So I read through the other reviews and I think that a handful of people must have gotten a defective product or something. My baby is a bit over 2 months now, and we use the car seat almost daily, and use the stroller almost constantly. It's not perfect, but I still gave it a 5 star because the very few things that bother me are really not a big deal (in my opinion), and the good vastly outweighs the bad.
The not-so-perfect:
*The car seat canopy doesn't attach to the seat. It's seriously not even a big deal, and if THAT'S the major design flaw in the car seat, then I'm fine with that!
*The basket for the stroller is a bit small. Again, not really caring about that, as there could be much worse things wrong!
I would add that it doesn't fit in most shopping carts up in the child area, so you have to put it in the basket.... BUT you are supposed to because it is unsafe the other way. We use the stroller whenever we are shopping, it's so easy!
I have heard people on here complaining about "major problems", and I just am not seeing them. Examples:
*Canopy material being "flimsy": Did they receive the same system?! This stuff is super durable and very thick! I would have to break something to make it flop down at all. I even have hung a blanket over when we were walking towards the sun and it was in my son's face, and absolutely NO sagging. And it was a thicker, heavier blanket. So ignore THAT person.
*Hard to fold up (stroller): Again... are they serious? I have had NO problem getting the thing folded or unfolded while dealing with the baby in his car seat plus my 5 and 6 year old daughters PLUS groceries. One-handed, not a problem at all. And I have folded it up with the seat fully reclined and fully up... no problems. I don't know if these people got the same travel system!
*The stroller is bulky: At this point I decided all these people were rich and had only ever seen expensive strollers. I'm poor. My last travel system was the cheapest one at Walmart. The stroller didn't fit in my TRUNK for crying out loud! This stroller folds up to a VERY compact size, it is NOT super wide... it is an umbrella stroller compared to what I'm used to!
*The car seat is too heavy/big: Yes, it is big. It's the exact reason I got it. My husband is 6'4", my dad is 6'8". My baby grew 4 inches his first month of life. He's PROBABLY going to be tall! So I picked a seat that had a higher weight and height limit so I wasn't buying a new seat in 3 months! Again, we're poor, we can't buy a new car seat every few months.
*My baby is "squished": You don't want your kid to have a whole lot of room to go side to side in their car seat. Whiplash and all that.
*The straps get twisted: I don't even know exactly what people are talking about here. I have yet to have twisted straps. What are they DOING with it that they get twisted?
*The stroller straps are "flimsy": How fast do you plan on going with this stroller? Are you going to be taking it off jumps!? This stroller is NOT a jogging stroller. It is meant to be used while walking. If you are worried about "accidents" then you should rethink what kind of walks you'll be taking your baby on.
Things I LOVE about the system:
*The height and weight limits. Again, he has some tall family. There isn't a man in his lineage that is under 6 foot. His dad was a huge baby, weighing 40 lbs at the age of 3. I wanted to make sure we were not buying a new car seat right away, as most only go up to 20 or 22 pounds. He's 13 lb 4 oz, 23" at 2 months... and he was 4 weeks early.
*It's longer than most. People view this as a problem, and it IS difficult to fit in our vehicle. Luckily, I am shorter and so I just make sure he's behind me, or my husband with the 38" inseam gets too squished. This IS a reason we got this exact seat. I want to make sure he's rear-facing as long as possible after 1 year, and this helps that, as he will be more comfortable.
*The stroller is AWESOME! The car seat snaps on and off super easily and securely, and I love that the canopies work together to COMPLETELY cover my baby from the sun :) It's a smooth ride, my baby sleeps right away while riding (even on bumpier sidewalks). It folds up one-handed like a breeze, and it super compact and light. I can lift it one-handed into the back of my van. And I am NOT a strong woman! I love that the child's tray goes down and actually provides added slip-out protection, and it is super easy to move. The handle is not too low or high, I'm 5'5" and my husband is 6'4" and we are both able to push him comfortably.
*The colors are GREAT! He is one stylin' baby!
*Super comfy car seat. As mentioned, I was only able to get the cheapest of the cheap for my daughter. This car seat has super nice padding, and the material is really nice! I have not had any pilling on his seat, as some have mentioned, either.
All in all, this is the best purchase we made, and I love it! I will be sad when we are unable to use it anymore, but I have a feeling that won't be for a very long time!
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After extensive research we decided to purchase this wonderful travel system with 2 things in mind, 1. Safety: 2. Style. To our surprise we realized that the system was a breeze to set up and surprisingly looks very very luxurious. Its build quality is a 5 out of 5 as well as its build materials and fabric. We couldn't be any happier. Please folks don't spend extra money when you can get this for a bargain price compared to other brands! It truly is a state of the art 250 dollar travel system worth more than 500 in my opinion. Just purchase it and you won't be disappointed :)
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I really love how this travel system looks, it is very very attractive and is of high quality...it has many options in the car seat the seat base and the stroller itself. Having used it for 6&1/2 months I have discovered and lement some of its shortcomings. For instance, even at a couple months of age my sons shoulders are terribly squished in the car seat. He hates riding in it, I put him in my neices old (5 years old and by graco) car seat and he didn't protest...that seat was wider at his shoulders. I don't know if its a safety feature or what but I hate squishing him in there and its only getting worse. He is almost 20 lbs now and I cant imagine that seat lasting to 35 lbs. Also the weight of the seat is almost rediculous. How are people supposed to carry these things when their kids and the car seat weigh upwards of 40 lbs...its soooooo awkward!
