Best car seat and stroller to buy?

tayant814 · June 2017

I'm adding things on my registry and I can't decide which car seat and stroller I would feel more comfortable buying, any advice?

sabriel1 · June 2017

FYI but doing a registry this early can be a waste because by the time you have your shower the store could have discontinued many of them based on season or just new products coming out. This is especially true at Target.

That being said, for research purposes it really depends on your needs. Do you want an infant seat that holds more than the basic 22 lbs? Do you have other kids so are you looking for a seat that is skinnier. For me personally, after 5 kids I realized I needed the lightest infant seat i could find because those things get really heavy, so I went with the Graco click connect 35. I considered a maxi Cosi as well but it was longer which would have been a problem fitting it into the basket of the grocery cart.

For a stroller, are you planning to have kids close together. If so we got the city select which is a single that can convert to a double. With my first I got a Walmart cheap 3 wheel jogger with the big wheels, the baby trend expedition, and I loved it. I would recommend against one of those travel systems because the strollers that usually come with those are crap with those small wheels. I'd just urchase a car seat adaptor for a stroller instead

mbirdie · June 2017

I would definitely recommend taking your vehicle and trying out different seats to see what works best for you. Some seats won't fit well in some vehicles. (Cpst)

Acreativephipps · June 2017

As other posters mentioned it really depends on what you need. Also once you pick car seat look for stroller options for that car seat. Not all car seats are compatible with all strollers. We have a bob jogging stroller, because we only use a stroller for running/jogging( I baby wear everywhere else) and my husband is a huge safety nerd.

Megzb510 · June 2017

I personally had the Chico key fit 30 seat and stroller set for my son and didn't mind it.

Strollers are pretty specific to your lifestyle and situation. Do you live in a condo/apt with/without an elevator? Stairs only would mean you want something light. Do you go out and about a lot? Do you want to baby wear? I honestly rarely used mine. I would have wasted money had I spent hundreds of dollars of something fancy. My son is past the stroller phase so I would probably just reuse the old one.

magnolia305 · June 2017

I have the britax travel system. It has worked well for us with DS. I like the stroller that comes with the travel system. It has a three wheel base, instead of the four--it also reclines completely and has lots of ventilation to keep DS cool in the stroller when he isn't in his car-seat. The stroller is easy to fold and lays flat--that is important depending on the vehicle you have. The actual car-seat is a little heavy (my only complaint), but overall, I like it. We have a huge family, so I also registered for the next car seat (Graco 4ever) and received it at my shower. Something to think about!

Definitely think about what you are looking for. Go to stores and try different strollers out, check out the car-seats. I did a lot of research and had input from other moms

Good luck!

Starynightsky24 · June 2017

magnolia305 said:

I have the britax travel system. It has worked well for us with DS. I like the stroller that comes with the travel system. It has a three wheel base, instead of the four--it also reclines completely and has lots of ventilation to keep DS cool in the stroller when he isn't in his car-seat. The stroller is easy to fold and lays flat--that is important depending on the vehicle you have. The actual car-seat is a little heavy (my only complaint), but overall, I like it. We have a huge family, so I also registered for the next car seat (Graco 4ever) and received it at my shower. Something to think about!

Definitely think about what you are looking for. Go to stores and try different strollers out, check out the car-seats. I did a lot of research and had input from other moms Good luck!

I had this for DS and LOVED it. I immediately regretted selling it for a double when I had DD.

Im even looking into buying it again this time around (even though I already have two doubles and a single in my garage lol) HIGHLY recommend if that's the type of system you need.

Aeml1985 · June 2017

I have an uppa baby vista (can be a true double) stroller and a peg perego car seat
love them both.
Stroller folds easily, maneuvers even easier, has a HUGE basket and isn't cheaply made plastic
peg perego is one of the safest car seats, goes above and beyond minimum safety requirement and isn't made in China

ashhsa · June 2017

I also have britax and love it!

msunshine123 · June 2017

I agree with previous posters in that it depends on what you're looking for in terms of use, features and safety. I used Chico key fit 30 & uppa baby vista, love them and will use them again.

JandJ62914 · June 2017

When I was registering the first time around I signed up for a Consumer Reports subscription and was able to do some good research that way for different items. I found the safety ratings plus pros and cons especially helpful. That might be something to consider! It's only like $6 a month so once I was done registering I canceled it.

