Stokke Xplory: Give Your Baby a Good View
The Stokke Xplory resembles a Segway or a space probe but it’s actually a "complete baby carriage solution." But, chances are, unless you live in a major metropolitan area, you probably have only seen this stroller on the Celebrity Baby Blog.
The key feature of the Xplory is that it brings baby to your level,literally. The Xplory’s seat extends vertically so your baby is closerto your face, allowing you to interact in a way that other low riding and conventional strollers can’t. This gives baby a great view of the world, not just a dog’s eye view. Additionally, research shows that keeping strong visual contact and interaction strengthens your child’s feeling of security andcomfort.
It has great versatility. You can have the baby face you or away from you. You can buy a bassinet to use with your newborn baby. They now sell a car seat adapter for your Peg Perego Primo Viaggio SIP, Graco Snugride or Maxi Cosi Cabrio. They offer a footmuff and two sleeping bags/buntings for the bassinet- a warm one for the winter and a light one for spring/fall. Other accessories you can purchase include a backpack style diaper bag that fits on the handle, mosquito net, sun protector, an umbrella, a travel bag to carry the stroller in, and 2 textile sets to customize the color scheme of your stroller.
Stokke let me testdrive an Xplory for 10 days. The first thing I noticed, besides its unique design, is how ultra smooth the ride is, even compared to the Bugaboo. A shock absorber between the wheels and frame makes for a smooth, comfy ride. Living in NYC, your stroller is your car because you do a LOT of walking. Its reversibilitycombined with the design of the stroller lets you use the stroller as a highchair which is great for all ofthose restaurants that don’t have highchairs (or really gnarly ones).
I love the vertical height feature- having Anya so close to me is really great. I am a big fan of any stroller that gives you the option of having baby face you or away. (However, one thing I didn’t like is that when the seat faces forward, it can’t recline all the way. We use the stroller to put Anya to sleep for her naps and the fact thatit can’t recline more means leaving her to sleep in it for extendedperiods in a sitting position). The handle adjusts vertically which is great for taller parents and in different angles (and very easily) and lets you steer with one or two hands. I didn’t find that this design allowed me to hang my diaper bag on it, though. The sunshade is great- it is more full than other strollers I’ve tried and also has a mesh area that shades baby but lets some air flow through.
One small thing I think Stokke should fix is making the footrest easier to remove. If you have the seat facing you, it’s annoying to have to remove the leg rest to take off the seat to fold it (and that you need three hands to remove it). I found the base of the stroller to be quite heavy to lift into the car (heavier than the Bugaboo) but it needs to be in order to balance the seat. Also, storage is pretty limited. The bag that attaches to the base does open up but people who are used to loading up the basket may be disappointed.
The deciding factor for most people will be the price. At $950 for the complete stroller (which includes the bassinet) or $769 (without the bassinet), the Xplory is definitely a big purchase. However, I believe the Xplory is a good investment because you will use it from infancy through toddlerhood. Overall, I really like the Stokke Xplory and recommend it, especially for city dwellers.
Celebrity parents who use the Xplory include Russell Crowe and wife Danielle Spencer who used it with their son Charles, Rachel Weisz and Darren Aronofsky who used it with Henry, Courteney Cox and David Arquette who used it with Coco, Heidi Klum and Seal who used it with Henry, British pop singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor who used it with her son Sonny, and Italian Formula One motor racing driver Jarno Trulli who used it with his son Enzo.
Learn more about the Stokke Xplory at www.xplory.com.
– Danielle
- Posted on Jan 16, 07 at 4:12PM
- Permalink
- 12 Comments
January 16th, 2007 at 4:12 pm
January 16th, 2007 at 5:35 pm
Hmm, Yeah, it looks cool, but IMO, I would rather put the $ in a college fund for baby. I can get a nice, safe stroller that can take me from infancy to toddler for much, much less.
January 16th, 2007 at 5:40 pm
It’s so fug.
January 16th, 2007 at 5:48 pm
I have seen the Xplory on HGTv before.
January 16th, 2007 at 5:58 pm
It looks like the kid’s seat is going to snap off with one good bump… And NO way would I ever consider paying that much for a stroller. I don’t care if the thing pushed itself, there’s no excuse to pay that much for a stroller.
