Sell me on the Maclaren stroller

[princessh]

Ok, I know there have been a lot of posts about the maclaren stroller. We are looking for a new stroller for our upcoming trip. My ds will be two. I want a stroller with a large basket underneath. Large enough to hold a soft sided cooler bag and small diaper bag. I want a stroller that reclines and has pretty good shade. I am considering the Maclaren, becuase we are first going on the Disney cruise. Space is limited in our room and in the town car. Even though I really want a stroller that has a parent tray, I think the size is more important for our trip. Please help me decide!

 

[Colinsmom]

The Maclaren basket is by no means large. You could fit a small diaper bag, but not a cooler, too (depends, what size is it?). The sun protection is decent but not great. Have you looked at the Quest at BRU? Even Target has similar Maclaren strollers that would give you a chance to try DS in it, and scope out the basket size.

 

[mara61]

Love my Maclaren, but as the previous poster said...the basket is on the smaller side. We took ours to DW last September and it was great to have. My son was 20 months old at the time. It collapses very well. We never reallyl used the basket underneath, but we don't pack meals for the park either. Good luck on your quest!

Mara

 

[Mrsduck101]

We love our Maclaren Quest! But it does not have a large basket by any means. We took it to Disney this past May and tucked a small diaper bag in the basket and hung our video camera bag (with both cameras and a few other small things) on the handles. We also bought the Maclaren organizer to hang on the back. We used that for water bottles, napkins, sunglasses, etc. I will say that we absolutely loved how small and lightweight it was. After traveling with the Quest I will never travel with a heavy stroller again.

 

[Mrsduck101]

Oh I forgot to add that we have the Baby Ray Shade to extend the the canopy of our Quest

 

[munchkinsmom]

If a large basket is a MUST, then the MacLaren is probably not a good one for you to purchase. I love our MacLaren (we have the double), but it does have limited storage capabilities, as the other posters talked about. Maybe a Peg Perego Pliko/P3 might be another option to consider. I think their baskets are bigger than the Mac. I have an older PP Pliko and really like it. It doesn't take up too much space because it closes umbrella style, it reclines in many positions and the hood is decent. It doesn't have a parent tray, but I think the P3's come with a parent cup holder. It also doesn't weigh too much. I've had our Pliko for four years and it still works very well. Hope that helps and good luck in your search.

 

[Gillian]

I have not taken my Mac to disney world yet. It just doesn't have the things we like for our trips there - mainly a good basket. My "disney" stroller is also our walk to the park stroller because I can fit a small cooler & diaper bag in the basket, plus it has a parent tray for my water bottle. It's a smaller century/graco that they don't make anymore, but it is a somewhat larger version of this Kolcraft lightweight stroller

I have a friend who has purchased and returned almost every stroller at babies r us. She now has a graco and loves it. Her needs for an everyday stroller - good sized basket for shopping, parent cup holders, kid tray. She tried expensive ones but missed the cup holder. And she drinks coffee, so a bottle holder or add on wasn't really a good idea. The one she has is like this metrolite black print.

Kind of funny, but she loves it!

 

[DsnyGrl]

Hello, we have a single Maclaren and a double and the baskets are very small. We can fot a small diaper bag and that is it! Have you looked at the Combi strollers? They are small and lightweight, but have a good basket. I think the Combi Strolee is around $30.00 and they prices go up from there. THey have a pretty good recline also. Target carries these strollers.

 

[princessh]

Thanks for all the info. I will look into a few other models before making my decision. A big basket really came in handy on our last wdw trip. I guess I just need to decide what is more important to me.

 

[skiwee1]

I have the Maclaren Daytripper that I am going to put in the Pennysaver here in MD to sell. I love that stroller but now that DD is 6, she is too old and big for it! It does recline but not all the way. It has the rainshield and underbasket. I am going to miss that stroller!

 

[utahkennedys]

I have a Peg Perego Pliko, which was great when DD was very small since it reclined, had a large shade, etc. but I LOVE my Maclaren Volo. Can't live without it now. My Pliko is a dust collector in the garage now...

