by Contributing Blogger Maytal Wichman
Studies have found that rear-facing strollers have benefits that outweigh forward-facing strollers, such as interacting and communicating with the person pushing the stroller, thereby improving the baby’s communications skills. There are many rear-facing strollers on the market today but they have one big drawback: they are bulky and can be a pain to fold since you have to take the seat out. Luckily, someone at Quinny came up with a rear-facing stroller that can be folded compactly and easily and without having to take the seat out. And that stroller is the Quinny Zapp Xtra Stroller With the Folding Seat.
I recently received the Quinny Zapp Xtra With Folding Seat for review and tried it with my two sons. My almost four-year-old is growing out of a stroller but still needs one for really long walks or when we spend the entire day out. My four-month-old uses it while sitting in his Maxi Cosi car seat (which fits perfectly with the stroller) and in two months will be able to sit in the stroller sans car seat. We have a sedan – yep, with three kids, crazy, I know – and I’m always struggling to fit things in my trunk. I used to have a rear-facing stroller that was bulky (I liked it because it was sturdy). It was annoying that when we needed to fold it, we had to get the seat out first, then fold it.
But the Zapp Xtra With Folding Seat folds with the seat attached, so I don’t have to take it out. It’s just as sturdy and stable as other 4-wheel strollers, even though it’s lighter (weighs 20 lbs.) and will not topple over even if I hang a heavy diaper bag or lots of grocery bags on the handles.
The ride is very smooth and the swivel wheels can turn easily and can also be locked. It takes very little effort to push, even with my 30+ lb toddler – I can use just one hand. I also love the brake. I once had a stroller in which unlocking the brake was literally painful and sometimes needed to be done with my hands. Not here. Just press lightly with your foot and that’s it.
The rear-facing seat has two positions: 1 upright and 1 full recline. The forward-facing seat has 3 positions: 1 upright, 1 partial recline and 1 full recline.
Folding was easy once I saw the video (you have to put the seat in forward-facing position). You can view 8 different videos on the Quinny website that will show you exactly how to put the stroller together, fold it, unfold it, recline it and pretty much everything else you need to do with it. This is great because it takes out the guesswork. Don’t know how to do something? Just watch the video!
It comes with a generous sun canopy, a shopping basket and adapters for attaching the infant seat and can hold a child up to 50 lbs. It comes in Rocking Black, Rebel Red and Natural Mavis. Another cool feature is that the fabric is water and dirt repellant so you can just wipe stuff off easily.
The cool, modern look is a plus in my book, although I prefer features over looks any day. Still, it’s nice to walk around with a gorgeous stroller.
You can buy the Quinny Zapp Xtra With Folding Seat on Amazon for $272. Review: Quinny Zapp Xtra Stroller With the Folding Seat
I was not compensated for this post. I received a sample stroller for review purposes.
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Contributing Blogger Maytal Wichman is the owner of Mama’s Bites and has also written for The Huffington Post. She has been living in New York City for twelve years and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature as well as a Law Degree, but blogging is her true passion. Maytal is a stay-at-home mom to three kids (ages 6, 3 and a baby) and loves finding great products that make her family’s life easier.
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