Ok ladies, it's been about 8 years since I've shopped for a stroller/carseat combo and no one I know has had any kids in the last 10 years (babies are a rare event around here lol). So What brands do you suggest? The DH and I went shopping for one at Babies R Us a couple weeks ago and I had to pop my eyeballs back into my face after the sales associate recommended a couple that were priced at about $500!!! Holy crap Bertha and then she says "These are the only ones that are worth awhile, the rest are unsafe and garbage" to which I asked if that was the case then why was the store selling them she said "Well it's your babies funeral, not mine" flipped her hair and walked away. Anywho, after that the DH and I were sticker shocked and left buying nothing (98% because of the cruddy sales associate, but also we just didn't find anything). What brand do you love? What were/are the pros and cons and if you don't mind me asking what did you pay?
Re: Stroller/Carseat suggestions
Some seats are designed to make that easier. That is what you pay for.
I bought the Britax B Agile travel system. I like it, but if I could do it over I would have bought the chicco key fit (easier to install).
It looks like that lady is trying to sell something. (Commission???)
As for strollers, we LOVE our city mini gt! It's perfect for errands and long walks. I even use it as a jogging stroller for short runs. If you wanted to save some, you could go for the city mini which is only slightly different (it's missing a few features- I can't remember but they're minor) and a decent amount less.
We LOVE our Graco Click Connect set. The stroller is a dream to fold up/un fold and to put away, and the car seat is so easy to move from car to car (we have 2 bases for each car). It also gives the option of attaching the infant seat to the stroller, then a toddler seat for when they're older.
We get compliments on it all the time.
I would check when this expires. Most carseats expire after 5 years.
We have a graci snugride seat... Strollers... Our sit and stand is graci and we had baby trend jogging strollers too.
DS1 -6/25/11
DS2 -3/23/13
Missed MC D&C 8/26/14
DD - 8/26/15
LO#4 due 5/30/17
OP, I would really suggest getting on the Car Seats for the Littles facebook group and posting exactly what you are looking for in terms of a car seat. They probably won't be as much help in finding the compatible stroller (though you could always ask for one that has one), but you can post your car, budget, whether you and DH are unusually tall (meaning baby would do better in one with a high height limit), etc...
It is a really valuable resource, and they are great with car seat recommendations - many from certified techs. Something to consider also is if you plan to use the car seat in the middle position, some cars do not allow latch there (meaning many do not have dedicated latch in the middle position - only on the sides), and car seats are not all created equal when it comes to ease of install and getting a secure fit with the seat belt.
Also many infant seats, despite being marketed as an infant seat, do not fit newborns well at all - the lowest harness slots are too high. The Graco Sungride 22 is a great example of this. Most newborns cannot safely fit in this seat. This is something the Car Seats for the Littles group can warn you about before you go out and buy a seat that doesn't even end up fitting your LO safely.
FWIW we have a Graco Snugride 30 that we were pretty happy with till we switched DD to a convertible at around 10 months old (just because). The car seat has a front adjust for the harness (something also lacking in some infant seats - you have to adjust the harness from the back of the seat), it fit our daughter well from the beginning, while bulky, the stroller has done what we needed it to (mainly walks around the neighborhood). I rarely used it away from home anyway.
These were the most expensive purchases we made for our main man. The rest were all kijiji and hand me downs.
There are cheaper options but if they were truly unsafe they'd be recalled.
This time I'm going to get the lighter stroller frame to use this time with the carrier until he grows out of it and then I'll use the travel system stroller
Money well spent, the rest of our major stuff was second hand, borrowed, gifted and DIYed.
Have any of you had a jogging stroller travel system? I have been looking at the graco fast action jogger but a lot of the reviews say it's bulky but that's to be expected from a jogging stroller. I don't think I'll be using a stroller while I'm shopping or out and about. I'll mostly use it for walks and running. So, if you have a jogger do you find it too cumbersome? What else would you recommend?
Out Graco car seat will be expiring this year since it's from 2010 so we will be getting a differnt one this time. I think we are going with the maxi cosi.
My alternate suggestion (if this is cheaper than the Liteway stroller) would be to get the Chicco Keyfit stroller frame, then get a cheap umbrella stroller when your kid is bigger.