I think the Volo is perfect for traveling. I love that it can be thrown over my shoulder on the bus, has a cool mesh seat that lets DD stay cool, and the basket is big enough for me. If it got ruined or stolen, I would buy it again in a heartbeat. I researched all of the lower end Maclarens and this was the best I thought.

 

[5kwallace]

I bought a Maclaren Triumph for my 4 year old DS. This is my 4th stroller that I have purchased. My only regret is not buying it sooner! Hauling a large stroller on the buses is not fun, especially if it is standing room only. If my basket fills up, I just hang the rest on the back of the stroller (be careful if your child gets out-it will tip backwards).

 

[madelyn]

We have a Maclaren Volo and a Peg Perego Pliko P3 among our strollers. The Volo is my most used stroller and it remains in the car trunk. I've added a BABU Tray & Cup Holder Stroller.It works great but is a bit troublesome to take off before folding the Volo. I've also added a Silver Cross Seat Pad/Canopy to it since I have an older version that doesn't come with a pad/canopy. We've taken the Volo on a couple of WDW trips and it has been great! This was before the addition of the cupholders/canopy/seat pad. But, the basket is by no means large and this stroller is lightweight so if you've loaded down the handles by hanging bags on it and your child gets out of the stroller, it could tip backwards. The P3 is a great stroller too and has a better sunshade and a slightly bigger basket but it is almost twice as heavy and definitely more bulky. Will your child be taking naps in the stroller? If so, you may want something comfier than the Volo (it has no recline). My almost 4 year old can nap fine in it though. There really is no perfect stroller. If you want something lightweight and compact, it probably lacks a large basket and a big sun canopy. A stroller with more features is usually heavier/bulkier.

 

[beattyfamily]

I just bought the Maclaren Quest a couple of weeks ago online for $129 total after trying a few top models at my local Babies R Us. The Quest won, hands down for us.

I was looking for my LAST Disney stroller for my 5 year old who wanders and just outgrew my last stroller.

She fits perfectly in the Quest. It's so easy to push. It's got the canopy, a smaller basket then I'm used to but works fine, it reclines, it came with a rain cover, it's got nice cushioning, it folds really well and has a handle to hold it when it's closed.

It's really good for an older child...goes up to 55lbs and fits a taller child.

I just wish I bought it sooner!

 

[princessh]

Well, I went to Target to take a look at a few strollers. I think I am leaning towards to Maclaren. Even though the basket is small, I really like the way it folds up. I just can not see lugging a big stroller on and off everything. Anybody know where to get a good deal?

 

[beattyfamily]

Anybody know where to get a good deal?

My Quest that was $200 at Babies R Us I got for $129 total at www.albeebaby.com. They are having at 2004 model sale.

 

[momimouse27]

I also looked at the Maclaren Triumph at Target and at Babies R Us. I have an almost 3 son and will be going to Disney in October. We needed one with a cupholder, basket and something easy to recline in and with shade. I loved the Mac but I just couldn't bring myself to spend that much money on a stroller...even though its a very important item.

My son is a big kid for his age (dh is tall) and we had to literally sit him in everything before buying. The Maclaren and the Eddie Bauer sport were the only 2 he really fit it. Well, we bought the EB sport for several reasons: 1) It has the ability to recline to several positions, 2) the basket is fairly large for a small stroller 3)it was easy to fold/unfold, 4) it has one cupholder and a small tray for keys, etc. I also like how it is very padded and seems comfortable to sit in. It also has a detachable tray for his drink and to run his hot wheels on!

On top of all that, it cost me $59- $69 and $10 off babies r us sale....we have had it for 2 mnths and I really like it.

 

[WDWorBUST]

As other posters have said the Maclaren's don't have big baskets - HOWEVER - I absolutely LOVE my Maclaren Quest. We looked at buying one before our first WDW trip with DD when she was 13 months and I couldn't bring myself to shell out that kind of money because of the expense of vacation. OMG - I wish I had. I love it. I wish I had bought it sooner. The basket is small but it steers like a dream. We did buy the organizer - mostly for the bottle holders. And it folds so easily. I got mine from albeebaby also and they were great - no problems at all. Good luck deciding.

Amanda