Car Seats and Strollers!?!?

jdawson1213 · January 2016

Hello Ladies,

First off, happy new year and I hope everyone and there babies are super healthy! I am not due until the end of July BUT I just started looking into strollers and infant car seats. Some strollers come with the car seats and others don't. I am a first time mom so I'm not sure where to start. Does anyone have any sites they recommend for baby gear? Also, have any of you bought a car seat or stroller car seat combo already? I'm thinking of getting a jogging stroller but more worried about the car seat for starters....

Any insight would be helpful!!!

I'm just not sure where to start.

Taymiller · January 2016

We have the graco snug ride and we like it. We also got the graco jogger and our graco car seat fit right in it. We just got the double Bob for our 2.0 and with that we have to buy an adapter for it to fit the car seat. DH did all our car seat research thank goodness.

anskip · January 2016

We used a Britax with DD and got the travel system. I loved it! When we moved her up to a convertible car seat we stuck with Britax. Love thier stuff! Babies r us runs a sale on them every now and then, but most of the time Amazon will have better prices.

I suggest going to your local baby store (BRU, BBB, whatever) and check them out. Have someone help you. Get them off the shelf. See how heavy they are, how easy/hard to attach or remove from the stroller. Once you decide which one you like, you can price shop

htn1763 · January 2016

Lucie's List!
https://www.lucieslist.com/gear-guides/

deuxbouledogues · January 2016

I recommend the book (or ebook) Baby Bargains. It's on Amazon and its FABULOUS. They go so in depth. The new edition recently came out. We are planning on the Chicco Keyfit 30 as it gets consistently the highest marks- even though I think it looks cheesy. For a stroller we are going with the Baby Jogger City Select as I like that it can fit multiple kiddos and it scores very well. I initially was going to go with a Bugaboo Cameleon but wasn't blown away when I actually played with it. Regardless- check out Baby Bargains!

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5020794/uploads/editor/e2/50n4v42lvcna.jpg

jen11797 · January 2016

As a STM my main advice will be to "play" with the stroller in the store before you make a decision. Make sure you can push, steer, set up, break down, and lift the stroller with only one hand while carrying a baby-sized precious object on your other side. That will be more necessary than you imagine.

Also, if possible, make sure that when you store it in your trunk, there is still plenty of room for groceries.

carcrashheart · January 2016

With our first I chose the city mini, bought the adapter, and our car seat was a graco. I tested regular strollers, the britax B agile, and the city mini. I preferred the city mini. With our second I sold the city mini and purchased a second hand city select (tandem convertible stroller).

You aren't supposed to jog with the child until they are at least six months old. Basically when they're a little bit sturdier and can handle the bumps of the road. So keep that in mind. Doesn't mean you can't use the jogging stroller otherwise, obviously, just tossing out some more info.

I opted not to get a travel system. I didn't like them. They've changed a bit in three years and might have decided differently if I were preparing for our first. If I had known we were definitely going to have more I would have started with the city select. I do miss the mini. It was awesome.

PugsandKisses · January 2016

See, every mom is different and their needs are different. I never had a jogging stroller, and I loved my travel system.

I also suggest Baby Bargains. It really helped explain what each one was, and why that would work for you. It also rated the strollers and car seats.
That being said, even the cheapest car seat have met the safety requirements to be sold in the US. BB's rating are for value, safety and costumer service scores.

I personally adore my Graco, I havr had the Snug ride, my ride and whatever the new 'my life' one is. A little pricey upfront but it goes front infant to booster seat with an expiration date of 10 years (instead of the standard 5 on a majority of seats). So it saved money in thr long run.

bluecrab1020 · January 2016

Definitely get the baby bargains book! I highlighted that puppy more than any college textbook ever.

Also- check out the baby gear board also.

We had a Phil and Ted so it could be used for jogging and then has an additional seat. We also got a cheapo umbrella stroller from BRU.

dolewhipper · January 2016

I agree with @PugsandKisses every mom's needs are different.

My biggest need is a stroller/seat that is lightweight and can fold up quickly, and can turn easily to get through theme parks. Very specific. So far we really like the Graco FastAction Sport with the snugride LX.

