Best Baby Strollers

While you have to give kudos to the innovators that make a new product before anyone else, there is something to be said for biding your time. Peg Perego has been patiently observing the obscenely-priced luxury stroller market and learning from their competition. If you thought Bugaboo was the best in the business or that Stokke had the market cornered on innovation, get ready for the Peg Perego Skate. Peg Perego has learned from the successes and failures of Bugaboo, Quinny, Stokke, and other high-end baby gear and has taken the best features of all those other models and combined them into one beautiful piece of baby-moving art.

The Peg Perego Skate is designed to be an all-in-one transport system that goes from pram to rear or forward facing stroller in a few fluid moves. Judging from the Skate website, Peg Perego has thought of just about everything. Unlike the competition, the Peg Perego Skate doesn’t require multiple accessories to go from pram to stroller. The Peg Perego Skate folds in a single piece, a huge blow to Bugaboo’s clumsy folding.

The Peg Perego Skate is truly designed to meet the needs of your baby from infant to toddler. The Pram mode begins completely flat, but can be adjusted to a more upright, sitting position, and thanks to a unique tilt feature, reclining the Peg Perego Skate is smooth and unlikely to wake a sleeping child. Like the Stokke Xplory, the Skate’s seat can be adjusted up or down so baby can be close to mom or a toddler can climb into the lower seat on her own. I like the idea of raising the seat/pram in the Peg Perego Skate when your baby is small so you don’t have to bend over deeply to get her in or out of the stroller.

Another blow to the minimalist luxury strollers out there is the Peg Perego Skate’s accessories. The Peg Perego Skate comes with a large, functional hood, a rain cover, a storage basket (a rather skimpy one that can be improved with the optional Borsa Skate bag), and removable cup holder. Ultimately, Peg Perego has done a good job of balancing style and convenience.

Of course, no stroller is perfect. While the Peg Perego Skate has yet to see any street use (the Skate isn’t available until January of 2008) I can already see some potential problems. The first is the Peg Perego Skate’s nearly $900 price tag—even a Bugaboo looks affordable in comparison. Furthermore, the Peg Perego Skate weighs a whopping 33lbs! I’m not keen to be hefting that much bulk in and out of a car, but I’m guessing suburban moms like me aren’t the Peg Perego Skate’s target audience. The Peg Perego Skate has an adjustable height feature in addition to adjustable handlebars. It seems to me that so many moving parts may make the Peg Perego Skate prone to breakdowns. Of course, until I get my hands on a Skate model, there is no way to tell for sure.

If it weren’t so darn expensive, I might be tempted to give the Peg Perego Skate a try. The Skate is certainly the most appealing high-end stroller I’ve seen so far. Peg Perego has learned, unlike Bugaboo and company, that you can have practical solutions to real-mom problems without sacrificing style and fancy configurations. Is the Peg Perego Skate the next Bugaboo? Only time will tell.