For jogger moms and dads with small children, choosing one of the best jogging strollers for a toddler, or tall kid can lead to enjoyable jogging experience for the whole family. At toddler ages of 1 to 3 years, child development is rapid, particularly in weight, height, speech, recognition and how they explore things around them.
Jogging strollers purchased to suit your child’s need at only the early months may no longer be suitable when a toddler, and as your child grow taller. Many active parents prefer a baby jogger they can use from infant to preschool years.
At toddler and preschool ages, your child would have grown so big and tall that the wrong choice of jogging stroller leaves you with a stroller with seat too tight and discomforting for your toddler. If the roof of the canopy is too low, tall kids bounce their head against it – and that can’t be fun. With the increasing weight of your child, the suspension system may not be doing a good job of absorbing the bumps on rough terrains that will smoothen and make the rides comfortable for your child.
Choose the right baby jogger for your toddler, and you have won a happy little companion that will always look forward to having fun with you when you go out to jog. But the wrong choice can spell trouble ahead.
Our choice of a jogging stroller for toddler is the is the BOB Revolution Flex 3.0, a newer and much improved version of the Revolution SE.
We made our pick from detailed reviews of important features on ten strollers that are popular with parents on Amazon. Information used in our reviews was gathered from manufacturers’ specifications, user manuals, videos and parents satisfaction ratings on Amazon. Investing on a quality jogging stroller can be expensive, but many that are suitable for toddlers can be used for infants from an early age and last till preschool.
Before making a purchase, check features that will allow your infant to grow with a baby jogger – a decision that could save you money from buying another jogger later.
The Safety & Comfort of your Toddler
The safety of your toddler is paramount in any jogging stroller. All the strollers we reviewed have the 5 point safety harnesses that meet international safety standards. Some however are better padded to give toddlers a secure but snug fitting.
Apart from a well padded safety harness, quality baby joggers come with plush seats you can recline in many angles to give your toddler the best position to view the surrounding features as they whizz by. A hand brake is very useful for better control of the jogger, particularly on hills and slopes. Check for a wrist strap that can be used to keep a stroller safely secure to your wrist if you ever lose grip of the handlebar.
Choose a stroller with plenty of storage, and pockets within easy reach of your toddler for snacks; drinks and toys to keep him or she engaged. One baby jogger on our top ten reviews has in-built speakers for MP3 players to entertain your toddler on the go with your favorite musics.
Capacity of the Jogging Stroller
Every jogging stroller has a weight limit. The capacity of most single joggers is about 50 pounds, but a few can take children up to 75 pounds in weight. The size of the seats also varies – the narrower a baby jogger, the smaller the seat tend to be. If your toddler is chubby, go for baby joggers with wider seats to ensure plenty of space.
Jogging strollers in the higher weight capacity are better suited for the rapidly increasing weight of toddlers. They also tend to be more ruggedly built with superior shock absorbers that can last from infant to preschool age of a child.
Height of the Canopy
Do not over look the height of the canopy when choosing a baby jogger for toddlers. It is one of the common complaints made by parents – toddlers growing too fast, and before you know it, their heads are hitting the roof of the canopy. Some parents in this situation take off the canopy, but it is an important feature in a baby jogger that protects your children from the elements, shielding them from rain, wind, and harmful UV rays from the some. Check the height of the canopy before buying a jogging stroller.
Ruggedly Built to Last
Most of the popular jogging strollers we reviewed are constructed with aluminium of varying strength and lightness between brands. Some manufacturers claim aircraft strength aluminium frames in their baby joggers, and you can see this in the rugged look and feel of some of the baby joggers. Go for an all aluminium frame and wheels design, with pneumatic tires that will make pushing the weight of a toddler easier.
The effectiveness of the suspension system to absorb shocks over bumps, and adjust to the increasing weight of toddlers can help keep them comfortable and happy. Parents have remarked that good shock absorbers lull their fussy toddlers to sleep allowing them more time to jog and run.
Popular baby joggers we selected for our reviews were score from 1 to 5 on each of these important features. The best suited for a toddler on each feature scored 5, and the least performer scored 1. The baby jogger with the highest total score was selected as our top choice jogging stroller for a toddler.
Bob Revolution Flex Single Stroller came out top on our list as the best choice for a toddler. One of the most compact baby joggers, yet when unfolded it is one of the largest joggers, with ultra padded reclining seat and multi position canopy for extra head room for toddlers. The 5 point harness is tightened with easy to pull rings to secure your toddler. Built with high strength alumumum frame, and yet light weight, Bob Revolution SE will carry a child weighing up to 70lb – a far greater weight capacity than other baby joggers on our list at average baby weight limit of 50lb.
It has a unique shock absorbing system that can be adjusted to match the varying weight of a growing toddler and deliver exceptionally smooth ride. Storage on the Bob Revolution is plentiful to hold all your stuffs when you go out jogging.
If you are jogging with two infants or toddlers, Bob Revolution Flex can be purchased in a double side-by-side Duallie version. Read our full review of the BOB Revolution
The Joovy Zoom 360 Swivel Wheel Jogging Stroller came close #2 in our review with slightly higher toddler weight capacity of 75lb and seat that is raised higher for better viewing position for toddlers.
The Bob Revolution SE however is a better all rounder in our opinion with the highest parents’ satisfaction rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars. For infants too young to be safely secured in the large seat, the jogger can be fitted with an optional infant Car Seat Adapter that allows you to take a infants on stroll or walk at an early age, and when they are old enough, the same baby jogger will take them jogging and running.
My top 2 jogging stroller for toddlers are shown side by side in the pictures below. The Bob Revolution SE and Joovy Zoom 360 are both swivel front wheel strollers, a feature that makes them very agile, easy to turn in corners and crowded places. They can be purchased in different colors.
#1 – BOB Revolution SE Single Stroller Black
#2 – Joovy Zoom 360 Swivel Wheel Jogging Stroller Blue
Bob Revolution Flex Single Stroller could be the only baby jogger you will ever need to buy. It is versatile with a swivel wheel that turns corners easily in crowded shopping malls and city sidewalks, and easily converts to a fixed wheel that is more stable and tracks exceptional well for straight line jogging.
Where can i buy a secondhand Bob revolution SE single stroller.
Hi Marie,
It depends on your country. If you able to make purchases from eBay, it is a good place to look for used Bob Revolution strollers. The double are more available, but if you keep a watch for a single stroller, you can find one.
Jeff