Joie Parcel stroller review

Available in 3 colourways – Eclipse Black, Oyster Grey and Pine Green – the Joie Signature Parcel is incredibly lightweight and easy to fold for on-the-go parents. Suitable for use from birth with the Joie Ramble XL carrycot, bought separately for £130, it can be used up until your child is around 4 years old (22kg). With an RRP of £200, it’s a decent lower mid-price stroller, almost £100 cheaper than the likes of the Ergobaby Metro+, £299, and the BabyStyle Oyster Zero Gravity stroller, £299.

What were your first impressions?

In a word – gorgeous. In the Eclipse black, the Joie Parcel stroller is sleek and incredibly stylish with oak-brown leatherette and vegan suede accents and detail (the Oyster and Pine versions of the stroller also have this same woody vibe to the detailing). The frame feels strong and robust, and everything looks in the right place.

Is the Joie Signature Parcel pushchair easy to assemble?

Incredibly easy. It is so intuitive that you don’t really need to consult the instructions even if, like me, you struggle to dress yourself in the morning without falling over your own feet. It’s a simple matter of unfurling and unwrapping, popping on the wheels and attaching the bumper bar if you so wish. Nothing else comes in the box, so it’s very much a plug-and-play type deal.

How do you fold the Joie Signature Parcel pushchair?

The Joie Parcel has an incredible one-touch fold-down and one-touch open-out mechanism. All you need to do is slide the button on the top of the handlebar across and press the button underneath the handlebar (they are in the same place, so easily accomplished with one hand) and the pushchair slides down in one swift motion. To open, simply repeat the process and the product flips open again on its own. You can fold the stroller down with the bumper bar still on, but it folds down much smaller if you remove it first.

How compact is the Joie Parcel stroller when folded?

The light and compact pushchair folds down to a tiny L28.8cm x W49.5cm x H77.5cm and can fit flush in the boot of my Ford Fiesta Zetec.

How lightweight is the Joie Parcel?

One of the Parcel’s biggest selling points is that it is super lightweight. This stroller weighs a teeny 6.9kg, meaning you can easily carry it around in one hand, or in its handy travel bag that comes in the box.

How does the Joie Parcel compare to other available Joie pushchairs?

Joie has an extensive range of pushchairs and travel systems on offer. The Joie Brisk seems almost identical in every way to the Parcel, except it is only available in black, has an umbrella fold as opposed to a compact fold, and simply looks less elegant and refined on the outside – but it costs a staggering £100 less. Features like the 5-point SoftTouch harness system, the sun-and-waterproof hood, and the one-touch fold-down and flip-up mechanism all seem to be basically the same as the Parcel, but it doesn’t deliver on style in quite the same way.

The Joie Tourist is like a Signature Parcel 2.0; having dropped the Pine Green and being available only in Oyster and Eclipse, the Tourist somehow weighs even less than the Parcel, at an even tinier 6.6kg. It advertises itself similarly to the Parcel as being a 3-in-1 lightweight system, compatible with a carrycot – and this one is cheaper too, at £175, and is a previous MadeForMums Gold award winner, although again it's not part of Joie's premium Signature range.

How does the Joie Parcel compare to other similar-priced buggies?

The Chicco One4Ever stroller may lack a certain elegance compared to the Joie Signature Parcel, but it does everything the Parcel does and comes with 2 interchangeable seat units as opposed to one static one. It is a whole bag of sugar heavier at 7.9kg, and slightly pricier at £329.00.

The Ergobaby Metro+ City Stroller has a similar ethos to the Joie Parcel in that it is a ‘perfect for travel’ stroller, and shares some of the features with the parcel accordingly – the lie-flat recline for naps on the go, the compact fold for easier transporting especially on aeroplanes etc. It has a much bigger range of compatible car seats, but you don’t get adaptors, a raincover etc in the box, it’s heavier at 7.8kgs, and costs £299.

What age is the Joie Parcel stroller suitable for?

The Joie Parcel is certified safe from birth to 22kg, which could mean an average-sized 4-year-old. The seat unit fully reclines to enable the safest lie-flat position for newborns, but if you’d like to use a carrycot or car seat, they must be purchased separately – and they are not massively cheap either. The seat is world-facing only, but the carrycot or a car seat can be positioned to be parent-facing with the adaptors.

Is the Joie Signature Parcel seat unit comfortable and spacious?

It certainly is – when fully reclined for a newborn, the outer material nicely cocoons baby. The seat is luxuriously made and padded, and the 5-point harness is made of SoftTouch fabric and features clever autoclick™ magnetic buckles to keep your child comfortable but very secure.

Does the stroller come with a bumper bar?

It does; in all 3 colourways, the bar is a lovely oak colour leatherette that matches the brown accents in the fabric. It is very easy to slide in and out on each side of the seat unit, and easy to remove as well.

Is the Joie Signature Parcel seat reversible?