I really REALLY love the city mini, but cost was a factor and H wanted the baby to have a tray in front of him/her.

bunkie999 · January 2016

Were getting the bumble ride indie for a stroller as its one of the lightest (in Canada) at the stores that I can find anyways. And for the car seat I think we are gonna go for the "maxi cosi" I just wanna compare the 2015 to 2016 model.. I would be completely clueless as to what to buy too but my sister just had a baby so with 4 babies in the family they have a bit more knowledge then me. I'm sure if you go into a couple stores and talk with them I'm sure they would be very knowledgeable in helping you figure out what's best for your own lifestyle.

jerseymommatobe · January 2016

Lucies list is a great resource. I completely agree with @carcrashheart

As a FTM I got the city mini and used the adapter with our graco infant car seat. For this baby I'm looking to get a city select since they will be 15 months apart.

LaurenAsh23 · January 2016

Now is a great time to start researching. I did my research early with dd and was able to get our car seat, base and stroller on zulily super cheap! We have the chicco key fit 30. I later did get a jogging stroller, but didn't need one that fit the car seat so we just got a baby trend from target and I love it!

BettyRu · January 2016

I recommend every FTM joins the fb group "car seats for the littles". It literally will give you so much knowledge. I also looked at consumer reports myself and used the chico keyfit 30, the matching stroller and now use the Chico nextfit.

Join the Facebook group!!!!!!!!!!!!

BettyRu · January 2016

Also car seats expire so do not pre-buy them early.

DominiqueU · January 2016

Yikes. All the options are overwhelming. I walked through the stroller/ car seat area of Buy Buy Baby and nearly had a panic attack. There are a million options and they all seem to cost a million dollars. I'm thinking I'll probably try to start researching early and then stick to Target or online to avoid the mass hysteria caused by the bigger stores.

holly142 · January 2016

I LOVE my Bob stroller and Chico Keyfit 30! We used the car seat until DD was 22 months old because she slept so well in it. We went to Babies R Us and tried the 3 safest car seats in our Ford Escape. The Chico Keyfit fit the best so we registered for that. We only use the Bob and I use it almost everyday. We were given a car seat adapter that allowed the car seat to attach to the Bob. DD and I started walks when she was 1 week old

LinzerBinzer · January 2016

@DominiqueU I know what you mean about BBB. We went to one with my in-laws and right when we walked in we could see some strollers on the wall to the right. So we turned right and as we got closer the section kept growing!!! And growing and growing... Ack!!!

I highly recommend finding their "expert" - we spent about 10 minutes having her help us narrow it down based on price, lifestyle, etc. We ended up with about 3 brands/options that we are now researching further and I still have all my hair!

It's totally overwhelming, so ask for help! And definitely fold and unfold multiple times. And video that part, because it's frickin hilarious!!!

MamaBish · January 2016

Question: I'm trying to decide if a stroller is even necessary. Right now, I plan to baby wear and eventually get an umbrella stroller. But how useful do you find one of those big strollers with all the compartments? I don't plan to go on long walks (I live in a rural area with no sidewalks), and I don't really go to malls or theme parks much. Should I still get one? They just seem so bulky and difficult to maneuver.

PugsandKisses · January 2016

MamaBish said:
Question: I'm trying to decide if a stroller is even necessary. Right now, I plan to baby wear and eventually get an umbrella stroller. But how useful do you find one of those big strollers with all the compartments? I don't plan to go on long walks (I live in a rural area with no sidewalks), and I don't really go to malls or theme parks much. Should I still get one? They just seem so bulky and difficult to maneuver.

If you don't think you will use it, then skip it. Many places now rent out strollers.
We use our a lot, but knew we would. We enjoy going for walks in the mall.

elenabrent · January 2016

A lady in our area just posted a BOB Revolution SE in good condition for $175. I know it's ridiculous to have a stroller 6 months before you have a baby, but that's too good a deal to pass up.

Taymiller · January 2016

MamaBish said:
Question: I'm trying to decide if a stroller is even necessary. Right now, I plan to baby wear and eventually get an umbrella stroller. But how useful do you find one of those big strollers with all the compartments? I don't plan to go on long walks (I live in a rural area with no sidewalks), and I don't really go to malls or theme parks much. Should I still get one? They just seem so bulky and difficult to maneuver.

I baby wear a lot but we are having summer babies and baby wearing can overheat you and the babe. But if you don't plan on going on long walks you can probably get away with not having one. We go on lots of walks, sometimes that was the only thing that would calm my baby down (the witching hour is a bitch!)

