Chicco Viaro Stroller & Travel System Review

Chicco is a popular brand offering budget-friendly baby accessories featured with high quality. Usually, inexpensive price is the result of the lack of some advanced features available in the priciest items available on the market, yet, in practice, many parents can perfectly make do without the majority of these exclusive properties. The Chicco Viaro stroller that is also available as a part of a travel system is one of such products. If you are searching for a solution suitable for your child right from birth and up to toddlerhood for a reasonable price, I suppose, the Chicco Viaro travel system might be a really good choice for you.

chicco viaro

Chicco Viaro Travel SystemWeight and dimensionsMajor advantages
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Weight: stroller – 18 lbs, infant car seat – 9.5 lbs
Unfolded dimensions: 38″ x 25.5″ x 41.25″
Folded dimensions: 13.5″ x 25.5″ x 33.25″
Chicco Viaro is a great travel system including a quite lightweight stroller suitable for children up to their toddlerhood as well as KeyFit 30 that is one of the best infant car seats. I like the fact the travel system is really affordable and its price includes such important accessories as a tray for a child and a tray for a parent.

Contents

What is Chicco Viaro?

Chicco Viaro is a quite light stroller weighing only 18 lbs and, still, suitable for being used with an infant car seat. Chicco Viaro itself is earmarked for children starting from the age of 6 months and ending approximately around the third year since the maximum weight capacity of its toddler seat is 50 lbs.

The special technology used in this stroller makes it possible to attach any infant car seat of the Chicco’s KeyFit and Fit2 series. You can estimate the overall cost of Chicco Viaro and one of these infants seats bought separately on Amazon. There, you will also find a travel system which is a ready-to-use set including Chicco Viaro and one of the best Chicco’s infant car seats that is KeyFit 30. If you purchase an entire travel system or get one of the compatible infant car seats as well as the Chicco Viarro stroller, you will be able to use these items without purchasing any additional strollers. As you can imagine, such an investment saves your money, time and place at home.

The dimensions and fold of Chicco Viaro

Before we start speaking about the seating positions of the Chicco Viaro travel system as well as its other parts, it will be sensible to check its dimensions and fold.

Chicco Viaro is a stroller designed primarily for urban use which means parents expect it to be quite compact. Fortunately, it is true, and the stroller is not only light, but it is also convenient for navigating in the city. These are the dimensions of an unfolded stroller: 38″ x 25.5″ x 41.25″ (L x W x H). Of course, you might find slimmer strollers on the market, however, such dimensions are really good for a full-size stroller.

chicco viaro folding

Folding Chicco Viaro is quite simple. There is a special handle located in the middle of the toddler seat that must be pulled in order to close the stroller in half. The handle can be easily found once you lift the padding of the seat. I like the fact it is possible to fold the stroller only with one hand. Furthermore, a folded stroller will stand itself which is actually a great feature.

The fold of the stroller is quite compact featured with the following dimensions: 13.5″ x 25.5″ x 33.25″. These dimensions make it easy to carry the stroller in hands, albeit, it might take extra space in the trunk of your car. I will recommend you to detach the child tray that is included into the price of the travel system when you fold the stroller.

The only thing I do not particularly like about Chicco Viaro is the fact its fold can’t be locked. Sometimes it proves to be quite useful.

The Chicco Viaro travel system: seating positions

As I have mentioned above, Chicco Viaro can be purchased separately as a regular stroller. In such a case, you will be able to use only a toddler seat. Providing you wish to get a multifunctional version of this pram, you should look at the Chicco Viaro travel system or buy a compatible Chicco infant car seat separately.

I will begin my review of the seating options of the Chicco Viaro with its infant car seat as this is the first seat your child will use.

KeyFit 30

Frankly speaking, I am really pleased the manufacturer has added exactly this infant car seat to the travel system set. Of course, there are many other great infant car seats produced by Chicco, yet, KeyFit 30 is a real best-seller on the current market. That is so because KeyFit 30 is an extremely comfortable and secure infant car seat that is available for a relatively small price.

If you get the Chicco Viaro travel system, you will be able to use it with KeyFit 30 right after the birth of your child since this infant car seat is suitable for babies weighing at least 4 lbs. A removable pillow will make the ride especially convenient for the smallest children. The maximum capacity of this unit is 30 lbs which means you will be still able to use it in your car even when your child switches to the toddler seat in the stroller.

chicco viaro keyfit 30

The infant car seat is extra safe as it is using a base designed for advanced absorption of shocks during a collision. This base can be installed in your car without any difficulties as it has bubble-level indicators assisting you on finding the most appropriate position. The car seat is lined with EPS which is a particular type of foam used for energy absorption. As you can guess, this layer is a perfect safety measure. Furthermore, KeyFit 30 has 5-point harness.

