First Stop Valco:

Okay I have to state my bias which is that we love Valco strollers. Not only are they beautiful to look at but they are made beautifully and push like a dream. Valco manages to incorporate many of the features parents really want, good storage space, nice tall canopies, good padding with innovative features parents need (think Twin Trimode with Toddler Seat), all wrapped up in a quality package.

However, I have to admit. When I think Valco I only think strollers. . . perhaps that needs to change.

Valco is releasing their first highchair in the US market. The Valco Highchair has clean lines, comes with a removable tray, easy to clean fabrics and a great price point (around $150ish). The best part however is it’s super quick and flat fold. Whether you are looking for a perfect second highchair for Grandma’s, or you are just looking for simplicity and easy storage, the Valco highchair should be high on your list. ETA is still up in the air but we will keep you updated!

Last year the show Valco debuted a Twin side-by-side stroller, the Ion that I adored. I kept asking Mr Valco USA when it was coming out. He finally told me the engineers couldn’t get the stroller with great fold under 30” wide and it wasn’t worth it to come out with a wider than 30” lightweight. I agreed but was sad.

Well they did it! Hurray! I love this twin stroller. It is so easy to fold, has a fabulous basket, is under 30” wide and it is really light. We weighed it in at 27 lbs! Wow! Even Mr Valco USA didn’t know how light it was. The seas have full recline, nice canopies and it pushes really well. I can’t wait for his double to hit the market as it is one of my favorite lightweight twins. The bad news will be the price which I think is in the $500’s. Quality costs, especially these days with rising material costs.

Valco is also working on a couple of lighter-weight 3 wheelers.  One of them we really liked.  It is lighter than the current trimode, has a bigger canopy, and a colored metal footrest that looked spiffy.  It also had EVA foam tires (ala Bugaboo 2008) instead of air tires for a maintenance free ride.  It would retail slighly higher ($20 or so) above the current Trimode model.

They are also releasing a “budget” model called the Matrix.  This is a big seller in their native Australia.  We didn’t like it that much but it is slated to debut in the $300s for people who don’t want to pay $480 for their 3-wheeler.  It will have air tires but a lesser shock system, lower quality fabric ,less padding and overall a little less pleasing of an aesthetic - but it will be slightly lighter due to its more limited features.

On the cute accessories note: Valco should be releasing wheel lights soon. These lightup when your wheel spins or great visibility at night and fun during the day!

On to Inglesina. . .

Inglesina has been plagued by distribution issue for the past 6 months.   They promise things are on the upswing but that is something to be aware of if you are interested in Inglesina strollers.

 They have made a few great redesigns to their popular Zippy stroller.  The handlebars are now extendable for taller users (about 3 inches) and they can rotate in for a more ergonomic push.  Angling in handlebars also makes 2 handlebar strollers easier to push with one hand in my experience.

Inglesina has also streamlined the Zippy colors and is sticking with 5 basic ones, Black, Navy, Rust Orange, Chocolate and Khaki/Yellow  .  The price is also going up the $399.  Despite my distribution worries, the Inglesina Zippy is a solid mid-weight stroller which they have only improved this year!

Inglesina is still offering the Trip and the Swift if 3 colors with no changes. They have however removed all doubles from their line including the Twin Swift and the Domino stroller. Fans of these two will be disappointed but most others won’t even notice the missing stroller lines.

The beautiful Classica pram is coming in a Khaki color that is lovely.

Micralite - Toro and Fastfold 2

The Toro has an improved closing mechanism to make it easier for people to figure it out initially. Otherwise Micralite is sticking with a good thing and leaving the Toro pretty much alone.  The new Toro color for 2009 will be a nice deep red in addition to the Stone, Charcoal, Orange and Emerald Green currenly on their line.

Yes you read right.  Micralite is bringing back an updated Fastfold version with the better open and close of the newest Micralite Toro.  Otherwise the Fastfold version 2 will have the same seat (no recline), same canopy and same basket.

We’re getting closer and closer to the giveaway so if you have any more questions you need answers to, please let us know and enter yourselves in our giveaway at the same time!

Also quick heads-up that you want to join our mailing list from our home page for great deals in the coming months as we clear out 2008 inventory and get ready for the new 2009 stock!