by Angela V 
I received the fantastic Hauck Malibu 12 Stroller to review a few weeks ago and we have been using it almost every day since. The Malibu 12 is a compact, lightweight stroller that is easy to use and very very comfortable.
We got it assembled in about 30 minutes total {after watching the online demo video of course}. The instruction booklet that came with it was confusing and we gave up on that and focused on the video.
I love that the stroller is easy to fold and the frame is super light. I am usually the one taking the stroller in and out of our car’s trunk so having a light stroller is a must for us, I also love that the wheels move easily and smoothly.
Here are some of my favorite features of the Malibu 12:
Single foot brake break system: This system is easy to use and it is secure!- Soft foam handle: I really enjoy going for walks with my son and holding onto the soft foam. The handles are comfortable and ergonomic.
- 5 point safety harness with shoulder pads: I like that he is secured in a safe manner and the shoulder pads are great to keep his face away from the straps.
- Front wheels swivel/lock: I like that I can lock and unlock the front wheels, great when you go on light joggings.
- The stroller is only 18lbs: If I can carry a 25lbs toddler all over the place I can definitively carry an 18lbs stroller in and out my trunk.
- Infinite seat recline: We owned a different stroller that didn’t have the seat recline and I hated not being able to recline it for nap time. Now he can have a comfortable position if he falls asleep in the stroller. Love it!
- Shock Absorption: Great when going over uneven ground or light jogging.
- Large Shopping Basket: Yes! I love shopping. Having a large shopping basket just rocks. I can also put my diaper bag in the basket so I can relax with no extra weight on my shoulders once in a while.
- Washable material: Because with little ones there are always messes and you need a fabric that you can actually get cleaned.
- Oversized Extendable Canopy: Great for protecting their skin from direct sun exposure and light rain. I also use it when he is sleeping to block the light a bit.
- Free infant car seat adapter: Love it because it comes with the stroller and you can use it with your car seat if you have an infant.
- Price: It sells for $249, a fantastic price for a compact stroller that comes with a car seat adapter to use with any infant car seat.
I made a video with the basic functions of the stroller for you to see how it folds, unfolds and how to use it. {below}
57 Comments on “Hauck: Malibu 12 Lightweight Stroller Review”
Seems like a great little stroller. Lightweight is a must for me as like you said i’m usually the one lugging it about.
Yeah, it is definitively very easy to carry around! 🙂
i love how lightweight and small this stroller is, i had a graco one and it was so bulky and didnt even fit in my car
I totally understand! I still want to have some space left in my trunk when I carry the stroller around!
This would be perfect for traveling with. I only have my large jogging stroller and it just takes up too much space.
Great stroller, they have come a long way since I needed to use a stroller. This being only 18 lbs. is terrific and it looks very stylish also. The front wheel locks are a wonderful safety issue.
This stroller is very convenient to use for every day use!
April 19-Your description of this Hauck Malibu 12 makes it sound like the answer to a caregiver’s prayers. The really good wheels, the long canopy, the seat that may be slanted back and the washable material sound so good to me. I am only mentioning a few of its bonuses.That it is adaptable to a car seat is excellent and it light weight makes it a winner for sure. As a ggmother, who wheeled a toddler about in a stroller which didn’t have many of these features, I say loudly: ” HURRAH FOR HAUCK!”-el03ro
What is the weight limit of this stroller? And what is the weight limit of the universal carseat adaptor? could it be used with the graco snugride 35 ?
Up to 55 lbs for the stroller and it is a universal car seat adaptor so it should include all carseats available. I don’t see a weight limit for it but I would say whatever the car seat’s limit is.
Ok, thank you very much 🙂
You’re very welcome 🙂
How wide is the seat
N from bottom of seat to top of canopy how tall
Where did you find the assembly instructional video?
In this page Amanda: http://www.gtbaby.com/Hauck%2Dicoo%2Dofficial%2Dsite/Malibu_Videos.html
It is their demo video.
Would the stroller hold up well for public transit? Is there a shoulder strap or an easy way to carry it? Thanks for your review!
I haven’t tried it with public transit yet since I always carry him in a carrier if we take transit but I think it should be fine, the stroller is not really bulky 🙂 No shoulder strap to carry. No problem! Let me know if you have any more questions.
