Elodie Details Footmuff Review

I've been looking for a very warm, yet attractive and feminine footmuff for Little Missy.
The Elodie Details stroller bag in the Bedouin Stories pattern fit the bill perfectly, and so it joined our collection of stroller accessories. 

Elodie Details is a Sweedish brand of fashionable baby items, which are sold in over 30 countries. Sadly USA is not yet one of those countries, but will hopefully join the list sometime in the next few years. In the mean time, Elodie products can be imported from the UK and the process is simple and surprisingly speedy. Hopefully, my review of Elodie Details footmuff and matching hat will be helpful to whoever is in the market for these items.

Let me start of by saying that a footmuff is a really great invention! Because it attaches to the stroller, it will not slip down and get caught in the wheels, the way a blanket might. Also, footmuffs are generally weather-proof and much, much warmer than a blanket.

There are many warm footmuffs on the market to choose from, but like I mentioned before, I was craving something out of the ordinary and feminine. 


FIRST IMPRESSION

The Elodie Details stroller bags are available in many beautiful colors and patterns. I chose the Bedouin Stories color scheme. This pattern in pastel tones is very refined looking. It consists of pale grey and dusty pink with touches of teal and pale aqua. In one way or another this palette matches most of my strollers and adds some pizzazz.

The footmuff comes in a zip-up bag with handles. Included in the bag is an information card which basically lists all of the footmuff's features. 

MEASUREMENTS AND FEATURES

The Elodie Details footmuff is quite generous is size, measuring 100 x 53 cm (39.4 x 20.4 inches). My two year old daughter fits very well into it with plenty of wiggle room.

The outer fabric is 100% polyester, treated with a special BIONIC-FINISH® ECO coating to make it windproof and water-resistant. The inner is lined in soft micro-fleece. The footmuff has a substantial weight and feels very fluffy and warm.

Caring for Elodie Details footmuff is so easy! It is machine washable and can even be tumble-dried at low temperature. I haven't had the chance to test it out in the wash yet, but I love the idea of it being so low maintenance. 

The footmuff has openings for a five point harness, making it compatible with most strollers on the market. 

There's a zipper on both ends and the top portion can be completely zipped off, leaving the underside as a cozy stroller liner. There's also an option to fold down the cover partially and snaps to keep it in place.

On the reverse side, there's a pocket at the top, which goes over the stroller backrest and hold the footmuff in place. Some footmuffs from other brands also have a non-slip coating in the back, but this feature was left out on the Elodie footmuff. Truthfully, I don't feel it's necessary in this case. The pocket is effective enough in preventing the footmuff from sliding down.

The elasticized upper is meant to be used as a hood in cold or windy weather, or folded around the stroller's backrest. Since it's pretty shallow, it is only effective as a hood for very small babies. 

Elodie Details makes a lot of beautiful accessories to match their stroller bags, including pacifiers, hats, blankets and rain shields. I ordered a winter hat in the same Bedouin Stories pattern to go with the footmuff. The hat is exceptional quality and  very warm. Just like the footmuff, the hat is treated with ecological finish to be weather-proof and is lined in cozy micro-fleece. It runs true to size (Little Missy is wearing size 2-3).

OUTDOOR PERFORMANCE

The first time I zipped up my daughter into the Elodie Detail stroller bag, she was so cozy and content, she went right to sleep. As luck would have it, it started to rain when we were on our nature walk, so I was able to witness the footmuff's water-resistant qualities. The droplets stayed on the surface and did not get absorbed. Little Missy continued sleeping peacefully for two hours, oblivious of the rain. Needless to say, mommy was so pleased!

The only thing that's missing on this stroller bag is an opening at the bottom for the feet, in case you'd want your child to be wearing shoes. Also, keep in mind that because the footmuff is so fluffy, not all strollers would fold with it on. 

Other than that, I am perfectly thrilled with the Elodie Details footmuff! It's roomy, very warm, stylish, weather-proof, low maintenance and fits most strollers. Did I mention how beautiful it is? 

WHERE TO ORDER

In USA, Elodie Details Footmuffs are available at Petite Marvels Boutique. You can also order Elodie stroller bag and matching hat from Amazon UK. Currently many color options are on sale and YES, they ship to United States! The shipping charges are very reasonable and the order takes about 5 business days to arrive. Also, keep in mind that the price you'll be seeing in Amazon searches includes tax that will actually be deducted during checkout if you live in the States. 

NEW! Bugaboo Cameleon³ Kite Limited Edition Stroller

Meet the newest addition to the Bugaboo family - Cameleon³ Kite Limited Edition Stroller.

"Nothing says freedom like a kite — gliding through the air, going wherever the wind takes it."

