I spent a few weeks looking over reviews on Amazon and chatting up with local moms. Thankfully, most moms (all whom I spoke with) are very willing to explain why they have the particular piece of equipment they do. How great is that?! Particularly in the month we owned the B.O.B. I kept seeing the Baby Jogger City Mini and when I approached each mom, I found them ready and willing to give it their stamp of approval. The more I saw it, the more I liked it and what it had to offer the brood we hope to raise.
One thing to note: when I would search for it via Amazon, I came up with numbers above $400 and some with shipping. When I would click on other links within Amazon, I found a better deal. $364.00 new + $0.00 shipping, fulfilled by Amazon and with my Prime account. Brill.
It was a pretty simple package and easy to unpack. The jogger arrived entirely intact with the exception of the 4 wheels/sets and the two canopies.
Here's what it looked like to put the first wheel in:
Step One:
Um. yup. That's it. You just slide them in until you feel the click and then you can't get those suckers out. Sweet. This is my kind of some assembly required.
Next, I found the canopies. Same deal here. A clip (see the left end) and a rod (see the right end).
This thing was up and working in 12 minutes, and that's with me moving slowly, checking on Poppy in her bouncy seat, and getting out of the way for this:
We took it for a walk, got caught in the rain, had to run two blocks to home, and the kids were fine. The two times we'd used the B.O.B., Poppy yelled at me and Ace whined.
In summary, here are the pluses (thus far) to the Baby Jogger City Mini Double.
- Great head room, way above my son's height.
- Practically a full recline, perfect for lady Poppy who needs to nap every once in a while.
- Mesh overhead (not the canopy) which when the seat is in recline allows for phenomenal breezes.
- Weather cover that goes right over mesh top and is a permanant feature so kids be dry and fully reclined while you get pelted with rain bullets.
- Waterproof fabric. Not sure that's really true, but it is less like canvas (as is the B.O.B.), and more like a soft windbreaker.
- Seems lighter than the B.O.B., though I haven't checked the actual weights. I just know it's easier for my 5'1" frame to heft into the back of our suv.
- The super-duper rainbow effect of each canopy. It really comes over their head and settles right down so that the kid can avoid sun exposer.
- Two clear parent panels in the three-panel canopy. I like it because the kids can see the view above.
- Drops through standard-size doors like buttah. We took it to the zoo this past weekend and I found I could pass it through a doorway while holding baby #2 and the door itself.
The negatives:
- The angle of the seat doesn't hug one's bum in that the kid's hips are more forward and knees lower than in the B.O.B.. Can you picture what I mean? It's not bad for Ace but it means that whenPoppy is upright, most of her weight hangs on the center security.
- Stiffer handling--it's a four-wheel vs. a three-wheel, so that's just a given, but we're talking -- at least in handling -- like going from a sports car to an SUV. I'm thinking. Because I totally drive sports cars alllll the time.
- People say that the under-bucket isn't large BUT I haven't seen one that is on any other, so by no means is this one small. I'm quite happy with it.
- Um...that's all I've got right now.
So there you have it! We're extremely happy campers. I think it will hold up well considering other reviews, and I like it for everything above. And it's pretty.
Hope it helps if you're checking out doubles!
icj,
~j
5'1". Wishful thinking!
ReplyDeletethanks, husband. you're bald.
Delete