Uppababy is an American company that makes high-quality car seat and stroller baby products that fit the need of every parent in style. For the past 30 years, Uppababy have been mastering the baby industry through the owners’ experiences of being parents themselves.
About Uppababy
Bob the owner and product developer, has his own personal background when it comes to invention and development for companies like Ford, Reebok, The First Years, and Safety First. Lauren, the other half of the ownership and the company’s salesperson, runs the test facility (AKA their home) and uses her Reebok licensing experience to keep Bob sane and provide strategic and legal input to the company.
Together, Bob and Lauren explore ways to provide comfort, safety, convenience, and style to moms and dads who are still discovering the joy of parenthood. Their products, although they challenge the common look for most baby products, also meets the industry standards required by the Juvenile Product Manufacturing Association (JPMA) and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).
What sets Uppababy apart?
They count on personal experience as parents to continuously develop and innovate products. Other than their products, Uppababy also boasts excellent customer services which lead to recommendations from one parent to another. They have their Uppababy Gives Back Program in partnership with charitable institutions, and initiatives that include product donations, monetary donations, and volunteerism.
Uppababy MINU Review: What’s in the Package?
The box includes the Uppababy MINU stroller frame, a storage bag, rain cover, and a welcome pack. The ‘welcome pack’ provides the necessary information and a visual manual that can be very helpful most especially to new parents and caregivers. Usually, the paperwork is put aside but the folder is much more than that. It contains helpful instructions on how to maximize the MINU as well as the warranty packet for the registration of the product.
The drawstring storage bag is also useful especially for travelling and tucking away. The assembly is quite easy by just popping the wheels and add the hood which usually completes in a matter of seconds.
Price and Dimensions
The Uppababy MINU stroller is a product designed for children’s daily adventure with parents and caregivers. Modelled for exciting excursions, the Uppababy MINU stroller offers modern conveniences in a portable, lightweight stroller. Its true weight, which includes the canopy, wheels, and basket, is around 14.8 lbs. and its dimensions when not folded are 35.5” L x 20.5” W x 41” H while the MINU is 11.5” L x 20.5” W x 23” H when folded.
Weight Limits For The Uppababy MINU Stroller
The Uppababy MINU can carry infants as small as 3 months up to children 50 lbs. in weight or around 3 years old. It offers a special option to be able to use for newborn babies with an additional purchase. It is still very much a lightweight stroller, but retains a definite sense of body, seeing from the solid chassis and all its stroller frame components.
Color Options
The Uppababy MINU is available in several color options: light grey with silver frame and chestnut leather, black with carbon frame and black leather, charcoal with silver frame and black leather, and teal with silver frame and saddle leather. Uppababy also offers complimentary swatches for those who cannot go directly to the store for a closer look to touch and feel the fabrics. It is where unsure parents and caregivers are given the choice of up to four swatches to be shipped directly to them for free so they can guide their big decision.
Accessories
The following accessories can be attached to the Uppababy MINU, and can be bought as add-ons to your Uppababy MINU package:
- Carry-all parent organizer is made up of black neoprene fabric with Velcro attachments. It keeps essentials easily accessible and conceals valuables in a zippered pocket. The Uppababy MINU parent organizer also holds various sized beverages and bottles and is mounted through its threaded holes.
- CozyGanoosh is a plush footmuff that keeps your little one warm whatever the weather. Featuring a neck warmer and adjustable hood, it promises to keep baby covered on all sides. When not in use, the neck warmer folds over the bumper bar using magnetic snaps, while the hood rolls over the back of the stroller and out of the way if unused. The Uppababy MINU CozyGanoosh also provides zip out extension for growing children.
- Adapters for Maxi-Cosi, Nuna and Cybex infant carriers are available in a set which allows you to fit another infant car seat to the frame of the stroller. This convenient Uppababy MINU adapter will take the baby from the car to the road faster and with ease for parents and caregivers. It creates more space between the primary and secondary seats, with color-coded indicators for proper installment, quick and no-tools required for attachment, and the capability of the MINU stroller to be folded even with the adapters on.
- Adapter for the multi-awarded MESA infant car seat is also offered to allow the MESA car seat to fit into the frame of the MINU stroller. It has LATCH system that provides quick and secure attachment and color-coded dots to indicate left and right direction. However, Uppababy MINU adapters must be removed to be able to fold the stroller, but storage bag is included for added protection.
What Sets Uppababy MINU Apart?
Car Seat Compatibility
The Uppababy MINU is compatible with the Uppababy MESA car seat upon purchase as add-on and can also be paired with other non-Uppababy brands with adapters, which can be left connected to the stroller frame during folding.
Despite being a lightweight stroller, the Uppababy MINU is designed to keep up with growing children. The stroller has a spacious seat that holds up to 50 lbs. The seat is 33.52 cm wide and the backrest 44 cm high. Its multi-position recline allows the child to relax for a nap or sit upright to take in the sights. Not only is it wide, but the bonus is that it is also deep which means the little one is safely sitting in the stroller rather than ‘on’ the seat.
The Uppababy MINU has a gradual recline which can be released by squeezing the plastic clip at the back of the seat with one hand. The Uppababy MINU recline system is so clever that it allows for infinite positions between upright and around 40 degrees using the easy and smooth use of buttons without disturbing the baby inside the seat. By pulling the two straps to put it upright again, however, the parent or caregiver needs both hands in the process. Because the seat is not fully reclined, Uppababy MINU is only suitable from 6 months or when the baby is able to hold their head and body weight confidently. The furthest recline is not flat but still makes a comfortable sleeping position for the little one.