No – it is world-facing only.

How many recline positions does the seat unit have?

The Joie Parcel seat unit has 4 recline positions, that you simply push and pull into place as required using the bar hidden at the back of the seat unit (to access, you need to roll up the canvas back).

How is interacting with your child in the Joie Parcel pushchair?

Quite poor, as it is world-facing only. There is a peekaboo window in the hood so you can see your child, but they cannot see you. For me, you cannot put a price on parent-facing at a young age, and this was a real turn-off for me.

How effective is the pushchair hood?

The Joie Parcel’s hood is very easily extended and condensed and has a peekaboo window at the top so you can see your child through the plastic. It also has a semi-detachable, roll-up back panel which exposes a mesh, breathable panel instead, for better airflow. The hood is UPF50+, for added protection during hot summers, and waterproof for those inevitable downpours – there’s a separate raincover included if needed, too.

What are the wheels like on the Joie Parcel pushchair?

The Joie Signature Parcel has a 4-wheel suspension for easy manoeuvring, and the front 2 wheels are lockable for moving over uneven terrains.

How easy is it to push and steer the Joie Parcel pushchair?

Very easy. As it is so light, the Joie goes everywhere you need it to go, and stops when you want it to. What else could you ask for?

How does it ride on smooth surfaces?

Really well. I found that the Joie Parcel stroller is more suited to pavements and roads and glides very happily over even surfaces. It was easy to tilt and manoeuvre it up and down kerbs as needed as well.

How does it ride on more challenging surfaces?

The front 2 wheels are lockable, which in theory makes the Joie Parcel an all-terrain product, and it did go some way to making it more suitable for crossing fields and grassy areas. However, it just didn’t do quite as well on the grass as it does on the pavement, which I think solidifies the Parcel’s place as a great stroller for urban living, much less so for the country.

Is the chassis of the Joie Parcel stroller strong and durable?

It certainly is. Considering the Parcel is so light to carry when folded – and even when not, if you’re going up and down steps with it and don’t want to go through the hullabaloo of folding and unfolding again – it feels like it could bear several times its own weight in wriggly toddler. And luckily, it does!

Can you adjust the height of the Joie Parcel handlebar?

No – it is around hip height for an average-sized adult, and there it remains.

Do the brakes feel effective?

Most definitely, just one touch is all it needs and it’s a special ‘ShoeSaver’ brake to keep your shoes scuff-free.

What’s the shopping basket like on the Joie Parcel pushchair?

The shopping basket at the base of the Joie Signature Parcel is nice and large, accessible on all sides but most conveniently from the front where it is open and unencumbered by the seat unit.

Does the Joie Parcel stroller come with a raincover?

Yes – plus a handy travel bag for the stroller.

Can the Joie Parcel stroller be used as a travel system?

It certainly can; adapters are included but you will need to buy the car seat separately. The Parcel is compatible with the Joie gemm infant carrier, i-Gemm 3, i-Level Recline, i-Snug 2 or i-Jemini car seats.

Is the Joie Parcel stroller a stylish pushchair?

Very much so, in all 3 colour formats available. Although, when used in parent-facing mode with a carrycot or in world-facing mode but fully reclined, a panel extends out at the back which is actually a bit unsightly, and completely disrupts the straight lines and sleekness of the pushchair and gives it an entirely different – one might even say boxy – look.

It seems unusual to me that the seat unit does not detach – the adaptors clip onto the main frame, instead of slotting in holes where the seat unit used to be, and the carrycot or car seat is attached to them with the seat unit still in place. Honestly – it starts to look a little untidy.

What’s in the box?

• Joie Signature Parcel stroller
• Oak-look leatherette bumper bar
• Carry case
• Raincover
• Car seat adaptors

Is the Joie parcel stroller worth the money?

At £200 it is very competitively priced for the quality, but honestly, I'm still a little unsure due to the fact you cannot use the seat unit as parent-facing. Although it does have the durability to remain with you until your child is old enough to be out of a pushchair, but you won’t be able to interact with them past the 6-month point in this stroller (in our case, our 5-month-old has already outgrown a carrycot, so that time has already passed). While you might only need or want the single-seat unit, other pushchairs offer the option of world- or parent-facing and still cost less than the Joie Signature.

Where can I buy the Joie Signature Parcel pushchair?

Available at Joie, John Lewis and Kiddies Kingdom.

MadeForMums verdict

The Joie Signature Parcel is a beautiful pushchair that will safely and comfortably move your child from A to B and look good (mostly) doing it – and certainly lives up to its ‘featherlight’ description, which is always helpful. There’s very little to dislike here and if you’re in the middle of London or a frequent traveller with a toddler, this might well be the stroller for you, especially thanks to its super-easy, compact fold. However, if having the option of using the pushchair seat in parent-facing mode is important to you (as it is to me) then you may find more suitable alternatives around a similar price point.