While Pregnant I did a lot of research trying to find the most ideal products. One of the first things I had researched was the stroller. After seeing an ad for the Stokke Xplory I went to their website. I looked at videos. I read reviews. I became obsessed. Everywhere I went I felt like a creepy lady staring at strangers pushing strollers. I was comparing every one I saw with the Stokke. However, I continually was disappointed.
- Some, though very few had the rear facing option. This option was of great importance to me. It is of great value to interact with you, especially at the early stages.
- Some gave the option of placing a car seat for newborns instead of the Stokke's carry cot. The Stokke does also allow for this option instead of the use of the carry cot with Peg-Pérego, Graco and Maxi Cosi. I understand that the option of the car seat can be quite handy, especially when you have a colicky baby that is finally sound asleep. But for me this option didn't work for numerous reasons.
- The first aspect is the limitation associated with which car seat to purchase.
- Secondly, I was not planning on purchasing two car seats (one for newborn/infant and another for toddler). So the carry cot was a lot more convenient for me. Also, the carry cot, as the name indicates, does have the option to carry the baby in it. So on the few occasions when I didn't wish to use the stroller, I was able to just put baby in the carry cot.
- The one aspect that I did not find in any other stroller and was the biggest selling point for me was the height of the baby seat. This was the most valuable aspect of the Stokke Xplory.
- The baby was further away from dogs and car fumes
- Has a better view of the world as opposed to looking at just knees
- The height is also appropriate to use the stroller instead of a high-chair
- Most importantly, it's easier on the back to pick up or place baby in a higher seat as there is less bending.
So, everywhere I went, I looked to see if there's any other company that had the high seat stroller and no such luck. There were a lot of other great selling points that I later discovered as I began using it and a couple of unpleasant aspects as well. The one biggest issue to keep in mind with the Stokke Xplory is how bulky it is for storage in the trunk of the car. This wasn't a huge issue for me, as the trunk of my car is rather spacious, but I can see how this could be an issue for someone else where the Stokke Xplory takes up all the space in the trunk with no space to place groceries or shopping. The other aspect that also can be concerning for someone else is the placement and size of the bag for storage. I found it very handy and could actually hold a lot of items. Last issue of concern is the mechanism for folding and unfolding the stroller for storage can be difficult to maneuver though it becomes easier with time.
Some of the great positives that were added bonus once I did purchase the Stokke Xplory are:
- great leg room for whoever is pushing the stroller. A lot of strollers have the basket in the back inhibiting the pusher's movement.
- It came with wind cover for carry cot, the mosquito netting and the rain cover; which are extremely handy
- adjustable handle height and position has made it easy for any one to push the stroller within their own comfort
- seat angle adjustment
