollers like the Maclaren Techno XT (*Est. $300), which is one of the few umbrella strollers with a fully reclining seat (so it's appropriate for newborns who cannot yet support their heads and need to lie totally flat). Though expensive, we found excellent reviews of this 15-pound umbrella stroller. Owners post that it's lightweight without feeling flimsy or difficult to maneuver. The extendable handles get good feedback from tall parents at Amazon, but one owner (who is 5 feet 4 inches tall) says they're a bit high even at the lowest setting. Parents are happy with the Techno XT and the similar Techno XLR (*Est. $340), which is a little wider and can accommodate older or heavier kids up to 65 pounds. If you don't need the full recline, the simpler Maclaren Volo (*Est. $130), Maclaren Triumph (*Est. $190) and Maclaren Quest Mod or Quest Sport (*Est. $245) are better values.