Opening and putting the Dot together was very easy and mostly intuitive. If you do need directions, they're all in drawings, and are not very detailed. I didn't find a need for them tho. Also the apple green color is not highlighter yellow like it looks in the photo, thank goodness. Its a very attractive stroller. Also, the seat pad is thick and substantial, so even tho its not attached at the top, it isnt flimsy and the seat didnt bunch all around when my toddler climbed into it, like in the Phil&Teds Classic.
The canopy is a lot bigger than I thought it would be! Very pleasantly surprised, and it also slides down the frame so you can position it in front of a shorter kid. AND it then has a pull out extension if you need it. I almost bought the larger Navigator model instead just because of the follow the sun canopy, and I'm very glad I didn't. Because the stroller is so compact, with the smaller tires its going to fit great anywhere but then they are air-filled so it pushes easily. It's a NEARLY perfect stroller.
The only 2 gripes I have with it:
-the locking mechanism for the swivel wheel is in The Dumbest Place. VERY hard to get to it, and hard to manipulate it. I had to get down on the ground because its underneath the footwell and behind the wheel?? And I split a nail into the skin trying to get it locked so I could go thru snow the best way to get to it would be to rear the stroller up and rest it on its handle, which I obviously cant do with the kid in there! BUT with the wheel locked I pushed thru 4in deep very wet snow. With effort, but we made it. (For comparison, my City Summit, with MUCH larger wheels, wouldn't have blinked. But that's the perk of larger wheels. Downside is that stroller was pretty gargantuan. But it also had a nice easy toggle switch on top of the footwell to fix or swivel the wheel. I have a Zooper that has this switch on the HANDLEBAR to fix/swivel on the fly. So really, there are much better places to put it.)
-the recline on the main seat. Really, ugh. It's basically unusable. Not sure why the buckle system vs a pinch/slide one-handed recline strap, unless that is somehow a hazard for the underneath-sitting kid but other PT models have it... but so then why not the one handed pull up handle like on the 2nd seat? I dont get it. The plus side is that it reclines completely flat, the city strollers do not. I also have a nearly 3yo that doesn't really need the seat reclined, so I probably just wont even use the recline.
UPDATED third gripe I hate (and more importantly my son hates) that there is no hard snack tray/cup holder for Phil&Teds strollers. The bag that hangs off the belly bar is not going to cut it. My son loves to drive his micro-machines on his BabyJogger snack tray. There's also nowhere to put my stuff except down in the basket.
So I just about love the stroller, I think overall its as perfect as a stroller is going to get for what I needed/wanted, the most important being a small footprint double that maneuvers like a single, and that CAN be a single when you dont need it to be a double... It does ride nice and push thru grass easily. AND I do think it could be used as a jogger, with the air-filled tires and how low the seat sits. Surprisingly the City Summit was miserable to run with! Weight sits too high in it and the canopy was like a sail in the lightest of winds. I have the dedicated jogger that I prefer, the crossover thing just doesnt work if you're a serious runner. But for long distance walking or all-terrain or light jogging, I think the Dot would be a great all-in-one stroller for someone.
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After having our second baby, it quickly became obvious that we needed a double stroller. We were very happy with our Quinny Buzz as a single stroller aside from the fact that it couldn't handle rougher terrain. The Phil&Teds dot seemed like the perfect alternative as it was able to accommodate 2 babies, still had the smaller size of a single stroller and could be used on trails.Soon after purchasing the stroller, it quickly became glaringly obvious, how low quality it was. The harness, wheel covering, snaps attached to the frame broke and a tire blew. This all occurred within approximately twenty uses of the stroller. There is a warranty on the Phil&Teds website. They sent me a new tire (which blew the third time we used it). I am currently awaiting (going on 4 wks) my new frame, seat and wheel covering AND another new tire. I requested my money back or one of their strollers that actually worked. They, of course said no, but that they would send me more replacement parts. I nicely, told them that I wasn't happy with that and was disappointed that they would not stand behind their product. I also told them that I would be sure to write lots of negative reviews. "Eric" told me that my threats would get me nowhere and that I was lucky that they would replace the broken parts as they are not required by law to do so!!!!! Save yourself the time, frustration and money and don't deal with this company...
