Car seat/stroller system decision time

mommapizano

We registered for the Chicco Keyfit car seat and the city mini stroller with a Chicco adaptor. We also plan on getting a BOB to go hiking/running. We opted for the Chicco because of all the positive reviews everywhere, the size of the base and ease of installation and securing the seat into the base. The city mini was the best stroller for us because it maneuvers easily, is super lightweight and you can fold it with one hand. The BOB is just awesome but would take my whole trunk up, so no ideal for everyday use.

When we went to Buy Buy Baby I did not like the way most of the travel system strollers maneuvered. The Britax set was the one I liked best but the car seat base was larger than Chicco and I have a compact car.

tiggyt

Another one for the Britax B-Agile/B-Safe.  My husband, Mom, and I went to the store and pushed several travel systems, full of the car seat carrier and purses weighing about as much as an older baby, and found the 3 wheel B-Agile to be the most maneuverable.  Also, the stroller folds down really easily and weighs almost nothing.

rivers714

I want this and this color but for $200

katietopaz

I'm glad to see that some of you are going with the same one I'm leaning toward - the City Mini stroller with an adapter to use the Chicco Keyfit carseat. The safety ratings on the Keyfit have us sold on that carseat, and DH initially wanted to get the whole Chicco travel system. I don't like how bulky that stroller is, though. I'm hoping the BBB near us will let us try out an adapter on the City Mini with the Chicco Keyfit, so we can see how sturdy and easy it is to use.

We tried out the Britax B-Agile and B-Safe, but DH felt like the B-Agile stroller wanted to tip over too easily. It wasn't my favorite once I pushed it around, either. I love the City Mini though, I just hope I can talk DH into it!

maritimeme

SoyBoy said:

We have a Peg Perego SIP 30/30 seat and we are getting the City Select Double. We currently have the Peg Perego Switch 4 stroller.

Does this peg connect to the city select? We have the peg seat and stroller as well and honestly thought we would skip the double stroller since we both prefer baby wearing. But if I could find a good deal on a used city select double and my peg would attach that might be a game changer.

kj808

SeventyThree said:

texasmama15 said:

So if you skip the travel system then you have to get an infant carrier and a separate stroller you like that will be compatible with the carrier you choose? 

@texasmama15 I believe so! In talking with a few STMs I learned that the manufacturers lead you to believe that you can't really mix brands between your carrier/stroller, but that there is actually a decent amount of compatibility across brands. Not ALL brands, mind you, so you still have to make sure the seat will fit into your stroller of choice, but I don't think mixing and matching is as difficult as some might think. That was something of a weight off for me, I don't want to end up settling for a stroller/seat that I think is subpar just because it's part of a travel system.

ETA: meant infant carrier, not car seat. That is a whole other topic, haha!

Yes, if you decide not to get a travel system, make sure the car seat (or infant carrier - I call them car seats anyway) and stroller you choose are compatible with one another. I know you can mix some brands, but some you can't and there are even brands who make different types of car seats that aren't compatible with their own strollers. It's definitely doable, just make sure you do your research before buying.

EVPwed

We went with the Britax system as well. I snagged a great deal at Kohls and earned kohls cash that we used to buy our pack n play for almost nothing. We went to BRU and played with a few other options before committing and we liked it thhe best, especially for the price. The graco snug fit was a little lighter than the britax car seat but britax had higher safety ratings so we decided to stick with the same brand so as not to buy an additional pieces. Good luck!

lupineaura

LOVE my Britax travel system. I picked it after going to the store to see which stroller I could open and collapse easily and by myself. I'm sad I can't use it again for the twins.

SeventyThree

LinnyDan12 said:

@seventythree if you like the b-agile you may like the City Mini GT.  They're similar but the GT wheels may do better in the snow.

Thanks! I have looked into the City Mini and find it hard to swallow the price difference between that and the B-Agile, but then again I don't want to cheap out and then hate this thing I have to use every single day. Who knew this would be so hard?! When my mom had me there were no baby registries, someone just went out and bought her a stroller and that was the end of that.

