Graco Ipo Stroller - Gaia This compact toddler stroller combines streamlined European styling with light mobility and compact convenience. But even though it’s trim and ready for action, it offers plenty of comfort and convenience features. Moms on the go will really appreciate one-hand folding and a convenient carry handle. Perfect for kids who don’t need a full sized stroller anymore.

Features:

  • 3-dimensional, one-hand compact fold for maximum portability
  • Adjustable leg rest
  • Accepts child up to 50 lbs.
  • Multiple-position, reclining seat for child’s comfort
  • Canopy with peek-a-boo window and tuck-away tinted sun visor
  • Convenient carry handle
  • Large, easy access storage basket
  • Combination 3-point or 5-point harness
  • Padded ergonomic grip
  • Robust, stylized frame for maximum durability
  • Front swivel wheels with locks and suspension
  • Removable seat pad may be washed in cold water on delicate cycle and drip-dried
  • No bleach. To clean stroller frame, use only household soap and warm water
  • Recommended Use: For infants and children less than 50 lbs.
  • Stroller Dimensions: 26.5″L x 19.5″W x 41.5″H
  • Seat Dimensions: 12″L x 12.54″W x 17.5″H
  • Width of Handle: 12.5″
  • Wheel Size Front/Back: 6″
  • Stroller Weight: 17.53 lbs.

Customer Review: This might be it….the elusive “perfect” stroller
I’m sick of having different strollers for different occasions: the car seat stroller frame for when DS was small enough to be content sitting in the infant seat; a Peg Perego Pliko3 for mall trips and traveling; a cheap umbrella stroller for “quick” trips to the store; and a Baby Trend jogging stroller for walking (I don’t jog) over uneven surfaces. It wasn’t until I ran over the umbrella stroller with my car (DS was safely inside the house) that I realized how insane having four strollers is! So, I started to review strollers to find the “perfect” one - one that would take the place of all these strollers (or at least most of them).

After going to many baby stores to “test drive” different strollers, I thought I’d have to give up my fantasy of getting rid of all the other strollers; they just didn’t seem to meet my needs (be able to close one-handed while holding DS in other when traveling alone, close as compact as my cheap umbrella stroller, have storage basket that’s actually accessible, be able to steer one-handed while I held the dog’s leash with the other, and not be so expensive that if an airline were to demolish it while traveling, we wouldn’t have to re-finance the house to afford another one). I saw the Graco IPO once at BRU, but didn’t have a chance to put DS in it because he’d already been put in about 5 other strollers and screamed when I started to put him in this one. Thinking that the straps didn’t compare anyway to the Maclaren I had just taken him out of, I gave up, going home empty handed.

But like an addict, I kept searching. I finally saw the Graco IPO online (I thought Graco only made the behemoth travel system strollers). Most of the reviews were highly favorable and said the things I was looking for would be met by this stroller: one-handed folding, accessible basket, small when closed. So, I thought I’d return to BRU to give it a test drive when DS was “fresh” and wouldn’t balk at being put into another stroller. Initially, I was worried about the harness; it felt cheaply made and the shoulder straps that made it a 5-point harness seemed to be of a strange design. But, the rest of the claims were true. I could fold it one-handed, it was compact like an umbrella stroller, the basket (while not huge) was at least accessible, and it was under $100! As I was paying for it, I made sure to ask what the return policy was, still not sure I’d found “the one.” But then I got it home and I took it for a spin!

The straps were designed so it’s easy to change from using as a 5-point to 3-point harness (and vice versa). They’re genius, actually, but they take some getting used to at first. And I had NO trouble steering one-handed as DS and I took the dog for a walk around the block. (My carpal tunnel flared up trying the same thing in the Peg.) And while it’s still easier to use the jogging stroller over gravel, the wheels on the Graco IPO are large enough that you don’t get stuck going over it (can’t say the same for the Peg!) And the jogging stroller is MUCH more bulky to try to get in and out of the car.

My only complaints so far are that for how compactly it folds, it’s pretty heavy. It looks as if it should be as light as other cheap umbrella strollers, but it has some weight to it. And my other complaint is that the seat/leg position doesn’t “click” into a bent position and stay there. However, these are two minor things as I see them for not needing to look for any other stroller!

Looking back, we’ll probably keep the infant car seat stroller in case we have another kid. But, because this umbrella stroller actually reclines (something the cheap ones can’t do), child #2 would probably not be in the carseat stroller for long at all - only until he/she can sit up!

It’s hard to believe something so simple has taken so long for manufacturers to get right. Congrats, Graco! This one seems to do it all!
Customer Review: I love this stroller!!!
We bought the Latte version of the stroller for our 20 month old daughter, and she loves it! We live overseas and must use a compact stroller. She had used the Combi from about two months old, but she was growing taller and the Combi was feeling more and more cramped for her. This stroller is a little larger and heavier than the Combi, but the quality is also much better. My husband didn’t like the Combi because his feet would always hit the wheels, though at 6′1″ he doesn’t have any problems with the Ipo. Some of our favorite things:

-Very simple compact fold. You don’t even need directions to figure out how to fold it, and there’s still lots of room left in the trunk after you put the stoller in.
-Good size storage basket. I get about twice as much in this basket as I did in the Combi.
-Nice, large reclining seat for a growing toddler.
-VERY easy to steer, even with one hand.

We also bought a cup holder and added it to the back of the frame. It fits nicely and is very convenient, though you have to be careful when folding the stroller or else it can pop off.

We compared this with the Maclaren and not only was this cheaper, but I also liked it much better than the low end Maclarens.

Edited May 19, 2008 to add: I still love almost everything about the stroller and it has held up very well, but we have found one significant issue–the seat belt is way to easy for my 2 1/2 year old to unbuckle. The first time she unbuckled it was in a mall (and thankfully not a parking lot). She unbuckled it, jumped out of her seat, and took of running! This could be a serious safety issue for toddlers.

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