Ok all, I'm reviewing my newest stroller! I set out on an adventure looking for a new stroller several months back and this is the one I decided to go with for various reasons. I was looking for something that was light-weight and easily stowed in minimal space. I really wanted more of an umbrella style stroller, but with a few niceties like a cup holder (that's important in my cars too) and a storage area for all the things you need with a younger child since umbrella strollers aren't really made to have a diaper bag hang off the back. I also didn't want one of those cheaply made umbrella strollers that you have to hunch over to push, and the wheels are always turned the wrong way and get stuck on themselves when you first push them. Moms- you know what I mean!
Well, Babies R Us was running a car seat return deal where you could turn in an old seat and get 25% or so off any purchase (I forget the exact percentage, but I'm fairly certain that's what it was). We brought our old infant seat to trade-in just in case we found something. We spent ages in the stroller section and the B-Nimble captured our attention.
This stroller seemed like the total package and then some. Let me tell you, it raised my expectations of what a small stroller should be! Let's start at the top and work our way down. Foam hand grips (so nice on hot days), much better, in my opinion, than the rubbery kind that some strollers have. Good push height! I'm 5'8" or so and I don't have to bend over to push it and neither does my 6' tall dad. The canopy is very large and covers quite an area. It has a large window to view the child, which is nice, but the flap covering the window is velcro, which isn't as nice as magnetic closures, but oh well.
The plush seat has an infinite recline meaning you can adjust it to wherever the child would like it, no clicking into place, no jerking to get it to stay! The B-Nimble has a 5-point harness, which is great for safety for the younger children. The harness can also be used as a 3-point harness (crotch and either side attached) for older kids. In addition to the NEARLY full recline (doesn't quiiiite go 180 degrees, but really close), there is also an adjustable foot rest. My daughter LOVES this! She refuses to sit still unless her feet are up and level with her bum.
Double wheels in front and back with all-wheel suspension make for a nice ride over rough terrain. Now, I still feel the bumpiness over rough terrain, but my daughter really doesn't seem to be bounced. How that works, I don't understand, but in the long run- if she's happy, I'm happy.
The whole thing weighs about 15 lbs. or so, and supports a whopping 55 lbs. In addition to that, you can connect most (I dare not say 'all', because I'd probably be wrong) infant carriers to this baby! It comes with all the attachments to do this, so you don't have to buy anything else. You can use it from birth to 55 lbs! I think I'm gonna get rid of my big old Graco for my next child, there just doesn't seem to be any reason to keep it. It has a lovely shoulder strap, cup holder (which was wobbly and not good on my old one, but seems to be fixed on my replacement from the recall (see below)), and it comes with a rain canopy!
Now, those who follow stroller news probably know that this stroller was recalled a short time ago. I believe this was due to Consumer Reports giving it a "don't buy" rating because of the brake. The deal was that the brake would make a clicking noise before it was fully locked, causing some parents to think the brake was activated when it wasn't. Britax issued a voluntary recall to address the problem. I can't say enough good things about Britax's customer service. I called, and they sent me a WHOLE NEW STROLLER, not just some piece to supposedly make it safe. They took old strollers out of commission by requiring that new strollers use the front wheels from the old stroller (a part not affected at all by the recall).
All that said and I have no choice to recommend this stroller. I couldn't be happier with this purchase, the customer service support that I've had, and my daughter's apparent affinity for the stroller.
Overall rating: 4 out of 5. The only things that could make this great stroller even better is a clean canopy and a magnetic canopy closure (which is available on other Britax strollers)
