Chicco Liteway Stroller Review

Chicco Liteway

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How it Compares

The Chicco Liteway is a true umbrella stroller folding longways and at 17.2 lbs just light enough for us to consider in our lightweight stroller comparison. It is lower priced than most of its competitors at around $100, and as you can see below, also has a lower performance score in most categories.

Also available is the “New Liteway” stroller, the only difference being mesh material on the sides of the seat for increased airflow.

Most Common Complaints

The Liteway has good customer reviews on average. We have summarized the most common negative reviews below and commented on our experience related to the criticism.

Criticism	Our Experience
Doesn’t roll well on non-flat surfaces	True. It performed very poorly in our rough terrain testing
Canopy comes off when folding	It is very sturdy and hasn’t come off for us.
The sunshade coverage is limited	True. Legs and lower torso are exposed to the sun even with the canopy completely down.
Noisy when pushing	True. The average decibel level in our test was 64 which was higher than almost every other stroller in the group.
Wheels don’t turn well	We found the steering to be adequate but there were many other strollers that performed better.
Leg rest breaks easily	Ours has not broken with use but it isn’t particularly sturdy.
No chest clip on the harness	It has a 5-point harness but does not have a chest clip. None of the strollers we tested have a chest clip.
Small storage basket	The Chicco storage basket is about .4 cubic feet in volume which is on the low end compared to other strollers.
Folding is not the easiest	We scored this stroller 9 out of 10 in the ease-of-folding category. It folds more easily than most other strollers.

Testing and Research

We researched 80 strollers online and chose the most popular and highest-reviewed strollers to purchase and test. We performed more than 100 tests and measurements addressing maneuverability, folding, ease of use for parents, comfort for kids, quality, and weight/folded size. Multiple parents used the strollers with kids of different sizes and ages to determine the strengths and weaknesses of each stroller.

Weight and Folded Size

Although the Chicco Liteway is an umbrella stroller based on its scissor fold, it is among the heaviest of the strollers in the group. It is also 4.8 cubic feet folded which is more than twice the volume of some other lightweight strollers.

Steering and Maneuverability

The Chicco Liteway is not the best or the worst in terms of steering. Here is how it compares maneuvering on sidewalks and flat surfaces, steering around obstacles. Ease of steering:

The front suspension on the Liteway doesn’t help the wheels avoid getting stuck in cracks. It performed worse than average in our rough-terrain testing.

The noise from wheel vibration was worse than most other strollers as well.

The Liteway requires limited force to push down and lift its wheels over curbs compared to most strollers. Force to Jump Curb:

We measured the tendency of each stroller to pull to one side when pushing on a straight surface. The Chicco’s tendency to veer was a little worse than average.

Overall Steering and Maneuverability Ratings:

Ease of Use

The Chicco has a plastic peekaboo window to allow you to see your child when the sunshade is down.

It is a bonus to have a parent cup holder just under the handles. It is big enough to hold a standard-sized water bottle.

Storage Capacity:

The storage basket under the seat is very accessible but not too big. You can squeeze a small diaper bag into it. The basket weight limit is 7 lbs which is smaller than the typical 10 lbs limit.

The foam handles are approximately 39″ high depending on where you grip them. They are soft and comfortable for long walks. The handle and frame are rigid and feel sturdier than do many umbrella strollers.

We assembled the Liteway in 6 minutes. The user manual and setup instructions are excellent.

The mechanism to recline the Chicco’s seat is one of the easiest we’ve found. You simply squeeze the buttons together with one hand and recline it to one of two positions. It locks back in the upright position when you lift it up.

The brakes have individual pedals on each rear wheel. This is not as convenient as strollers with a single brake pedal. The brakes are easy on bare feet and they engage relatively well.

The buckle attached to the 5-point harness operates smoothly. There are four straps but the clips attach to each other so that you only have to clip twice into the buckle.

Adjusting the harness lengths requires sliding the clips. The clips don’t slide easily; you have to push the strap through the clips.

Folding and Transport

Our “How to fold the Chicco Liteway” video:

The Liteway is one of the easier folding umbrella strollers. It can be done with a single hand or foot by lifting up the center latch, pressing down the outer latch, and then pushing down on the handles.

The whole process takes 3 seconds to fold and about 4 seconds to unfold. Unfolding includes unlatching the bar on the side of the frame that keeps the frame locked while folded.

Fold Ratings:

While the Liteway folds easily it does not have a compact fold. At 4.8 cubic feet folded, it takes up more space than other strollers.

It does stand while folded so it can be placed in a closet or corner to keep out of the way.

It can be carried by a handle on the frame when folded or pulled along on its wheels like a suitcase.

Kid Comfort

The table below shows how strollers compare in smoothness of ride. The higher the number the bumpier the ride.

The Chiccohas a very comfortable, padded seat. It is at a 25-degree angle when fully reclined which is not flat, but a greater recline than most umbrella strollers provide.

When the seat is fully upright it has a 54-degree angle. 60 to 70 degrees is more comfortable for children who want to watch the world go by.

Like most other compact strollers, the Liteway does not have a kid cup holder or snack tray.

The canopy is small so you will need sunscreen on arms and legs on sunny days. Our Liteway had no mesh fabric for airflow in either the seat or sunshade, however the “New Liteway”has mesh side fabric.

The shoulder straps are padded but there is no padding or heat shield on the hip or crotch straps of the harness.

The front of the seat can be lifted up to become a leg rest. This makes for a longer, flatter surface for napping.

The Liteway takes toddlers up to 40 lbs. This is a lower limit than the other strollers we purchased.

This umbrella stroller has a wide wheelbase and was less likely to tip over to the side than most other strollers. This is handy if you have a child who is always reaching for things and leaning out of the stroller.

We also tested hanging a 12 lb bag on the handles when the stroller was empty. It tipped over backward.

Quality and Safety

The most frequent safety hazards for strollers are pinching and tipping over. As mentioned, the Liteway performed well in our tip-over testing.

We also performed pinch testing to identify hinges or moving parts where a baby might get their fingers or limbs caught. While no stroller is entirely risk-free of pinching, the Liteway scored well in our tests compared to other strollers. Nevertheless, you should always keep children away from the stroller when it is being folded and unfolded.

The Liteway has wheel locks on the front wheels to keep them pointed straight ahead. This is useful over bumpier terrain and also keeps the stroller from veering to one side.

The Chicco has reasonable part and material quality including the frame, fabric, fasteners and wheels.

We haven’t had any problems with the most frequently used moving parts including the folding mechanism, canopy hinge, and the EVA foam wheels.

The stroller arrived with all its parts, and all were in working order out of the box.

Chicco Liteway vs Summer Infant 3Dlite

The Chicco Liteway and Summer Infant 3Dlite are popular, similarly priced umbrella strollers.

The biggest advantage of the 3Dlite over the Liteway is maneuverability. The 3Dlite is extremely responsive, requiring little effort to turn and steer around obstacles whereas the Liteway is average.

Neither stroller does great on rough terrain and both have a slight tendency to veer off a straight line.

The 3Dlite is 4.2 lbs lighter than the Liteway. You can feel the weight difference in folding and pushing. The 3Dlite is also a bit smaller when folded than the Liteway, but neither fold compactly.

The Liteway is slightly easier and faster to fold and unfold.

The 3Dlite has a slightly larger storage basket and also has a small-item pocket that the Liteway does not have.

In our testing, the 3Dlite overall score was 68 vs 65 for the Chicco Liteway.