Strollers n Carseats

mrsduncan32 · May 2015

OK so this is my first little one and I have OCD, am a major planner and so excited I can't contain myself. I'm already looking at strollers and wondering if anyone has any specifics brands they would recommend.

Also looking for opinions on car seats. I would like to get multiple bases for the car seats so we don't have to keep swapping them out but my husband says that's silly. Does anyone else have multiple bases?

redfallon · May 2015

Get this book:

https://www.amazon.com/Baby-Bargains-furniture-strollers-maternity/dp/1889392499/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1432695674&sr=8-1&keywords=baby+bargains+book

They have great (impartial) reviews.

Personally, I love Chicco. It is very highly rated. We got the Chicco Keyfit30 for DD as her infant seat and now we have the Chicco NextFit as her convertible seat that she's been in since she was about 8/9/10 months old? I think I switched her out when I had started taking her out of the carseat when we went somewhere instead of taking the entire infant seat out. Around the same time she started sitting in the stroller without being in the infant seat. You can buy a separate base to have an extra.

We have the CityMini GT stroller. It's very light and folds up small and has attachments for most any infant seat. Now we have to look into a double stroller. Maybe looking at the CitySelect tandem stroller.

mrsduncan32 · May 2015

I just ordered it! Can't wait to check it out. Thanks

apadilla414 · May 2015

We did. We bought Maxi Cosi car seats because of the bases and their adaptability to our strollers (bugaboo). Works well for the first year but my daughter has always been very tall, so we ended up moving into a large convertable car seat about a year and a half later. Convertibles will grow with them longer. I feel you need an infant one to carry them outside of a stroller. This time around we will get one infant car seat and one convertable so we won't be switching car seats between car. It's easier since he does daycare drop off and I do pick up. Shopping is so fun. Enjoy!

redfallon · May 2015

mrsduncan32 said:

I just ordered it! Can't wait to check it out. Thanks

It's a lifesaver. It helps with so many different things that you never even think of. They grade everything based on different criteria, even high chairs on how easy they are to clean, height of tray compared to baby, and width between the seatback and the tray for optimum use.

ammnam14 · May 2015

This is so exciting to think about! My SIL is giving us all of her hand me downs but I'm still trying to persuade hubby to let me pick my own stroller. Not working so far. Haha

redfallon · May 2015

AudriannaMaria said:

This is so exciting to think about! My SIL is giving us all of her hand me downs but I'm still trying to persuade hubby to let me pick my own stroller. Not working so far. Haha

For carseats, you have to be 100% positive that it has not been in an accident, no matter how minor, or that the straps have not been soaked or cleaned with anything abrasive, and that it's not an expired seat. Other stuff, like strollers are not as big of a deal.

Take your husband to a store that has the strollers out that you can play around with. Show him how easy or not it is to fold it up, how small it folds up, how heavy it is, etc. When I showed my husband the one that we have, he was on board with it because of how small it folds up and because of the all-terrain tires, since we live on a gravelly road and also go across grass and other stuff frequently. If the hand-me-down stroller folds up so big that it's all you can fit in the back of your car versus a different one, he may change his mind.

ammnam14 · May 2015

Good to know! My husband would not go for that though. He's a minimalist for sure.

redfallon · May 2015

Also have him try to fold up the hand-me-down one without any instructions

Do you know what type of stroller it is already?

mavgirl_73 · May 2015

CitySelect tandum is great. We have one and it's amazing. So light and easy to fold up considering size.

ammnam14 · May 2015

Unfortunately I don't

and he refuses to use instructions! He put our IKEA bed together and there were so many leftover parts. Haha there is no winning with him.

mariluornelas · May 2015

I'm getting the britax b ready with all the accessories. It comes with stroller, base, car seat, Moises, and the older kid seat. It's a bit expensive but it's beautiful and it grows with your kid.

kjswan3 · May 2015

I have a britax bsafe infant car seat. My baby was big to begin with (9 lbs 6 oz, 22 in long) and this seat has quite a bit of length to it which I appreciated. Super safe of course too! I have the city select stroller and when we got it we got a second seat for free. We knew we wanted to have two kiddos close in age, and that way we only needed to buy one stroller! It is so easy to maneuver and the telescope handle is a must (husband is 6' 3"). If u do think about having your second close get a convertible stroller of some type...I believe most brands have one now! She now is in a britax pavilion car seat...love this seat too!

Also check out Lucies List. It is a website with tons of reviews by moms and they break down what you need, what would be nice, and what is useless stuff to buy for the baby. I solely used this site for my registry and I use it as a reference when I buy stuff for my toddler! Such a great website!

