The Cluttered Pantry

Earlier this year my 3 year old started begging us to let him to walk rather than being pushed around in his cushy City Mini Double.  Seeing this as an opportunity for him to expend more energy and, in turn, tire him out enough to get him to sleep at a decent hour, I searched for a sit-and-stand stroller that would allow him to hop off and walk when he wanted, but provided a place for him to ride along when he was tired.  Oh, and I didn’t want to spend more than $200.  After reading a few favorable reviews I settled on the Joovy Caboose which I purchased online from the company, on sale, for $129.

(For reference, the Joovy Caboose’s capacity is 45lbs in front and 45lbs in back. My younger son is 26lbs and my older son is 31lbs, well within the range.)

Assembly took about a half hour and didn’t require more than a basic tool or two.

The first thing that struck me is that the the wheels and rear seat were stiff and tough to get moving. I dismissed this thinking that things will loosen after a couple strolls around the neighborhood. In hindsight, however, I should have taken this as a sign and re-boxed it and sent it back to Texas.

The Joovy Caboose loses it for me in four areas:  the weight (26lbs), the UNCOMFORTABLE handles, a rickety frame, no access to brakes when folded, and a never-ending squeak.

Weight is weight and the Joovy Caboose is heavy. Maybe it’s particularly heavy for me because I’m used to the City Mini Double. I’m all for building  muscles, but the Joovy Caboose doesn’t balance the weight with sturdiness and it feels as if the joints are precariously put together. It is very difficult to steer for two reasons: the weak joints and the odd angle at which the push bar is positioned.

In fact, the push bar is EXACTLY like pushing one of these folding shopping carts which, as you may know, are designed to be pulled.

Living in a city I find the stroller extremely difficult to maneuver around a simple street corner and it does not take urban craters with grace.  It takes a lot of energy to push this thing and you’re never quite sure that it’s safe.

While the stroller folds easily the brakes are not accessible when it is folded.  This is particularly difficult for us because we live in a building where we must unload the kids on the sidewalk, walk up six stairs, take an elevator and walk down a hallway to our condo. It would be much easier to brake, fold up the stroller, unbrake, roll to the condo, then brake for storage.  In addition, The brakes – one on each rear wheel – are made of flimsy plastic and in order to brake the plastic piece must be aligned with a groove in the wheel and this is sometimes an issue.

Oh, and the squeak.  There is a metallic squeak from the right rear wheel that gallons of 3-in-1 oil haven’t fixed.

In short, it takes a lot of energy to push, isn’t maneuverable, is difficult to brake, is noisy and I’m never quite sure if it’s safe.

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