I love the look of this stroller! Does it have different positions? I saw pictures where it looks like an old school buggy?? And I’ve seen that the bucket can come out to be a car seat? Is this correct??!
Brittany there is a basinet that can be purchased from Hauck. Perfect for infants. They also have a stand for the basinet that makes it easy for parents to transfer from stroller to the house etc.
I don’t understand what you mean about the carseat. The stroller has an attachement that allows for any brand carseat to be position on it ( but the basinet is not a car seat on its own).
How high are the handle bars? It doesn’t look like it can be adjusted. Also, is it guarantee that any infant car seat will fit on the universal adapter? Thanks!!
Bao, the handle bars are very comfortable (even though they are not adjustable).
I am not a tall person and they are fine for me and when my husband uses our stroller (he is 6″ taller than me) he has no issues either.
If you are concerned about your own specific car seat I would say perhaps call them directly to ask about that specific brand, or if you find a place that sells it you can take your car seat and test it at the store. It should fit ANY stroller but I would recommend checking if you are worried about it.
This stroller looks really similar to the Baby Jogger City Mini, with the added bonus of shock absorbers, and an included free carseat adapter. Baby Jogger has one, but it’s a separate product you have to buy. We settled on the CM before baby came along, but I’m always on the lookout for other light-weight strollers that are comperable, or could be useful for travelling. The CM is lightweight and manouverable, but it takes up a fair amount of trunk space in the end. I wonder if the same is true of this stroller.
Carlie, this stroller takes a bit of space in the back but I found it is way less than other similar size strollers. Still nothing like using an umbrella stroller if you have no space in the trunk.
This is such a sleek stroller!
Hi – I am very interested in this stroller but I am having a hard time finding out if the handle bars adjust. My husband is 6’6″ and obviously cant use many of the standard strollers out there. I am hoping this one has adjustable handles! We have been looking for strollers with a 42″ handle bar height or higher!
Hi Andrea, unfortunately the handle bar is not adjustable for the Hauck Malibu. I would say they height of the handle bar is around 30″ . Hope that helps!
how does the strap on the universal adapter work? since its placed in the middle…does it go over the outside of the infant car seat? do you have any photos of an infant seat strapped inside the adapter? thanks!
I didn’t have a chance to try the car seat adapter since my son was not using an infant car seat any longer. I do have link to a photo of the stroller with a car seat on. Hope this helps: http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m488/onesmileymonkey/Screenshot2012-10-23at90755PM_zpsa325a224.png
desperation is an interesting thing! we bought the hauck freerider stroller and it, too, came with a “universal car seat adaptor…” the only problem is that there are NO directions how to use/attach it! none. anywhere. at all. i’ve been looking online for any/everything i can… and have come up with nothing so far:( unfortunately all hauck shows is THEIR OWN car seat on the strollers, none of them made the US with the adaptor. i’ve tried contacting the company, but never heard back. such a bummer! my adaptor looks just like the one you’ve shown, but i swear it does not attach in any way to the stroller! the photo you linked to doesn’t show the adaptor, just hauck’s car seat attached again:) shoot!! if you have any advice, i’d LOVE to hear!! 🙂 i’m really hoping i don’t have to send this big ol’ thing back…
Hi Amanda, you are right!
We don’t own an infant car seat anymore but I did grabbed the adapter from the garage to see if I could install it. The instructions I have didn’t show how to install it either. I e-mailed Hauck and I will let you know if I hear back. There must be a way to install it 😉 Do let me know if you figure it out!
well thank you! you are incredibly sweet to try it out. it makes me feel quite a bit better that it has stumped more than just me, and that i’m not the only one sans instructions! we’ll give it a go today and see what we can try out. between my husband, toddler, and myself, perhaps we can outwit the adapter:)
We are also trying to install the car seat. Please let me know if you discover how to fix it to the adaptor so it stays firm on it. (FYI: our car seat is a Maxi cosi). Thanks!
This should be closer to what the Hauck Malibu’s adaptor looks like: http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m488/onesmileymonkey/ScreenShot2013-01-20at40944PM_zps6678e12b.png
I am still waiting to hear back from the company but hoping we can get some clear instructions as to how it should be installed.
Hi, do you think the basinet is good for overnight sleeping?
Unfortunately the basinet is not suitable for sleeping overnight, you can probably get a quinny, Britax or Uppa Baby travel system that offers a carry cot that can be for sleeping overnight but those are much more expensive.