Best Deals for Phil And Teds Dot Stroller WITH Doubles Kit
I bought this stroller when having baby number 2 as my first born was only 21 months and needed something that could comfortably fit two young kids. I used the stroller in the 'newborn' position until my baby was about 4 months old. To the reviewers that saw this as inadequate, I simply did not see it that way. My baby was comfortable as was my toddler. The recline was not too severe and the baby's head wasn't too low and it didn't sway too severely. The rocking motion from pushing the stroller actually put the baby to sleepI was able to lay the baby flat and put the doubles kit on the front in place of the bumper bar. This seating arrangement worked very well. The baby was protected from the sun (I tied an adain and anais blanket across the back between the handles to completely block the sun and this worked OK). My toddler liked riding up front as he was a little bit higher and could easily see things (the zoo was great as he could see a lot this way).
I also bought the bar to mount my graco car seat in the front position and have my toddler ride in the second seat. I liked this arrangement as well, especially if I had to make several stops in the car and didn't want to wake a sleeping baby. The toddler would even nap in the second seat really well and that was great. The only downside to this arrangement was that you couldn't use the storage below and had to carry the diaper bag. This wasn't a huge deal though.
Now that my baby is nearly 6 months old she is able to ride in the second seat in it's usual position. She is still small enough that I can put the diaper bag in the foot well and she isn't cramped at all. I started putting her in the second seat reclined when she was 4 months old and now can raise it up and she does fine.
Pros:
-many different configurations allow this stroller to grow with your children.
-It is VERY comfortable to push and is not bulky at all. I can fit through most tight spaces with this stroller
-there's a good sized compartment underneath the stroller.
-easily manuevered with one hand.
-comfortable seats for kiddos and 5 point harnesses in both positions
Cons:
-The second seat canopy is flimsy and hard to keep adjusted properly. I'm glad there's something, but it's still pretty terrible
-no storage for drinks, phone, or wallet. I ended up buying a diono buggy buddy stroller organizer and this fits the bill perfectly, can be left in place to fold, and fits everything I need.
-the second seat must be removed to fold it. A minor inconvenience, but it is a little annoying
-air filled tires. I added slime to mine and they have stayed fairly well filled (went flat when flying with it, but bike shops are great places to fill tires for free)
-flimsy wheels that will only take 20psi. if you over fill the tires, the wheels will break. This is often the problem people have with the wheels and is easily avoided by NOT over filling the tires.
A few other things:
-I do not find the stroller terribly heavy, if you look at other similar strollers, this is one of the lighter ones.
-I can fit a small bag in the storage space even with my toddler in the second seat. I have pushed a small bag beneath the seat before and this worked fine.
-I absolutely love this stroller and am so glad I chose this one over other similar strollers (I almost went with the britax b-ready and am glad I didn't... it's a lot more bulky and heavier)
Honest reviews on Phil And Teds Dot Stroller WITH Doubles Kit
When no 2 came along I had to give up my beloved pushchair (M&P Sola) to make way for a double as my 'babies' are only 22 mths apart and I have been seriously dissapointed with this as a replacement.To start with the positives:
It handles well, especially 'off road' and can be steered easily with one hand
It fits easily through all doorways and manoeuvres easily round shops
....But here come the negatives:
It is v heavy and v bulky when foldedI struggle lifting it in & out of the car
The newborn 'lie flat' position is really inadequatefirstly if u recline it all the way the baby's head actually ends up lower than their body and it sways about loads such that my little one is invariably sick after a ride in it if I've just fed him. There is also little, if no, protection for their headsjust a piece of materialwhich concerned me as people bash past you all the time in shops etc so I keep a rolled up blanket round the end as a sort of bumper.
When in doubles mode with second seat on top it is v awkward to get the baby into the seat belowyou gave to sort of 'post' then in feet first which baby and I hate! But the most annoying thing about this supposed double pushchair is unless you have a v small and short newborn you can't fit the baby in with the toddler on top. My son is only 6 weeks old and he's already too long for it and the top seat presses down uncomfortably in his poor legs.
I don't know what in going to do now as he's too young to go in the seat....
Am hoping this pushchair will redeem itself in a few months and both kids are able to travel tandem style in the seat units....
BTWdon't buy the cocoonit makes the newborn space even smaller, more awkward and ridiculously hot!
