Customer Reviews

Graco IPO Stroller, Navarro

5 star:		(55)
4 star:		(40)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I'm very satisified with this stroller: it is lightweight, easy to fold and open up, and easy to drive around. It folds up really small, has a harness that can be used as a 3- or 5-point, and it can recline up to about 60 degrees (=more than halfway between straight up and lying flat). It is also rather stylish, in colors that are fun and modern (and totally acceptable for Dads) and that also don't show dirt too much.
My only regret is that the basket is not bigger -but I guess for that you'd probably need a bigger stroller altogether, which isn't what I was after.

Oh! Also, my son (6 m.o.) regularly falls asleep in it, which he hadn't done since he was a newborn. So that's the vote for the comfort level, right?

I love this stroller! I have owned 6 strollers in total for my 20 month old and was never satisfied. My daughter is big for her age and the light-weight strollers didn't feel too sturdy when I would turn the stroller. This one moves great and turns smoothly on a dime!

The basket is the perfect size for my diaper bag and the one-hand fold is great! The only drawback is the lack of a cup holder for the parents, but I ordered the Buddy Buggy organizer and think this will work out great!

My daughter loves the stroller and has plenty of room to grow into it. It's umbrella-style fold leaves plenty of room in the trunk of my SUV for groceries.

I am relieved to be able to stop searching for the perfect stroller, since I have found it!!!

I'm sick of having different strollers for different occasions: the car seat stroller frame for when DS was small enough to be content sitting in the infant seat; a Peg Perego Pliko3 for mall trips and traveling; a cheap umbrella stroller for "quick" trips to the store; and a Baby Trend jogging stroller for walking (I don't jog) over uneven surfaces. It wasn't until I ran over the umbrella stroller with my car (DS was safely inside the house) that I realized how insane having four strollers is! So, I started to review strollers to find the "perfect" one - one that would take the place of all these strollers (or at least most of them).

After going to many baby stores to "test drive" different strollers, I thought I'd have to give up my fantasy of getting rid of all the other strollers; they just didn't seem to meet my needs (be able to close one-handed while holding DS in other when traveling alone, close as compact as my cheap umbrella stroller, have storage basket that's actually accessible, be able to steer one-handed while I held the dog's leash with the other, and not be so expensive that if an airline were to demolish it while traveling, we wouldn't have to re-finance the house to afford another one). I saw the Graco IPO once at BRU, but didn't have a chance to put DS in it because he'd already been put in about 5 other strollers and screamed when I started to put him in this one. Thinking that the straps didn't compare anyway to the Maclaren I had just taken him out of, I gave up, going home empty handed.

But like an addict, I kept searching. I finally saw the Graco IPO online (I thought Graco only made the behemoth travel system strollers). Most of the reviews were highly favorable and said the things I was looking for would be met by this stroller: one-handed folding, accessible basket, small when closed. So, I thought I'd return to BRU to give it a test drive when DS was "fresh" and wouldn't balk at being put into another stroller. Initially, I was worried about the harness; it felt cheaply made and the shoulder straps that made it a 5-point harness seemed to be of a strange design. But, the rest of the claims were true. I could fold it one-handed, it was compact like an umbrella stroller, the basket (while not huge) was at least accessible, and it was under $100! As I was paying for it, I made sure to ask what the return policy was, still not sure I'd found "the one." But then I got it home and I took it for a spin!

The straps were designed so it's easy to change from using as a 5-point to 3-point harness (and vice versa). They're genius, actually, but they take some getting used to at first. And I had NO trouble steering one-handed as DS and I took the dog for a walk around the block. (My carpal tunnel flared up trying the same thing in the Peg.) And while it's still easier to use the jogging stroller over gravel, the wheels on the Graco IPO are large enough that you don't get stuck going over it (can't say the same for the Peg!) And the jogging stroller is MUCH more bulky to try to get in and out of the car.

My only complaints so far are that for how compactly it folds, it's pretty heavy. It looks as if it should be as light as other cheap umbrella strollers, but it has some weight to it. And my other complaint is that the seat/leg position doesn't "click" into a bent position and stay there. However, these are two minor things as I see them for not needing to look for any other stroller!

Looking back, we'll probably keep the infant car seat stroller in case we have another kid. But, because this umbrella stroller actually reclines (something the cheap ones can't do), child #2 would probably not be in the carseat stroller for long at all - only until he/she can sit up!

It's hard to believe something so simple has taken so long for manufacturers to get right. Congrats, Graco! This one seems to do it all!

I bought this stroller based on some reviews. The majority were good including Consumer Reports. But a couple reviews mentioned this poor sitting position. The stroller has an adjustable seat but in the full upright position you can very lightly pull back on the seat and it will drop right down to a 45 degree position. The very motion of my toddler getting in to the seat and sitting back, for example, was enough to push the seat back. I returned the unit. Luckily, Amazon has this postage paid (Amazon picks up the bill) return option.

We bought the Latte version of the stroller for our 20 month old daughter, and she loves it! We live overseas and must use a compact stroller. She had used the Combi from about two months old, but she was growing taller and the Combi was feeling more and more cramped for her. This stroller is a little larger and heavier than the Combi, but the quality is also much better. My husband didn't like the Combi because his feet would always hit the wheels, though at 6'1" he doesn't have any problems with the Ipo. Some of our favorite things:

-Very simple compact fold. You don't even need directions to figure out how to fold it, and there's still lots of room left in the trunk after you put the stoller in.
-Good size storage basket. I get about twice as much in this basket as I did in the Combi.
-Nice, large reclining seat for a growing toddler.
-VERY easy to steer, even with one hand.

