Need stroller help!

valeivegas · October 2010

Since this is our first LO I'm looking for help from those of you who have been through this before. We were at BRU last night looking at the Graco travel system strollers (they Stylus got high ratings on consumer reports but we like the Quattro Tour better). Maybe this is how they all are, but it just seemed so bulky. It was a great deal for the $$ since you get the car seat too, but I'm wondering if it would be better to get a lightweight stroller and then car seat separately? We were also looking at the joggers even though we're not runners, since they do provide a smoother ride but it seems like they don't fold up that small & the wheels are bulky.

We like the chicco strollers, but found out that they don't have the snap underneath to lock into shopping carts - I would think this is something good to have, right?

If any of you can recommend your stroller - we're looking for safety (of course), quality, and most of all ease of use and manueverability. I really want something that will be easy for me to use when I'm alone w/ the baby & can get him in & out easily & the stroller together or put away quickly. thanks!!

JLB24 · October 2010

I haven't been through this before (1st baby on the way due Feb.) but I was in the same boat! I was so confused and did lots of research and questioning on here to find out what is best. I was told by several people that the travel systems are a good deal, but they are so bulky and heavy that many people ended up not using the stroller part at all.

So....we ended up going with the City Mini and Peg Perego carseat. The City Mini is highly rated by moms (at least the ones I talked to that have it) and internet sites/Baby Bargains/Consumer Reports and it is extremely light weight, safe, easy to use, and nice looking all at the same time. The City Mini comes w/ a carseat adapter, but we chose not to get it b/c our baby will be born in Feb. and I don't really plan on taking him out for a good 2-3 months in the cold/during flu season...so I just got the support insert for it, and I've been told this works just fine.

Good luck!

valeivegas · October 2010

thanks for the rec - I just looked at the Citi Mini demo online - it looks like it's super easy to fold up.. For most strollers, do the car seat adaptors fit almost any car seat?

danjou21 · October 2010

We ended up with the chicco car seat and bumbleride flyer stroller. You aren't supposed to put car seats in carts anyways (the cart can tip over) so that didn't bother me. We also looked at the city mini, but the folding mechanism was awkward for me, and I don't really like the way it looks. The bumbleride is perfect because it is easy to fold and pick up, and the infant car seat adaptor is included. We decided against the chicco travel systems because the stroller was too heavy for me to lift! I recommend watching some baby gizmo youtube videos for strollers you can't find locally. GL!

hoping4sticky · October 2010

1st time mom, but we just got our city mini and I love it! No baby in it, but it is super light, ridiculously easy to fold and is small. You can purchase an insert for the carseat, but I didn't feel it was a good deal. We are getting a snap and go for the few months that LO can't use the city mini.

cs+js07 · October 2010

I wouldn't waste the money on a travel system. We received the Chicco Cortina and loved it but now it is sitting in our basement collecting dust. We have the Chicco Liteway replacing it now because it folds up much easier and much smaller. We used the Cortina for the first 6 or so months. I recommend getting a snap-n-go for the infant seat and then a good lightweight stroller.

valeivegas · October 2010

So the snap n go is just like a stroller frame that the infant car seat fits into, right?

like this: https://www.amazon.com/Snap-Go-Infant-Seat-Carrier/dp/B00008XL2W

MWoodside · October 2010

I am not a fan of travel systems. We got a Chicco keyfit carseat, a snap & go, a Maclaren triumph stroller & a BOB (I run). I babywear for errands so the carseat isn't something I lug around. We just got the snap & go for the sleepy infant phase b/c we didn't want to wake her if she had fallen asleep in the car. Maclaren strollers are sturdy, lightweight & awesome. We use it daily for walks. I haven't used the BOB yet b/c recommendation is 8 mo for running w/ baby, but next spring/summer/fall I am sure I'll use it all the time.

kelseymw · October 2010

hoping4sticky:
1st time mom, but we just got our city mini and I love it! No baby in it, but it is super light, ridiculously easy to fold and is small. You can purchase an insert for the carseat, but I didn't feel it was a good deal. We are getting a snap and go for the few months that LO can't use the city mini.

I second this. I was a nanny for a while and I absolutely loved these two items. These two items were functional for all of our needs. I used the snap and go for grocery trips or quick errands because it was so easy, small and lightweight. The city mini was our go to stroller when she got big enough to sit up by herself and it was great for our daily walks. The city mini does have a car seat adapter but I preferred something smaller for the grocery store, etc.

ETA: OP, your link is correct. That's what we mean by a snap and go.

Kimee13 · October 2010

IMO, most travel systems are a waste of money, skip it. We have a Uppababy Vista for our main stroller(it comes with a bassinet for newborns) and a BJ City Mini for our umbrella/travel stroller. We bought the carseat adaptor for the Citymini. As for the pp that said the Citymini was hard to fold? That's nuts, it's by far the easiest stroller that we tested to fold - crazy simple and fast.

JillBean78 · October 2010

I wouldn't get a travel system, most people, especially 1st time mom's who thought they HAD to have one, hate them.

I used a snap n'go for the first 1-2 months and then got more of a feel for how much I'd use a stroller and what my needs were. You truly don't know until the baby arrives, as much as you think you do, you don't. What I thought I needed and had to have was a BOB Revolution jogger, so glad I didn't buy it pre-baby. I waited, realized that wasn't the stroller that fit my lifestyle. I ended up with a Bugaboo Frog and it was the best decision I ever made. It is still my favorite piece of baby gear I own and it fits into mine and my husbands lifestyle perfectly!! We never even considered it pre-baby and here we are over a year later still pushing it several times a day!! If you use a stroller a lot a travel system stroller isn't going to cut it, I have several friends who got one and ended up with it breaking within the first year because of over use. You are better off getting a nicer quality, possibly more expensive stroller if you will use it often.

Good Luck!! I think picking out what you want baby gear wise is tough, even tougher when you spend a lot of money on it and then realize it isn't even close to what you wanted.

JLB24 · October 2010

valeivegas:
thanks for the rec - I just looked at the Citi Mini demo online - it looks like it's super easy to fold up.. For most strollers, do the car seat adaptors fit almost any car seat?

They sell dif. car seat adapters to go w/ the different brands.

danjou21 · October 2010

Kimee13:
IMO, most travel systems are a waste of money, skip it. We have a Uppababy Vista for our main stroller(it comes with a bassinet for newborns) and a BJ City Mini for our umbrella/travel stroller. We bought the carseat adaptor for the Citymini. As for the pp that said the Citymini was hard to fold? That's nuts, it's by far the easiest stroller that we tested to fold - crazy simple and fast.

It's not hard to fold, but I think it's awkward to lift. I could not lift it with one hand into my car, and in order to lift it with two hands you would have to set it down flat on the ground, which I had a hard time doing in the store. It would always start to unfold as I was trying to lay it down.

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