What we loved
The Duo Today is comfortable and easy to push, probably due to the fact that it is a four-wheeler with full suspension and solid tyres (meaning no danger of punctures!). While I have found in the past that fully-laden three wheelers are a bit of a liability when trying to tackle tight corners or to mount curbs, I found the Duo Today remained stable at all times.
The handlebar adjusts to three heights—at its maximum it’s the highest I’ve ever tested—a real plus for taller parents who have a shorter partner. For either partner, there’s a lidded compartment where you can keep keys or emergency chocolate (probably depending on whether it’s Mum or Dad!) which I found useful, and a cup holder, although I was too nervous to use it for hot drinks in case of spillages.
The pushchair seat was roomy for my two-year-old and she loved the child tray with its cup holders and section for little toys and snacks. The seat also reclined fully flat for naps and the hood provided a good amount of wind or sun protection, which is great for protecting baby’s sensitive skin.
The system comes with a decent-sized soft carry cot which looked to me as though it would indeed last until baby was six months, as Chicco claims. It clips on to the pushchair seat in three places and I found it easy to secure and remove without waking my six-week-old. For travel system mode, the car seat had an ample hood and sturdy handle and was also easy to lift onto the pushchair without waking my sleepy baby. The release handle felt a bit stiff at first and there was a definite knack to removing the seat smoothly without disturbing the contents. But as with most of parenting, I’d hope practise would make perfect.
What to watch out for
While the Duo Today looks stylish in pushchair mode, when the carrycot is attached and the pushchair hood still in place by the handle, it looked a bit clunky and less sleek than some other makes. Also, while the luggage rack is a decent size, it proved difficult to access with the seatback fully reclined. With the carry cot attached—or car seat—I could slot nothing bigger than a magazine in there. That’s a definite negative in my opinion.
Another major downside to the pushchair was that assembling it was really quite time-consuming—it took two of us over an hour. We had to do everything from building the luggage rack to fitting the sides and plastic piping inside the hood of the carry cot. The silver lining was that I gained a working knowledge of how everything slots together, and the easy-to-follow written instructions were comprehensive, making up for some unhelpfully small diagrams. But I did feel like a Chicco employee on the production line.
Who is the Chicco Duo Today best for?
Parents looking for a good quality pushchair and travel system without breaking the bank.
While there are some design faults, and it takes a while to assemble, you get what you pay for and the Chicco Duo Today is a solid, dependable, low-budget option.
