Do You Need A Chaperone?

Ever feel like shopping for a car seat & stroller is comparable to shopping for a car? You go from here to there, compare this to that, and check out this price and that price. It can be overwhelming and time consuming.

Britax sent me their Chaperone Travel System to test out, and I think it is definitely worth mentioning!

This travel system has a lot of great features on it, and I found that it was great both as a system and independent of one another. I am a big fan of travel systems as I appreciate the ease of use, and not waking up the baby when they’re sleeping upon arrival at a destination, or coming home from an outing.

First off, the instruction manual had a lot of pictures in it, along with easy instructions. Setting this up out of the box, was very easy, simple & quick!

What I liked about the stroller:

•The inner seat area is quite wide, and goes up to 55lbs, which is great if you want to continue using it as your baby continues on into older toddlerhood!
•The wheels handle well on all sorts of terrain. (Ok, so I didn’t go mountain climbing with it, but I did go through a lot of mud, dirt, sand and snow, which is typical of what your average parent would deal with. LOL)
•It has a 5 point restraint harness.
•You can hand wash the material if it were to get soiled.
•It has armrests, so if you wanted to take off the snack tray, your child can sit back and relax.
•The parking brake is easy to use. You use your foot to depress the lever and it displays red if the wheels are correctly locked in place, and green once you unlock it.
•I really loved that fact that you can adjust the handle so that people of all heights can use it comfortably.
•The stroller stands on its own when closed up.
•You can easily remove the wheels when using smaller storage places.
•The cup holders in the parent tray are quite deep, which is great to hold things like narrow water bottles or tall sippy cups, which often tip over easily.
•The stroller is very stable and is not easily tipped forwards or backwards.
•The stroller has an oversize canopy to keep out harsh elements.
•It is very easy to steer with only one hand.

What I liked about the infant carrier:

•It comes with low birth weight foam in case you have a preemie.
•It has a 5-point harness.
•It accommodates babies from 4 - 22lbs, and up to 32” in height.
•The car seat base is very easy to install, which is a huge time/energy saver!
•It has an ergonomic handle.
•It has level indicators to help you ensure you have the seat in the proper angled position.
•It has an anti-rebound bar which reduces crash impact from a front end collision.
•It has True Side Impact Protection, a deep car seat with head wings which provides more protection when involved in a side impact collision.
•The car seat also has an oversized canopy.
•It is certified to be used on an airplane.
•It comes with an adaptor strap if you wanted to use the carrier with another stroller.

What I wasn’t so crazy about:

•I found the basket below the stroller to be quite shallow. While it is quite long, longer than the stroller I used for our little guy, you wouldn’t be able to put much in there that is large in size. For example, I often use my stroller to get groceries in, and can pack quite a bit of stuff in there. With this stroller, because it is shallow, it would limit how much you could put in there. But the plus side is that you could easily fit something that is long in there, so this is very subjective, depending on what you would use the basket for yourself.
•While I like the fact that the brake displays whether or not you have the brake properly engaged, I found at times when I was power walking with it, it would get in the way and my foot would hit it. That being said, my husband did not have this problem at all.
•The snack tray compartments are quite small in comparison to other strollers on the market. With that being said, most children aren’t eating their meals out of it, so it definitely serves its purpose all the same.
•I found it a bit cumbersome to fold up & open up the stroller. To close up the stroller, you have to lift up the snack tray, and then pull up a release strap in the crease of the seat. While it’s not difficult at all to do, I much prefer a simpler folding option which is much easier to navigate when you’re holding a child in the other hand. The same goes for opening up the stroller. You have to press a button that allows it to open up, and then push it into place.
•In order to put your car seat into the stroller to use as a travel system, you have to first adjust some levers at the rear of the seat, and fold up some of the material in the seat area. This is fine if you’re only using the car seat in the stroller. If you sometimes put the child directly in the stroller, it takes a few moments to set it back in place. While some other models make it easier to toggle back and forth between the 2 seating methods, it is still very simple to do.

The Chaperone Travel System comes in 3 fabric designs -Cowmooflage, Red Mill & Savannah. The suggested retail price for the stroller is $379.99. The infant carrier retails for $279.99. While this price may be high in comparison to other travel systems on the market, there is something to be said for additional safety features. In an age where speed limits are higher and road distractions are on the rise, knowing that your child will have additional protection in front end and side impact collisions is worth every dollar.

***This sample product was provided free of charge

***** These views are mine, and mine alone. As with anything, you are responsible for assessing whether this item and/or activity is safe and suitable for your specific needs. InfoMommy does not make any warranties of any kind, expressed or implied, and assumes no responsibility and/or liability for any actions taken as a result of this blog post.*****