New From Urbini: The Emi Travel System (review)

I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for Urbini. I received an Urbini stroller to facilitate my review as well as thank me for my participation.

When it comes to gathering "must-have" items for a baby on the way, one of the obvious needs could be a travel system. An easily portable carseat and high quality stroller it can hook into are so important for the family on the go. And let's be honest, there's always somewhere we're needing to go. 

I'm excited to share with you the luxury travel system that is new from Urbini. This model in particular, the Emi, is exclusively available in Walmart stores and comes in Viola {the color I'm reviewing}, Electric Blue, Red, and {in stores only} Mist.

The carseat is the Urbini Sonti and it comes with a base that is easy to secure in a vehicle's LATCH system. The seat is made safe to use for babies from 4 to 35 pounds. This is a great feature for Michigan's new carseat laws stating that children should be rear facing until the age of 2. This high weight limit will give you a little more time before you have to invest in another rear-facing seat.

 

Beyond the rich and beautiful color, I really appreciate the infant insert in this seat. I've seen a lot of different car seats and this is one of the nicer ones I've come across. The insert has padding that goes around the baby's head to keep it from moving too much before his/her neck is stronger, but it's tapered down toward the shoulder so the baby's face won't go right into the padding should he/she turn to look to either side. This would help a worried mom like myself drive in peace. 

The padding also extends to wrap around the baby's body on either side. This makes the car seat more comfortable and supports the baby's frame while keeping it safe at the same time. 

Adjusting the 5 point harness is easy as well. There is a button tucked under the Urbini flap at the foot of the seat that is simple to push down, allowing your free hand to gently pull the straps loose. When you're ready to tighten them down again, just pull on the strap to the desired tightness. 

Now, let's chit-chat about the stroller. This stroller is accommodating to children up to 50 pounds and is fully adjustable to make a kiddo comfortable at any size. There are 2 key components that go into making it adjustable that are unlike anything I've owned before. First, the footrest is adjustable to 3 settings. It can fold up, and be snapped in place using the flaps that are folded into each side of the stroller. This makes it great to use with an infant...nothing is going to get kicked out while you push them around! {I can't tell you how many socks or baby shoes, or pacifiers, or blankies I've lost just because of kicking, baby feet.} 

Next, the footrest can be set to go straight out from the seat. This is just perfect for those little toddlers who are big enough to sit up but not big enough to reach the footrest at the bottom of the stroller frame. Finally, the footrest can be moved to angle down for older child who can use the lower rest built into the frame. 

How does this adjust? It goes into each position by pulling the little handle underneath and adjusting it up, out, or down. Once it's placed in each position, it locks there until you change it. 

The other thing that makes the stroller fully adjustable is the back recline. It reclines to any position, all the way to a full recline, by pushing the button at the back and sliding it down to the position desired. And when it's time to go from a recline to sitting up, just hold the button with one hand, pushing the seat back up while pulling on the chord until the seat is locked into the position preferred.

There are other accessories built into this stroller to make life easier. There are 2 cupholders and a tray right by the handle. The tray holds my iPhone well and would be a good place for keys or chapstick. By the rear wheels of the stroller is a zippered compartment. This is a really good size and would be a perfect place to stash things like diapers & wipes, sippy cups, spare pacifiers, a first aid kit, or whatever it is you like to have with you when you head out with your little one{s}. 

Beyond the zippered storage is the under carriage storage that is also a good size and can be easily accessed from the front and back of the stroller. That's a plus for me. An older stroller I had only allowed me to access storage from the back. When 3 kiddos are shoving coats or things they don't want to carry into the basket, it pushes everything you needed to have access to, toward the front - where I couldn't reach if I tried. 

 There is a nice sized snack tray that is removable for easy washing or for using the bumper bar to lock in the infant car seat. The tray has one cupholder and 2 sections for snacks on either side of the cupholder. 

And this is the part of the stroller I fell in love with while asking "Where were you 3 kids ago?". The extended canopy makes this stroller move from practical to luxurious. The canopy of a stroller has always been one of my least favorite parts. It was strange to me that a stroller would include a canopy that didn't consider the small riders inside. So many times, I've pulled my canopy down as far as I could and still, the sun would shine right into the eyes that were inches below the shade made from the canopy. The Urbini Emi gets it right this time and takes something from "least favorite part" to "favorite part" of a stroller for me. 

 I have two more things to share. 1 - The stroller's handle can adjust to 3 different settings, as pictured below. To change it, just push the buttons on either side of the handle and glide it up, out, or down. 

And finally, let me share the part moms everywhere are going to want to celebrate. This stroller folds fast and easy. There's a strap in the seat that, when pulled up, folds the seat back and locks it. Yes, I do mean that I was able to fold this stroller with one hand in a few seconds.  This is a wonderful feature that eliminates the fight to fold or open up the stroller. 

Overall, I'm very impressed with this travel system and would recommend it for any mom. There are so many great features that make it easy to use for an infant through around age 5. And being able to count on one stroller to get through the early years is worth investing in. 

~Amy