The Swiss Strolli Rider Takes the Mall in Stride

Here’s a product that made a huge splash at our local mall, and got two enthusiastic thumbs up from our three year old tester. The Swiss Strolli Rider ($140).

For a lot of parents, investing in a double stroller when you have a toddler and an infant, is just not worth the expense. Especially if your older child rarely rides in a stroller anymore. And yet there will be those moments when you are at the foodcourt at the mall, and the baby has a meltdown, and you know you need to get to the car (parked clear on the other side world) fast. Tell that to your three year old who just found it fascinating to hop on one foot beside you. Slowly.
Some people use a ride on board attached to their stroller to solve this mobility problem . But ride on boards can be tricky for some kids, particularly younger toddlers. At the end of the day, when their energy is flagging, it can be a challenge for them to hold on and balance. This is where the Strolli Rider has the advantage. With the Strolli Rider your child is seated on a padded seat, much like they would be on a bike. They have a footrest for their feet and handlebars to hold onto. The handlebars are height adjustable.
Something I especially liked about the Strolli Rider is that it does not affect your stride when pushing the stroller. With many ride on boards, the child stands between you and the stroller, and it can make pushing the stroller awkward. The Strolli Rider attaches to the rear corner of the stroller so the riding child is at your side and your stride is not at all affected.
We tested our Strolli Rider on a double stroller at the mall. It did not affect the stabilty of the stroller whatsoever and it was easy to manuever everywhere we went. Except for the fact that we were nearly mobbed by curious onlookers, wanting to know where to get one. This product definitely made quite the stir.
The Strolli-Rider attaches to a variety of stroller frames with the use of plastic adapters. I should note however, that out of ten strollers I checked for compatibility, I did find one stroller (the Maxi Cosi Foray) that the Strolli Rider could not attach to. Fortunately there is a Faq on the distibutors site that allows you to check if you will be able to attach the Strolli Rider to your stroller.
The recommended age range is 15 months to 44lbs. My 7 year old was a hair over at 45, but she was not too big to comfortably ride on one of these. And it looked too fun to her to pass up the opportunity. Both of my kids were all too happy to “ride a bike” at the mall. I would definitely recommend this product to parents who feel they don’t quite need a double stroller, but they still need options when out with multiple kids.