Cameleon³ Kite is made in a refined balsam green color with a complimentary pastel lining with geometric shapes. The canopy features a zip up peek-a-boo window, a first for Bugaboo strollers. Included in the set with the Kite stroller is a breathable, 3-ply muslin blanket. A matching footmuff accessory is sold separately.

The limited edition Cameleon³ Kite stroller will be released in March 2017 and will retail for $1,319. It is now available for pre-order!

Warmest Stroller Footmuffs For Winter 2016-2017

Winter weather sneaked up on me this year. Since November and part of December temperatures were rather mild, I chose to be in denial about real Winter's eminent arrival until it was upon us. Now that the weather turned frigid, it's time to consider gearing up your stroller against the elements. 

A stroller footmuff is a great and indispensable invention! It will do so much more towards keeping your child cozy in the stroller during the Winter months, than a blanket ever could. Most footmuffs are weatherproof and much warmer than a regular blanket. Some are even filled with goose down for superior warmth. No reason to hide indoors with your babies, get out and enjoy life!

When searching for REALLY warm and attractive footmuffs, I've found that the options available in the USA are rather limited. So, I turned my attention to international brands and found exactly what I was looking for! Thankfully, the world became a much smaller place and all of the options posted here can be shipped worldwide.

All of these footmuffs are universal and can be used on any stroller.

Elodie Details Stroller Bag

Available in a variety of colors and patterns

Ships Worldwide

Price: $103 (on SALE)

Voksi Urban Down and Wool Footmuff

Comes with length extension

Available in 8 colors 

Ships Worldwide

Price: $102

7AM Enfant Blanket 212 Evolution 

Come with length extention

Available in 13 colors

Price: $189 (save 20% with code JAN20)

Australian Sheepskin Footmuff

Available in 2 colors

Price: $179

Bugaboo High Performance Footmuff

Available in 4 colors

Price: $189

AirBuggy Down Footmuff

Available in 6 colors

Ships Worldwide

Price: $74

Stokke Down Sleeping Bag

Available in 6 colors
Price: $160 - $200

Baby Jogger City Tour Stroller Review

More and more stroller brands are recognizing the needs of modern parents to have a travel-friendly stroller that can be stashed in the overhead compartment on an airplane. Baby Jogger jumped on board the travel stroller trend in the Fall of 2016 when they released the City Tour stroller. 

First Impression 

The City Tour is a dainty, yet durable stroller that resembles a scaled down City Mini. This stroller was added to the Baby Jogger lineup with travel in mind, and so it's lightweight and compact. 

Out of the box, the stroller requires minimum assembly and comes with a travel bag included. If you haven't yet done so, check out my City Tour Unboxing post.

This stroller is pretty affordable, especially compared to the competition ( Babyzen YoYo, Mountain Buggy Nano, GB Qbit ). It retails for $199.99 and is available in 5 colors: Onyx, Garnet, Juniper, Violet and Cobalt. 

With the help of Ben and Abby, we've put the City Tour to the test and I'm here to tell you all about it. 

Dimensions & Weight 

• Stroller Weight - 14.2 lbs
• Stroller Width - 18"
• Stroller Length - 35.8"
• Folded dimensions - 22.0 x 9.0 x 17.7
• Handlebar height - 38"
• Seat width - 11.5"
• Seat depth - 8"
• Seat back height - 17.5"
• Seat edge to footwell - 9"
• Footwell depth in center - 2.75"
• Suitable for 6 months to 45 lbs

Seat

The seat on the City Tour is not the roomiest that I've seen. Two year old, Abby has plenty of room in the width, but not enough in the seat back length. Already, her head is above the seat edge. There is still plenty of room under the canopy however.

The seat is also rather shallow. The footwell is also shallow and doesn't really support Little Missy's feet. Probably a younger child would be much more comfortable in the seat, but it seems that 2 year old Little Missy has outgrown this stroller.

The seat has an infinite strap recline and while it doesn't recline all the way to a flat position, it's deep enough for a child to nap. Because the stroller only has a partial recline, it's only suitable for babies 6 month+.

Unfortunately, this stroller cannot be used as a travel system with a car seat.

Canopy 

For a compact, affordable stroller, the canopy on the City Tour is very generous. It has three panes and a flip out sun visor. The mesh peek-a-boo window allows you to check up on your baby.
The canopy is rated UV 50+.

Textiles/Quality 

While the seat fabric is hard wearing and easy to clean, I'm not a fan of it's nylony feel and lack of breathability. This is the kind of squeaky fabric that makes kids sweat in the Summer.  It's also slippery and actually makes Little Missy slide down in the seat. When sitting in the stroller, she puts one leg up on the seat to prevent herself from sliding. This is unfortunate, because, as much as I like all other features on this stroller, the child's comfort in the seat is of the utmost importance.