We ended up going with the Chicco Keyfit 30 and were very happy with it. We got a travel system so it came with a stroller too...I forget which one. I didn't love it, but I didn't dislike it either.

GraceUponGrace09 · June 2017

I will never stop singing the praises of our Bob stroller. Pricey and worth it! We were able to get an attachment for our Graco carseat.

Ashoes123 · June 2017

I was very happy with the Chicco Keyfit 30 also. I got the cheap folding caddy (not the travel system) that goes with it on A Facebook yard sale site for about $30, and I used only that setup for the first 6 months. Super light and easy!

As far as a "real" stroller for after that, I agree with the others that have said it's really a personal preference. I live in a rural area and like to take the stroller on dirt trails, sand etc. so I love my Phil and Teds. Converts to a double also. If I were still living in the city, I would have gone with an Uppa Baby Vista. That thing is NICE.

Oh and if you think it makes sense to also register for this, I also recommend the Grace 4ever car seat for the next step up car seat.

meatballs37 · June 2017

We have a chicco keyfit and loved it for DD. We now have a graco 4ever for her next seat and I'm "meh" about it. We also had the chicco bravo stroller and loved being able to click in the car seat when DD was a newborn. We could easily transfer her from the car to stroller while she slept. Plus the chicco keyfit is one of the number one rated Car seats for safety.

We recently upgraded our stroller to the city select by baby jogger. It's worth every penny. DD seems so much more comfortable in it. And let me tell you, this thing is the bomb! And it can easily add a second seat or an adapter for our keyfit. I think we will ditch the bravo stroller this go around.

hullabalou · June 2017

We used a Chicco Keyfit with my son until he was around 8 months, then moved to the Graco MySize 65 convertible seat. He will be 2 next month and is in the 90th percentile for height/weight and is very comfortable rear facing still.

TattoosandLace · June 2017

This can be a more family/situational based question than you might think.

Do you want a convertible car seat from the beginning or do you want an infant seat? With DD1, we chose the infant seat because of how cold it is here in february. We liked being able to bundle and cover her up en route to the car and then correct once inside the warm vehicle.

We used a Graco with DD1 and DD2 that has the ability to click onto a stroller, but we never used a stroller. It's easier for our family to just have me wear the baby. I'm not sure the route we will take this time having three small children.

It also depends on the vehicle you will be putting the car seats in. I have an equinox, so to fit three across I will probably have to buy new diono's instead of keeping the gracos we have, unless I switch vehicles with my husband.

BelhurstBride · June 2017

I got a Chicco travel system when I was pregnant with DD1. The carseat was fine, the buckets are all pretty similar, but the stroller sucked.

I now recommend to friends to get a Snap n Go for the beginning and wait to get a stroller until you have a better idea of what kind of parent you're going to be/what kind of kid you have. (DD1 HATED the stroller until she was over a year, I had to wear her everywhere.) So far all of my friends have appreciated that recommendation and most of them end up with a higher end jogger for daily use and a cheapie umbrella for the car- neither of which are strollers you can plop a newborn in.

That said, I currently have three strollers sitting in my garage.
1) A Baby Trend double jogger with a fixed front wheel. We love this stroller and have literally worn through the tires. It's our go to.
2) A Maclaren Twin Triumph. This is our travel stroller. It fits our needs. It isn't as comfortable for an older child, but it got DD1 around Disney at 5- almost 6 with minimal complaints.
I got both of these strollers off of CL for a fraction of retail.
3) A Baby Trend Expedition, single. The front wheel is not fixed. I hate it. This was a hand me down from a friend.

smorzandoj · June 2017

There are car seats and strollers on zulily today. Not ones I thought of getting but for the price I would consider it if I were a little further along. There is no "best" imo...if it's on the market it has passed all the safety guidelines. Now, there could be things you might want that some don't have but when it comes down to it as long as it fits in the car it doesn't matter.

Starynightsky24 · June 2017

smorzandoj said:

There are car seats and strollers on zulily today. Not ones I thought of getting but for the price I would consider it if I were a little further along. There is no "best" imo...if it's on the market it has passed all the safety guidelines. Now, there could be things you might want that some don't have but when it comes down to it as long as it fits in the car it doesn't matter.