The car seat base is awesome though, I love it and wouldn't reccomend getting the cheaper version that safety first offers...this base is very nice. I also should mention that I have a spaceous back seat in my dodge magnum and I have to put the car seat and base in the middle of the back seat because its so big. I cant imagine this being easy to fit in compact cars or in cars that have small door openings. I intended to put the car seat in the middle of the back seat for safety precautions anyway, but the sheer girth of this massive seat limits your options.
now for the stroller...
I'm not tall, I feel pretty average at 5'7" and I feel the handle is a little low for brisk walking. I love the cup holders and the closed cubby in the tray between them. I don't love the way this stroller closes, its uncomfortable and awkward to open and like many have said the slide to collapse button thing takes finesse and strength. Fortunately if you can lug the car seat anywhere, you likely have the strength to operate the stroller collapse button. I have started sitting the stroller seat more upright, which must be adjusted before the weight of your child creates too much resistance, and I have noticed those bulky side joints on the side (where your baby's head will inevitably hit as the stroller pitches and bounces along) hitting my baby in the head. So I am going to make some Velcro on pads that fit over them and match the stroller. The seat doesn't adjust fully upright either and must be in the down position in order for the stroller to collapse...not a good feature if your husband doesn't know about it and gets frustrated just trying to collapse it at the end of a long day. The rear wheels are also rather strange. They stick out much further than the front do and that too is an obstacle for people who aren't the regular drivers. If you live in a nifty older home like mine that has a few strangely narrow doorways, you maay go insane with the width of these wheels or just learn to treat the stroller like an umbrella: open and collapse it outdoors only.
My sisters all have had strollers with their kids and hate my stroller...but at least its 10 times less bulky and more attractive right? It works for me...just not ideally in every scenario. One last point on the stroller...the harness in this thing is terrible with long unsightly strap tails that my baby invariably wants to eat and there isn't a good way to wash them. The material used in the stroller harness shoulder straps is so cheap and unsightly as well as thin and in the case of an accident...likely useless too. I again made something to cover the straps that matches the stroller that house the excess adjustment tails and keep them away from my baby's mouth and fingers.
The system does have a very nice ease of clicking/fastening together whether its the car seat into the base or the stroller. The stroller is very sturdy due to the extreme width and the awnings are very nice and attractively made. They could stand to be more rigid in their different extended positions on the stroller....a heavy wind or a additional covering blanket attached to the overhang to shade your baby will cause them to collapse easily.
I'm sure this is incredible detail but I am detail oriented and I didn't see some of these features addressed before buying this system and may have opted for an alternative stroller had I known I would need to modify the stroller and live with silly features like the super wide rear wheels. Its sad that I whip out a 1950 s baby buggy for an easier no fuss walk though downtown. My baby likes seeing out on a higher level and the harness is nicer plus the ride is akin to a cadillac.
Honest reviews on Safety 1st SleekRide LX Travel System, Stone Valley
Our baby girl is now 3 months old and we love this car seat and stroller. No car seat is perfect, though, so I'll get the cons out of the way quickly. 1) It's a bit awkward to carry, even for a 6 ft tall mom. I expected that, though, b/c it's rated for 35 pounds. When it gets too heavy to tote, I plan to leave it in the car and use the ergobaby. 2) The fabric gets quite warm and does pill a bit. But, I didn't see any car seats whose fabric would perform better in 100 degree weather, and the pilling is fine by me since it's so soft. 3) The straps are kind of close together-makes for a secure fit, but can cause chaffing. We put little cushions around by the neck AND the legs, problem solved.
Now for the good stuff;) The energy absorbing foam goes ALL the way down the back -check that as you look around. This had the most cushion for the baby's tush and back of any seat I saw. The seat allows room for baby's legs to sit "froggy" style while she's little now recommended for hip and spine development. Installation was smooth-the base has three heights to help he the angle right, and a level indicator. The base also has a really cool locking mechanism for the belt (works on car seat belt or tether) that cinches tightly and snaps in place to hold the belt secure. The seat clicks to indicate a secure lock into the base, and the handle can be in any position while riding in the car. The car seat tech was quite impressed with the seat and said we had installed just right, a testament to it's design. We have a 2003 Pontiac vibe and ride three kiddos in the back: one in a Britax behind the driver, a tall one w/o booster in center, and the safety first infant behind passenger. I had wanted to ride the Infant seat behind the driver, but as we're both tall (6 & 6'4") it pushed the seat too far forward. Last couple details...the infant seat has rubber strips along the bottom that are excellent at preventing slippage. The stroller drives, steers and folds nicely. It still leaves a reasonable amount of space for storage in the back of our vibe. I researched it a lot and am happy with the safety and performance it's given us so far, and that it matches our limey green car is also way cool;)
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Purchased as a gift for sister in law. No complaints from me or recipient. From what I have seen of it, seems like a high quality stroller & car seat. I would purchase this for myself, but didn't want to spend that much money on myself! I like the fact that the car seat has high side protection for the baby's head. Both pieces are very attractive. Purchased for a baby girl, but can go either way!
