Combi Catalyst Stroller Review

Disclaimer: I received a free product for my post! These views are my own and were not 
at all influenced by the party who gave me this opportunity..

(Also pictured above: Timi & Leslie Marie Antoinette Gemstone Collection Diaper Bag. I made sure the bag was positioned far enough down and evenly so the stroller would not tip and the baby was not inside. Please do not hang anything from the handle to prevent tipping; if you choose to hang a diaper bag that has stroller straps, please be sure to hang it correctly to avoid tipping and do not leave the stroller unattended to avoid potential injury.)

As much as I love to baby-wear or encourage my older son to walk for exercise, sometimes I just love pushing one of them around in a stroller. I have tried all types of strollers, but by far my favorite thus far is the  stylish Combi Catalyst stroller.

Daddy baby-wearing a sleepy baby in his Beco Baby Carrier while pushing the big boy!

The Combi Catalyst is a sturdy 3-in-1 modular stroller that works as a bassinet stroller for infants, upright stroller for toddlers, and travel system to work with your Combi Shuttle or other major brand infant carseat (see HERE.) While the Catalyst does not work with our particular carseat, I LOVE the bassinet option for my 4-month-old as it allows him to stay put and get some sleep. We did try him with the seat angled slightly as well, but he is a little small for the straps to fit tightly and he preferred lying flat once he fell asleep.

We also tried the upright position for our 3-year-old. While he is a little tall, he is well under the 50 lb. maximum weight so when he was tired of walking around the mall my husband “wore” the baby and pushed around the big boy. The seat is “reversible” so it can quickly convert back and forth between bassinet and the three different toddler positions which worked very well for us while we were out and about!

What I Love

I love how simple the Combi Catalyst is to use in all ways, not only in converting between positions.

This stroller is truly the easiest stroller to push–I can move it around with little effort and just one hand! I have never had a stroller easier to push around than this one and I love it because as a busy mommy of two I often do not have both hands available to push. The one-hand telescoping handle is made specifically for easy one-handed pushing and has a comfort grip so your hands do not get sore or slip. You can even adjust how long or short the handle is which is nice when my husband and I switch off pushing. The Catalyst has all-wheel suspension which my husband, being a car guy, noticed right away. The front wheels swivel for a smoother ride or they can lock into place. We have another stroller with swivel wheels but they mess up all the time so we have to keep them locked. We have not had any problems with the swivel wheels on our Combi. I cannot tell you enough how much I love to push this stroller! Our 3-year-old was even able to push around his baby brother in the stroller (with some supervision of course…so he didn’t push him into the wall) which made him feel like such a big boy! He loves to help Mommy and Daddy and his baby brother, so being able to push the stroller was a big deal to him.

I love that there is a very large tab as the stroller parking brake because it makes it so simple to lock and unlock the wheels. Other strollers usually have small, difficult-to-lock-and-unlock tabs, and often multiple, which can be very frustrating.

The Combi Catalyst also has a large area under the seat to use for storage. Sometimes it is difficult to get my diaper bag underneath when the stroller is in bassinet position as my diaper bag is wide, but when it is upright I have no issues getting anything into the basket and I can reach into the basket from all sides which is handy.

I love that this stroller folds and unfolds easily. All I have to do is pull on the two folding levers and the stroller basically folds itself for me! An automatic chassis lock on one side is also in place so that the stroller does not unfold when you try to lift it up to store.

The stroller seat has an oversized canopy that you can fold out to shade your little love. It has a special window as well for ventilation. The fabric comes in in red, graphite, and black.

What I’m Not Huge On

There is not really a whole lot that I would change about the Combi Catalyst since I LOVE it, but there are a couple things that could be improved. First off would be that this stroller is pretty heavy 34 lbs.. Since I am a weakling, lifting the stroller into the back of our van can be a bit of a challenge at times; my husband, however, has no issues moving the stroller from place to place. While it may be difficult to lift from the weight, this stroller is extremely sturdy so I feel completely safe having my kids ride inside.

If you have a small car, this stroller may not fit as it is a bit bulky when folded. Of course, we have a large minivan so I was unable to try it in the trunk of a car; you may be able to get it in there.

Another thing that could be improved is the texture of the seat cushion. While it was comfortable for my older boy, my baby boy’s bald little head has the pattern on it after he fell asleep in the bassinet position. I found out if I pull the tabs to lift the head just a little in the bassinet position I can avoid this.

Maybe I just have very skinny children, but the buckles were pretty loose even on the tightest and lowest setting for my 3-year-old. You can adjust how tight or loose they are and he was safe inside either way, but I would prefer a tighter buckle for smaller kids.

Lastly, I would really love if this stroller came with a cup holder as it would have been useful while I walked around the mall with my coffee drink, but that is one more reason it is so wonderful that I can push this stroller one-handed!

Overall, the Combi Catalyst is easy to use, sturdy, high-quality, and versatile. Out of all the strollers that I have tried or owned, this one is my favorite and my husband feels the same way. Everywhere we have taken our Catalyst so far–the mall, the park–we have had at least one person comment on how much they love the stroller, how neat the bassinet option is, and one lady said (not even to me, just in her conversation) that our stroller was the best stroller she has seen yet!

You can purchase Combi products online or use the store locator HERE. Check out Combi USA on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest!

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-Have you tried the Combi Catalyst? How do you like it?