Wendy*Darling
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- May 6, 2005
- Messages
- 360
I said I would report back with how we did with the Valco Buggster as a park stroller so here goes...
I actually really liked this as a park stroller! It was the perfect combination of a "full size-ish" stroller for DSs comfort and compact fold for convenience. DS loved it too. He would climb in it it with his sippy cup just to sit in it and watch tv in our room. My stroller rider is 19 months old. He weighs 33 lbs and I'm not quite sure how tall he is, but I know he's taller than your average 2 year old. DH is 6'4" and I'm 5'11" so all 3 of our kids are tall. Here's a pic of him in the stroller...
It handled really well. I could push it one handed very easily. The chunky wheels make going over anything bumpy like the cobblestones in the Liberty Square area a breeze, it handles grass, dirt trails and fine gravel well too (based on a few neighborhood walks the last few days!). The basket is nice sized and easy to access. The recline was deep enough for DS to nap comfortably several times on our trip and the seat can also sit straight up for when he wanted to look around. It's not a flat recline but it's deeper than that of something like a Mac Triumph. DS likes having a bumper bar but it can easily be flipped down or removed. One think I love about this stroller is that it is not tippy at all. I have a Mac Volo and have had 2 other Maclarens and my biggest complaint about them is that they are so super tippy that you can't hang anything on the back without having it tip over when you take baby out. That is not the case with the Buggster. As you can see I used a Skip Hop Dash diaper bag as a saddle bag on the stroller. I can also put it on the back completely loaded with stuff and it won't tip over. I put it on as a saddle bag so it wouldn't be in the way if I wanted to recline the seat for DS to nap. I would pull up to bag check at each park and just make sure that bag was on the side next to the security person. We spent 10 days at WDW and I would bet we went through bag check about 17 times. Only once was I asked to unhook it and that was only one side, not both. I could even fold the stroller with the bag still hooked to it. Very convenient! I don't carry a bunch of stuff around with us so I probably could have just used a Skip Hop Saddle Bag but I didn't have one and didn't think about it in time to order one before our trip.
The Buggster has a nice big seat that is comfy for baby...
The black seat pad is made to circulate air to keep the little ones from getting too hot. It velcros on to the seat so you can remove it for easy washing. I had a custom seat pad I put on top of that in case of spills or leaks but that one is nice and cushy and comfy.
The seat fabric as well as the underseat basket are attached with zippers so it's easy to unzip, wash and reattach. VERY nice feature!
Another nice thing is that it comes with a rain cover and a mesh uv cover that zip on to the hood and snap at the bottom so your little one is completely covered. It's nice that it comes with these accessories rather than having to buy them at an additional cost later.
it folds similar to an umbrella stroller...
The front wheel sticks out...
but it can be removed quickly and easily with just the push of a button so that the stroller folds flat. The wheel snaps right back in so it really can't be any easier at all.
It even has a carry strap so you can sling it over your shoulder once it's folded. I didn't really do that though, I figured out I could push or pull it rolling it on it's back wheels once it was folded. That made it very convenient! IT's fairly light weight too. About 16 lbs.
I love that it is different looking too! That's a big thing for me in a stroller. Between it's different look and it's bright color it was very easy to spot in stroller parking. It got a lot of attention. The CMs taking strollers from the queue at the safari ride were very interested in it. LOL They had quite a few questions about it. I was stopped at least once a day and asked about it.
All in all it was a fantastic park stroller and I am so glad I got it! It will definitely be back with us. It works well for bigger kids. I totally see us using this until he is out of regular stroller age and then just using our volo for trips. I wish the handles were just about an inch taller but it wasn't too short to be comfy...just an extra inch would make it even better!
I actually really liked this as a park stroller! It was the perfect combination of a "full size-ish" stroller for DSs comfort and compact fold for convenience. DS loved it too. He would climb in it it with his sippy cup just to sit in it and watch tv in our room. My stroller rider is 19 months old. He weighs 33 lbs and I'm not quite sure how tall he is, but I know he's taller than your average 2 year old. DH is 6'4" and I'm 5'11" so all 3 of our kids are tall. Here's a pic of him in the stroller...
It handled really well. I could push it one handed very easily. The chunky wheels make going over anything bumpy like the cobblestones in the Liberty Square area a breeze, it handles grass, dirt trails and fine gravel well too (based on a few neighborhood walks the last few days!). The basket is nice sized and easy to access. The recline was deep enough for DS to nap comfortably several times on our trip and the seat can also sit straight up for when he wanted to look around. It's not a flat recline but it's deeper than that of something like a Mac Triumph. DS likes having a bumper bar but it can easily be flipped down or removed. One think I love about this stroller is that it is not tippy at all. I have a Mac Volo and have had 2 other Maclarens and my biggest complaint about them is that they are so super tippy that you can't hang anything on the back without having it tip over when you take baby out. That is not the case with the Buggster. As you can see I used a Skip Hop Dash diaper bag as a saddle bag on the stroller. I can also put it on the back completely loaded with stuff and it won't tip over. I put it on as a saddle bag so it wouldn't be in the way if I wanted to recline the seat for DS to nap. I would pull up to bag check at each park and just make sure that bag was on the side next to the security person. We spent 10 days at WDW and I would bet we went through bag check about 17 times. Only once was I asked to unhook it and that was only one side, not both. I could even fold the stroller with the bag still hooked to it. Very convenient! I don't carry a bunch of stuff around with us so I probably could have just used a Skip Hop Saddle Bag but I didn't have one and didn't think about it in time to order one before our trip.
The Buggster has a nice big seat that is comfy for baby...
The black seat pad is made to circulate air to keep the little ones from getting too hot. It velcros on to the seat so you can remove it for easy washing. I had a custom seat pad I put on top of that in case of spills or leaks but that one is nice and cushy and comfy.
The seat fabric as well as the underseat basket are attached with zippers so it's easy to unzip, wash and reattach. VERY nice feature!
Another nice thing is that it comes with a rain cover and a mesh uv cover that zip on to the hood and snap at the bottom so your little one is completely covered. It's nice that it comes with these accessories rather than having to buy them at an additional cost later.
it folds similar to an umbrella stroller...
The front wheel sticks out...
but it can be removed quickly and easily with just the push of a button so that the stroller folds flat. The wheel snaps right back in so it really can't be any easier at all.
It even has a carry strap so you can sling it over your shoulder once it's folded. I didn't really do that though, I figured out I could push or pull it rolling it on it's back wheels once it was folded. That made it very convenient! IT's fairly light weight too. About 16 lbs.
I love that it is different looking too! That's a big thing for me in a stroller. Between it's different look and it's bright color it was very easy to spot in stroller parking. It got a lot of attention. The CMs taking strollers from the queue at the safari ride were very interested in it. LOL They had quite a few questions about it. I was stopped at least once a day and asked about it.
All in all it was a fantastic park stroller and I am so glad I got it! It will definitely be back with us. It works well for bigger kids. I totally see us using this until he is out of regular stroller age and then just using our volo for trips. I wish the handles were just about an inch taller but it wasn't too short to be comfy...just an extra inch would make it even better!
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: 
(Sorry, dd6 added!)
Anyway, if you are looking for a Graco one, I would recommend that one.
