Chicco Liteway Plus Review

Check out the Chicco Liteway Plus - a lightweight umbrella stroller with a seat that flips forward, allowing a Chicco Keyfit car seat to clip right in!

We've got our first trip with Niamh coming up at the beginning of May and we'll be flying with a baby for the very first time! With a seven month old, I knew that we would need both a car seat and a stroller during our trip, but I was reluctant to have the airline throwing around my (rather pricey!) Baby Jogger City Select in the cargo area. I initially searched for a light umbrella stroller that wouldn't cost an arm and a leg and settled on buying a used UPPAbaby G-Luxe (review to come) on Craig's List. As luck would have it, I learned about this little gem from Chicco a couple months after buying the UPPAbaby.

After dreading the thought of managing a stroller, a car seat, a carry-on, and a seven month old in an airport, I decided to give in and buy the Liteway Plus. After all, I could always resell the UPPAbaby on Craig's List. I managed to find the deal of the century at Babies R Us and bought the floor model for $69.90!

While I love my Baby Jogger, I'm realizing that I could have made it all along with just this one stroller. I already owned the Keyfit 30 and it's actually quite easy to convert the stroller from umbrella stroller to car seat caddy. Why buy a Snap N Go or Keyfit Caddy PLUS an umbrella stroller when you can kill two birds with one stone for under $200?

The biggest selling feature on this stroller is the convenience. It will be a breeze to push Niamh in her car seat through the airport while I manage our carry-ons/diaper bag. Once we reach our destination, we can drop the car seat in our hotel room and have a fully reclining umbrella stroller for our outings.

So far, my list of cons is pretty short and easy to forget with such a convenient stroller. I'm not wild about the quality of the fabric or how well the stroller handles - it's not as nice as my UPPAbaby G-Luxe, but it doesn't feel particularly cheap. It's also about 19 lbs. whereas my G-Luxe is an amazingly light 11 lbs. However, the Liteway Plus locks closed and has a carrying handle, so it's easy to get in and out of a trunk. The extra weight comes from the solid seat back that serves as the locking mechanism when the car seat is attached. Again, these complaints absolutely disappear when you take into consideration the double-duty nature of this stroller. I even prefer the Chicco's basket and the recline mechanism to the UPPAbaby's due to ease of use.

If you're thinking about the Chicco Liteway Plus and want to snag a deal, keep your eyes peeled for a 20% off sale. The stroller is listed for $179.99 just about everywhere, but you can frequently find it on sale. Babies R Us offers 15-20% one item promotions occasionally and Buy Buy Baby sends out 20% coupons like it's going out of style. Target also offers 20% Chicco products from time to time.