Wait, I take that back…unless it’s a Silver Cross, but that’s because of the company behind it and the beauty and craftsmanship. Silver Cross is timeless and classic. I still think they’re extremely expensive too, but I’d buy one of those over one of these Stokke Xplory things any day.
While I appreciate the review by Danielle, it’s not a stroller for me.
January 16th, 2007 at 6:02 pm
We live in a major suburban metro area, but honestly it’s just too much money to spend on a stroller that we’ll only be able to use a few months out of the year, due to the sub-zero temps from the harsh winters.
We needed something lightweight that we can easily lift in & out of the car, since most people have to drive just about everywhere, due to poor public transport.
It seems nice enough, but a lot of other strollers come with similar/same add-ons (netting, diaper bag, sunshade, etc.) for a lot less $$. I prefer more storage, because I use the under stroller baskets to cart groceries during the nice weather months!
How easy is it to fold & get on the bus or subway when you need to go further distances??
January 17th, 2007 at 2:03 am
I own an Xplory and while I agree it’s a big expense and a funny looking stroller it is the best purchase we’ve made for our daughter hands down. It is the only stroller I have and I adore it! I’ve clipped a skip hop diaper bag onto it for extra storage. You can turn the seat around without removing the foot rest also, just make sure the foot rest is pulled out then it will slide over the handle. I take ours grocery shopping, that front bag is deceptive. I can fit a 10 pound bag of rice in there along with milk and a bag or two of groceries. I just have my daughter facing me so it has a little extra room. I prefer it over the Bugaboo we owned simply because it’s not tippy!
January 19th, 2007 at 12:31 am
I know the price seems steep but to be perfectly honest I LOVE THIS STROLLER. I fill up the Stokke Baby Bag with all the essentials and find that if I need to, I can pack the rest into the shopping bag.
I live in New York City so I’m not a fan of those SUV-style strollers that take up half the sidewalk. And since its so metropolitan in NYC, I love that I can face my daughter towards me. It makes me feel a lot more secure.
On top of everything is the amazing manueverability. I can turn it with one finger!!! I am a huge fan of all things Stokke (I have the Sleepi, the Tripp Trapp, and the Stokke Care changing table) While I did spend more than the average mom, the items I bought will be in my daughter’s use long after she’s walking and talking.
Much love to the Xplory!!! A definite yes from me
January 21st, 2007 at 3:08 am
We love ours too. I do agree that the base is heavy to lift into the car and the footrest needs to be rethought, but there is TONS of room in the shopping bag and you can get clips to be able to hang bags off the handle.
Oh, and the reviewer forgot to mention one major feature: the ability to flip the wheels into handtruck mode to go up and down stairs. This is absolutely priceless and allows me to take the subway without needing help. Granted, it’s heavy to pull up more than one flight of stairs, but going down is a breeze. No other stroller does this, except for the Phil and Teds model, which only has 2 wheels.
I agree that it costs a lot of money, but for something you’ll use daily for years it’s worth it. And it’s a much better value than the Bugaboo which doesn’t have any of the Xplory’s special featured.
September 24th, 2007 at 11:05 pm
I HATE THIS STROLLER. I purchased this stroller because I wanted the best, however it is very heavy and hard to fold up. The seat doesn’t recline enough or cradle my baby and the bassinet obviously is only good for a baby that wants to lay down the entire time. There is barely any storage, the only good thing is how nicely it glides.
February 29th, 2008 at 1:14 am
for those of you that say you would never spend that much money on a stroller, or say the money would be better used for college or something. I used to think that, until I had a special needs child who stopped breathing several times. I needed something to put her in that faced me, so I could monitor her. I also have to feed her every 1-2 hours, 4oz at a time….so bending over to hold the bottle when she couldn’t was very hard on me. I didn’t go many places at all…..then I got the stokke xplory and now I can actually go do things. I also use it as a high chair when we go out. She wasn’t strong enough for a long time to sit up on her own, so she couldn’t have used a restaurant high chair…and who would want to have their kid in those anyways…they are gross. so before you go and knock it, think about it’s possible uses for those of us who really need it in order to live a somewhate normal life
March 5th, 2009 at 8:31 am
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