We were in the market for a stroller for an older child because it has gotten significantly more difficult to carry her around for more than short distances. The problem that I ran into was that if the weight limit was okay, then the seat height was not. Many strollers hold a child up to 50 pounds and some go up to 75 or even 100 pounds but the seat height would be too short for my daughter. (She is on the petite side of both height and weight!) I also wanted some growing room especially if I spent so much for a stroller of this size. So the only other option was to look into special needs strollers which now presents an additional problem. Many special needs strollers are made for children with physical disabilities and are more like wheelchairs with foot straps and more. All we basically needed was a rolling chair made to fit older children so I would feel more comfortable taking my child with autism to amusement parks including Walt Disney World and on long walks. Carrying her after she reached 40+ pounds was getting to be too much on my back. As anyone with a child with autism can tell you, our children can physically walk but at times won't.
So we settled on a Maclaren that so many people recommended...only to find out that no one had it! It was not in stock anywhere and wouldn't be until the end of summer. Too late for our plans! All this time I was wishing that I could see these special needs strollers in person and try them out but no store nearby had them. I had to order based on pictures and descriptions on websites. Then I called www.adaptivechild.com to ask for recommendations. A very helpful person there stayed on the phone many times with me to help me decide which push chair/stroller would be best for my daughter. I took his recommendation of the Axiom 2 as he said that is what he had for his child with autism and he loved it. (It sealed the decision when he told me that!)
Now that we have the Axiom 2 and have experience putting it together and using it, there are things that I love and hate about it. For $1000+ you can expect that it is well made and will last practically forever! Sure I haven't had it forever but I can't imagine anything hurting this stroller! First things first. Putting it all together. The box came and the delivery guy hauled it in the house for me as he said "this is heavy!". I pulled out the directions and got a little nervous. It said to have handy a screw driver, 11 mm wrench, and a rubber mallet. I thought that it would come put together for the most part! The pictures show the stroller in 9 pieces! I am not the best at putting stuff together! I felt better once I unpacked all of the items and found the stroller mostly put together!
I did have to put on the wheels which seemed really easy to start with. The two large back wheels had a button to press and they slipped right on. I chose the smaller wheels for the front instead of the jogging one wheel and did have a problem with that piece. I read the directions and understood how to do it but it was not going on. I called for assistance and the company emailed me a video of someone putting the piece on. I still could not get it on! Rotating the piece to hook it on to the fork tips kept making the piece slip back off of the fork tips. After giving up for the night and trying again the next day....I tried 10 more times and finally it clicked into place! Then there is a backboard piece that you can choose to use or not in the back of the seat. I decided to use it as it didn't look comfortable without it. I could not find where to put it in and the directions say nothing about it at all! Finally I looked at the bottom of the seat in back of the stroller and found the place to slip it in.
The sun canopy was simple to put on but it did take some strength. There is a large velcro piece on the back of the seat that attaches to the sun canopy. Then it has clamps on it that attach to the side poles. It was easier to remove the cloth from the frame before trying this. They push on and snap tightly. I folded the rain cover and the bug cover underneath the stroller in the basket so we will have them ready when needed. These pieces basically just lay over the stroller and velcro at the handle and feet. To recline the seat, there are 2 straps at the seat back that can tighten to sit it up or loosen to lay it back. I didn't care for this at all. If a child falls asleep, it bumps the seat too much to do this. I would much rather have a release and then a click into place mechanism as other strollers do.
To fold the stroller up, you will need a friend or 3 hands to help you. First unclip the pins on each side of the stroller, this takes a bit of tugging and pushing the legs up under the stroller at the same time! Then the side bars will slide down to the front of it. Then there are 2 black locks on each side of the top of the stroller, unclip them. The stroller will then only lay flatter and fold up if you tug on the seat part of it. To unfold, you will need a friend or 3 hands as well. This is harder than folding it up! One person needs to stand at the front of the stroller and one person at the back of it. One pulls on the handle while the other pulls out the feet of it. Once it has straightened out and up, clip the locks on each side and pull the bars back into position, clip the pins onto the bars.
There are some wonderful aspects of this stroller such as the adjustable handle. It will move into a higher or lower position, whatever is more comfortable to you. It is also very padded and comfortable to use. There are also 2 locks to stop the stroller in place. One is a convenient foot brake at the back of the stroller. Use your foot and kick it into place. Making it go back up to start the stroller again is a bit more uncomfortable as it pushes against the top of your foot. The other brake is a hand brake which is on the handle. This is for use only with the jogging wheel. A wrist strap is attached to the bottom back metal piece and fits around your wrist so the stroller does not get away from you. The stroller advertisement said there was a lot of storage in this special needs stroller and there is but it is pretty small! There is a good sized pocket on the back of it that is wonderful and it has a zipper. This would be good for snacks or sensory toys. There are 2 drink holder pockets underneath that large pocket but they look really small. A 20 ounce coke or water bottles would fit but don't expect a Big Gulp to go in! A can of coke might be too short for these drink holders. Smaller pockets are on each side for a cell phone or keys but I think they are much too shallow and am afraid to lose anything important so we don't use those. The basket underneath is a good size but I had to un-velcro a corner to use it! The child has 2 storage pockets beside of them that are big enough for small items. The warning says not to overload the storage spaces as it could tip the stroller over. Another wonderful addition to this stroller are the many many reflective strips so walking or jogging at night is safer. The 5 point harness is great but not what I usually see. It took a bit of trying to get my daughter buckled into it. Now I know to adjust the straps first then put her into it. I also love, as my daughter does, the coloring of this stroller. Red and black made a statement! The material is machine washable. It comes with a sun canopy and a rain shield. (I purchased the bug shield too.) The stroller moves easily even with my child in it.