Whenever you want to use the travel system, you can just position KeyFit 30 on the toddler seat and press it until there is a characteristic “click” sound. This can be done easily without any special effort and the same is true during the transition to the car seat base.

There is one crucial fact about the Chicco Viaro travel system you need to know. Its toddler seat is installed permanently on the frame. This means KeyFit 30 is attached to the stroller which still has its toddler seat. I know, not every parent likes such a combination of seats, but there is no need for worries as KeyFit 30 is also known for its extremely small weight of 9.5 lbs. This means, the travel system won’t be too heavy even with two seats. Furthermore, using an infant car seat with a toddler seat simultaneously allows you to unfold the canopy of the toddler seat for extra protection of your child. The canopy of KeyFit 30 is removable.

If you wish to find out how much a KeyFit 30 infant car seat costs itself, you can visit Amazon.

The toddler seat

When you child gains appropriate neck control, you can start using the main seat of the Chicco Viaro stroller. The manufacturer claims it is suitable for children older than six months, therefore, you shouldn’t try using it with younger infants. The fact is the seat doesn’t provide a complete lying position and it is too spacious for the youngest children, that is why it is definitely not the best option for transporting babies below the age of 6 months.

Still, if your child is already 6 months, the toddler seat of Chicco Viaro will be a very comfortable seating option for him or her. For example, the technology used in this stroller includes infinite recline which means the backrest can be reclined just as you wish and you won’t need to choose from limited possible positions. You can easily recline the backrest with one hand, yet, you will need both hands for raising it. Unfortunately, the stroller has a non-adjustable footrest, however, it has a great advantage. The footrest is made of plastic which means you can easily keep it clean.

chicco viaro seat

I find the seat highly comfortable as it has soft generous padding. The 5-point harness in this model also has sufficient padding. The seat padding can be removed whenever you need to wash it.

The toddler seat of Chicco Viaro has a roomy canopy that is made of two panels. This canopy can be removed completely. Despite the fact the canopy is quite large, I am not completely happy with it.

First of all, it is edge is positioned rather high even if the canopy is unfolded completely. Thus, its shade is rather limited. From my point of view, this feature might be bring some discomfort to your child as it won’t protect the kid appropriately against sun or wind and create appropriate shade while your baby is napping.

Second of all, the canopy doesn’t have a peek-a-boo window. As for me, the lack of such a feature is also a great inconvenience, however, the canopy itself is rather short allowing you to check your child without folding it. I personally prefer canopies with windows, albeit many parents do not pay attention to this feature.

Other essential elements of Chicco Viaro

If you are thinking about purchasing the Chicco Viaro stroller or an entire travel system, you should pay particular attention some of its other elements, especially, its wheels. The information about wheels, brakes, handlebar as well as the storage space of Chicco Viaro and its handlebar can be found in this section.

Wheels, suspension and brakes

Needless to say, the wheels of any stroller is a crucial part since it determines where you will be able to go with your child. The greatest possibilities are offered by large wheels with air-filled tyres resembling the ones in bicycles. Such wheels are used in the best running strollers, however, they makes such prams bulky and expensive and, if you need your stroller only for urban use, there is definitely no need to purchase a model with such advanced wheels.

Chicco Viaro is a baby carriage created exactly for use in the city. Its wheels are quite small and compact made of plastic with the EVA foam tyres, thus, their primary purpose is riding on smooth and flat surfaces. Note, this stroller has three wheels which is great for navigation on the tight and overcrowded streets of cities as well as in supermarkets. The front wheel has a swivelling mechanism and it has suspension. Undeniably, these features make the stroller even more convenient, albeit, it is still not enough for using Chicco Viaro on rough surfaces.

Take note of the special brake mechanism used in Chicco Viaro as it is not so popular in other strollers and you might have never seen one. The fact is, there is no popular pedal used for activating brakes in both rear wheels. On the contrary, Chicco Viaro has two separate brake pedals for each of the rear wheels. As for me, this is not the best solution, yet, it is not a bad one.

Handlebar

Parents of medium height won’t feel any difficulties while using almost any model of a stroller available on the market. Still, if you are more petite or tall, it is better for you to purchase a stroller with an adjustable handlebar as such one will allow you to change the height making it more convenient to push the carriage.

Unfortunately, the height of the Chicco Viaro handlebar can’t be changed either by a popular rotating mechanism or by a more advanced telescopic one. The position of the stroller’s handlebar is just permanent, so you should make sure it will be suitable for you before buying this model.

