Kiddofreedom

How to Open a Graco Stroller

Opening and closing a Graco stroller is a crucial part of owning a pushchair from this popular brand. In an earlier post, I described how to fold Graco strollers as well as how to collapse other popular brands such as Chicco, Britax, Bob Strollers, and Baby Trend. In this post, I’ll handhold you through the general process of unfolding a Graco stroller.

Unfolding a Graco Stroller Can be Tricky

Graco strollers may be easy to collapse, and many are a one-hand fold. But unfolding Graco strollers isn’t always easy, especially if you don’t know what you’re doing.

Opening Graco’s single strollers tends to be different than opening double strollers. Here’s the good news: once you’ve learned the tricks required to open each type of Graco stroller, the process does become much less intimidating and time-wasting.

How to Unfold Graco Strollers

Graco offers all sorts of  strollers so that parents are spoiled for choice. But you need to know what kind of stroller you have and the specific steps required to get it open.

Even different Graco strollers may have different features and build, they’re pretty similar as far as how they open and close.

When you fold a Graco stroller, an oblong-shaped piece (usually found on a side bar) hooks over some sort of knob, keeping the stroller closed. Also, these strollers often feature a small lever on the handlebar designed to make opening the buggy easy.

Here’s the general process for opening Graco strollers:

To unfold a Graco stroller, start off by lifting the small oblong piece/device off the knob. Then, twist or lift the small lever usually located on the handlebar. After completing this action, lift the handlebar upward. At this point, the stroller should just pop open unless it’s jammed or some part isn’t functioning as it should.

In some Graco baby strollers, however, there’s no need to twist or twist any lever. All that the user needs to do to unfold the stroller is to lift the oblong/oval piece sitting off the knob and open the pushchair.

unfolding graco stroller
Can you see the oblong piece that fits over a metal knob? That’s how these strollers stay closed, and to unfold them, you need to lift the piece off of the knob.

You may find that your stroller model operates slightly differently than described above. Fortunately, you can always consult the stroller’s  user manual to learn the specific steps needed to open it up correctly.

How to Open Single Graco Strollers

Single strollers are designed to transport one baby at a time versus double strollers that come in handy for parents who need to carry two young children at the same time. It happens that opening each stroller style may be a little different than unfolding the other.

Here are the steps to follow when unfolding single strollers from Graco:

1. Start with the wheels of the stroller in contact with the ground and the handles facing up.

2. Find the buttons on the stroller’s outer sidebars and push each button in.

3. As you press the buttons, give the handle an upward pull and keep going until this motion makes a clicking sound.

4. Operate the latches on either side of the stroller to release them and unfold the single stroller. If you look at the middle of the each stroller side, you should be able to see these latches.

These are plastic latches designed to keep the stroller’s frame bars hooked onto each other. They hold the folded stroller in that position and prevent it from opening up during use or storage. But when you release these latches, the stroller opens up.

5. With one of your hands placed on the handlebars and the other on the baby’s tray, give the stroller a push in opposite directions until it snaps open.

How to Open Graco Double Strollers

Follow these steps when unfolding a Graco double stroller:

  • Start off the opening process with the stroller’s wheels on the ground and handles pointing upward.
  • Look for the stroller storage latch (usually found at the middle of the handlebar. In double strollers, this button typically has an oval shape.
  • Before pressing the oval-shaped button above, remove from the latch the safety strap that keeps the stroller held compactly together during storage. Once you’ve removed the strap, push in the oval button to unfold the Graco stroller.
  • Pull the handlebars upward until the stroller snaps open. The first time you attempt to open a Graco double stroller, you might find that the process isn’t as smooth as you’d hoped. Don’t give up, though. Instead, try to press one of the seats (front seat) down as you pull the handles upward. This in most cases makes the stroller feels less stiff as you open it.
  • You may have to practice opening these strollers several times before you can nail down the art and evolve it into a one-handed experience.

How to Unfold Newer Graco Stroller Models

The Graco FastAction Fold Stroller and the Graco Click Connect Stroller are two of the most popular modern Graco strollers. Below, I describe the process required to open them and get them ready for your little one.

How to Open Graco Click Connect Stroller

One reason the Graco Click Connect has become a super popular stroller model is that it works with all Graco car seats. And you can make the baby sit facing away from you or facing reward so you can connect with them better.

By the way, one way to make your baby less fussy while buckled in the stroller is to stay close to them all the time.

  • To open a Graco Click Connect stroller, you first have to find the lever that releases the compact fold. This lever is usually found beside seat-bars.
  • Once you find the lever, open it. As you work the lever, the other hand needs to hold the handle above the stroller’s seat.
  • Lift the stroller upward and toward yourself at the same time.

To keep your Graco Click Connect stroller clean and looking nice, make sure to clean it every so often. Learn how to clean a Graco baby stroller here.All you need is a mild soap, warm water, and a sponge. Be sure to oil the wheels and other moving parts to make the stroller work like the well-oiled machine it’s supposed to be.

And if the stroller’s gotten all moldy and mildew-y, this article describes several surefire strategies for getting rid of mold from stroller fabric.

How to Open Graco FastAction Fold Stroller

The Graco FastAction Fold Stroller is a lightweight option that opens up without much fuss. You can push it around with one hand, plus you can also unfold it using one hand. Below is what to do to open a Graco FastAction Fold Stroller:

  • This stroller features a red strap which is usually found at the middle of the stroller seat. The first thing to do is to find this strap.
  • Hold this strap in one hand while holding the rear of the stroller with the other hand.
  • Pull the stroller upward as well as the strap to open the stroller.
  • Place the stroller on the ground as it’s now ready for a ride.

Wrapping Up

Graco makes a whole slew of baby strollers. Many of these strollers open and close in more or less the same way. However, some Graco strollers may require the user to use a slightly different approach when unfolding or collapsing them. And that’s where the specific manual for the stroller comes into play.

Author: Esther Moni

I'm Esther Moni, a proud stay-at-home mom and a psychology graduate of the United States International University (USIU) . I hate it when anyone calls me a housewife, because what does housewife even mean? Being a mother of two babies and a pup, Bailey, as well as being Ricky's wife tires me to no end, but I still manage a smile at the end of it all. And when my boys aren't done doing mischief, I juggle writing a post on parenting or baby gear performance for this blog and running my little counselling office based out in Nairobi. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/esther.moni/">Visit my Facebook profile here</a>, and this is my <a href="https://ke.linkedin.com/in/esther-moni-3841b573/">LinkedIn profile</a>, and here's my <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKcVb3NNDrURDH8C0KiAE1g/">nascent youtube channel.

Esther Moni

I'm Esther Moni, a proud stay-at-home mom and a psychology graduate of the United States International University (USIU) . I hate it when anyone calls me a housewife, because what does housewife even mean? Being a mother of two babies and a pup, Bailey, as well as being a wife tires me to no end, but I still manage a smile at the end of it all. And when my boys aren't done doing mischief, I juggle writing a post on parenting or baby gear performance for this blog and running my little counselling office based out in Nairobi. Visit my Facebook profile here, and this is my LinkedIn profile, and here's my nascent youtube channel.

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