When I was 6 months pregnant and working on our baby registry, the most difficult decision BY FAR was what stroller to register for. I am sure all new moms will agree with me that if you have a decent stroller budget, you are COMPLETELY overwhelmed by the choices and options and your future baby’s needs.
I spent days researching concepts that were so foreign to me at the time. Lightweight? Luxury? Air filled tires? 6 months and up? Bassinet? Reclining seat? Car seat adaptor? Full canopy? UV protective? Expensive? Cheap? Forward facing or rear facing? Tall or adjustable handlebar? Cupholder? Snack tray? Good suspension? iPhone charger? All terrain? Jogging? Shopping basket? EVA tires?
Seriously, your head spins with the amount of options out there. It’s beyond any other item I have EVER had to shop for, including high chairs, which was pretty hard but not THAT hard.
I finally gave up and registered for a reputable brand because my friend had 2 strollers of theirs. I am sure that is exactly what most people do when they are too overwhelmed by options and don’t want/don’t care to research and make a decision.
I figured that most new mothers are probably faced with the same decision process I had to go through, so I decided to see if I can try to review a stroller in each different category to see which features are a MUST and which ones can be PASSED UP. At least, from my standpoint.
So in the next few weeks, you will see 5 posts that are a part of this STROLLER FEATURE. The 5 categories are: LUXURY STROLLER (Mutsy 4Rider), LIGHTWEIGHT/UMBRELLA STROLLER (Kiddy City’n’Move), AFFORDABLE ALL TERRAIN STROLLER (GoGo Babyz Urban Advantage), JOGGING STROLLER (Baby Jogger Summit XC) and HIGH TECH STROLLER (4Moms Origami).
MUTSY 4 RIDER
A Dutch stroller company Mutsy {pronounced [Moot-si] was established in 1937 with the most adorable little carriages you have ever seen. But it wasn’t until 1975 that they came out with their first ADJUSTABLE stroller with a reclining back and then in 1978, one that transforms from a bassinet into a seat. That, for me, is the essence of Mutsy as a stroller company – ADAPTABILITY.
The versatility of Mutsy strollers is beyond anything I imagined and more than I had hoped for. Mutsy 4Rider, which is the red stroller you’ve been seeing in most of my pictures, is their top of the line luxury stroller that is MADE with your baby in mind ( and a few features to appease parents too). When I was looking at all the options different strollers had, I was convinced that there wasn’t one stroller that had it all, and that in order to get everything I wanted, I had to get at least 3 strollers. However, after spending the last 7 months using the 4Rider, I can tell you honestly, THIS IS as close to ALL-IN-ONE as you can get!
Now before I get further into the review, one thing you have to know is that it is by NO MEANS a lightweight stroller. It is VERY heavy. It’s not meant to be lightweight or compact. It’s meant to be comfortable for baby and parents, and full of features. {Mutsy DID come out with a lighter, more compact stroller just a few months ago, Evo, with similar features as 4Rider, from what I can see}.
My favorite part of Mutsy 4Rider is the amount of options and features this stroller has. In fact, I am STILL learning new features as I write this review ( I’ve gone “Baby, did you know Mutsy can do this?” to my husband three times in the last hour). These guys have thought of pretty much ANY scenario.
We all know how different babies are and you just have NO way of knowing what your future baby is going to like or hate until you try it. This stroller pretty much ensures that you’ll have something to appease your little one with. That’s where the options the 4Rider offers really come in handy.
So let’s go over them quickly, shall we?
Let’s start with the most common configuration of the 4Rider, using its seat.
- The seat snaps in and out of the stroller with 1 click.
- It reclines to virtually any position, including flat
- It can be flipped to face forward or backwards ( rear facing strollers are very important for the few 6-8 months of a baby’s life, until they get object permanence, since they might get distressed in a stroller that is facing forward when the parent isn’t visible).
- It has TWO slots to attach any of the following to it: Canopy ( it has good coverage, with a large peekaboo window at the top that gets rolled up and affixed with velcro, and a relatively large zip-up pocket in the back. It can also be moved to any of the two slots, making it sit further back or forward for more coverage), dinnertray (sold separately), arm rest.
Other features:
- breaks
- lockable front wheels
- expandable handlebar ( this really comes in handy for us, tall people)
- air filled tires (big air filled tires means that your baby gets less jostling when you’re walking or lightly jogging)
- nice suspension ( again, this is by far the smoothest ride out of all the strollers I’ve tried)
- solid construction (This is where the word luxury comes in (besides its price tag). The stroller feels SOLID, it feels expensive, there’s absolutely no flimsiness to it.)