Happy baby shopping!! So fun!

redfallon · May 2015

katie1885 said:

I have a britax bsafe infant car seat. My baby was big to begin with (9 lbs 6 oz, 22 in long) and this seat has quite a bit of length to it which I appreciated. Super safe of course too! I have the city select stroller and when we got it we got a second seat for free. We knew we wanted to have two kiddos close in age, and that way we only needed to buy one stroller! It is so easy to maneuver and the telescope handle is a must (husband is 6' 3"). If u do think about having your second close get a convertible stroller of some type...I believe most brands have one now! She now is in a britax pavilion car seat...love this seat too! Also check out Lucies List. It is a website with tons of reviews by moms and they break down what you need, what would be nice, and what is useless stuff to buy for the baby. I solely used this site for my registry and I use it as a reference when I buy stuff for my toddler! Such a great website! Happy baby shopping!! So fun!

I wish we had gotten the City Select to begin with, but it doesn't have the all-terrain wheels that the CityMini GT has. It doesn't really matter now since we need a double stroller and I don't want some huge thing just because it has all-terrain wheels. I think the City Select is the way to go

I have to convince DH of that with the price tag $-)

mereplusone · May 2015

My favorite car seat this year is the Nuna Pipa. It's pricey but has some excellent safety features (load leg, Oko-Tex certified material, soft magnetic canopy) while still being lightweight and easy to use. Plus it's a pretty car seat. It is compatible with several strollers, including the Baby Jogger City Select which seems to be a favorite with the mamas on this board (with good reason, it's a great stroller).

With car seats and strollers it's great if you can find a store that will let you test drive the strollers and try the car seats in your car to make sure they fit. I think most places allow this, the key is just finding a place with a broad enough selection and knowledgeable staff. It makes a HUGE difference to be able to actually put your hands on a stroller, see how it folds, feel what it weighs, seeing what it's made out of, etc.

Having said that though there is a lot to be said for Internet research - a PP mentioned Lucie's List which is an awesome source and I often recommend Hollie from Baby Gizmo's YouTube videos. She has some excellent informative stroller reviews!

Have SO MUCH FUN doing your shopping - baby gear is awesome!

kjswan3 · May 2015

@redfallon I totally agree with the all terrain wheels! But to be honest it does really well on bumpy gravel roads. Mind you I'm not on them all the time but it gets the job done! As for the price tag....I know it's kinda high so I convinced hubby for it to be a Christmas/baby shower gift lol! Try looking around the holidays (Black Friday time ish). That's when I bought ours and the second seat came free! Those extra seats are pricey!

You won't regret getting this stroller though!!!

redfallon · May 2015

katie1885 said:

@redfallon I totally agree with the all terrain wheels! But to be honest it does really well on bumpy gravel roads. Mind you I'm not on them all the time but it gets the job done! As for the price tag....I know it's kinda high so I convinced hubby for it to be a Christmas/baby shower gift lol! Try looking around the holidays (Black Friday time ish). That's when I bought ours and the second seat came free! Those extra seats are pricey! You won't regret getting this stroller though!!!

My POV on a lot of the baby gear like this is that I am the one who will be lugging two kids around, so it has to be something that I can do by myself and feel comfortable doing all the time, multiple times per day. He also likes the small aspect, which is what sold him on the CM-GT, and for the car seats it was how easy they were to install and get tight in the seat. Basically, if I can show him the practicality of something, he's cool with it.

kjswan3 · May 2015

@redfallon Right on! Your husband seems logical and reasonable! My husband not so much lol...I just begged;).

AlejandraN2 · May 2015

redfallon said:

Get this book:

https://www.amazon.com/Baby-Bargains-furniture-strollers-maternity/dp/1889392499/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1432695674&sr=8-1&keywords=baby+bargains+book

They have great (impartial) reviews.

Personally, I love Chicco. It is very highly rated. We got the Chicco Keyfit30 for DD as her infant seat and now we have the Chicco NextFit as her convertible seat that she's been in since she was about 8/9/10 months old? I think I switched her out when I had started taking her out of the carseat when we went somewhere instead of taking the entire infant seat out. Around the same time she started sitting in the stroller without being in the infant seat. You can buy a separate base to have an extra.

We have the CityMini GT stroller. It's very light and folds up small and has attachments for most any infant seat. Now we have to look into a double stroller. Maybe looking at the CitySelect tandem stroller.

