City Mini: Do you use the red strap?

[Lilliputian]

If you have or rent a City Mini, do you use the red strap that keeps it from being able to collapse while the baby is in it? I just got one, and I can't really imagine how the stroller could collapse accidentally, especially since the baby's bottom covers the pull strap. I'm all for safety, but I don't want to fiddle with the strap every single time I open and close the stroller if I don't have to.

 

[msmama]

I'm sure the Baby Jogger people would tell you to use it all the time, but I, personally, think I have maybe used it once.

I have an older version but I felt like it did add a little bit of soildness to the seat so I used it when I first had my son in it but then it became too much of a hassle.

 

[kthruz143]

I have never used it at all

 

[nadira36]

are you kid din? That's 5 second of wasted time when kids are screaming and trying to escape!

We've used them once or twice, but usually we don't. The kids are sitting not eh fold release straps - I can't see how it could collapse on it's own, and if it did, it's not like our kids would be folded INSIDE. more like a kidapult? could be handy for getting to the front of the line?

Do what you feel comfortable with - the safety book that comes with it says to always use it - and the company only backs the product if it's used correctly following all the safety advice given.

 

[krismanda]

I have a city mini and I don't even know what you are talking about. I guess that means I haven't used it. lol

 

[RachaelA]

I own a Mini GT and remember to do it about half of the time.

 

[Greenfield1984]

We have the city mini double and never use the red strap. I did in the beginning but not anymore.

 

[danceintherain]

Mine are silver.

They seem to make the seat more stiff, but whenever I forget to use them (or DH does) it has never occurred to me that the stroller may collapse on my kid. I think it may be possible if you pick the stroller up by the center (to carry it upstairs or something) but it would probably hurt you more than it did the kid.
My Uppababy, on the other hand, really does collapse if the open mechanism doesn't lock properly.

 

[snorkelfool]

I've had my city mini for 3 years and have never used the strap.

 

[djp0630]

Ha, we used it like the first couple times and that's it. I too don't know how it would accidentally collapse.

 

[luckyfin]

not even once.

 

[Jenny3]

I have a city mini and I don't even know what you are talking about. I guess that means I haven't used it. lol

Ditto, LOL

 

[Lilliputian]

Okay, I feel better now. When my husband was reading the instructions and putting the stroller together, he told me I was supposed to use the strap, and I told him, "No way." But then the mama guilt set in, and I started feeling like I must be a horrible mother to not want to use a safety device. At least I'm not alone.

I can't imagine anything too horrible would happen with the seat belt on, and the baby will always have the seat belt on. I may sometimes wear my baby in a sling and put my 2 year old in the stroller without a seat belt, but he's fairly indestructible, as a recent fall down the stairs and onto the ceramic tile has proven.

 

[dsneygirl]

Never. I didn't even know that's what it was for.

 

[strmtroopr96]

Mine are silver.

They seem to make the seat more stiff, but whenever I forget to use them (or DH does) it has never occurred to me that the stroller may collapse on my kid. I think it may be possible if you pick the stroller up by the center (to carry it upstairs or something) but it would probably hurt you more than it did the kid.
My Uppababy, on the other hand, really does collapse if the open mechanism doesn't lock properly.

We have one of the original Mini's as well with the gray straps. I never even knew until a year or so ago the real reason behind those straps. LOL But we have almost always used them in the last 4 years that we have owned it. It definitely seems to make the seat firmer for my daughter.