Caroliner (Bonnie)

[Belly Donna]

Hi there! I read that you have a Mistral/Regent. How do you like it? I love the look of the Teutonia and am wondering how much hassle it would be worth to get it (I live in Canada). I went on the website, but still have a few questions.

- do the front wheels swivel?
- can you put a carseat in it?
- how heavy is it?

Give me all the gory details! Let me know some of the things (if any) that you don't care for as well. Any and all info would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
Nicole

[caroliner]

First, I love this stroller. It is my favorite of the strollers I have without a doubt. We use it for walks outside and have used it almost every day since we bought it. As for your specific questions, the wheels do not swivel. I have never tried to put a carseat in it for a number of reasons, primarily because we never put this stroller in the car. It does fold down, so you can put it in a larger vehicle, but we have not done so. Even if I did use it in the car, I would probably not put the carseat in it, but just put the baby in the stroller with the seat fully reclined, much more comfortable than the carseat. It is heavy, I don't know the weight, but I can honestly say, it never feels heavy pushing it. It really just glides along. I have even pushed it one handed while carrying my heavy 8 month old. I do have the seat extender thing to turn it into a pram and that little piece is wonderful. We used it in pram mode until Caroline was about 6 months old. The reversible handle is wonderful too. I don't know what you plan to use this stroller for, but I don't think it would be a good inside stroller or something to put in and out of the car because it is large and does not have the swivel wheels. If you have other questions, I would be happy to share from my experience.

[caroliner]

I just went to see if the carseat would fit and it actually is a nice fit. We used a Graco Snugride as our infant carseat. I just reclined the seat and it fit right in.

[MomofConor]

I also live in Canada (Vancouver) and recently purchased a PiXXel from HB. They were great to deal with. Don't forget to ask for the Janet/Strollerqueen discount and call them rather than ordering online as they may give you a better deal (they did for me). I ordered the stroller on a Friday and received it the following Monday, even though I chose the least expensive shipping ($45 US) and it was supposed to take up to 10 days. If you are interested, in addition to paying the pst and gst, the brokerage fee was $27 CAN. Teutonias are amazing strollers, I am so glad that I bought mine! :)

HTH
Christine

[Belly Donna]

Thank you so much for your replies, Christine and Bonnie! I have been debating strollers for what seems like forever now! I am really hoping to get away with just one stroller in the beginning (mall and outdoor use) and then get an umbrella stroller (maybe a Maclaren) later on.

Christine, I also live near Vancouver (White Rock to be exact). The big thing that is scaring me off right now is the exchange rate. Yikes! A $500.00 stroller would end up costing over $800.00 with exchange, shipping and taxes. Did you consider any strollers up here? I went to Crocodile in Vancouver and liked their stuff. I think if I don't get the Teutonia that I will probably get a Bebecar Raider AT+. Big wheels are important to me as we live near the beach, but I would also like to have a stroller that is mall-friendly. Christine, what stores are you going to for other things like furniture, carseat, etc?

Thanks again for your replies! This feels like such a big decision.

[hardysmom]

If you are looking for a Teutonia which can do indoor and outdoor, I would choose a PiXXel over a Minstral. It has swivel, pneumatic tires so it really is a great hybrid, though a bit more on the indoor side than outdoor. Both strollers are heavy (over 30 lbs) but I thing the PiXXel is a bit lighter.

Niether would be optimal for frequent in/out of the car errands, just because they are heavy and prety bulky, but the PiXXel would be wonderful for mall trips and all-day outings. It can also be used from birth, though it doesn't have a reversible seat.

Heritage Baby has a few PiXXels left at significant discount. They will no longer be available in the US when these are gone, so you would have to hurry!

Good luck! Stephanie

[MomofConor]

Have you thought about the PiXXel? I bought mine from HB for $329 US. They recently posted one on ebay for the same price but had no takers so you might be able to get it for less. They are no longer being imported to the US so this is the last chance to get one without ordering one from Europe. You could probably get away with this as your one stroller if you are not planning on doing too much off road (I have taken it on gravel and sand and it was fine). There is a great review of the PiXXel on Parentsplace stroller board, http://boards2.parentsplace.com/messages/get/ppstrollers200/11/3.html. You may not be able to fit an infant car seat in it though. I just tried my Fisher Price Stay in View and it doesn't fit. But what about going with the Snap and Go ($48 at TJs) for when you are using the infant seat? Most babies outgrow the infant car seat in 6 months anyway. One word of warning on the Teutonias, they are heavy (Pixxel is about 32-34 lbs). I sometimes use a lightweight stroller for errands but I almost always wish that I have the PiXXel with me! I love this stroller.

Stores in Vancouver area:
TJ Kiddies Store in Richmond (Ikea parking lot) and Coquitlam (www.tjkids.com). Large selection of strollers (Zooper, Peg, Chicco, Bertini, etc.), furniture, car seats, etc. Huge store in Richmond not sure about the Coquitlam store. I bought a Chicco 2002 here recently on sale for $159. Also bought the Britax Roundabout convertible carseat here; great carseat.

Soother Boutique (www.soother.ca). Strollers (Peg, Bertini, Bebecar, etc.), furniture, car seats, etc. I think I saw a Fisher Price SIV infant carseat in the North Shore store the other day. This is the car seat I used and loved; however, it is discontinued so is difficult to find.

Ikea - great change tables, I bought a Narvik. It is a dresser/change table so it can grow with your child (change table part converts to shelf). Bought a bookcase to match it.

The Bay - I bought my crib here (Storkcraft).

Kuddle Muddle Kids in North Vancouver (Deep Cove) has Robeez shoes that are factory seconds or samples for $15. Small, often unnoticable flaws. Usually cost $25 for Robeez.

Good luck!
Christine

[nicknack]

Christine--
Did you get the seat extension that goes with the PiXXel? I should be receiving mine any day now, and was wondering if buying that extension would be worth it for a newborn?
Thanks!

[MomofConor]

Bonnie --
I didn't buy the extension. The PiXXel is a recent purchase and Conor is now 11 mos old so I didn't have an opportunity to try it out with a newborn. I used a Pliko with an infant car seat for his first few months and then sold it on Ebay to finance the PiXXel purchase!

[MomofConor]

Oops, meant Nicole not Bonnie!

[caroliner]

Not Christine, but I'll put in a plug for the seat extender. We used it on the Mistral until Caroline was 6 months old. It really turns your stroller into a carriage.