From Costco: Safety 1st - Eurostar Deluxe Travel System, Play Yard & Summit Booster

[lizard]

Hi there, wanted to get some thoughts from fellow RFD'ers on the following Safety 1st products from Costco.

Eurostar Deluxe Travel System
We purchased the Safety 1st Eurostar Deluxe Travel System (The design is called Kingston Suede) from the Langley BC location (the stock only came in Sunday and we went back yesterday and they were already sold out! Not sure if they got more today or not) for $159. I had a few small issues and wanted to know what you thought of it. I couldn't find much online for reviews on this stroller, and could not even find the exact model online anywhere (which is common with Costco specialty purchases)

- Plastic Wheels - how well will they hold up to wear and tear vs a stroller with rubber wheels (although I'm told most have plastic? I hadn't noticed until we brought this one home). And what the noise level is like.
- Seat Reclining - the seat on this stroller has one of those multi-reclining straps, however, this stroller doesn't seem to have much range compared to the photo in the instruction manual. The manual makes it look like it can lay most of the way back, where our seat only goes about an inch or so back from it's most upright position. My other half noted that kids are likely to sleep virtually anywhere in any position when they want to though so we're not too concerned about this since it still does give some recline, but if it's supposed to go farther back, I'd like to know.
- Infant Seat Canopy - the bar the supports the canopy as it pulls over the seat is VERY flimsy! I'm afraid of breaking it when opening and closing it with one hand -- it's a soft thin plastic, like the handle on a plastic toy tub, rather than a thicker stronger plastic like the one supporting the stroller's canopy. I've seen other inexpensive strollers with this flimsy canopy support and didn't like them then either. Anyone out there have this and had it break/survive their infant's journey growing up?


Tote and Go Plus Play Yard
In the fabric print as the stroller (Kingston Suede), we bought the Safety 1st Play Yard from Costco as well. At $99, this version is similar to the one shown here: http://www.safety1st.com/product_category.asp?searchType=category&searchValue=21 however comes with a full bassinette instead of a half one. We thought it was an excellent deal as these seem to price at $150+ at Toys R Us.

Assembly and take down were both very easy. There was only one issue with this which we discovered appears to be a manufacturing defect. There is a changing table that is included which has a safety strap so you can buckle your baby in. The size adjustment end was threaded wrong so you cannot pull on it to adjust the tightness. We cannot rethread it the right way because the end of the belt was folded over and sewn, and cannot fit through the slit to undo it. This is the same type of plastic buckle used in say highchairs or backpacks.

We went back to Costco last night and their Customer Service opened another box (as the display was very high up and we couldn't reach it), only to find it also had the strap threaded wrong. We are going to try to contact the distributor and see if they can help us out with replacing or repairing the defective part.

Summit Booster Seat
I didn't purchase this, but I threw it on the list because Costco has it on Coupon this week, and I'm sure there are others out there who are curious about the quality product as well. (http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/showthread.php?t=415172&page=3) Regular $149.99, $30 off = $119.99

---
Like I said, I wasn't really able to find much in the way of reviews, especially on the Travel System. If you have had the older Eurostar model or purchased any of these products recently, feel free to share what you think! :)

[lizard]

Anyone out there have anything from Safety 1st and an opinion on it? Help please! :)

[CAD]

Hi,
There is a Safety 1st travel system on sale at Zellers this week for $149, plus there might be another 15% off on Saturday for using your HBC credit card.

I dont know what the differences are between this one, and the one at Costco other than the colors.

I'm also interested in a comparison/review.

