Peg Perego Skate: The stroller to end all strollers?!?!

Peg Perego is an incredibly popularbaby brand, their strollers and car seats have wowed parents for years. Theywere one of the first stroller brands I knew of where you could flip thehandlebars so that baby could face you or outward. So, I wasn’t reallysurprised that they would be taking on a new direction in 2008, but I was surprisedat the final product.

The Peg Perego Skate is a true departure from their strollers of yesteryear, but in the best possible way. Some peopleare referring to the Skate as the Bugaboo killer, I don’t necessarily agree. Ithink both these strollers serve their purposes very well. And the Skate reallydoes have its own unique approach.

I was delighted when Peg Peregooffered to let me be one of the very first people to review the Skate — It doesn’t even come out until sometime this month! I’venever met a stroller with more buttons or features. And while it took a littlewhile to figure them out, I have to say each feature is worth the effort. Thisstroller is truly a marvel and worth getting to know.

Click below to read the entire, comprehensive review and see detailed pictures of the Peg Perego Skate.

The Seat/The Bassinet
I was very impressed with the material the seat is made out of. The padding is incredibly soft and easy to wipe clean. The pattern I had, Bubbles Green, was a great combo of electric lime green and charcoal grey that earned me many a compliment at my local mall.

You can’t talk about this stroller’s seat without addressing what makes it truly stellar, the combination bassinet/stroller feature. Unlike some of its counterparts, which require whole new hardware, or at least a new configuration, to use a bassinet or stroller seat, the Skate switches from bassinet to stroller seat with the simple adjustment of three straps. There are several reasons why this is a brilliant invention.

First of all, as your baby grows, you’re able to customize the seat for them. The legs can raise up and drop seamlessly, as can the back of the seat. This can be helpful in several scenarios. If your tot is sleeping, you can not only tilt the seat to a flat position, but you can drop the backrest down some to give them a more comfortable sleeping spot. You could also drop the leg part of the seat for a truly flat sleeping environment. I found the leg part particularly helpful for an impromptu diaper change. I simply dropped the legs and I was able to change her easily in her seat!

The safety harness follows Peg Perego’s standard mechanism. You simply slide the smaller clip of the shoulder straps onto the waist clip and then place that in the middle clasp (pictured left). You don’t have to do all the steps each time, but occasionally the shoulder straps will slip off the waist clips and you’ll have to redo them. Each strap of the five point harness, has its own adjuster. This makes it easy to find a comfortable and safe position for your little one.

The harness is referred to as a “Freedom of Movement” by Peg Perego. This is because it doesn’t actually clip to the back of the seat and allows for your child to move as they wish from the waist up. I was a little concerned about my child free falling from the seat at first, but once I had her waist straps configured perfectly I felt she was much more secure. I also loved the detachable middle bar and felt like it helped contain her in her seat.

The seat was a decent size for my little one. Her head wasn’t crowded at the top and I didn’t feel like it was too snug around her hip area. The padding made the seat seem a bit snugger, but I could tell it gave easily as my child settled into it. The footrest is basic and at a decent length for the average toddler.

The seat can face forward or rear and is relatively easy to flip around. The actual seat part weighed 12.3lbs, so paired with my child’s 23lbs, I found it a little cumbersome to flip around with her in it, but it is doable. The middle bar securely snaps to the frame and can be used as a handle when needed. To pull the seat up, you simply push in two grey “buttons” found directly where the sun shade clips on. Once depressed the seat lifts off easily. Plopping it back in requires you to make sure that the slots align, but it’s not impossible and can be done with a little effort.

Getting your child in a reclined position is easy. At the back of the seat is a little grey tab that you push up on and the seat can drop to three different positions, whether it’s rear or forward facing. Once you factor in the adjustable backrest, the Skate’s seat configurations are endless.

We saved the best feature of the seat for last. Yes, I promise it gets better! The Skate’s seat can actually telescope up and down it’s frame to three separate positions. The only other stroller that does this is the Stokke Xplory and it’s a feature we appreciate and love. This means your child can sit up high or down low depending on circumstances. It also means you can bond better with your child and let them get a great view of the world around them. This feature also works with a bassinet or carseat so you can truly get up close with your child when it’s important. Pictures are the only way to do this feature justice.

The Frame
The lightweight aluminum frame is truly a marvel. The design is unique, yet not so unique that everyone will point and stare at it, like some crazy strollers out there. The sturdy frame holds the seat perfectly and I never questioned it’s security. It doesn’t easily tilt with bags on it and held up to being pulled and pushed into the car without problem.