We also bought a cup holder and added it to the back of the frame. It fits nicely and is very convenient, though you have to be careful when folding the stroller or else it can pop off.

We compared this with the Maclaren and not only was this cheaper, but I also liked it much better than the low end Maclarens.

Edited May 19, 2008 to add: I still love almost everything about the stroller and it has held up very well, but we have found one significant issue--the seat belt is way to easy for my 2 1/2 year old to unbuckle. The first time she unbuckled it was in a mall (and thankfully not a parking lot). She unbuckled it, jumped out of her seat, and took of running! This could be a serious safety issue for toddlers.

I bought this stroller for my heavy 1 year old daughter, and sometimes my 3 year old uses it, I had a Chicco umbrella that fell apart.

The pros:
Sturdy
Manuevers well, even with very heavy children
Tall handles, I am 5'9" and my husband is 6'1" and it fits perfectly
Very compact size, fits through shopping aisles in crowded stores
Easy to fold, one step
Reclines easily and enough for a child to fall asleep in
Easy locking wheels
When folded it is very compact would fit perfectly in a small car
Very comfortable, even has an option to lower or lift the leg rest
Nice size basket that is easy to get to
The price is pretty reasonable, it is cheaper than the Maclaren and nicer in many ways

Cons:
The directions to put it together were not very clear, MAKE sure you don't put the wheels on before opening the stroller. Also the canopy has a specific spot it has to go on the stroller, but the directions don't make that clear, if you just pop the canopy on near the handles it will come off easily.
This is not a super light stroller, but it is not ridiculously heavy like a jogging stroller.

I have three kids age 8, 3 and 1 and have had many strollers, this is the best buy I have made, I am very happy with it

I was excited to try out this stroller after researching it. We have a Graco travel system that we love and wanted an umbrella version for when our son grows out of the travel system stroller. This stroller gives you everything a travel stroller does (large basket, reclining seat and durability) but gives you the convenience of the umbrella stroller AND is great for taller parents! It also holds children up to 50 pounds. I wish this stroller was around when my daughter was little as we hated to cheap umbrella strollers that didn't give you any of the features that this one does! You will love this stroller!

I did a lot of research on several Light weight strollers, before settling for this one, based on the reviews and the best selling items. My son who's 3+ yrs old is 42" tall and none of the light weight strollers seemed to accomodate his height...I bought the MacLauren stroller from Target only to find his head dangling backwards as there's a gap b/w the seat and the canopy.Finally I chose this one on amazon and belive me the amazon best selling items never dissappoint you...The customer reviews are worth considering and I was happy i did...It's a great stroller , light weight, easily foldable and I just don't have to excert pressure to push the stroller, ...It goes upto 40 lbs and that's awesome..The features are very much same as the Maclauren, except that this's more comfortable for the kid and seems more durabl too..and yah..it's a $20/0 less too...The pricing on amazon was just great....I highly recommend this product to tall kids...They just don't have to stoop any more sitting in a stroller....

I purchased this stroller because my 4 1/2 month son has outgrown his infant car seat and the stroller that came with it only has a 3 point harness. I love the IPO! It is lightweight, folds and opens very easily, the handles are at a good height (I'm 5'5" and my husband is 6'3" and it works for both of us), the recline works well, and you can steer it with one hand if need be(try doing that with most umbrella strollers, not gonna happen!). It's much sturdier feeling than the Chicco C6, which was my original chioce until I saw the IPO in a local store. The Chicco C6 stroller seemed flismy in comparison and the handles were too short for me to walk comfortably(the Chicco C5 is almost the same as the IPO but has a lower weight limit and weighs 14lbs). The IPO is 3-6lbs heavier than your average umbrella stroller, but I like that about it. You can hang bags off the handles without it tipping over when your child is not in it. It also feels nicer, more substantial.
My son seems really comfortable in it. The seat in it's least reclined postion is not straight up and down, he sits leaning back a bit, but doesn't seem to mind. At first I thought I wouldn't like the harness, but I like that it's really easy to get him out of it. I don't have to pull his arms out of the harness because it comes apart.
The canopy is small like all umbrella strollers, so I purchased a Rayshade and that works great.
I do wish it came with a storage bag for traveling and am going to try to find one for it. It's a little longer that some umbrella strollers at 43.5" so I don't know if it will fit in the bags available. I would and have recommended it to a friend.

We looked in every store at strollers, trying to find one to fit our 32 pound 3 year old who is a bit tall. I did NOT want a big jogger and did not want to pay 300 bucks for a big name. We did look at an IPO at Target. It felt solid and was easy to push, but I did not like the print at all. Also, when I tried it out the canopy wouldn't stay clipped, so I just moved along.
I am so glad I found the IPO here at amazon in different prints. I was still nervous about the canopy, but after reading all the reviews I figured it must have just been assembled wrong on display.
Now, when I assembled mine (very easy) it did take a minute or two to find the exact place where the canopy hooks on, which is why some people may be having trouble (because the instructions aren't super clear on this point, the pegs are a bit hidden down the pole under the fabric).

This stroller is great for me. I wanted something for an older child and it goes up to 55 pounds (50 in the handbook). Something that would fit in a small car (perfectly). I don't mind that it is a little heavy, it is so sturdy and so small it is easy to move around.

I only wish we found this stroller years ago. We used the big stroller with the carseat combo until it wore out. What a giant bulky monster compared to this dreamboat! The carrier underneath can hold water bottle, cellphone, etc. But I have just ordered the reccomended Buggy Buddy accessory, since it will really make this the perfect stroller (for me).