[krobin]

I have the Safety First Designer 22 series infant seat. It also goes by the Eddie Bauer name (more pricer fabric) My mother bought this seat for me for cheap at Sears Clearance back in 2003, I have looked at the newer ones and they havent change much.
The major difference between this seat and the other more popular infant seat (Arriva etc) is this ones goes up to until 29 inches not just 26 inches (Not a big deal until you have a baby whose 26 inches at 4 months-like my second child) Anyhow, that makes the seat bulkier and heavier but if I can have my child in it longer - great . It goes up to 22lbs just as all the other seats though so no advantages there (Side note: weight on a infant seat is hard and fast the height is just a guideline- baby's head must be 2inches or more beaneath the top of the plastic part of the seat. So if your baby is all legs you can keep using your seat just cross your babies feet in the seat so they dont dangle. Umm, the seat itself weighs 8 lbs so it is a heavy load once you have a big baby in it. I would recommend a travel system (aslong as the stroller isnt crap) or a universal stroller frame(which you can buy in the US or online through a US site for cheap. Other than that the canopy is flimsy but removable (I took mine off in the winter) but once it is on it doesn't want to stay so I have had to tape mine on. As for installing in the car I didn't use the base for my first child and I use the base all the time with my second. Aslong as you get the base in there as tightly as humanly possible (I kneel on it and do up the seatbelt) it doesn't take long to do. The straps do tangle but no more than any other carseat. I like the headrest inserts and there is also a bum one for when they are very little.

[brow9930]

I also picked up this stroller yesterday, but in Kitchener, Ontario it was $189.99...Compared to what I've seen in my looking around Sears and Babies R Us, etc. this was less expensive than their most basic least expensive model, so to me it seemed to be a good deal. I haven't used it yet with a child so can't really speak for how it will stand up, but I've done some research on other strollers and have spoken with any friends who currently have strollers/travel systems...from what I've learned, there are certain limitations that all the common travel system models seem to have. Yes, plastic wheels aren't the greatest. They work well on pavement, in malls, etc. but suck on gravel or grass, etc. The problem is, most travel systems come with plastic wheels so it's hard to get away from it...the safety first wheels seemed to be a different material than the hard plastic that I've noticed on a lot of Graco models so I'm hopeful they'll work a little better. And if they wear out, I noticed in the instruction manual that new wheels can be ordered. Unless you're willing to spend close to $500+ on a travel system though, you're not likely to find something equivalent with anything other than plastic wheels...and what I've noticed with some of those rubber wheeled systems is that the stroller is usually more of a jogging style stroller which is more bulky, and the wheels don't turn quite as easy so although it works better on a gravel trail, you end up having issues manoevering the stroller through aisles in the grocery store or between sales racks in a mall which is then problematic...we've decided rather than spend a fortune to get rubber tires, we'll see how a simple, less expensive travel system like this one works for us, and if we find we need something that is more all-terrain then we will look into a used or inexpensive jogging stroller on its own.

As for the seat incline, we haven't tried the one we bought last night, but I did try adjusting the seat incline on the model in the store and it seemed to go back to lay almost flat. There was a strap at the back that had to be adjusted to make the seat go up or down.... I didn't notice the canopy, but if you said you've noticed this on other similar models it's probably pretty standard to have the plastic bars and again, unless you want to spend a huge amount for a higher end stroller that's probably the way they all come.

[Vesitca]

Anyone still want to buy this stroller it is $129.00. Just pick one up last night at markham & 14hwy.

[lizard]

That's a great price, they were out at the Langley BC location. They did have this year's playyards on for $69.97 though.

[ncnmra]

I bought this stroller and HATE it. It is really bulky and heavy. The car seat portion is heavy and cumbersome, and getting the buckle to click is tough because you have to hold the two PLASTIC clips together to click into the buckle. This is simple if there isn't a fussy baby in the way, but if you get your kid in there with some clothing, it is near impossible. My wife also has a hard time undoing the clip.

Furthermore, the sun shade gets in the way of operating the handle back and forth, and the handle itself is difficult to move.

I pray that there are BETTER DESIGNED systems out there, as I'm going shopping tomorrow for something that has at least an ounce of engineering forethought put into it. I'm guessing that the people that design these things never had kids.

As a first time parent, I'm totally displeased with anything from "Safety 1st". I also made the mistake of buying the Playyard, and a bath tub, that also suffer from the same poor design forethought as this stroller.

Lesson learned: go with someone that has used one, as little things like the clasp mechanism make a HUGE difference.

[suelee3]

http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2009/08/07/designer22-safety.html