- expensive fabrics (In comparison to other strollers, Mutsy 4Rider has a really nice feel. The fabric is woven very tightly and is of excellent quality)
The following are other configurations and add-ons and is why I love the 4Rider so much:
- Bassinet (It easily snaps in and out of the stroller. Sold separately.)
- Parasol (It gets attached to the handle bar and moved in any direction you wish to block the sun. Sold separately.)
- Funseat ( This configuration is the coolest of them all and I cannot wait to try when Lexi is old enough. Basically it’s a cool toddler seat with a
fakeSTEERING WHEEL (!!!!!!) and a huge basket. Perfect for trip to the beach or the store! Sold separately.) - Beach bag ( A “gigantic BeachBag fits right inside the basket of the Mutsy FunSeat”. Sold separately.)
- Extra shopping basket (Sold separately.)
- Raincover (Sold separately.)
- Graco, Peg Perego adaptors ( The stroller can house an infant car seat with an adaptor for Graco or Peg Perego car seats. Sold separately.)
- Footmuff (Sold separately.)
- Riding step up board for toddlers (A really cool feature, where you add this little step board with a wheel to the back of the stroller so that your 2 year old could ride with you and your infant. Sold separately.)
- Mutsy Babysitter (A rocker frame that houses your Mutsy seat and makes for a really great infant seat/rocker. It has literally saved my sanity in the first few months because it was the only rocker Lexi would sleep in. It’s even been featured in Lexi Awards. Sold separately.)
- Duo Seat (Converts your 4Rider into a double stroller)
- Heavy (34 lbs with the wheels and seat)
- Large
- Doesn’t fold compactly (which is fine by me, because due to it’s weight, you can’t really take it with you while travelling)
- Due to the size of the wheels, they get caught flipping sometimes, which can get annoying in very narrow areas.
- The basket that it comes with could be larger.
For more information on MUTSY, visit the following:
- Web site address: www.mutsy.com
- Twitter address: http://twitter.com/mutsycollection
- Pinterest address: www.pinterest.com/kastelint
- Facebook address: http://www.facebook.com/mutsyusa
I also made this cute little video of all the times we’ve been going out with our Mutsy 4Rider.
Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post. Mutsy provided me with a stroller sample to review. All opinions are 100% my own.
Amazing review! The Musty looks like such a lovely stroller. Love the idea of it turning into a rocker, that’s just awesome 🙂 Such a cute video you put together and Lexi’s little bit at the end…she is so adorable!
awww Lexi is sooo cute at the end of that video! your so lucky to get to review all these strollers coming up. I wish I was able to do that with my little one!
the sweet life of a southern wife
Did you buy this stroller or were you provided it?
I was sent a sample for review. Sorry I forgot to mention at the end. I just added that. Thanks for reminding me.
Do you get to keep the sample?
Most of the times, yes!
What’s the difference between a sample stroller and one that someone would buy?
Depends on the brand, sometimes nothing, other times it’s their sample product that they have had. From the functionality standpoint, there’s no difference.
Impressive!!!! 🙂
This stroller costs as much as my first car…lol…
Yup, that’s why it’s a “if your budget allows” situation 🙂 Until recently i didn’t even know there are strollers that cost over a thousand, so this is actually cheap compared to those. lol
I don’t mean to be a rude. I truly do not. However, this site seems to be turning into a vehicle for you to get free stuff for your child and post pictures. I guess it’s just not for me anymore and I’ll be okay with that…
I’m sorry you feel that way, Melissa! 🙁 reviews serve a purpose for those looking to find products for their child. I totally understand if that’s not something you find useful.
I don’t mean to be rude either. At all! But this kind of makes me sick to my stomach when I think about how much this stroller is. And that people would actually buy it. Normal, working class people can’t afford things like this. I love all the reviews you do. I REALLY do. But almost everything you do is just way out of price range. Except for the jam session exersaucer….totally got that. haha.
LOL You cracked me up! I think there are a lot of people who can afford these things, as well as a lot of them who can’t. Almost everyone I know owns a $400-$600 stroller, and those, who don’t have kids, have the means to buy one.
Isn’t the exersaucer awesome, though? I love that thing!
FYI, I do have the means to buy one but I wouldn’t for a variety of reasons. That’s neither here nor there. Bottom line: You review products you receive for free. You take videos and photographs, very much posed, as evidenced in your recent blooper reel, and you aren’t relatable as a result.
LOL The blooper reel is one of the most authentic things on this blog, as is every single post I write. It would make my life much easier if I was ok sugarcoating things rather than saying how I feel. If you can’t see it, then there’s not much I can do about it. I’m sorry you can’t relate but it’s ok, that’s what makes the world awesome – our differences.