PhoebeJune1984 · January 2016

With my first, we used the Britax Chaperone (they no longer have them), and the Britax-Bready. Our plan was to have the kids close in age, and that is why we got the stroller that would go from carseat, to seat, to double stroller (or seat and carseat double stroller). Well, that didn't happen and had I done things differently, I would have gone with the Britax B-agile or the Baby Jogger City Mini. They are super easy to fold with one hand, take up less space in the trunk, and are smaller. I was going to switch with this baby, but I decided that I am actually going to baby wear a majority of the time, and then I will have the double for when need be (my DD is pretty small, so she is still under the max weight for the stroller). Our infant seat expired, and we are going with a Peg Perego infant seat in my car, and a Chicco Nextfit Zip in my husbands truck, since it has a really good recline for infants, and there is no reason to NOT start with a convertible in his truck.

My BIGGEST piece of advice is to go to BRU (even if you aren't planning on purchasing from there). Hold them, play with them, wheel them around. Give the customer service your license, and you can take them out to your car (both strollers and carseats/bases), and try them out in your vehicle. Nothing is more annoying than ordering stuff, only to find out that it fits horrible in your vehicle, or takes up your entire trunk. I drive a Cadillac CTS (which is a mid-sized sedan), and a lot of carseats don't fit in the back seat. The B-Ready takes up the whole trunk, and the opening of the trunk is actually really narrow....so its a nightmare getting it in there to begin with. And it is a good thing we only had one kid at the time, because the Britax Chaperone ONLY fit in the middle of the seat because it needed the gap between the driver and passenger seat to fit. We are actually going to be purchasing a new vehicle before this baby, just because of the pain of carseats in it. But I would have been really upset if I got my heart set on a carseat, did a ton of research, and then ordered it.....only to have it arrive and find out that it doesn't fit in my car correctly.

MDmomma1217 · January 2016

I would recommend looking at Consumer Reports (you have to pay for a subscription).

Graco seats are usually rated pretty high. We had a Graco Snugride travel system with DD. The carseat has long expired by now given the age gap, but I am going to get another Graco travel system (I found a stroller I like better than my old one). The whole thing is under $200, so between being reasonably priced and good reviews we'll stick with that brand.

yycmama · January 2016

I have been shopping and researching strollers all weekend. I ended up falling in love with a smaller stroller than I had planned on. I originally was looking at the Bugaboo Buffalo and the Stokke Trailz - thinking that the offroading capability would be necessary. When I tried to fold them up they were so complicated and heavy :S I tried out the Bugaboo Cameleon and think that is going to be our pick. It was far lighter than the off roading ones and super easy to adjust. We have orderd a Nuna Pippa car seat, which has an available adaptor for this stroller....my only question, I thought we weren't supposed to use a car seat in the stroller because it puts the baby in a crunched up position? Has anyone else heard this? One store I went to strongly recommended against the car seat/stroller combo - but when I went to BRU this seemed to be all they sold?

elenabrent · January 2016

So I bought the CL BOB Revolution SE. My plan is to get the adapter so the Graco Snugride Click Connect 40 I ordered will fit. I feel pretty good about the combo- the snug ride is really highly rated and the BOB will be a good long term investment. Plus, I'll be able to run with it once I heal and am ready to get back out there.

LinzerBinzer · January 2016

We went back to hell (BBB and BRU) today. It is exhausting!!!

We ended up putting the BOB Motion travel system on the registry for now. We really loved the wheels/shocks. Sounds crazy to want that, but we go for a lot of walks and the shocks are supposed to help the baby sleep better. We'll see if we keep it or change our minds.

megstervt · January 2016

As a FTM this thread has been so helpful. Thanks ladies!

DominiqueU · January 2016

I went to Target today to help my sister who is pregnant with twins due in June register. They had the Graco Snugride Click Connect 30 on clearance for $70 instead of the regular $99. I bought her two! They seemed to have the strollers, car seats, and pack n plays with the Byler pattern on clearance. I'm assuming they might discontinue that pattern, but it's very cute and gender neutral.

Just a heads up for anyone looking to save some cash.

Taymiller · January 2016

LinzerBinzer said:
We went back to hell (BBB and BRU) today. It is exhausting!!!

We ended up putting the BOB Motion travel system on the registry for now. We really loved the wheels/shocks. Sounds crazy to want that, but we go for a lot of walks and the shocks are supposed to help the baby sleep better. We'll see if we keep it or change our minds.