SeventyThree

viola27 said:

We originally liked the B-agile/safe but after playing with that and the City Mini GT in the store we switched to that. The city mini gt has an adjustable handle, better shocks and wheels that you can remove easily(!)

We were both sold. A quick google search revealed that we could get a chicco key fit 30 to be compatible and that's one of the highest rated infant seats on the market.

Done and done

Definitely going to look into this combo, thanks for sharing!

mommapizano said:

The Britax set was the one I liked best but the car seat base was larger than Chicco and I have a compact car.

Damn, I didn't even think of that. My car is on the smaller side too, and I'd actually forgotten that this could be a deciding factor. I hate that the only way you can really try it out (unless you know someone who has one, I guess) is to buy it and immediately check to see the fit, but I guess comparing the bases in the sore can at least help to make an educated guess.

mpiemont

We'll be using a Graco SnugRide32, a snap n go frame stroller, and a BOB revolution or Contours Options when we need the double.

zoeyny

We bought the britax b safe infant seat, and have a BOB jogging stroller with the adapter bar. When he is older we will buy a mc claren, they are great all around strollers especially for tall people.

emu0013

katietopaz said:

I'm glad to see that some of you are going with the same one I'm leaning toward - the City Mini stroller with an adapter to use the Chicco Keyfit carseat. The safety ratings on the Keyfit have us sold on that carseat, and DH initially wanted to get the whole Chicco travel system. I don't like how bulky that stroller is, though. I'm hoping the BBB near us will let us try out an adapter on the City Mini with the Chicco Keyfit, so we can see how sturdy and easy it is to use.

We tried out the Britax B-Agile and B-Safe, but DH felt like the B-Agile stroller wanted to tip over too easily. It wasn't my favorite once I pushed it around, either. I love the City Mini though, I just hope I can talk DH into it!

I love my keyfit carseat, but after about a month I could not deal with the bulky stroller. We had gotten the travel set. I ended up getting the chicco caddy and used that when I wanted to take the seat, and then the city mini. Love it, just ordered the double!

lysser1218

Definitely settled on this finally! We are doing the Chicco Key Fit car seat and the Uppababy Vista stroller. I have heard nothing but amazing reviews on that stroller and see at least 5 a day in Manhattan walking a little over half a mile. I can't wait to use it!

Edit: words are tricky lol

KER9171

Uppababy vista and Mesa here!! Just got them and I love them!!!

Karakulja

We have Mutsy iGo in Urban Nomad cover & Izi Go car seat by BeSafe & we totally in love with them!

ldmw

Britax b-safe with Britax b-ready or agile. Can't remember shah stroller I bought but it was the more expensive if the two

AlwaysKnitting

I too am split between the Britax B-Safe/B-Agile system and the City Mini with a Chicco KeyFit. This is such a hard decision. DH and I are going to Buy Buy Baby today to test them all out. Not sure if I need to keep blinders on, or keep an open mind, since I've now narrowed it down to these but am about to get inundated with hundreds of other options!

From my extensive/obsessive research, I've come up with a pro/con list for each system. Note: this is solely based on online reviews; I have not played with them in person yet.

Britax Travel System:
-CON- lack of color options. Don't love the black, red, or sandstone, though I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the Sandstone color is prettier in person.
- PRO- brake bar doesn't get in the way of your stride (I am 5'6", but I do like to push strollers close up to the handlebar sometimes)
- PRO- The peekaboo windows on the canopy are mesh instead of plastic like the City Mini, which allows for airflow and you don't have to deal with sun glare when looking in.
-PRO- the car seat snaps in so nicely
- PRO- PRICE!  Looking at between $290 and $315 depending on color choice, for everything we need

City Mini and Chicco KeyFit:
PRO: Love the color options of both. I don't care if they match.
PRO- The handlebar is rubber instead of foam, which should last longer
CON- PRICE... This would be around $220 for the stroller, $180 for the carseat, and $40 for the adapter; around $440 total
CON- The car seat adapter is not nearly as streamlined or secure. You can still fold up the City Mini with the adapter attached, but it juts out and adds bulk. You also have to use a buckle to attach the car seat and people have mentioned that it doesn't feel completely secure.

