The Stokke Xplory is a rather weird looking baby stroller. It was designed by the Norwegian company "Stokke" who are also behind a series of other innovative children products. The Xplory stroller won quite a few design awards since it was launched - and it was even featured in a MoMA design exhibition in 2006.

The Xplory is based on a design philosophy of transporting the child away from the fumes close to the ground. With this stroller your child is placed higher and closer to you. Furthermore, the design is based on flexibility - and the stroller can easily be changed to fulfill different needs.

So... My Xplory finally arrived - and so did my newborn daughter. I spent and entire evening assembling everything and testdriving it in our kitchen.

I was immediately amazed how easy it was to control - and how little space was needed to get around. It is literally capable of turning 180 degrees around itself. I am going to enjoy this when my wife takes me shopping.

Naturally, we are starting out by using the baby bag (carry cot). We also purchased the warm sleeping bag which is utterly amazing. We are using the sleeping bag all the time - no need for additional duvet.

Stair climber
One of the things I quickly realised (and didn't know before I ordered the thing) - the Xplory drives on stairs! You simply pull back the two smaller front wheels - and suddenly you are able to go up/down stairs. How cool is that?

If you want to use the Xplory for a newborn - you need the optional carry cot. It fits right on to the chassis - and snaps on easily. I bought the Complete Xplory package which includes the carry cot.

In general
I am very happy with the cot. It looks great - it seems safe - and it is easy to attach and detach from the chassis.

We use the carry cot as a "travel bed" for our girl as well - we always have it with us anyways. We will be travelling to New York City during easter - and we will be bringing the Xplory and use the carry cot as a bed for our girl.

Once again - I want to promote the sleeping bag which fits right in to the carry cot. It is very warm and cozy.

I am also impressed with the comfortable mattress in polyurethane. It is non-allergic and provides good air ventilation.

Is it too short?
At first glance, the cot is shorter than most carriages. I have heard many people saying that this was what scared them away from the Xplory. I don't really see the problem though. The Cot should be big enough for my daughter until she's 6-8 months. By then - we will begin using the seat as it is recommended by Stokke.

I don't see the size as a problem - but I'll get back to this once my daughter gets too big for the cot.

The build
I really like the general build of the cot. It is sturdy and seems extremely safe. It might be a bit heavier than your standard carry cot due to the plastic shell. I really enjoy the sturdyness though.

1. The size - sooo easy to get around

2. The colors - why should a pram be boring?

3. The attention - people can't leave it alone

4. The height of my child - I love my Kaya being closer

5. The ability to turn around its own base - weeeeee

6. The flexibility - so many choices

7. Manoeuvrability - try keeping up with me in narrow spaces

8. The weird and spacy look of the chassis - it's a little bit Segway

9. The two-wheel functionality - It climbs stairs!

10. The (optional) sleeping bag - it's cool... and warm!

Use:
Xplory with seat, from 0-3 years (max 15 kg/ 33 lbs)
Xplory with baby bag, from 0-6 months (max 9 kg/ 20 lbs)

Materials:
Aluminium profiles and different plastic types

Fabrics:
Polyester

Weight:
12.5 kg

Folded size:
57 x 49 x 99 (including wheels)

I got these specs from the xplory website