This is exactly us. @redfallon you are my stroller and car seat twinsie. We love all of it and would definitely recommend. The GT is perfect for snow too and I had to push it a lot this winter to daycare. We are also thinking about the city double but I love my GT so much I'm trying to figure out ways to avoid the double stroller.

caseybeth1213 · May 2015

I loved my chicco keyfit 30 with my son!! I researched the crap out of carseats and loved all the safety reviews it got! We did get extra bases for my husbands truck and my moms car so I could keep the one installed in my car

dp1320 · May 2015

We went with the Peg Perego infant seat and Book stroller...LOVED them both and still get compliments on the stroller all the time.

Now, I'm in the market for a double stroller. Ugh.

Taylovesbrad · July 2015

@DH09072012 this is the stroller and car seat I have.come down to in my research. They are both are a little pricey though. Do you use yours for walks in.your neighborhood or on gravel roads? If so how does it do? Did you put this on your registry or just buy it yourself? My partners concerned with the price. Not sure.if it's too much to ask for on the registry and.if we should just bite the.bullet and get it.ourselves. thanks!

missaero · July 2015

We just picked up a Britax B Agile/B safe travel system. The stroller is just like the City Mini in terms of form and function. It is very light and has a great one hand fold. The car seat is also one of the safest out there. We will be getting a second base for DH car.

It's ~$420 for the set at BRU but Amazon had it for $320 last week so I got BRU to price match.

lablover920 · July 2015

@mereplusone I really want to go with the Nuna Pipa as well. I am going this weekend to test it out in my car, so fingers crossed that it is a good fit. Great reviews & safety, plus I love the look. Now on to choosing a stroller....so many options.

dp1320 · July 2015

Taylovesbrad said:

@DH09072012 this is the stroller and car seat I have.come down to in my research. They are both are a little pricey though. Do you use yours for walks in.your neighborhood or on gravel roads? If so how does it do? Did you put this on your registry or just buy it yourself? My partners concerned with the price. Not sure.if it's too much to ask for on the registry and.if we should just bite the.bullet and get it.ourselves. thanks!

My parents bought the stroller for us for our Christmas present and we bought the infant seat ourselves. It is a bit pricey but it's also not crazy expensive like some of them can be - I found it to be a happy medium. We use ours for walks in the neighborhood and I have taken it on gravel roads - I wouldn't recommend it for the gravel roads (instead I think a jogging stroller would be better suited for that situation) but it did hold up fine. We were really happy with both the infant seat as well as the stroller though! We've put it through a lot and it has some wear and tear to show for it but I think that's normal. I would recommend

rain0831boww · July 2015

redfallon said:

katie1885 said:

I have a britax bsafe infant car seat. My baby was big to begin with (9 lbs 6 oz, 22 in long) and this seat has quite a bit of length to it which I appreciated. Super safe of course too! I have the city select stroller and when we got it we got a second seat for free. We knew we wanted to have two kiddos close in age, and that way we only needed to buy one stroller! It is so easy to maneuver and the telescope handle is a must (husband is 6' 3"). If u do think about having your second close get a convertible stroller of some type...I believe most brands have one now! She now is in a britax pavilion car seat...love this seat too! Also check out Lucies List. It is a website with tons of reviews by moms and they break down what you need, what would be nice, and what is useless stuff to buy for the baby. I solely used this site for my registry and I use it as a reference when I buy stuff for my toddler! Such a great website! Happy baby shopping!! So fun!

I wish we had gotten the City Select to begin with, but it doesn't have the all-terrain wheels that the CityMini GT has. It doesn't really matter now since we need a double stroller and I don't want some huge thing just because it has all-terrain wheels. I think the City Select is the way to go I have to convince DH of that with the price tag $-)

Planning on registering for the City Select but it also bugs me that it doesn't have the all-terrain wheels. What can't they even sell them separately? They sell them for the Versa which is disconnected. Was thinking of the City Mini but if I know I want two kids close in age, might as well go for the bigger one.

BP1979 · July 2015

My SIL handed down one of her infant car seats to us (not expired, no accidents, no recalls). It's a Graco Click Connect, and I LOVE it! The seat itself is SO light and it's super easy to snap in and out of base and strollers! She had twins, so we went stroller shopping the other day, and hubby picked out the Graco Aire3 -- it's very similar to the ones people often recommend, but half the price!

