Please Help Me Find a Great Travel System!!

stepherz88

I will be a stay at home mom, so I won't be in and out of the car a whole lot, but I don't want it to be a pain in the tush to pack up the stroller and put it in the car either. I would also like the car seat to fit into the stroller for at least the first few months. Once the baby grows, I realize that you have to have a separate car seat and stroller.  But for those first few months, I don't want to have to take a baby in and out of the car seat and into the stroller. 

I would also like the stroller and car seat to be fairly light. I really enjoy running so I would like to find something that doesn't have a whole lot of weight to it, but still sturdy. 

Basically these are the traits I am looking for in a travel system.

- Ease of folding up the stroller to put in the car, porch, closet, etc. 

- Car seat included with it for the first few months (would like this to be lighter too)

- Can use the stroller when baby is older

- Light weight but sturdy

- A great jogging/hiking stroller 

- Something less than $300  

 Thanks!!  

Chatterbug6917

I don't think there is such thing as a great travel system..my best advice would be to get the chicco keyfit cars eat and a city mini with the car seat adapter, I wish someone would have told me because I learned the hard way...it's a great combo and the city mini is a great stroller for toddlers and sooooo easy to carry around

cast920

There isn't a travel system that meets all your requirements.

 I would suggest that you look at strollers that can accept car seats but are not sold as a "travel system" set. A lot of moms ditch the stroller that was part of their travel system once they stop using it with the car seat because the stroller is bulky. Some umbrella strollers can accept a infant seat, so that might be an option since you could use the umbrella stroller when baby is older and they tend to be lighter weight and more compact. 

If you wish to run with your stroller, you will need a jogging stroller. Something with big air-filled tires that is designed for running. A jogging stroller doesn't make a good everyday stroller though since they tend to be heavy and don't fold compactly at all. I believe the minimum recommended age for running is 6 months, so you could wait on getting a jogging stroller. 

Another option is to get a snap n go stroller frame to use with the car seat, and then buy a regular stroller later on. You could then get a nice lightweight stroller after that.

With my DD, I used a Quinny Zapp with the Maxi-Cosi Mico car seat attached. The stroller seat zipped out so it was basically like a snap n go. it was convenient to have a small maneuverable stroller. By about 6 or 7 months we stopped using the car seat on the stroller. I also have a City Mini as our "big stroller", which we use for all day outings, on unpaved surfaces, and for trips to Disney. I find it too big to use everyday though. 

firefIy

I decided on the Britax B-agile with the B-safe carseat after a lot of online research and testing out a bunch of strollers in the store.  I'm really happy with it and I think it fits most things you want though I don't think you could go hiking with it.  You could probably jog though.  The basket is a little small, but doesn't bother me to much.  I got the parent console which I love and some "Think King" hooks for shopping bags.  It's super lightweight and has a one hand fold.  The infant seat snaps on it beautifully too. 

orangecurls

The britax bagile and bsafe combo meets most of your criteria. It is not a great jogging or all terrain stroller. I do highly recommend the stroller though.

I don't believe there is a travel system that meets all of your criteria. What is most important to you?

augrl0307

I also recommend the Britax B-Agile/B-Safe combo, but I'm not planning on using it for jogging. I did a TON of research online, and then went to a store to try one out, push it around, collapse and uncollapse it, etc. I was really happy with it. The stroller itself is only about 17 pounds, so I'm able to lift it easily. And I found it in the Kiwi color, which I think is adorable. It was our first big baby purchase.

https://www.amazon.com/Britax-B-Agile-B-Safe-Travel-System/dp/B005JCPKVI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1358984783&sr=8-1&keywords=britax+b+agile+travel+system+kiwi 

ebp913

One stroller simply can't meet all your needs.  You'll probably want a good jogging stroller like a BOB but you can put that off til baby is at least 6 months since you aren't supposed to jog with them before that age.  

I would look at the B-Agile, City Mini, Cybex Onyx, Valco Snap, and Bugaboo Bee maybe if you could find a used one (they are super expensive new).   Also, the Inglesina Zippy/Avio have a great fold as well.  

 

Angela814

You're not going to find a travel system that's great for jogging and hiking. We bought the Graco Metrolite system with DD1 and really like the stroller. It's smaller/lighter than other Graco strollers and came with the Snugride seat, which has always been rated well. We use the stroller for walks around the neighborhood, shopping, amusement parks, etc. It's not great off pavement though, and I don't think it would be comfortable for jogging.