Here we take a look at Babies ‘R' Us very own twin stroller, great on your pocket we see if it's also a great performer!
Quick Summary: All in all a reasonably priced, hardworking double stroller that should do what it's designed to do with the minimal amount of fuss.
Whats good?
- Reasonable price
- Raincover and footmuff included
- Handy recline feature
Whats not so good?
- Lacks padding in the seat back
- Heavy to lift
- Linked hoods
Chassis
Once the Babies “R” Us Twin Stroller is out the box all you’ve got to do is pop the front wheels on, open it up and add the hood and you’re ready to roll. Nothing too earth shattering initially, you will see the familiar umbrella fold styling straight away. The frame is constructed from a narrow metal tubing that is surprisingly weighty given is delicate look.
The six double wheel sets are a hard rubber, and have a smart solid look to them, you can lock the front swivel wheels into a fixed position for bumpier ground but it’s a fiddly task requiring each wheel set to be very accurately lined up. I am not convinced you would want to go too far off road with it anyway; the Babies “R” Us Twin Stroller is more of an urban beast.
The two foam covered handles are non-adjustable, there is not one in the centre. As usual for an umbrella fold stroller, the mesh shopping basket is nothing to write home about, but, there are two of them so you can keep things tidy and fit in a fair amount of bits and bobs. Access is possible for larger items through the back, as long as the seat is fully upright, you won’t be able to get anything in or out with the seat fully reclined.
The foot operated brake is linked to all three rear wheel sets and can be popped on and off easily, although it’s a little bit clunky and a bit of a toe bruiser if you’re wearing flipflops.
Not as light as it looks, the Babies “R” Us Twin Stroller is a bit on the weighty side when it comes to picking it up and carrying it, although it does have a handle on the side to help you lug it into the car boot if necessary. Despite its weight the Babies “R” Us Twin Stroller is relatively easy to manoeuver with kids on board on smooth surfaces, you will hear some rattles from the wheels though if going over rougher bumps. Although technically it should fit through a standard doorway the Babies “R” Us Twin Stroller is on the wide side (74cm) if you are hoping to nip in and out of traditional village shops with it.
Seats
You will find two identical seats on the Babies “R” Us Twin Stroller so no fights about who sits where, and the recline function can be used on each seat individually. The seats are a decent size for this type of stroller, with really nice high back rests (50cm) giving good head support for slightly older toddlers if required, with an additional 14cm above the backrest to the hood.
Each seat is suitable from birth when used in the fully reclined position, although not to everyone’s taste this works fairly well as the entire seat area is fully enclosed by the hood and its back flap, and the adjustable calf rest can be fully lifted to make a snug enclosed area a little like a carrycot. He calf rest itself has some nice star detailing on it which co-ordinates with the motif on the hoods and footmuffs.
Not the most comfortable of seats in terms of padding, the back rest especially features some fairly hard structural boning along where a childs spine would rest behind the seat back, although with the addition of the footmuff or the liner comfort could be greatly improved. The five point adjustable harness comes with chest pads and padded crotch strap (although this padding is a little on the stiff side for a newborn). The waist and shoulder straps are adjustable in terms of length, and can be routed through several positions to ensure a good fit from tiny tots to tall toddlers, this requires a bit of fiddly re-routing of the straps though so not something to attempt ‘on the go’.
The recline is a bit different on the Babies “R” Us Twin Stroller; to recline the seat to one of four positions you lift a sliding latch on either side of each seat which allows a ratchet bar to release and drop the seat back. To sit the seat back up you have the luxury here of being able to just push the back of the seat forwards until you reach the desired position, an operation that can be completed with just one hand if you like – no messing about with toggles and sliders, a great bonus.
The double hood attaches to the frame of the Babies “R” Us Twin Stroller nice and easily, and the backflaps can be poppered on to the back of the seats to keep them tidy and give a nice cosy environment when the seat is reclined. The hoods themselves have lovely big peephole windows with Velcro closures. The hoods feature arms to lock them into an extended position, and although not giving exceptional coverage the hoods should give some shade. Although each seat is covered by a separate hood, the hoods cannot be operated individually – they are linked in the centre so when you want to extend one you must extend both.
A really nice touch with the Babies “R” Us Twin Stroller is that it comes with two footmuffs, which can also be used as soft, shaped liners with the front part fully zipped off, this gives you some much needed extra padding in the seat. Nice and thick the foot muffs also have the ability to extend the top portion upwards on the coldest of days. Although not the longest I’ve seen, they should see your child through their first winter, if not their second.
Fold
The Babies “R” Us Twin Stroller follows your traditional umbrella style fold. With your hoods retracted and your seats fully upright, pull up simultaneously on the two handles at the centre rear of the frame, drop the secondary lock latch on the side to fully release the mechanism, then tip your handles over, forward and down. A fairly neat and tidy result and an autolock on either side engages to keep it shut tight when moving it about. A carry handle is provided to help you lift it.
To unfold, you need a bit of a ninja style move to get started; whilst releasing both autolocks (one on either side) lift the handles upwards to open the stroller out. This would seem to require three hands but once you’ve outsmarted it and got the handle up beyond the reach of the autolock its straight up and away with minimal fuss, push down on the frame at the rear to fully lock the pushchair into the open position.
Conclusion
A nifty little double stroller with some nice features, the Babies “R” Us twin stroller is suitable for twins or siblings and if you’re on a budget and want something side-by-side with a compact fold it’s definitely one to look at. The footmuffs are a nice inclusion. The fact that it also comes with a raincover, further adds to the value for money proposition.
On the downside, it’s no featherweight, the padding on the seats leave a little to be desired – especially for potential use with a newborn and we would love to see independent hoods.
All in all a reasonably priced, hardworking double stroller that should do what it’s designed to do with the minimal amount of fuss.
