Dear Phil & Ted

Thank you for being amazing.

Thank you for creating awesome, safe products that help mommies and babies be safe and happy.

Thank you for being innovative, both in your products and in your community support.

Thank you for creating a brilliant "recycling" program!

Love, love, love,
A satisfied customer

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Okay, so I feel like that's all I need to say, but since I'm supposed to write a review, I'm not sure that is enough.  I teased you over a month ago with pictures of my new (to me) Phil&Teds Sport stroller, and then never told you about it!  I'm sorry about that!  Life's been crazy lately.  Life's been a LOT crazy.

One thing that's made life crazier, and at the same time much more sane, is that I have been exercising more!  If you know me personally, you may know that when I was a kid, I was very active.  In elementary and middle school, I was athletic.  (I was also on the Spell Bowl team.  That's a story for a different day.)  In high school, I was in marching band.  I carried a trumpet or a marching baritone, depending on the year.  I lifted weights.  I was sleek and strong.  I was a runner.  I played volleyball.  I played basketball.  I had energy to spare!  And then I grew up, got married, and had 3 kids.  Energy took a nosedive and so did my drive to be fit and healthy--until recently!  

When I decided to start exercising again, I knew that walking would be a staple and that I'd love to start running again.  I used to love it.  I stopped because of injuries, which still haunt me 15+ years later, but which I am confident I can overcome with training.  I never started again because I got lazy and didn't have the right equipment.  This became especially apparent when I had my third child.  Did you know it's hard to walk/jog/run while pushing a sit-n-stand double stroller?  They're heavy and awkward and weird.  So when I decided to start exercising, I realized I'd need a jogging stroller.  The trouble is, jogging strollers aren't cheap, and I didn't know anyone that could loan me one or hand one down to me.

The Scoop

Phil&Teds graciously agreed to sign me up for their Buggies For Good (BFG) program!  Buggies For Good is a program in which Phil&Teds accepts donations of used strollers, refurbishes them, and donates them to good causes.  There are some amazing stories on the Buggies for Good page of their blog!

I received my Phil&Teds Sport very quickly!

Of course, I wanted to put it together immediately.  It was refurbished and didn't come with instructions, though, and while much of the assembly was really intuitive, there were some parts I was unsure of.  I couldn't easily find the instructions, but a simple chat with a WONDERFUL live online customer service agent later and I had printed instructions in hand.  Overall assembly probably took me about 10 minutes.  I was SOOO excited to try it out!

The kids were more excited about the boxes.

Thank you, Phil & Ted, for providing my children with over three consecutive hours of interactive, quiet, cooperative play!  (Yes, the box is from an explorer, but the stroller itself is a sport.)

We have used and abused this stroller already, and I've certainly got a lot to say about it!

The Good

The doubler seat.  I love that it can be used on the front (infant-toddler formation) or on the back (toddler-toddler formation).  I love that it doesn't really add any length to the stroller either way!  It's great to have a double jogger that's really about the size of a single jogger!

The veratility!  I love that there are 4 different ways to adjust the front seat, from upright to totally flat!  I love that it can be used from birth as is, and I also love that there is an optional infant cocoon that offers additional security for a tiny baby.

The ride.  I love the smooth ride my boys get in this stroller!  We have a much cheaper brand of sit-n-stand stroller as well, which now sits in my garage.  The Sport from Phil&Teds is a MUCH smoother ride for the kid!  They're excited when they see it.  Stinky actually comes running!  Steering and handling are great as well.  I do need to pump up the tires a tad, but otherwise, the steering is super easy!

The Room.  The seats are plenty roomy for my munchkins!  In the single or infant/toddler position, the front seat can hold up to 88 pounds!  That's a BIG kid!  And in the toddler/toddler position, the front child can be up to 55 pounds and the back child up to 35 pounds!  This means that, with my children, we've got about 10 more front seat pounds AND 10 more back seat pounds before either of my little guys outgrow their positions!



The handlebar.  I love that the handlebar can be adjusted for taller and shorter drivers.  My hubby is about 6 inches taller than I am, but it's perfect for either of us!

The Bad


The brake.  I get frustrated every time I try to put the brake on or off.  It's a bar across the back of the stroller.  I like that it operates both wheels at the same time, but it is difficult to turn on and off.


The unfolding!  Folding isn't so bad. But the unfolding?  HORRIBLE!  It takes a long time.  It doesn't always work the first time.  I'm left with a baby in the car seat and two kids running circles around me as I try to get this stroller ready.  It's a little annoying that I have to remove the doubler seat every time I fold it, but I'm willing to make that sacrifice for the in-line feature!


The shins.  I told you I haven't run for a long time, so maybe I have crazy form, but I feel like I have to run REALLY weird in order to keep from hitting my shins on the doubler seat.  This isn't a problem when I'm walking, just when I'm running.


The pricetag.  In my "real" life, the one where I'm not a review blogger, but rather a stay at home mom in a one income family that has to make a lot of sacrifices in order to live without that second income, luxury is really not an option.  I understand that the quality and standards of Phil&Teds product are very high, but unfortunately that puts the prices out of range for moms like me.


The Evaluation


Overall, I really enjoy the Phil&Teds Sport!  As with any stroller, there are definite pro and cons.  For me, the pros outweigh the cons.  Most of my cons are more of annoyances, anyway, rather than actual problems.  I have done a lot of reading, and from my understanding, most of my "cons" have been corrected or updated in newer models.  (The Sport is still available from amazon.com but is no longer available straight from Phil&Teds...although you COULD potentially buy all the parts and build one yourself!) I love my Sport stroller!  


Phil&Ted, you get two thumbs WAY up from this mama!