Perhaps if I had the bumper bar accessory, and didn't buckle the upper harness, Little Missy would be able to keep herself more upright and lean forward in the stroller.

Harness 

City Tour has a breakaway harness, which can be used as a 5 point or 3 point, leaving out the shoulder straps. It's not the easiest or hardest to adjust, but rather average. The harness pads are not attached and constantly slide down.

Push/Steering

Despite the small wheels, City Tour is a pleasure to push. The stroller is agile and easy to maneuver with one hand. The front wheel suspension absorbs small bumps in the pavement. Obviously, this stroller was intended for urban use, so don't expect miracles. It does perfectly well on pavement and can handle a bit of short grass.

The stroller has a great curb pop, but it comes at a price. Pressing down on the handlebar will effortlessly raise the front wheels, but this also makes the stroller prone to tipping if weight distribution is shifted towards the back. There's even a warning printed on the back of the canopy, stating that nothing should be suspended off the handlebar. You know what that means. You can forget about hanging your stuffed diaper bag on the handlebar.

Handlebar 

The handlebar is 38" from the ground, a comfortable height of average parents. It is covered in rubber with a grip texture, like all other Baby Jogger strollers. In the center of the handlebar is a pretty prominent fold button.

The handlebar is not adjustable, which is not surprising on a compact stroller in this price range.

Wheels/Break 

City Tour rolls along on four EVA wheels, 5" in the front and 6" in the rear. The stroller is equipped with front wheel suspension. The front wheels can also be locked from swiveling, to help with a bit of uneven terrain like grass.

The small pedal break is located at the right wheel. It makes a loud, reassuring click when engaged.

Storage

There is a mesh pocket in the back of the seat, convenient for storing small essential that you'd like to keep close at hand.

The under-seat basket is not very roomy, but that's understandable, considering the size of the stroller. In the picture, I have my shoulder bag in the basket and it pretty much occupies most of the room. You will not be able to fit a diaper bag into this basket. On positive side, the basket has a nifty zipper compartment, so you can keep some items separate. I actually wish every stroller basket came with a pocket like this!

Fold 

In order to qualify for carry-on luggage size, the City Tour has a tri-fold. The fold requires two steps, but can be done with one hand. First, you need to press the button located on the handlebar and collapse forward the upper portion of the stroller. Then, you grab the fold strap located on the seat and pull up. This collapses the lower portion of the stroller. The stroller has an auto fold lock.

Included with the City Tour is a knapsack-like carrying case to stash your folded stroller in when traveling. If for whatever reason you decide to carry the stroller without the carrying case, this will be rather awkward, since only the lower portion of the stroller is held closed by the fold lock. If you tried picking up the folded stroller by the handlebar, the upper portion will unfold. A bit of an oversight, in my opinion. As much as I like having a carrying case, not every situation calls for one.

The trick to preventing the City Tour from unfolding when picking it up without a carrying case, is to grab the handlebar and the quick-fold strap simultaneously. Aquard, but doable.

  

Accessories

While a carrying case is included with the stroller, other accessories are sold separately.
You can add a bumper bar, which is always great to have on any stroller, a rain cover and a parent cup holder.

Conclusion & Rating

While I really like the concept of this stroller, I would not use it for every day (unless maybe to run a short errand), due to a small seat and lack of storage. I think it's primary strength is in the compact, travel-friendly fold. The City Tour is more affordable than other similar options and so it would be a serious contender specifically for travel purposes.

Sadly, lack of car seat compatibility and a seat that can only be used from 6 months, narrows the potential customer base for this stroller. Since Baby Jogger has many other strollers in their lineup, they wanted it to be very clear exactly what this stroller was intended for.

 Pros:

1. Compact fold
2. Lightweight
3. Great push and steering
4. Large UV 50+ canopy with peek-a-boo window
5. Storage pockets
6. Front-wheel suspension

Cons:

1. Non-breathable seat fabric
2. Shallow seat
3. Shallow footwell
4. Small under-seat storage
5. Cannot be used as a travel system with car seat
6. Fold lock only keeps bottom portion locked

Weighting out the City Tour's pros and cons and based on our experience with this stroller, I've decided to give it a 3.5 out of 5 star rating. The stroller would be much improved if it was made to be suitable from birth and with a roomier seat.

I'd like to thank Baby's Den for providing a stroller for this review! As always, all the opinions are entirely my own. Baby's Den is currently running a 10% Off promotion on full priced merchandise, plus free shipping and no tax. Use code HOLIDAYS at checkout.