Has anyone used the Hauck strollers on bumpy roads (gravel, etc) ?
I am looking at getting one but not sold on the plastic wheels.
Thanks
You can lock the front wheels but I think it’s a very bumpy ride and hard to maneuver on gravel, grass.
light is very important when travelling and quick assembly too, with 7 granchildren I need a lot of buggies at everyone’s house for those nice walks
Any news on the carseat adapter? We too are trying to figure this out
I didn’t hear back from the company directly but after checking it out with a friend and their carseat we realized that there are a couple of “hooks” that come out of the front bar of the stroller that secure the adapter.
See an example of how to get them to come out in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPpNcJeSRWA (2:34).
Here you can see a photo of the stroller with the adapter attached: http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m488/onesmileymonkey/ScreenShot2013-02-07at94724PM_zps3bbd8531.png
The car seat is placed on top of the adapter and then secured with their strap (placing the strap on top of the carseat/outside). Does that make sense?
Hi! Thanks for the review- I was interested in getting this for my mom to keep at her house.
PS- I’m so interested in reviewing products- can you tell me how you went about pursuing this? I recently became a stay at home and am very intrigued in this line of work.
Thank you for the great review. I noticed in the video clip that you had the grey coloured stroller, would you say this was a dark or medium grey colour?
Thanks for stopping by Yemi. Ours is the light-medium grey colour.
Thanks.
Figured out how to install the car seat adapter for the freerider….u have to take the sun canopy out of the side tracks first, pull up the two little hooks located y the canopy sides, place the adapter, with the belt comming out of the top and the curvy edge to the back and push it firmly down, u can see the holes for the hooks. I can send a picture if anyone needs more help, it will snap in and not move when you have done it right.
Nicole, do you mean the Hauck Malibu or the Freerider?
I would love any photos, I’ll upload them if you have any 🙂
Thanks!
I read that the stroller can’t be folded when the carseat adapter is attached. This seems crazy! Any idea if its true?
Thanks!
You are correct, it can’t be closed until the adapter is removed.
Thanks for the quick reply. Obviously if you have the carseat adapter attached you will be putting the stroller in and out of the trunk often. Is it easy enough to remove and re-install for folding? Thanks.
Debbie, if you know what you are doing then it should be fast and easy 🙂
Way cool! Some extremely valid points! I appreciate you penning this article and
the rest of the website is also very good.
I bought this travel system, haven’t used it yet as baby not born, but I remember reading good reviews about it.
Unfortunately I’ve just found quite a few bad reviews, saying that the wheels lock themselves after a while (for some mums it happened when crossing a road !!)
, the back support of the buggy falling off (imagine with the baby in it!!),…
Here they are
http://www.mumsnet.com/reviews/pushchairs/travel-systems/9455-hauck-malibu
So have used it for a few months ? Do you still recommend it ?
I’m quite stressed now, I don’t know if I should keep it or return and get a new one 🙁
Laura, I have used this stroller for a while now and never had any issues with wheels locking themselves or the back support falling off. That really sounds like perhaps they had a bad batch of them? Are they all from the UK?
I have taken this stroller on trips, in facts we took it to Disneyland without having any issues. We love it and even though I have not used it with an infant yet I am planning to use it with my second baby when he arrives later this year.
I’m glad to hear that you haven’t had any issues with it. I guess they all come from Germany as that’s where they’re manufactured.
One of the comments in these reviews is that the car seat is too upright for a newborn, so baby’s head leans forward 🙁
I guess for now I don’t have any choice as I’ll give birth in the coming days…
Thanks anyway
I bought this stroller (HAUCK MALIBU) …and not pleased, after 2 weeks of use the left rear wheel slips off …at one point my wife tripped and almost caused not only her, but our baby to get seriously hurt. The store claims NO RESPONSABILITY, pls help us out, …for $250 I believe we deserve a solution..
Thank you
Oh wow I am sorry you had a bad experience with this stroller. We have used ours for a long time and it is still in great condition. We even took it to Disneyland with us from Vancouver without having any incidents! It went in the back of the plane so I was worried about it breaking but it survived no problem.
You must have gotten a defective stroller. Have you checked with the company directly? Also, if you have a receipt etc, don’t you have some sort of warranty left on your receipt from the company you purchased the stroller from?
Nice design and lightweight I like it