The handlebar of Chicco Viaro has a layer of soft foam which is definitely very pleasant to touch, albeit it is too delicate and can be ripped easily.

The storage options of Chicco Viaro

I should admit the storage basket of Chicco Viaro is great. First of all, it is large allowing you to carry a big diaper bag as well as other belongings. Second of all, it offers easy access to your things from the both sides of the stroller. You will be able to get your things out of the basket from the front when the stroller by lifting the calf rest. Moreover, you can access your things from the back side even if the backrest is fully reclined.

Other storage options of Chicco Viaro include a child tray and a parent tray. I will provide you with additional information about these units in the section dedicated to the stroller’s accessories.

Colour versions of the Chicco Viaro stroller and travel system

The choice of colour styles of Chicco Viaro depends on the exact version of the stroller you are going to buy. Despite the fact the Chicco Viaro travel system is using the Chicco Viaro stroller, the pram purchased separately is available only in three colours, whereas the travel system has seven colour options.

Frankly speaking, I adore the styles of the Chicco strollers since they are very appealing and interesting. The designers of the brand do not use pure and bright colours as they prefer to create their own complex shades. Due to such a practice, you have a chance of getting a pram in one of these fantastic colours: Cranberry, Coastal, Verdant, Teak, Dune, Nordic and Apex. I recommend you to check their availability as well as their prices on Amazon. Of course, the appearance of an infant car seat will be of the same style as the stroller.

Providing you decide to buy only a stroller of Chicco Viaro, you will be able to choose between two colour versions that are Regatta and Graphite. Both of these models seem great to me.

Additional accessories for Chicco Viaro

As I have already mentioned, the price of the Chicco Viaro travel system as well as the stroller itself isn’t high. Even though Chicco Viaro is actually quite cheap, its price includes two great accessories that are usually sold separately in case of many other strollers.

The first one is a child tray and the second one is a tray for parents. Both of them have two holders for bottles or cups and a kind of a pocket in the middle. Parents can use it for keeping their necessities at hand, whereas children will like to put their snacks there.

My final conclusions on the Chicco Viaro stroller and travel system

I hope my review has provided you with all the necessary information about the Chicco Viaro travel system. Now, you will be better informed and capable of making the right decision and my conclusions on this model might help you. Let’s look at its greatest advantages and disadvantages.

Chicco Viaro is a really great model of a travel system because:

  • it includes KeyFit 30 that is one of the safest and the most lightweight infant car seats available on the current market;
  • it has a convenient and secure toddler seat with infinite recline suitable for children up to their toddlerhood;
  • the infant car seat can be easily attached to the stroller;
  • the stroller has two rear wheels and on front swivelling wheel which makes the model easy to navigate in tight places;
  • even if you decide to get only a Chicco Viaro stroller, you will still get trays for parents and a child as they are included into the price;
  • the stroller has a large storage basket;
  • its price is definitely attractive.

I am sure, this stroller is great for its low price, however, it can’t be called an ideal one. These are the reasons why:

  • you can use Chicco Viaro only on even surfaces because of its small wheels and lack of full suspension. While it wobbles on uneven terrain, it is simply impossible to push it on really bumpy surfaces;
  • the toddler seat of the stroller can’t be detached or reversed. As a result, the travel system can be used exclusively with an infant car seat attached to the toddler seat which makes the entire construction rather bulky. In addition to it, an infant traveling in the toddler seat won’t be able to look at you as there is only one seating position;
  • the canopy is too short, albeit it is quite generous. Moreover, it doesn’t have a peek-a-boo window;
  • the handlebar isn’t adjustable;
  • the fold of the stroller can’t be locked.

As far as you can see, there are several cons which might make the use of the stroller not so pleasant as you wish it to be. Yet, I think the model itself is certainly not bad for its low price. In fact, I find it quite similar to typical lightweight stroller that do not have detachable seats or adjustable handlebars and are usually featured with rather small wheels. The major difference between Chicco Viaro and such models is that the Chicco’s stroller is actually a full size one convertible into a travel system and this is really great. Getting a Chicco Viaro travel system allows you to make only one investment and use the stroller as long as your child needs it. That is why I recommend it to any parents who are looking for an affordable stroller designed for urban use. Just make sure you are comfortable with the height of its handlebar. The rest of the issues are actually manageable.

All pictures belong to Chicco. Source: chicco.com

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Lindsey Mitchell

Welcome to my blog, dear moms! I'm Lindsey, happy mother of two, keen blogger, traveller who likes to cook and spend time reading a good book. If you have any questions or find it difficult to make a choice, feel free to message me - I'm here to help!

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