Ultimately, it's going to come down to which stroller we like more, because that is going to be used for many years, whereas the car seat will be short-term. I also think that you really can't go wrong with either option, as they both seem like great choices. If we go with the City Mini, I will likely buy the car seat adapter through Craigslist or possibly look for a used KeyFit Caddy to use for the first 6 months- if it's about the same price as the car seat adapter.

alliebartolotta

After doing a ton of research and talking to my other mom friends I went with the City Mini GT stroller and the Chicco KeyFit 30 Infant carrier. The City Mini GT is amazing and you can just get the adapter for any car seat! I originally loved the Britax but the car seat I did not like and you can only use a Britax car seat with the stroller. Also the City Mini GT folds up with one hand. In the store I held the Chicco car seat in one hand and then was able to fold the stroller with the other and I'm a small person! That made the decision for me!

Best advice: go to the store and test drive the strollers and touch the car seats.....lift them, carry them, see how sturdy they are.

krystal525

Thanks for starting this thread and sharing your experiences, everyone! This has been really helpful to follow along. Hubby and I went to BRU last night and I we settled on a Chicco Cortina Travel system. We have a compact car and that's the best fit--thanks to the person who posted that the store would let us test the fit of a store model! I really liked the Chicco Bravo Trio but unfortunately the stroller does not include a child tray and that was a deal breaker. Anyway, one more thing off the list!

AlwaysKnitting

Just wanted to follow up after going to Buy Buy Baby today to check out the City Mini and Britax B-Agile...

We are going with the Britax system. There are still two things I don't love about it. 1. The color options kind of suck (they had black and red in the store, but the red was too bright for me, so I'm going to try to find Sandstone or at least more pictures/videos online).  2. I did like the rubber handlebar on the City Mini more than the foam handle on the Britax. But all things considered, the Britax won.

The brake bar on the City Mini did get in my way a few times, as well and my husband's. I kicked it a bunch of times and I worry about what it would feel like wearing fiip flops!  I suspect that we would just adjust the way we walk with the stroller, but I don't want to have to do that.

I was impressed by the car seat adapter on the City Mini- it felt plenty secure and it's a click-in/click-out system just like the Britax. The Britax wins here though because the car seat adapters are very small and don't get in the way at all when you fold up the stroller.

I thought I would be settling on the Britax B-Safe if I went with this system, since the Chicco Keyfit is so highly rated and apparently lighter weight, but DH and I both thought that the Britax felt lighter! Also, the canopy on the B-Safe is SO MUCH BETTER than the Chicco! Also, when the B-SAfe is hooked into the B-Agile, you can cover up the baby completely with the two canopies. To use the City Mini car seat adapter, you can't use the stroller canopy.

I did like the mesh peep window on the Britax stroller more than the plastic window on the City Mini, as it will be more breathable and easier to see without any sun glare to worry about. However, DH did wonder about how protective it would be from the rain, as it looked like rain could drip right in between the peep cover and the canopy. We shall see...and we can always sew on more extra velcro or something.

Folding and unfolding the two strollers are really virtually the same. You press a button first on the Britax, but you don't have to hold it down or anything, so it's still one-handed.

It was a tough choice and they are both fantastic options!

jame1380

This thread totally changed my opinion on strollers!! I had the baby trend jogger travel system picked out. The store we have where I live is small and did not have a lot of display models to look at. I'm visiting my parents who have BRU and tried them out today. We bought the Britax Agile Travel System. I had a very hard time removing the infant carrier from the baby trend jogger. I thought maybe one was broken so I tried the other models. I struggled with all of them! The Britax was very simple to remove the infant carrier and folds up in seconds!

I just feel bad because someone already bought the baby trend stroller from our registry.