KRH6829 · July 2015

Definitely get multiple bases. It makes life so much easier. My husband and I each had one and his mother got one for her car too for our first son.

yankeebabeme · July 2015

Nuna Pipa! Thats on my list. I registered for one extra base (hubby car). I also loved the Mamas and Papas Armidillo stroller. found it the easiest to maneuver.

jmomof4 · July 2015

Def get two bases! I got this accidentally opened floor model for 99.00 total.. So I couldn't pass it up! I have a Phil and Ted double as well.

bluelily9 · July 2015

Absolutely different bases! Once it's in a car you really don't want to be moving it. We had one in my car, one in DHs, and one in my mom's since she took the baby once a week.

KatherineAimee · July 2015

I already purchase my stroller (Baby Jogger Vue, https://www.babyjogger.com/product/vue/) and car seat (Cybex Aton Q, https://cybex-online.com/us/carseats/atonq.html). Since this will be my last baby, I wanted something very versatile, but not too expensive. The Vue totally is! I can use it from infancy with the car seat adapter till the little man is 55lbs. I love that the seat can face you and then outwards like normal. Car seats I don't put a price on because all I care about is safety. Cybex is known for that! Good luck!

Praying41 · July 2015

We got the recaro infant car seat and stroller. Haven't used it yet obviously but have tried out how it works and folds and attaches and we love it so far. Both the car seat and stroller are pretty light too compared to others we've looked at. And reviews are great. We will see when this girl arrives how well it works

littlebitmom · February 2016

For those of you that purchased the Britax travel system, is the stroller super hard to push? The front wheels on mine seem to just lock up on their own and I have checked the brake several times. I bought it at Buy Buy Baby and am thinking of taking it back to see what they can do for me. It was not like this in the store when I tried the test one out.

chewie5990 · February 2016

I have the Britax travel system and my stroller is super easy to navigate. I've never had any problems with it being hard to push. I would definitely try and bring it back buy buy baby has an excellent return policy so you shouldn't have any problems.

littlebitmom · February 2016

Thanks @chewie5990 I went to buy buy baby and they could not do anything for me because I had used my stroller. So I called Britax. They are sending all new wheels. They have wonderful customer service! I waited on hold awhile, but they were so great.

groovylocks · February 2016

Speaking from experience, (for the love of god!) make sure it fits in your car. Both the stroller and the seat.

I'm actually looking to trade my beloved Golf in for a Tiguan. This is how seriously you need to take the dimension issue.

littlebitmom · February 2016

No kidding @groovylocks my husband is looking at bigger cars currently because her car seat puts one of us almost in the dash....

redfallon · February 2016

When we decided to have another baby, we had to get another car for me. I had a Jetta and DH is 6'1". The carseat did not fit behind him whatsoever, so if we had two kids, he wouldn't be able to get in the car with us. We got a GMC Acadia. We also took DD's carseat and put it in every car we tried out to make sure that DH could sit in front of her with it. You'd be surprised which ones didn't fit. It fit behind him in the Ford Escape, but not the Ford Explorer.

esscapelle · February 2016

redfallon said:

When we decided to have another baby, we had to get another car for me. I had a Jetta and DH is 6'1". The carseat did not fit behind him whatsoever, so if we had two kids, he wouldn't be able to get in the car with us. We got a GMC Acadia. We also took DD's carseat and put it in every car we tried out to make sure that DH could sit in front of her with it. You'd be surprised which ones didn't fit. It fit behind him in the Ford Escape, but not the Ford Explorer.

Yep, I can vouch for the Ford Explorer not being big enough. Me & DH bought one right before I got pregnant and thank goodness we are both under 5'9" because we BARELY fit in the seat in front of the carseat. We are considering trading it in when we have the next kid.

BethP321 · February 2016

I think I looked at car seat and stroller combos for like three months before I finally made a decision. I went with the Graco Aire 3 travel system. The Aire 3 stroller is perfect for us (though sometimes I wish I had gone with a jogger stroller with the bigger wheels instead of the traditional wheels). The reason I love this stroller most is because the seat can fold flat so when my son outgrows the car seat he can lay down in the stroller and nap. When the seat is folded flat, the feet can be folded up and transforms into a bassinet. Also stroller itself folds flat and unfolds with one hand, which is very nice when I am out running errands with baby by myself. I am very happy. (:

The car seat itself is the Graco Click Connect 35. I have no complaints yet. The seat is compatible with any Graco Click Connect car seat base. My parents and his parents both bought their own base for their cars (although with a bit of practice it's easy to take in and out). We drive a Mercury Sable primarily and have no problems. Our parents drive a '13 Dodge Durango and a '11 Ford Escape. You can tell when the grandpas drive because you can't get the car seat in, so we keep it in the middle or on the passenger side.

Sorry if this is so lengthy. I looked up a few videos on YouTube that sold me on it when I saw the fold down seat. Happy hunting!

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