I totally agree absolutely! I’m just glad that someone finally said it. In reality most everyday working people arent buy thousand dollar strollers. I absolutely adore this website and have referred it to many people but it seems like every item is crazy expensive yet recommended from someone who is rec’ving them for free. I want honest reviews not so say that they arent but i feel almost like these reviews are a way to get free stuff. everyone wants whats best for their child but it just seems like instead of paying thousands of dollars for the item “i’ll just say hey let me do a review, get it for free and then brag about how great it is” You may have upscale friends but it by no means represent the majority of the world. so i surely doubt that most people have high end strollers ..yes maybe most people you know but not most people that are reading your blogs.
“You may have upscale friends but it by no means represent the majority of the world. so i surely doubt that most people have high end strollers ..yes maybe most people you know but not most people that are reading your blogs.”
I’m not arguing that point for a second.
“it seems like every item is crazy expensive yet recommended from someone who is rec’ving them for free”
So does that make it a biased review? What if the item was gifted by grandparents? It’s free, too.
The point is that BECAUSE these items are expensive, a person doesn’t have a chance to buy a few and pick the one they like. They have to go by research they find online. I don’t just write my personal opinion “O.M.G. I love this thing. I sooooo do. Buy it!” I highlight pluses and minuses so that people COULD base their decision on these facts. If an item costs fifty bucks, I’ll buy it and if I don’t like it, no problem, it’s no big deal. But if we’re talking about items that cost hundreds, most don’t have the luxury of buying another one if they don’t like the one they bought. If I was interested in solely scoring free stuff, then I’d pick a stroller I want for Lexi and review that one, rather than takin the time to do a whole feature. Instead I am attempting to review a stroller in each category, in all price ranges, because for me picking out a stroller was THE HARDEST decision ever when I was pregnant.
Of course, everyone is entitled to their own opinion and their preferences, no doubt, but personally, I love reading reviews for baby items because it gives me some kind of idea of what’s out there and what I might like or what Lexi might like, rather than buying blindly. I am not “go to Babies R Us and pick out the one that looks good” type. I realize not everyone is the same, but I can only relate to how I see things.
And finally, I know for a fact that a lot of people feel the same way, because I get regular emails asking about products they see in pictures or thanking for reviewing an item they ended buying and loving. And that’s all that I need to know. 😉
I love product reviews! But I can tell you, as a mom of two who has purchased A LOT of baby/toddler products and who has been gifted A LOT of baby/toddler products, I am a hell of a lot more critical about the ones that my husband and I PAID for. Personally, I think that’s where some of the ‘negative’ comments are coming from. If I want to read unbiased reviews I’m going to check out the reviews at Babies R Us, Buy Buy Baby, Amazon, etc…. Those people actually purchased those items.
And that’s perfectly fine! I prefer reading blogger reviews, because they are detailed about the features and use. I couldn’t care less about someone else’s opinion about an item, especially those written on Babies r us. What I want to know is how it works and then I decide if it’s going to be good for Lexi or not. My biggest problem with just going by BRU and amazon reviews is the products featured are usually your traditional stuff everyone buys. But that doesn’t mean that it’s the best. I love finding lesser known companies with great products and the only way I’ve been able to do it is by reading blogs that review them.
But that’s just differences of opinion, and that’s alright 😉
Do you ever get free items that you use, don’t like, and return? When you get a free item, do you have to review it or can you choose not to (and if you choose not to, do you have to return it)?
Since a lot of people are concerned with the price of the stroller and other baby items you’ve posted about, it would be helpful to provide a comparable item at a cheaper price when you write your reviews…since a lot of people do enjoy your blog because of your reviews.
You are BRILLIANT! I love you ( even though I don’t know you)!!! It’s a great idea, Laura! I will definitely look into possibly researching a comparable item at a cheaper price. Thinking over most of my reviews, it’s probably not going to apply to them often, because I specifically choose lesser known, better quality products to introduce and if there actually was something comparable that is cheaper, I’d go for that. Most of the products I try to review are either different from the traditional products or innovative or just cool, so it’s hard to find a good cheap comparison. But…it’s definitely something I will keep on eye on and try to do. If I can’t find something, I can at least address why and what makes this product so different that you can’t find a cheaper comparable. Thank you so much for this idea!
In respect to this review, I actually do have an affordable stroller review coming up as a part of this feature, but this particular review is a LUXURY stroller review, which kind of necessitates the higher price.
That’s kind of the reason why I attempt to do a giveaway for almost every review as long as the company agrees – because I realize that some people might be able to afford it, so they can at least get a chance to win it. Otherwise, giveaways are kind of a pain, they are only done because of my readers.
To answer your questions,
Do you ever get free items that you use, don’t like, and return? When you get a free item, do you have to review it or can you choose not to (and if you choose not to, do you have to return it)?
