Baby Jogger City Elite Review by Roberta

First Impressions

When the Baby Jogger City Elite arrived I struggled to see how the tiny box could hold my new off road pushchair! Taking it out of the box and putting it together was so easy and took minutes, attach the hood, pop on the easy to remove wheels, and velcro on the very handy built in parent console and you are ready to go!

Now having had a ‘few’ Baby Joggers previously I have to confess to immediately thinking that the Elite was too big. The hood height seemed huge and the length of the buggy when standing behind it seemed so much bigger than the City Mini and Out ‘n’ About Nipper 360 I was used to. The wheels are massive, so the verdict was definitely out. 

First Outing

The first outing with the Baby Jogger Elite was at my nieces horse riding lesson, so it was in its element walking through country lanes. My little girl was extremely comfortable (2years old and 100cm tall). It was very easy to push and I could easily find a comfortable handle height by adjusting the handle. The fold is as easy as all Baby Joggers but I did notice it feeling very heavy when lifting to put it in the car.

Details

Hood – the hood on the Elite is amazing. Possibly the best hood ever that I have tried, the fabric feels and looks expensive, it is lined so feels much more luxurious than the City Mini. Another massive improvement in it is that the viewing windows are secured by magnets not by velcro! Now when you have a child that is a light a sleeper as mine you will know the value of that! I also love the opening windows in the side of the hood to let ventilation in, these made my daughter happy to have the hood fully extended on a sunny day as she didn’t feel so ‘enclosed’ by it.

The hood also makes the Elite (along with the other Baby Joggers) the only pushchair my daughter has ever properly slept in. She is so comfy in there and it is lovely and dark she has even managed to nap in a busy coffee shop – unheard of previously. The hood is also brilliant for keeping the child sheltered from wind and unexpected rain showers.

Parent console and storage - I was very happy to find an included parent console on the Baby Jogger Elite having previously had to buy one for my other Baby Joggers. This console has three pouches made out of fabric and as it is quite slim was only really good for carrying the house keys, tissues, a small purse and drinks bottle. However the Elite also has a huge shopping basket and net storage pouch on the back of the seat, so I never ran out of places to put things and easily carried enough for a day out at a theme park and the beach without carrying anything myself.

Wheels – The wheels on the Baby Jogger Elite are huge! I love the fact that they are ‘forever air’, the thought of getting a puncture is the thing that worried me most about the Nipper, they make pushing over sand, grass, gravel, mud so easy and it really is a dream to push.

Handle – The handle height on the Elite is adjustable which means it is easy to find a comfortable height. I am not keen on the rubber of the handle and tend to prefer a foam handle, although at least with the rubber it is easy to keep clean and doesn’t run the risk of getting tears.

I find the handle quite far away from the pushchair and tended to end up holding the bar that the parent console hangs from, the handle makes the pushchair feel very long.

Seat – The seat of the Elite is very padded and comfortable, I find the recline very easy to use, and can recline my sleeping child smoothly without waking her. The seat is very deep so she has always looked very comfortable even with a chunky footmuff and snowsuit on. I have never needed to utilise the adjustable footrest due to her age, but would have appreciated that function when she was smaller.

Fold- The fold is as easy as any Baby Jogger, with unpopping the safety straps and a simple pull of the fold strap it folds easily in half. It is very compact when folded and could easily fit in the boot of my mini by simply popping one back wheel off!! Impressive stuff for such a substantial pushchair!

Accessories – I used the Elite with the Baby Jogger belly bar, and always felt like that made my child look more enclosed and protected, she also likes to hold onto a belly bar when in any pushchair. It did mean however she wasn’t able to climb in and out of the pushchair on her own, and that I had to lift her in and out over the bumper bar. 

Conclusion

The Baby Jogger City Elite easily rates in my top 5 pushchairs that I have owned, easy to use, luxurious, comfortable, classy looking and extremely practical. Even the husband likes to push this one! The downsides to the Elite for us are the weight of it to lift in and out of the car (My mother in law often has my child and was not able to lift it), wide wheels at the back meant it was a fine art to get through the door of our local shop, and the length of the pushchair meant that although as previously mentioned the only one she has slept in, I would avoid taking it into town as I felt like a pavement hog!

All in all, although my Baby Jogger City Elite has now gone to a new home, I am sure at some point if we are blessed with another child we will buy another 