You can never really go wrong with the Bob. The resale on them is great too.

jenkeale · January 2016

We love our city mini, but had we known we would have our babies so close, we would have gone for the city select. As PP said, trying them all out in the store is a must. After reading reviews online, I had my heart set on one car seat and ended up getting a completely different brand once handling them. DD had a Britax infant car seat and we bought the adapter for the stroller.

foxa319 · January 2016

We have the chicco travel system for ds which has been really great! Light weight, easy to maneuver, can fold up and open with one hand, ample storage.

We're gonna need a double stroller that can handle a newborn and a 13 month old, I've been researching and so many appropriate for twins but not as many for kiddos as close together as mine will be. Anyone have any suggestions for this?

PhoebeJune1984 · January 2016

foxa319 said:
We have the chicco travel system for ds which has been really great! Light weight, easy to maneuver, can fold up and open with one hand, ample storage.

We're gonna need a double stroller that can handle a newborn and a 13 month old, I've been researching and so many appropriate for twins but not as many for kiddos as close together as mine will be. Anyone have any suggestions for this?

Check out the B-Ready by Britax. It has 14 different configurations. I have one for one kid (our plan was to have kids close in age but we didn't end up doing that), and it is big for one, but awesome for two (my two nanny kids have one and my friend has one for her two kids). I do have the second seat attachment, so if I take a friend's kid with us somewhere, I have used it as a double many times.

jerseymommatobe · January 2016

@foxa319 this baby and my DD will be 14 months apart. We are going with the city select. The infant carrier goes on the top with DD on the bottom in a regular seat. It's fairly light weight. Tandem style so it's easy to get through door ways. It's $$ but I know I will be using it for a long time. I wish I bought it 7 months ago when I had DD

didi0308 · January 2016

Pretty sure I'm going with the britax b-agile and the 35 car seat to go with it. I'm a FTM and REALLY want the uppa baby vista but just can't see myself spending the money! I've heard great things about the b-agile so I'll be testing it out soon before I purchase

piratefairy · January 2016

So sorry for the LONG winded post - but this is one of my hot topics LOL I have amassed quite a collection of strollers - mostly out of aggravation trying to find what worked best for us. The fleet: BOB SE Revolution Single, City Mini GT Single, Britax B-Ready, Chicco Cortina Travel System/Keyfit 30 & Chicco Liteway Plus (Chicco was all from Baby Shower). I swear I switched from an obsession with purses and shoes to strollers! If you keep a close watch at various retailers (ie. kohls, target, etc) - you can get great deals on all, especially as colors/models discontinue. Each one seems to have it's definite pros & cons. But, it's ALL about personal preference & what works best for your situation/needs of use.

I've been able to use the chicco keyfit 30 car seat with all (adapter required). I had no gripes whatsoever about this car seat. Unfortunately, DS did outgrow the infant seat rather early (over 100% for height & weight), so we didn't get a ton of use out of it, but for me it was super convenient while we could use it. We now have convertible seats (Graco Forever) which have worked out great.

To me, the BOB is heavy for everyday use, getting it in and out of the car isn't super easy - it tends to live in the garage for local walks or planned outdoor adventures. Now at 16 mo. DS doesn't love that it sits on more of a recline, making it hard for him to see out the sides. However, it is definitely the best of the best if you are looking for a true jogger.

As an infant, DS lived in the Britax B-Ready - LOVE the bassinet & reversible seat. I tried the City Select when shopping for the B-Ready. I adore all of the configurations for it, but I'm on the short side & felt that with the extra length it was too hard for me to steer as a double. For our July LO, planning to use the B-Ready as a double - with adapter for the Chicco keyfit 30 carseat. Will decide later whether to get a second seat for the B-Ready or if a side by side would work better for us (City Mini GT double).

Our current absolute favorite for DS is the City Mini GT Single - it's SO light and easy to fold compared to the others - takes up hardly any trunk space, yet very sturdy and amazing for walks. The huge canopy was also a major plus to me. It also works with car seat & has a bassinet option. If I had tried this first - I would likely have skipped the others. I would DEFINITELY consider this one for the stair situation! I've been amazed how just a few pounds can make a big difference.