The handlebar is rea
lly versatile. It can telescope to three positions and can even be tilted to be more comfortable for the pusher. The fully extended position of the handlebar was still a bit short, but overall it should accommodate parents of various heights comfortably. It also slides up and down easily with the pull of lever.

The brake system was easy to use. You simply push down on one of the grey foot pedals by the rear wheels. The brakes lock in place almost instantly. Unlocking the brakes requires just pushing up on the same pedal you pushed down on. The pedal spring up easily and required minimal effort to unlock.

The Fold
This stroller is probably one of the easiest to fold. You simply pull up on the trigger levers located on each side of the handlebars and then push down onthe foot pedal at the base of the stroller that says “FOLD” on it. The stroller effortlessly drops into a tight fold. It can be folded with the seat on or off. Best of all, the seat can face in either direction to fold, you just have to align the tilting seat correctly.Like most strollers of this caliber, you can get a really compact fold by removing the seat and the wheels. Though I found it easier for everyday use to keep it ready to roll.

To secure the stroller in a closed position you have to slide the seat down to the lowest setting. On each side of the stroller, where the seat connects to the frame, you will find a little clasp stored for locking the stroller down. Simply pull them from their hiding spot and place them over the tabs on each side of the frame. The stroller can then be lifted and lugged around as needed. It has a handle built in to the under carriage that you can use to tote the stroller around by. It stands well in the locked position, without tilting over and lays fairly flat.

Placing it in my SUV was a slightly daunting task, as it is a heavy stroller. If you’re uncomfortable with the weight, it’s always possible to take the seat off and lift the stroller in two pieces. It took up a decent amount of my trunk though it left plenty of room for stacking stuff on top of it and around it. In my mid-size sedan it took up almost all of the trunk, something I’ve come to expect of full-featured standard size strollers.

Unfolding wasn’t a hard task at all. You simply make sure the locks are secured back in their storage spot and lift up on the handlebar. As the stroller starts to pull upward you push the handlebar up and push down on the bottom of the stroller until you force it to click. This can be done one handed and was very easy to do.

The storage basket is actually a flat net that spans the bottom of the stroller. It comes with bungees to help secure your belongings. Skate does have the Borsa Bag, an optional accessory, which is a diaper bag that coordinates with your stroller. It can clip to the handlebars or stow away on the storage net as an additional way to store things.

The Ride
The Skate gives an ultra-smooth ride with ultra-slick style that turns heads everywhere you go. I loved how when I pushed down on the frame it almost bounced back in response, and so did my daughter. All wheels contain ball-bearing mechanisms which made pushing this stroller a dream. The wheels never locked up or got stuck, I was able to push it effortlessly and comfortably with the three-position telescoping handle with multi-angle adjustability. It went over cracks in the pavement and bumpy roads with ease and my child never felt a jolt.

Because of the telescoping seat and comfortable padding I think my daughter really enjoyed riding in this stroller. And I thoroughly enjoyed pushing it.

Final Thoughts
There is NOTHING that Peg Perego hasn’t considered for this stroller. The price tag was a bit higher then I thought it might be. But, once you factor in everything you get in the box, I think you’ll agree that it’s worth the pennies. Right out of the box it can be a bassinet or standard seat, it can accommodate a car seat and even be equipped for bad weather. It comes with all the necessary equipment, the only additional accessories you might consider would be the Borsa Bag or car seat. My husband was even wowed by it, and believe me, he isn’t impressed with much in the world of baby gear.

It comes with the carseat adaptor (for the Peg Perego Primo Viaggio SIP) to make it a super convenient travel system and the all weather features are handy as well. I didn’t need the carseat adaptor, but if I did I would have been glad I didn’t have to buy anything additional.

Pushing it through the mall did attract some attention but I didn’t find people whispering aboutit everywhere I went like some strollers. The comments I did get wereall favorable though and lots of people seemed to like the colorcombination.

Pegperegoskate.com is loaded withinformation and features (including a useful “Where to Buy” store locator and aeducational demonstration video) to help you become even more familiar with theSkate.

Pros
Telescoping child seat
The ease of use of the bassinet/seat conversion
The effortless fold and unfold

Cons
Only works with Peg Perego Primo Viaggio SIP carseat
Doesn’t have color choices that are completely customizable
How much it weighs

Tip Test (Empty stroller with weighted diaper bag hanging from handlebar)
5lbs: No change — it didn’t tip any easier backw
ards
10lbs: No change — it didn’t tip any easier backwards (this frame held it’s own, even with the seat off it)

Buy Yours
This stroller will be making it’s debut in stores sometime in January 2008. Check here to see where it will be available near you.