Very rarely for a very good reason. I don’t just accept every offer that shows up in my email. The way I decide to review something is by researching all the available products, then pick out the most interesting/cool/innovative/safe (from toxins standpoint) ones ( either by function or style, or just a product not a lot of people have heard of, because my goal is to introduce something you don’t tend to see in the stores and wouldn’t be exposed to otherwise), and only after I decide on a product I would normally want myself, I email my contacts and get the product for review. That pretty much ensures that I am going to love it. There were a few items that I have received for review that I absolutely did not like, but they were things i had no way of knowing whether I’d like them or not ( like baby wash) and since it’s such a small item, I didn’t have to return it. However, if there is ever a product that IS returnable that I don’t like, I would most definitely let the company know that it’s just not for me and ship it back.
There are no contracts for reviews, it’s kind of based on good faith, so since being able to keep the product after you’ve tried it out is kind of like a “payment for time it takes to do the review”. If you don’t do a review for no good reason (being you don’t like it, it doesn’t work, etc), then I’d imagine any honest person would send the item back, especially if it’s of high value.
You also don’t always get to keep the product. For example, I have a review coming up of this amazingly cool new car seat that I am extremely excited about. I only get to use it for two weeks and then send it back. But I will do that because it’s an amazing seat that I want to introduce my readers to.
Hope this answers your questions!
Impressive BUT looks really expensive as well! 🙂
This is great stroller but I don’t think I can afford it…
Thank you for your review of this stroller! I was able to find one (in excellent condition) for only $100 on Craigslist and it was because of your review is why I went searching for and successfully found one!! Even as a second time mom I’m constantly looking for reviews on baby products to help me with my buying decisions and I’m thankful for bloggers like you who review all types of products in all price ranges. You just never know when you can find a good deal! Keep up the great work and I look forward to reading more reviews from you and Lexie!
Oh that’s awesome!!! Glad you for such a good deal. 🙂
hi! I came accross your review and just wanted to say thank you. I am considering this stroller (as a hand me down from a family member) and had a few questions:
1. At what age (how many months) did your baby start using the standard stroller seat?
2. Do you think the Bassinet is necessary or should I just buy the car seat attachment and car seat, then transition into the standard stroller seat? I will be having my baby in the winter and don’t think I’ll be taking lots of walk with him/her outside during that time. I’ll likely only be going to the grocerry store or mall for a couple of hours at a time.
I think it was 3 months when she could easily sit in it.
And we didn’t get to use the bassinet at all. But that was specific to our baby since she hated lying down and not seeing things.
Thanks for responding! I was afraid you wouldn’t see my comment since this is an old post. One more question. DId you use any car seat adatpter with the Mutsy? If so, which one?
No I didn’t. Lexi hated the infant seat (again cuz it’s reclined. Lol
Do you know what size the front and back tires are? I have been looking at this stroller and that is my only hang up from buying it. I haven’t been able to find listed anywhere the size of the tires.
Not sure to be honest. Email them customer service I’m sure they can help.
Im actually about to purchase this stroller from someone on CL as well. I have 2 questions.
1st. when the seat is in its most upright position, is it VERY upright, like straight up like a pencil 🙂 My daughter either wants to be sitting so straight she could fall out, OR asleep laying flat, which is why I want to get this stroller so I can go places and let her sleep in it.. which my bugaboo does not allow (but she loves sitting in the BB for the straight reason!)
2nd. the weight of the stroller worries me. Do you take it in and out of the car a lot? We live in the burbs, so I do a lot of that when going in and out of places. HOWEVER, my daughter HATES most strollers and complains pretty early on into a trip at the mall or a park to get out cause it isnt comfy for her.. so I am hoping this wont be a back breaker
🙁
If you take it in and out of the car a lot id consider a different stroller. Like Mutsy Evo is lighter. Check out babyhome.
hi, I’ve got the 4 rider light in New team red with the next black leather grip. I really like it. one thing is I’m in the UK. mine looks exactly like yours but can I ask doors yours have poppers at the back/bottom of the hood? my hood just seems to hang down which I do find a bit annoying.
It has some clips but the way they are designed the good still hangs.
Hi! I’m looking into purchasing this product but I need to ask you, does the seat feel flimsy? I’ve looked into higher end strollers such as the Bugaboo, but once I felt the seat/backrest, it felt as if it was made of cardboard. To me, the two most important components of a stroller should be the suspension and the seat because I want to make sure that my son is sitting properly while his back is supported by something solid.
Thank you.
Hi, sorry for the delay!
It depends on what you consider flimsy. None of the parts of the stroller feel flimsy or cardboard. The seat itself is thin but it’s made out of a metal frame and tight fabric, so no not flimsy at all.