New Gear for 2015

Those of you who follow me on Facebook, Instagram (@betterbabyyourbaby), and Twitter (@betterbabybaby) have already seen a sneak peek of some of these products that were just revealed at the 2014 ABC Kids Expo. Check out the brand-new gear below that created a buzz at the trade show and keep your eyes peeled for some awesome new products to hit the market in late 2014 or the first half of 2015

Baby Jogger City Mini Zip

Lightweight and Travel-Friendly Strollers

Baby Jogger City Mini Zip - Like its big brother, the ever popular City Mini, the Zip offers some full-size features on a lightweight stroller. The fold on the Zip is the new feature and comes in 50% smaller than a standard umbrella stroller. It weighs in at only 16 pounds and will retail for $249.99.  

Mountain Buggy Nano -  This stroller might take the cake for frequent fliers. It weighs 13 pounds and folds compactly enough to fit into most overhead carry-on compartments! It is also equipped with a car seat adapter that fits several leading brands and turns this lightweight umbrella stroller into a full travel system! This thing is a great value at only $199.99.

BabyZen YoYo - Another stroller with an amazing micro-mini fold, the YoYo is the first stroller to be fully compliant with IATA guidelines for cabin baggage dimensions. Easily slips into an overhead compartment, under a train seat, etc. 

 Double Strollers

UPPABaby Vista - Big changes are happening for the 2015 Vista! What used to be known as the Vista has been renamed the Legacy and the new Vista is joining the ranks of grow-with-your-family strollers that easily convert from a single to a double and back again, much like the Britax B-Ready or Baby Jogger City Select (review here). In 2015, the Vista will be able to accommodate two toddler seats, bassinets, or infant carriers, making it ideal for parents of twins! The Vista frame and single seat will retail for around $800, with additional seats and accessories being sold separately. This stroller also won the 2014 JPMA Stoller Award and The Bump Editor's Pick!

2015 UPPABaby Vista

Baby Jogger Vue Double - Baby Jogger got great feedback with the introduction of the Vue: an umbrella stroller with a seat that easily converts to forward-facing or rear-facing. In 2015, Baby Jogger is introducing a double version! The seats will be independent and allow a younger child to be parent-facing while big brother or sister faces forward. It should retail for $399.

UPPABaby G-Link - The G-Link is the double version of UPPABaby's already popular G-Luxe umbrella stroller. (You can find my review of the G-Luxe here.) This stroller will weigh in at only 20 pounds and feature a nearly-flat recline for the smallest babies.In my opinion, a flat recline is an AMAZING feature on a stroller!

Luxury Joggers

Orbit Baby O2 - In Summer 2015, Orbit Baby will enter the world of jogging strollers with the introduction of the O2. The frame will feature a low seating position for jogging or a higher seating position for city strolling and will accommodate your Orbit Baby seat. Like other joggers, the O2's front wheel will lock for jogging or swivel for everyday use.
Bugaboo Runner - The Runner frame will easily accept any Bugaboo seat for jogging in parent-facing or rear-facing mode. Featuring air-filled tires for a smooth ride, the Runner will have a fixed front wheel. It should arrive in stores by spring 2015 and will retail around $425 for the frame and $650 for frame and seat.

Car Seats

Britax ClickTight - The new ClickTight system makes correct installation a breeze! It's never been easier to install a car seat using a vehicle safety belt in cars without LATCH anchors or when you exceed the LATCH weight limits. ClickTight will be available in the Britax convertible models that we all know and love (Boulevard, Marathon, and Advocate) as well as the Frontier and Pinnacle Harness-2-Booster models.

Cybex Cloud Q - Most doctors advise against leaving infants in their car seats for extended periods of time due to their developing spines. The Cybex Cloud Q is the first infant carrier that will recline when clipped onto its frame, thus turning into a bassinet and letting sleeping babies lie! This car seat is going to come in gorgeous colors and should retail for $399.

Doona Infant Carrier

Doona - Wow. This thing is a game changer! This infant carrier weighs 15.5 pounds and has integrated wheels and handlebar to transform into a snap-n-go type stroller in an instant. All those times that you just need to run into a store to grab something or pick an older sibling up from school just got a little easier! This seat will retail for $350.

Phil & Teds - This duo has a new uber-lightweight infant seat hitting the market that weighs well under 10 pounds! No more fiddler crab arm from hauling a heavy car seat around!

Whew, that's a TON of stuff to keep your eyes peeled for over the next year! There are also plenty of miscellaneous items hitting markets as well: EZPZFun No Mess Happy Mats (integrated silicone plates and mats with some serious suction), Silikids silicone toppers that can turn any cup into a sippy cup, and beautiful new play mat prints from Skip Hop that give playrooms a chic makeover!

Stay Tuned!

UPPAbaby G-Luxe

Ok, so I've been promising a review of my UPPAbaby G-Luxe for quite some time now. Like I said in an earlier post, I purchased the G-Luxe because we would be traveling with our little one for the first time and didn't want to risk the airline destroying our Baby Jogger City Select or mess with hauling that thing around the airport. While shopping for umbrella strollers, I came across a nice, used G-Luxe on Craig's List and took the plunge.

First of all, the quality of the G-Luxe is impeccable. I prefer the quality of almost every part of this stroller to my other umbrella stroller, the Chicco Liteway Plus. The fabric is soft and plush, the extendable canopy is large, and the buckle is trim and secure. That said, I do not like the recline (although my model is older and this has been improved for new models) and I'm not wild about the storage basket. Due to the construction of the storage basket, it is very difficult to get anything in or out with the seat back reclined at all. I can't really fit a diaper bag into the basket, so I end up pulling out my essentials and putting them directly into the basket; it works, but it's not ideal. However, I love Love LOVE the seat itself; the cushion is super padded and easy to remove and clean. It is also AMAZINGLY light weighing in at only 11 lbs!

All in all, I bought this stroller used on Craig's List when I determined that I needed a lightweight stroller for traveling and got a great deal on it. In hindsight, the Chicco Liteway Plus is more versatile when traveling with an infant (and Keyfit 30 carseat). While the G-Luxe is an absolute piece of cake to throw in and out of a trunk, the convenience and versatility of having an umbrella stroller that easily converts to a travel system is worth the few extra pounds and I'm willing to overlook a few of the less-than-ideal aesthetic issues and go with the Liteway Plus. (Check out my review of the Chicco Liteway Plus here.)

Another option for parents that want a higher-end umbrella stroller that will also double as a travel system is the Bumbleride Flite. It has a luxurious bamboo blend fabric and is very lightweight. Check out this in-depth review from babygizmo.com:

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.