Now for the bad. To fit my daughter, we had to choose the Axiom 2 but it is too long for her! The stroller is not adjustable in any way. It does allow for growing room but it is irritating that the stroller is so big when we don't need it to be. The foot wells and foot straps (can be removed) are more for a child with physical disabilities. The height of this stroller is the worst feature and the part I dislike most. Standing at 5'6, I can't see directly in front of the stroller and worry about running over a small child at an amusement park! The seat could have been designed better to allow a shorter height so parents can actually see where they are walking. Not only does it make the stroller difficult to use but also makes it look strange! Not only that but the length of it is way too long. Jogging strollers are typically long but this is ridiculous! Why couldn't the seat be sat up more instead of the child's legs going so far straight out? She isn't in bed but being pushed around! The color of the seat is gray which is odd since the other parts are red and black. It would have been better for it to be red or black. A drink holder for the child would have been ideal too. It is too easy to tip up on it's back wheels which scares my daughter to death! The instruction manual had a ton of misspelling throughout. The instructions say not to let the child stand up in the stroller but to get up into it and out of it, my daughter has to stand up or I have to physically put her in it. So far it hasn't tipped over, thank goodness. The stroller weighs 37 pounds. The seat reclines only 15 degrees. The measurements of the stroller unfolded are58"L x 24"W x 48-52"H.
Other accessories that we did not get are the carry bag, back pack, bunting bag, flashing light, and cushioned insert. Most we did not need but no one needs the carry bag! The stroller is difficult enough to fold down, much less to place it into a bag! I loved the customer service who were very helpful and did indeed make sure we got the stroller quickly when we needed it. The customer service hours closed early so try to call before 5 pm. There are 3 sizes for the Axiom stroller, 2, 3, and 4.The Axiom 2 which we have can carry a child up to 150 pounds.
My recommendation is to see this stroller prior to buying. I don't know if this is possible but I wish I had! It is a very tall, large stroller. I am sure that we could have found one more appropriate for my daughter! It will work for our needs and allow my daughter to get out more comfortably. I only wish it wasn't so bulky and hard to fold up.
Double Jogging Stroller Reviews
Double Jogging Strollers
The Diary of a Wimpy Kid movie hits theaters March 19, 2010. This 20th Century Fox live action family comedy is based on the #1, best-selling kid series, written by Jeff Kinney. Rated PG, the Wimpy Kid comedy does have some crude language and humor.
The highly anticipated kid's film was originally going to be released on April 2, 2010 but the release date was thankfully moved up.
The Wimpy Kid series is Greg's humorous narration of his middle school misadventures. My daughter said, "most every kid in our school has read Diary of a Wimpy Kid." It is true, even the most reluctant young and even older reader enjoys the comic strip, hand-written style and comedy found in this novel series that is printed on lined pages.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid stars Zachary Gordon as Greg, Steve Zahn as Greg's dad and Rachael Harris as Greg's mom. Greg has a 'mean' older brother, Rodrick, a funny but 'annoying' little brother, Manny and 'embarrassing' best friend, Rowley.
The film covers Greg's first year of middle school. Other character favorites from the book series featured in this movie include: Fregley, Chirag, and Patty Farrell. I doubt that this will be the last movie to be made from the Wimpy Kid series. Check out the Diary of a Wimpy Kid movie trailer here.
Simple stick figure illustrations and adolescent humor turn into a hilarious film for the big screen that is sure to be a box office hit. My children and millions of other kids are sure to fill the theaters this March 2010 to see this funny film.
The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary will be in stores March 16, 2010 and includes new cartoons, details on the making of this film, and photos from the movie.
Other wonderful family films on the big screen in March 2010
Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland (PG) will be released March 5, 2010.
How to Train Your Dragon (PG) comes out March 26, 2010.
Hubble 3D (G) hits theaters March 19, 2010.
Our Family Wedding (PG-13) will be on the big screen March 12, 2010.
Sources:
Diary of a Wimpy Kid movie trailer, Wimpy Kid
Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland Sneak Peeks, Associated Content
Diary of a Wimpy Kid film, Wikipedia
March 2010 Movie Madness: Thrillers in Theaters that Share a Coincidental Theme, Associated Content
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