Is the Sit n' Stroll carseat/stroller worth it?

[daisygarden]

We are taking our 17 month old on his first airplane trip in a couple weeks (WDW/CBR). His carseat is quite wide so I am worried that it will not fit in the plane seat or if it does fit that I won't have any room to sit next to him. I saw the Safeline Sit n' Stroll combination carseat and stroller that is designed for travel. Does anyone have any experience with this? Is it worth the expense?

 

[all4fun]

I was interested in the as well. Here is a link to some reviews about this car seat/stroller combo.
HTH!

 

[tjmw2727]

IMHO no, its not a great carseat and I can't imagine using it as a stroller for more than a short time. Definately not a good WDW stroller!

Unless your carseat is much wider than 19" you should be ok, call the airline to find out the guidelines. Make sure it has the FAA certification sticker as well.

If you do want to get a smaller carseat for travel there are several great choices, including the cosco models (one is on sale at wallmart right now) that are smaller and lightweight as well as FAA certified. We always just used dd's stroller to transport her and her regular carseat through the airport. Gate check the stroller, leave it at the door of the aircraft and it will be waiting for you when you arrive, again at the door!

Rather than spending $200 on this product you can get a great carseat for about $40.00 and use the stroller you are already omfortable with. I think this seat may be a great choice for "citylife" if you are using cabs etc but its I don't see it as ideal for airtravel, esp at WDW.

Have a great trip.

TJ

 

[akasleepingbeauty]

We have the Sit 'n Stroll for our ds (just turned 1). I got it from a friend-of-a-friend for only $60 (although it is used it is in great condition). We have used it for 2 WDW trips and another trip to visit family. Overall, I do like it but not as much as I had hoped and certainly not to the point that I would pay full price for it.

Firstly, as a carseat, it is difficult to use. The harness is extremely difficult to adjust and the seatbelt guides on the seat don't seem to be in quite the right place. The seatbelt seems to span right across my son's midsection and he seems to feel constrained in it unlike his regular carseat. We used it on 2 trips as our carseat once we reached our destination but decided on this last trip to bring and check our regular carseat as we just didn't like the way the sit 'n stroll functions as a carseat in a car (on the airplane it seemed fine).

Secondly, ideally the sit 'n stroll should fit down the airplane aisle so that you can push the baby to your aisle and then install it as the carseat. Unfortunately, out of the 10 flights we have been on with it only 1 time did this work (and only BARELY then). Therefore, you have to carry the carseat over the top of the seats to your aisle which is a major pain (especially since you hardly ever get pre-boarding with kids anymore). This was a big disappointment to me as I had anticipated how much easier it would make our boarding process.

Thirdly, as a stroller, I would say it only satisfies the minimum requirements - it holds the child securely and rolls. Beyond that it doesn't do much. Obviously there is no recline and no canopy (you can buy one but it doesn't look too great) and essentially no storage. It is great for pushing around the airport and maybe for a quick errand but I would not want to rely on it as my only stroller.

So, obviously I still like the sit 'n stroll enough to continue using it. It is a vast improvement over toting a carseat and pushing a stroller through the airport but it does not accomplish as much as I had hoped. I do, however, have a friend who has one and thinks it is the greatest thing ever. Her dd is 3 though so she doesn't care that much about rolling it down the aisle etc. If you come across a good deal on one, I would say it is nice to have but I would not pay retail for it.

 

[grlpwrd]

I have an older model and I would only get it if you can "inherit" it from perhaps a friend or family member. Yes, it's easier to use this type of stroller/carseat combo, but there are drawbacks as already mentioned.

Please keep in mind, too, the 2003 model (I believe) has been recalled so be careful about buying used - not just buying used whereas you don't know the history, but there could be a recall for your particular model. I see lots on ebay so that is why I point this out.