The Chicco Cortina & Chicco Liteway plus are the bottom of my list - the liteway plus does allow the chicco car seat to clip in but I've always found it absolutely miserable to fold up, the canopy is small - constantly pops off and it's on the heavy side for an umbrella style stroller. The chicco travel system stroller ended up living at my mom's house so we didn't have to bring a stroller with us when visiting - that worked out fine, it's not my favorite for everyday use, but certainly serves it's purpose.

As others have mentioned, a good part about the Britax & City products is that they do hold good resale value - you can frequently find them on Craigslist/local sales, in good shape. Needless to say, we'll likely have several strollers out in the driveway for our spring garage sale!

MrsRo731 · January 2016

I did sooooo much research on car seats and strollers and I loved the car seats we ended up with (Britax B-Safe and Britax Boulevard). Love love love Britax car seats!

However, we went with the Britax B-Agile for the stroller and I really didn't like it. It was light but I still found it bulky, hard to maneuver, and the basket was way too small. We live in a very walkable area and I knew we'd need a good stroller, but we didn't need a regular 'travel system'. Also, the large strollers take up so much room - whether it be your trunk or even folded up in a restaurant. Not worth the hassle in my opinion.

After putting up with the B-Agile for a while I finally bought a lightweight umbrella stroller - the Summer Infant 3D Lite. I'm in love! It's the best stroller and I wish I would've purchased it sooner. So some advice - the infant stage doesn't last that long; remember that what you need for the first 6 months will entirely change once LO can hold up their head, wants to sit up, etc.

Edit - Want to add, this time around I'm getting a Snap 'N Go for the early months and then will transition to an umbrella stroller when we're ready.

xc1148 · January 2016

I am in the minority, but over a year in with DD and I've mostly stuck with the Chicco car seat and frame stroller. It's just so freaking convenient! It's light, can fold with one hand, and has a HUGE storage basket (where I put my groceries/items while i shop and baby sleeps). Plus it was cheap!

For those looking into special strollers, I highly recommend an adapter for the car seat...the last thing you want to do is wake a sleeping baby!

This is our alternate stroller and we love it. I think it's only for 6m+, but it's also light, affordable and being able to flip forward/rear facing is great for when we travel. This is the one we always bring on trips.

https://www.summerinfant.com/3dflip-convenience-stroller

soberkfell · January 2016

We were lucky to receive the Chicco Key Fit 30 travel system as a baby shower gift from my co-workers. I sometimes wonder if I would have preferred to have one of the convertible seats that switches from rear-facing to forward-facing; however, I LOVED having my pumpkin seat to be able to pop DS in and out of the car and carry him into wherever I was going. I also liked being able to buckle him in indoors before facing mother nature, be it extreme heat, cold, rain, or snow.

DS is 21 months old Thursday, and is still rear-facing... his pediatrician said to not turn him around until age 2. My husband is worried he's going to be bow-legged with how he has to prop his feet up on the back of the seat. Any STM's turn their kids around before 2 years?

DobbysSock · January 2016

I got one of the travel systems (Graco I think?) and it was awesome. I miss it so much when I'm running errands now that DD is in a bigger carseat and I have to buckle her in an out a million times. It was also so convenient when she fell asleep as I could just snap the carseat into the stroller and go about my business with a sleeping baby, without disturbing her.

All that said, my stroller isn't great and in hindsight I kind of wish we had a better one. It's iffy for trail walks and definitely wouldn't be good for jogging (but I'm not a jogger, so moot point). I also wish I had gotten a stroller that could face either direction (like the ones where the handles can slide over to the opposite side) because sometimes when we're walking into the sun DD is miserable because the shade cover doesn't reach down far enough, and it would be nice to be able to turn her the other way.

First, you should decide what your primary use will be. Will you be using public transit? How big is your vehicle? What kind of terrain will you need to take the stroller on? Are you planning to be in big crowds/small spaces where you need to maneuver the stroller? Do you want another baby, and if so are you hoping for a bigger gap or close in age (i.e. will you have two little ones in a stroller at once)? Once you know all that, go to a specialty baby store that has staff who will take the time to go over every option, help you try it in your car, let you take things for a spin. Once you know what you like you can then watch for sales.

callen10210 · January 2016

After going to the store and trying some out we went a jogging travel system and it was so nice. My husband is a SAHD so it really needed to fit him which is really not easy when he's 6'5" but the jogger let him actually push the stroller without constantly tripping on it. It does take up a good chunk of our trunk but with a hatchback we've made it work.

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