Travel systems vs individual buys

Foo13 · August 2013

Which do you prefer or recommend? Do many of you have travel systems or did you buy a stroller separate for your car seat? I guess it depends if you went for an infant carrier? I'm a FTM and just overwhelmed with the options. What are the benefits of a travel system other than compatibility with car seat and stroller, and it being an easy purchase? There are a few strollers I liked when I went out to look at them, I'm just confused if I should go with a travel system or register for everyone separately.

MrsJetSet · August 2013

We picked our stroller first, then carseat. I had a couple carseats in mind, but picked what would pair with our stroller. My theory was that all carseats are safe so I should put more emphasis on what stroller features paired with our lifestyle. If I had picked the britax stroller, than I would have purchased their seat, etc. systems have a bad rap on here for being big, heavy and bulky. We went with a high end stroller because we got a killer deal. I like my stroller for ease of collapse, ride, maneuverability and easy to access, large storage.

LittleApple · August 2013

I picked out the car seat and got a travel system that went with that car seat. 5 years ago, there were not as many options as there are today. If I had to do it again, I would have gotten the same car seat (Graco Snugride 35) and a City Mini with the adaptor instead of the Graco travel system. The stroller was so heavy and huge.

momofcatan · August 2013

I figured I would be using my stroller a lot more than the car seat so I made sure I got a stroller I would love and made the car seat work with that. I went with a BJ city mini gt and am borrowing a car seat and snap n go from a friend. I still might get the car set adapter for the city mini, haven't decided yet (for now when I use the city mini I just lay it flat and put her right in).

FmrAFBrat · August 2013

I went with a snap and go stroller and a car seat to start with. But that was 2 years ago and everyone I knew HATED their travel system. I really was happy with my set up SnG and Uppababy GLuxe stroller and with 2U2 I use my SnG for getting into daycare or the pharmacy, it's really handy. We still use the GLuxe too.

That being said, my double stroller is a Valco Snap. It is amazing...google it if you'd like. It really opens and closes in one step , you can push the double with one hand, and the single is only 2 lbs more than the GLuxe. If I were doing it again I would get the single snap with a Graco or Chicco adapter. And clearly one of those seats.

gimmietimmies · August 2013

I have no love for traditional travel systems. At all. I went and tried out strollers we liked and went with it. I'm one of the few that isn't a fan of using infant seats, especially on strollers. The only time I used an infant seat was with my youngest - I thought I'd see what the hype was about, thought it would be convenient. The stroller I had (Phil & Ted) was compatible with Graco seats, so I got the adaptor and a Snugride 35. I like the seat fine, just having outside the car wasn't convenient for me. It did work well with my stroller. If I was going the infant seat route again (I'm done btw), I'd always pick the seat that worked with the stroller and also fit in my car. Some seats are beasts and don't fit well in tight spaces.

emmy236 · August 2013

I hated all travel systems, they are just too bulky. I did my research and I narrowed down the car seats the Chicco Keyfit 30 won because it felt the softest and was the lightest. Then we got a snap and go for easy trips and then we got the Bumbleride Indie as a jogger. We are always outside and I wanted a jogger that was light but could handle some off road stuff. I love my Indie but its pricey. I also liked the Bob but it was a lot heavier. The Indie's adapter bar was $20 and his car seat fit without a problem

I do want a light weight umbrella stroller for when DS is too big for the snap and go but I'm glad I waited because I figured out what I need. Both my jogger and snap and go have the single straight handle bar. They take up more space in your trunk because the width can't collapse. I want an umbrella with the two handles so it will collapse much smaller. If you have the means, get a good quality stroller to matter what. I know people who bought a cheapie and ended up having to get a better one anyway. Look at diapers.com because you can always find a 20% off coupon. It's what I plan to do because I want the Bumbleride Flite as my lightweight stroller and will order it with the coupon once its back in stock.

Foo13 · August 2013

Thank you all. These replies really helped me. I stopped looking at the travel systems, and now am looking at the Baby Jogger line and the UPPAbaby line. Thanks again!

ss265 · August 2013

The Baby Jogger City Mini GT in Bamboo is currently on sale at Albee Baby for 20% off. The color is ok - it's like a mustard yellow but I wasn't willing to pay $70 more for a nicer color.

It's been on sale since the end of May. This was the best price I could find for the GT since most of the retail stores do not accept 20% coupons on this brand.

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Travel systems vs individual buys

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