If I owned a monkey I would definitely let it sit on my shoulder during trips into town, but my own little monkey, Freddy, is just too heavy to sit on my shoulder, so he needs to use a stroller during those shopping trips. Our previous stroller, the Tesco Value, had served us well, but recently needed replacing after a year of service. Having had my belief that as far as strollers goes you don't need to spend a small fortune on designer names to get a decent product, I decided to look for some cheap wheels. This time round I decided that I'd like the stroller to have a lie back function as that had been the one thing I thought was missing from the Tesco Value Stroller. After spending a short while researching different strollers, I plumped for the Tippitoes Move Stroller in charcoal grey that I purchased from Amazon for the princely sum of £34.99 (including delivery).
Unlike many fancier (and more expensive) strollers the Move arrived fully assembled, only needing to be opened out to be ready to use. Opening the Move is as simple as shaking it out and then pushing the lock down with your foot, something that can easily be performed one handed while carrying a toddler in the other hand. Closing the Move is a little more difficult, there is a safety mechanism that must be engaged before pulling the stroller closed via a webbing handle. Although this is something that can technically be performed one-handed, it's not something I can normally manage while trying to hold onto a toddler's hand. Weighing in at 6kg (13.2lb) the Move is certainly not the lightest of strollers, but it is certainly still light enough for me to lift into car boots and folding down to just 108cm x 25cm x 14.5cm it is small enough to even fit in a hatchback. When folded it is also small enough to fit into a corner for storage and will stand almost upright leant against a wall with the brakes engaged.
Once fully opened the Move stands far taller than most bargain basement strollers, with a handle height of 101cm, it is perhaps a little tall for those of the short persuasion (like me), but perfect for medium and taller operators. Daddy far prefers the handle height to other strollers we've owned, while it's taken me a while to get used to it. As seems to be standard with strollers nowadays the front wheels can be set to either swivel or fixed, and as always I prefer swivel which gives good manoeuvrability. I have no trouble negotiating tight spaces or sharp curves and have no trouble lifting the Move up and down curbs or on and off public transport. Although in reality not the lightest of strollers, the Move does feel very light in operation, even when loaded with a heavy toddler it is no chore to push, and I barely break a sweat even when pushing uphill. Rather than being coated with foam, the two handles have a plastic coating and while it's good that these don't absorb sweat and discolour, they do become slippery on warmer days. The rear brakes are operates via a lever at the bottom rear of the Move, are easy to engage with one foot and hold the stroller surprisingly firmly, even the sudden movements of a bus don't cause them to disengage. There is a small shopping basket under the seat, it's just large enough to hold four pints of milk, but bags can also be placed over the handles.
Being charcoal grey the Move is definitely unisex in design and I do like that the fabric doesn't show up every speck of dirt. Although the material cannot be removed from the frame for washing it can be wiped with a cloth, dries quickly and doesn't absorb liquids. The seat and backrest are lightly padded, which provides an amount of comfort for the rider and the backrest can also be adjusted from upright though to approximately three quarter lie back. I particularly like the way this stroller lies back, firstly because it goes fully upright (which a previous stroller didn't) and secondly because I can fully adjust the level of lie back. On first appearance the back rest does seem a little on the short side, but this is an optical illusion caused by the height of the handles. Freddy is a tall two year old and his head is fully supported when laying back. The seat is of a good depth, not so deep that Freddy is lost in it, but not so shallow that his bum hangs off. The foot rest is also perfectly positioned for two year old Freddy to rest his feet while travelling or step on to get into the seat. For extra security the Move comes complete with a fully adjustable five point harness and additional D-rings. The harness is easily adjusted at all five points, meaning that it can be adjusted to fit a six month old or large toddler and everything in between. I particularly like that the crotch strap is adjustable, as this is something that is often neglected and yet makes the fit that much better.
Surprisingly for such a cheap stroller, the Move comes complete with a hood and rain cover. The hood clips into place and when opened is of a reasonable size and reasonably good at keeping the sun out of Freddy's eyes. One slight problem with the hood is that it doesn't fit as securely on the frame as I would like, it does tend to pop off if leant on a little too heavily. The rain cover can only be utilised while the hood is opened and fits onto the hood via a pair of poppers and then to the bottom of the stroller frame via Velcro strips. The rain cover actually does a pretty good job, far better than I expected. It manages to cover most of Freddy, with only the tip of his toes poking out and the hood holds it a good distance from his face. It certainly managed to keep Freddy dry in a shower today.
Although we've not had the Move for very long (about a month), so far I'm very happy with it. I was immediately impressed when I received it that I didn't need to perform any assembly before first use and that it came complete with hood and rain cover. Although it took me a few journeys to get used to the extra handle height, it's no comfortable to push, highly manoeuvrable, and appears very durable. I won't say that Freddy is particularly happy to be put in this stroller, (he's a toddler, he'd far prefer to be running around), but he does seem comfortable and secure once strapped in. He is certainly comfortable enough to sleep, when in lay back position and he seems happy enough when upright.
If you're looking for a cheap, reasonably light, fairly compact, lie back stroller for a baby or toddler over the age of 6 months, then the Tippitoes Move is a pretty good option that I have no hesitation in recommending. In fact I would go as far as giving it five stars out of five and should I need to replace it before Freddy is completely ready to give up his wheels then I will be replacing like for like.
