Aprica Presto

Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls, allow me to introduce you to the newest member of the Aprica family: Presto.
(OK, back up. Do you know about Aprica yet? You may not, but there’s a good chance your parents and grandparents do. You see, Aprica is a Japanese brand that used to be sold here in the US back in the day. They stopped selling in America for a short time, and are now back in the States in a big way.)
I was so excited to meet Presto, and we got to know each other very well over the course of a weekend spent with my 1-year-old niece. We went to the park together, ate meals together, and even rode in the car together (well, he was in the trunk and I was in the driver seat, but you get the point).
So what’s my take on him? I’ll give you the rundown.
Presto’s portability is outstanding. (As I just mentioned, we went all over town!) It has an easy push for sidewalk cruising and can even make it through the grassy patch on the way to the slides without much effort. Its fold is incredible. The actual build of the stroller is distinct from several other frontrunners in the lightweight category, and the absence of a hinge eliminates any potential pinch factor. The stroller slides open and closed instead, which is both safe and easy. And when the stroller is folded, it stands. All by itself! It stood compactly at the side of the table as we chowed down on gourmet pizzas and stuffed mushrooms (my niece has a refined palette—what can I say?), and the waitress was able to navigate around it without being the least bit inconvenienced. At just 13.7 pounds, Presto was also scooped up and loaded into the trunk of my car with ease. (It has a really nice carry strap, too, should ever you have to move it far when there’s not a kiddo strapped in. My niece was glued to my hip all weekend though—along with the stroller—so I didn’t have reason to use it much. However, I can envision several instances when it might come in handy, i.e., when you’re going boarding the plane at the airport, when hubby is unloading the suitcases and gear at your lake house, when your 13-year-old nephew offers to carry it while you carry the baby … )
I obviously enjoyed Presto, but how did it fare with my miniature visitor? Let’s just say they got along swimmingly. One of the most notable features of the Presto is that it sits up higher than similar strollers, which means two things: First, baby is a little closer to those walking around her and a little farther from the ground. She can see more and feel like she’s part of conversation around her. Second, it means I don’t have to bend over quite as far to strap her in, which is a really nice break for my back. But that’s turning the conversation to me. Ahem, back to the passenger … My sweet cherub stayed out of the sun, thanks to the generous canopy and bonus pop out sun visor. And she stayed cool—well, as cool as one can be in the 90+ degree heat!—thanks to the built-in seat ventilation. We adjusted the 5-point harness to a comfortable position for her, and she didn’t mind being strapped in one bit. Except for when she wanted to get out to pet the passing dog, of course. We used the drawstring mechanism to recline the seat—fairly significantly, especially for a lightweight stroller—when she was ready for a quick snooze and sat her back up when she was ready for more fun. We stowed everything we needed for the day in the roomy basket beneath her seat, and I was able to access her snacks and toys easily from the side. (The side access is key, since it’s not compromised when the seat is reclined. This is handy, for example, when you need to get into the diaper bag for wipes because you stopped by the popsicle stand while baby was sleeping and managed to drip melty strawberry juice down your front side. Not that I would know.) We didn’t have to use the included raincover thankfully, but it’s nice to know a little precipitation wouldn’t have put a damper on our activities.
Presto is recommended for babies from 3 to 4 months up to 70(!) pounds and is available in four fantastic colors: tea leaf green, loft brown, metro orange and highrise grey. I love all the colors, but think the grey is super cool. You may not have had the pleasure of meeting Presto in person just yet (he just launched today after all), but keep an eye out—you’re bound to run into him on the streets sometime soon.
Price: $199
To buy: aprica.com for stores