We Tried It: The Mockingbird 2.0 Isn’t Our Favorite Single-to-Double Stroller
But I do really love that phone pocket
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When I first had my baby, I didn’t consider the original Mockingbird stroller because at the time, the company had just issued a huge recall after reports of cracks in the stroller frame resulting in at least eight injuries. When the Mockingbird 2.0 came out in 2024, I was intrigued, albeit nervous due to the news of the previously recalled model.
- Some thoughts about: The Straps The Size The Steering Assorted Things We Loved The Mockingbird vs. the Uppababy Vista V3
The Mockingbird’s Straps Are Finicky
Straps, I’ve found, are a critical but sometimes neglected feature on a stroller; even on my beloved Nuna Trvl LX, the straps require some fiddling to fit securely around my baby. But forget it in the Mockingbird—it’s not happening. My 11-month-old slid all over the place when I put him in the seat, and despite my best efforts, I could not get him to reliably sit up straight because of how difficult it is to maneuver the stiff waist straps around his wiggly body. (Thankfully, he doesn’t seem to mind leaning sideways in the stroller. I’d know if he did. But it bothers me!) The thick, textured webbing is difficult to adjust, forcing me to spend several minutes reconfiguring the stroller straps around my baby if he’s wearing (or shedding) his coat for the first time in a while.
The center button that unlatches the straps requires hand strength to push. It’s made of flimsy plastic, and at several points, my husband and I nearly snapped the thin, insubstantial clasps that slide into the buckle while trying (with difficulty) to get our baby situated. Eventually, the crotch padding and one of the shoulder pads ended up in the basket of the stroller entirely after too many instances of them both getting in the way of getting my baby securely in place.
Photo: Angela Lashbrook Photo: Angela Lashbrook
The Mockingbird Stroller Feels Too Big—and Too Small
I felt like I was maneuvering a tank when I was handling the Mockingbird. I was scarcely able to see over the canopy and had to strain my head up or to the side to see where I was going. With the second seat in position, I wasn’t able to see over the top of the canopy at all—it’s just too tall.
Photo: Angela Lashbrook Photo: Angela Lashbrook
Though the company claims that its handlebars "accommodate caregivers of all heights,” I nevertheless found the handlebars, even at their shortest, to be a bit too high for me. This isn’t unusual for full-sized strollers, so I don’t want to ding the Mockingbird much for this particular, so to speak, shortcoming. But it is something to be aware of. Short caregivers—I’m 5 feet tall—should probably consider other strollers unless they’re interested in getting a permanent crick in their neck.
Photo: Angela Lashbrook Photo: Angela Lashbrook
Despite its large size, the handlebars were uncomfortably short for my 6-foot-tall husband. This meant that nobody in our house was particularly happy pushing the Mockingbird.
The Mockingbird Stroller Is Difficult to Steer on Uneven Ground
According to our lab tests, the Mockingbird weighs 29 pounds in its single-stroller configuration and 40 pounds with the second seat attached, so it’s by no means lightweight. It nevertheless feels shaky going over sidewalk cracks or other uneven terrain. The Mockingbird has rougher handling on bumps and curbs than the Uppababy Vista. Locking the front wheels helps, but not enough, in my mind, to make it worth the effort of bending down to lock and unlock them while you’re out and about. To be clear: This isn’t umbrella stroller levels of rockin’ and rollin’. But for the size of the stroller and the wheels, the suspension left something to be desired.
Worse is the steering itself. I had to use my entire upper body to turn this stroller, like driving a boat in a storm. Pushing the stroller on a lopsided sidewalk—with one side of the concrete, and thus one side of the stroller, on higher ground than the other—requires more arm strength than most other strollers I’ve tried. Pushing and steering one-handed, for me, was next to impossible (which, unfortunately, is fairly normal for most single-to-doubles).
Photo: Angela Lashbrook Photo: Angela Lashbrook
Part of the issue is the adjustable handlebar, which rotates up and down rather than sliding in or out (which maintains the same angle). Many strollers adjust handlebar height this way, such as the Nuna Swiv (part of why it, like the Mockingbird, is difficult to steer one-handed). Because the steering mechanism is often at a different angle than the frame, your pushing angle doesn’t exactly correspond with the stroller’s direction. On the Mockingbird, that means that turning or trying to push it on angled ground is somewhat difficult.
The Mockingbird Stroller Has Some Useful Features
The Mockingbird wasn’t for me, but it has some nice pluses. Let’s discuss:
The recline: The Mockingbird seat lies all the way flat and, thus, with the company’s optional infant seat insert, is newborn-ready.
The basket: It’s a hefty size and holds 25 pounds—enough for a good-sized grocery trip, including an 8-pack of La Croix.
The phone pocket: I’m embarrassed that I appreciated this as much as I did. A small pocket on the back of the toddler seat is perfect for phones, so I don’t have to dig around in my bag or squeeze my phone into my jeans pocket for easy access.
The price: If you’re on a budget and need a full-sized single-to-double stroller, the Mockingbird 2.0 is a relatively decent option: at $450 for the single, compared with $899 for the Vista V3, $950 for the Nuna Demi Next Stroller with Rider Board, and $800 for the Cybex Gazelle S.
Which brings us to . . .
The Mockingbird Single-to-Double 2.0 vs. the Uppababy Vista V3
The Mockingbird 2.0 and the Uppababy Vista V3 target the same audience. They’re both hefty, full-featured single-to-double strollers with sizeable wheels meant to navigate rough urban terrain (though, of course, their success at this is debatable). Which one should you get?
In our testing—both at home and in the lab—the Uppababy Vista V3 won out over the Mockingbird. A single-to-double is a pain in the butt, no way around it (at least that we’ve seen), but the Vista V3 has a sturdy design and useful features that make it a winner, relatively speaking. The Mockingbird feels less robust, with difficult-to-manage straps, arduous maneuvering, and less reliable suspension.
It’s also, of course, nearly half the price.
Single-to-Double 2.0 Stroller
Vista V3
If you’re a caregiver in a suburban area, where you’ll mostly be using your stroller on smooth surfaces and otherwise leaving it in a garage, the Mockingbird might be right for you (and the phone pocket is clutch). But if you’ll need your stroller to traverse uneven ground in urban or rural spaces, where stroller terrain is likely to be less friendly, you can do better. Might you consider the Nuna Swiv?
See how CR’s testers rated double and single-to-double strollers, including the Uppababy Vista V3, Bugaboo Kangaroo, and Baby Jogger City Tour.
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