Baby At Play

After fussing around with the cheapo $18 umbrella strollers, I finally took the plunge and bought something more expensive and ever lasting. The choice I made was the Keekaroo Karoo stroller. Before I get into the new stroller, here were the reasons for replacing the $18 stroller:

1. It flips over very easily if the baby is not in the stroller…even for very light items hung on the handles.
2. There is no padding whatsoever on the stroller.
3. There is no built-in under stroller storage.
4. I assume it is uncomfy, since the baby doesn’t like staying in it very long
5. The attached canopy is a joke
6. The wheels are tiny and have no suspension
7. The stroller height is too low and causes me to bend over a bit at times
8. You can’t recline to let the baby sleep

Anyone out there know what I’m talking about?

With all of that said, I finally decided to retire the cheapo umbrella stroller for something nicer. I mean, every parent needs a go-to stroller and preferably, its an umbrella stroller for its size and versatility. I had my eyes set on a Maclaren Quest stroller which retails for $230 at Babies R Us. My wife and I loved the colors and it seemed like Maclaren was the way to go since many other parents have the same stroller. I just couldn’t justify the high price for it. What did I do? I went on Amazon and read up on reviews of other parents to see if its really worth the price. The reviews were what I expected. Maclaren apparently *is* the cream of the crop. Whatever, I still didn’t have $230 (plus tax) to spend on the new stroller.

While reading the reviews, I stumbled across another 2 strollers that were similar but cheaper: Chicco and Keekaroo. Once I saw the Keekaroo, I thought Wow! It looks great! I read more and more about it and other parents were also considering the Maclaren Quest when they found the Keekaroo Karoo stroller. Most reviews said they were glad they took the plunge and bought this stroller instead. You can review all the official specs here from the product site. Then you can see the side by side comparison between the Keekaroo Karoo versus Maclaren Quest strollers and judge for yourself. Here’s what sold me on the Keekaroo stroller:

1. The Karoo stroller looks amazing. I love the Lilac Mist color, the larger 6″ wheel design, the aluminum chasis…
2. The Karoo has a very functional canopy with a lip that gives a little extra coverage against sun light
3. Suspension on all 4 wheels…thoughts of my Bugaboo Frog suspension raced through my mind (more on this later)
4. Its $80 cheaper

Final thoughts on the Keekaroo Karoo:

The stroller arrived almost fully intact. The only things you need you attach are the 2 front wheels. They snap right in (you gotta squeeze the tabs on each wheel to get them in). I’ve used the stroller a few times over the past 2 weekends and its ok so far. I wasn’t blown away like I was expecting based on the Amazon reviews. My wife and I are about 5’10″ and we kick the wheels…never had these problems before with any other stroller. Despite what some of the reviews said, I cannot imagine being able to control the Karoo stroller with just one hand while my baby is in it. I find it hard to steer. What I mean is, if there is a slope of any kind, the stroller will definitely lean in that direction. There’s also something about the strollers weight. For instance, when you approach a sidewalk and need to raise the front of the stroller to get up onto the sidewalk…you’ll find that its hard to do with this stroller. Perhaps its because the baby sits up higher in this stroller than others? The handles are comfy since its padded…but because I have to exert so much pressure/force to steer the stroller, sometimes I feel like these handles can almost snap. I’m sure it won’t, but it just feels that way due to the amount of strength I have to use to keep the stroller going straight. As for the suspension at all 4 wheels…its nothing like the Bugaboo Frog. With the Frog, you just go right over minor/medium bumps and don’t even feel it. If thats what you have in mind for the Keekaroo…forget about it.

Overall, its not bad, and its not perfect. I’d give it 7/10 stars. For the price, this is as good as you can get. As long as you don’t go into it with crazy expectations and keep in mind the price you’ve paid, you will really enjoy this stroller. My daughter seems to like it. She tends to stay in the stroller for longer periods of time. I’m even able to lay her down in the stroller and give her a diaper change. This makes the stroller worth it to me. I hope this helps you decide.