travel system or seperates??

sryanlklassen · August 2012

Hi all! I am doing the daunting research about what car seat and stroller to buy. Currently I have a convertible car seat and a stroller that reclines flat and fits up to a 50lbs child. I have read that a newborn can lay in a stroller as long as it reclines flat. I would prefer to not have to spend money on a newborn car seat only to have to buy a different one as time goes on and have heard the whole travel system things are heavy and bulky. Is it crazy to think that I will be able to keep the car seat in the car at all times and carry baby around either with a sling/carrier? Or stroller if we are going a long way??

What are your thoughts??

lulamagoo · August 2012

I am FTM, so I don't have experience on my side.

That being said, I would not want to risk waking a sleeping child by taking them out of a carseat and putting them into a carrier or a sling.

We chose a stroller that our carseat can clip into. The reclining seat comes out so it isn't as bulky and folds up quite nicely.

EDIT:

I would definitely go and "play" with strollers and car seats in person. We found it super helpful and the difference in weight is amazing between strollers.

I also found that I liked that the stroller we chose stands up on its own when folded, a random feature that actually influenced our decision. The difference in wheel width was also much more noticeable in person.

Be sure to check that the store carries the strollers you are interested in store and not just online.

xDanniellex · August 2012

No it isn't crazy at all. That is what we did with my son. H and I both didn't like how his sister constantly left their children in the infant car seat long after they were home and awake. Plus with the cost of car seats, and not knowing how long your child will be able to stay in the infant before outgrowing and needing the convertible we wanted to save money where we could.

We didn't have any problems taking him in and out. Waking him wasn't an issue. We both were willing to wear him while out shopping and we took turns holding him if we went out to eat before he was able to sit up pretty well in a high chair.

nattn · August 2012

If you live somewhere where it gets really hot or really cold in the car, you may want to be able to take the carseat indoors so it's not blistering hot or freezing cold when you put LO in it.

I would not put a newborn in a convertible seat unless I had to personally. First, because I want LO in the safest seat possible. Second, because I don't know of any convertible seat that reclines quite as much as an infant seat and infants need that IMO since they don't have head control.

bearkatjen · August 2012

You may want to consider an infant seat, but I definitly wouldn't bother with another stroller. If they baby is going into the stroller, then just put them in there, instead of clipping their seat in. I always carried DS in my moby for the first 3-4 months, and I'll be doing the same this time, so our Maclaren Triumph which is for 3 months and up, is just fine for what we need.

Do look at the manufacture date for your carseat. Carseats typically expire 6 years after their manufacture date, but your carseat maker should have specifics. I gathered the dates for our current carseats, and mapped out when seats would expire, when DS 1 would need to move to a different seat and when I expect DC #2 to move to different seats, and tried to make the most of what we already own. We'll be sucking up the money and getting an infant seat based off what we currently own.

rsuzann · August 2012

I am kind of going through the same thing. We are looking into double strollers and not sure if we want to get the stroller DH really likes or if we should get one which already is compatible with current infant seat. I really don't want to spend $$ on a new stroller only to find out we really don't like it. DH didn't like our travel system, he thought it was too bulky and I had no problem with it. I don't think DH liked pushing the stroller. He's 6'3" and his stride was too long and he kept kicking the stroller.

Anyway, I agree with PP about making sure your current carseat can recline to correct position would be most important for me.

DS really didn't sleep in his carseat all that much once we got home or wherever we were going. Maybe a handful of times, max. Opening the door usually woke him up, and I think the car movement stopping didn't help either.

SanDimasMama · August 2012

Thanks for forcing me to think about this, I get overwhelmed by baby shopping :-)

I have to plan for the strong possibility of the C section, which requires a lightweight system--you can't lift more than your baby for weeks. I already have a bjorn carrier that sits high and uses my upper body.

I also can't drive for a bit, so I need a stroller with a bassinet on hand, and I would feel better knowing the car seat is already in the car in case of emergency. So I'm thinking I'll end up with a stroller that either fully reclines or has a bassinet. When I can drive I'll carry the baby, when we're walking I just need to be able to unfold the stroller.

I asked DH if he wants the option of the portable infant car seat and he does, so we'll end up needing a new one after a few months. Thank goodness for Craigslist--if I am not given one off my registry I'll likely get a newer model infant carseat from CL, then sell it on CL and get 2 longer-term carseats (one for each car).

OliveBeckett · August 2012

nattn:
If you live somewhere where it gets really hot or really cold in the car, you may want to be able to take the carseat indoors so it's not blistering hot or freezing cold when you put LO in it.

O_O

Thank you! Never would have thought of that!

- grumbles about carport again -

simplein06 · August 2012

I had planned on getting a travel system until I tried them out. I couldn't imagine having to get the stroller (from the travel system) in and out of my suv. They were too heavy and bulky.

I have decided to get an infant car seat along with the metal stroller base rather than getting a travel system. I'll get a lighter stroller later.

betheppert · August 2012

I personally like the travel systems. It is very convenient to not have to buckle and un buckle at everystop along the way and if they are sleeping you really don't want to have to wake them to then carry them in some where. Most infant car seats snap into grocery carts so IMO they are easier.

My DS outgrew his infant seat at 5 months so we had to them put him in a reafular car seat and it is much harder than the infant one- (he was too big for a sling/carrier). I'm hoping this one lasts a little bit longer in the infant seat, but if not then DS will be ready for a booster when this one needs the car seat.

Kay1029 · August 2012

we're doing seperates. We fell in love with a certain car seat so we'll have to find a different stroller.

Oriam · August 2012

We are buying the car seat and stroller separate.

karen_loy · August 2012

We have a travel system and have no complaints (chicco)

Marisajean01 · August 2012

We are going to get the Baby Trend Jogger Travel System. We went and looked at a lot of strollers and car seats and for the money we feel that this is our best option. We are active and do lots of outdoor stuff so we need a stroller that can accomodate that. This is like getting the stroller with the carseat free.

jdm7 · August 2012

lulamagoo:
I am FTM, so I don't have experience on my side.
That being said, I would not want to risk waking a sleeping child by taking them out of a carseat and putting them into a carrier or a sling.
We chose a stroller that our carseat can clip into. The reclining seat comes out so it isn't as bulky and folds up quite nicely.

I agree with that statement. There were plenty of times I went somewhere that DD fell asleep and I didn't want to wake her. I loved our travel system, we had the Chicco travel system. The stroller isn't heavy, the carrier is a bit heavy, but it's hard to find super light carriers. It was great because we could snap the carrier in the stroller when we went places. I always put the carrier in the shopping cart too until she was big enough to sit by herself. We were able to use the carrier until we turned her forward facing because she never hit the weight limit (22lbs) for it.