One-Hand Folding
Uppababy boasts of the MINU stroller’s one-handed, one-step fold. The MINU can be folded in one smooth motion, thanks to the slide tab button along the handlebar. This compact stroller easily folds itself into thirds, making it squat and almost square and self-standing. It is equipped with an automatic lock for safety. It folds so neatly that it is the perfect-sized travel stroller for keeping in the corner of the house or in the boot of the car, leaving plenty of room for other luggage. The Uppababy MINU carrier handle is ergonomically placed for comfort in carrying, and even has shoulder straps for when the necessity of having two hands free again. Unfolding however, requires two hands but it poses no difficulty at all.
The compact measurements of the folded stroller also mean that the Uppababy MINU should fit into most overhead compartment on planes, but it is recommended to check with the airline first before bringing the MINU on the plane. For smaller aircrafts, it is also more secure to check in the MINU in its TravelSafe Travel Bag.
Wheels and Brakes
The shock-absorbing, all-wheel suspension of the Uppababy MINU ensures a comfortable ride for both parent and baby. The wheels are described as ‘spring action’ with all-round suspension, and the wheels may be small but they give the smoothest of rides. The back wheels are slightly larger than the front wheels as they seem to be sturdy and cope well with different surfaces. Even over gravel and grass the wheels managed wonderfully well, because of the suspension that is featured on all four wheels as well as the great quality tire material, which is more rubber than plastic. The Uppababy MINU has better maneuverability than many lightweight strollers on flat surfaces: it is easy to push, allowing room for a longer stride. Moving off-road is more challenging but it negotiates small spaces and crowded streets with ease.
The brake is a push-button brake system operated by foot, with two brake buttons located at the sides of the Uppababy MINU rear wheel chassis. The single-action brakes of the Minu are color-coded: the button next to the left wheel is green, to release the brake, while the button next to the right wheel is red, to engage the brakes. This can be slightly confusing to start with, but the brakes are certainly reliable and rock-steady on every occasion.
Basket
Small folding strollers often compromise on basket space, but this is not the case with Uppababy MINU. The storage basket space is an open-ended luggage compartment with high mesh on the sides for easy accessibility from front and back, with the sides keeping everything in place. Whether using the Uppababy MINU daily for shopping and days out or if taking it on holiday, this is definitely a storage space that is designed to be used.
Fabric and Maintenance
The Uppababy MINU seat pad outer fabrics are made of 64% cotton, 21% modal, 8% nylon and 6% polyurethane. The seat’s inner fabrics are comprised of 100% polyester while the padding is 100% polyurethane foam.
It may be a small touch, but we also loved the clever lining of the Uppababy MINU hood on the inside of the pushchair – it is white and reflective, keeping your baby’s space cool, and is also super-soft to make sure your little ones are as comfortable as can be.
Removing and attaching the Uppababy MINU fabrics can be done by simply sliding the two connectors at the top of each side of the seat to release from the four notches found underneath the MINU seat.
For the seat and canopy fabrics, spot clean or hand wash in cold water with mild detergent. For the plastic parts, spot cleaning using warm water with mild detergent is advised and bleaching should be avoided. Towel it dry completely before reusing or storage.
Canopy
As with all forward-facing buggies, the child has to turn round to speak, or the parent has to stop and crouch. However, the Uppababy MINU does have a generous peekaboo window which allows to check on your child. The mesh peek-a-boo window is very large and has a cover with magnetic closure that avoids the ripping sounds when the little one is asleep in the seat. The peek-a-boo window also doubles as a ventilation mesh, which was great for the recent sweltering weather.
In true Uppababy style, the hood is fantastic, as it is adaptable, provides great coverage and features the pop-out sunshade. The canopy is large and covers over the knees of the little one with a pull-out visor for additional coverage.
The UPF 50 canopy is great and if parents and caregivers are familiar with the VISTA travel system, then this is the miniature version. It may be mainly due to the silver reflective pull-down visor, which gives super-safe shading on sunnier days.
What is Uppababy From Birth Kit for MINU?
The Uppababy MINU can have an additional accessory that is helpful for parents and caregivers with newborn. The ‘From Birth Kit’ offered by the company is an add-on that transforms the MINU stroller into an ideal resting place for the newborn baby as this product allows the infant to lay down completely flat. It can be used from newborn up to 20 lbs. and the infant carrier attaches to the stroller in seconds. It also has the same 5-point harness like all the other Uppababy car seats for added security.
The canopy offers UPF 50 sunshade and has an extendable feature for larger babies, and unzips if not needed or to provide added airflow. The fabric of the mattress is soft jersey knit, which is machine washable so parents and caregivers can just toss it in the wash after removing the zip on-off boot cover. This Uppababy From Birth Kit can be purchased with the Uppababy MINU stroller for an add-on $129.99 with color options to choose from that are equally flattering with the Uppababy MINU.
Overall Quality
The Uppababy MINU is as nice as they come with a stylish appearance and thoughtful design. It has a sturdy frame and limited visual connectors for a product that has a compact fold. The foam-filled wheels are sturdier and less likely to dent than those found on cheaper models, and the fabric feels durable. If parents or caregivers are looking for a sturdy but stylish, lightweight and compact everyday stroller, then the MINU is a great choice.
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