I disagree with this. Are used to think this… But, it's kind of like saying all cars are safe because they all passed the same safety guidelines … But obviously that is not true. You pay for the seat to be more safe… I wouldn't choose the cheapest minimum safety car seat for my newborn.

You also pay extra for bells and whistle's like a boot, padding, and ease to install… But they are definitely not all equally as safe

smorzandoj · July 2017

Bringing this back to life. Bed bath and beyond has a great deal on the Chico key fit 30. Its 209.99 and you can use a 20% off if you sign up for emails or mobile deals. Drops to 167.09 or something like that. Plus tax. And you also get a $100 BBB gift card that will be sent after the car seat. It says 6-8 weeks for the fit card but the car seat ships pretty quick.

madie008 · July 2017

Aeml1985 said:

I have an uppa baby vista (can be a true double) stroller and a peg perego car seat
love them both.
Stroller folds easily, maneuvers even easier, has a HUGE basket and isn't cheaply made plastic
peg perego is one of the safest car seats, goes above and beyond minimum safety requirement and isn't made in China

Love love love my vista. Worth every penny. So excited to use it with two kids! I had to look really hard to find the 2nd seat that matched mine though since they came out with the 2017 colours lol.

I used a graco bucket seat for DS and it sucked. Will probably get a maxi-cosi or peg pergego for this babe. I do like how the uppababy seat would click into my stroller with no attachment but idk if I like it as much.

noodles15 · July 2017

For anyone looking for a double stroller...I have the Mountain Buggy Urban Jungle and it is amazing. It fits in all standard doors and pushes so easily over cracked sidewalk and uneven trails. I bought it used and it is seriously the best purchase I have made alongside my Tula and minivan.

gymmonkey95 · July 2017

I had an infant seat for my daughter and in a way I regret that I got it because she grew so fast that by 4 months old I had to put her in the convertible car seat! I personally would look at if you're going to babywear whether you need the infant seat or if you can get away with going straight for a convertible seat. I recommend getting the graco 4ever xtend2fit if you can afford it. I have the original xtend2fit and plan on getting the other for this one. Also as another person suggested go to the store and see how the seat fits in your car, I could've used this advice 10x over for my first!

Aeml1985 · July 2017

@madie008 how old is your first? I'm really debating if I want to get a second seat attachement. My DD will be 3 when this baby comes and as much as I like to contain her in the stroller, she's already not tht into it. Also, I love my peg car seat

madie008 · July 2017

@Aeml1985 he is 13 months now, so I guess will be around 20 months when #2 comes. So I think he will still need the strolled even if it's not all the time. They do can have piggy back broad so kiddies can ride in the back of the stroller!

charlottemom19 · July 2017

I did a combination of the Nuna Pipa infant car seat and the Baby Jogger City Mini for my first. I was very happy with both, but definitely didn't factor in the need for a double stroller one day, and now here we are

. We have since upgraded to the Nuna Rava (a convertible car seat that wasn't available during my first pregnancy) and I'm a HUGE fan.

fishyfishfish234 · July 2017

I bought everything based around my Quinny Buzz Xtra stroller - I LOVE LOVE LOVE my stroller. But my car seat, Maxi Cosi Mico, barely fit into my Ford Focus. I've since found out that my car is terrible for rear facing car seats. So definitely base your pick on what comfortably fits in your car.

And something light!

Chawk17 · July 2017

Anyone drive a Jeep Wrangler? If so what car seats fit the best

mamakate1616 · July 2017

We went with the Britax B-safe infant seat and the Britax B-Ready stroller. We loved the ease of placing the car seat in the stroller frame and how nice both handled, and of course the convenience of multiple bases for both parents and grandma rather than multiple seats which was expensive when we switched to convertible. I always felt so secure with DD in the Britax seat since it had such good ratings & extras (yes, they all have to meet the same minimum reqts), but DD was not such a fan. Not sure if it would have been the same with a different car seat or if she just wasn't a car seat baby lol. We have a Jeep Grand Cherokee and the passenger seat was moved way forward to accommodate the large seat, but in our Honda Accord there was plenty of room (same stats for the Britax convertible seat). Stroller itself is nice, large basket, and can convert to a double but it is bulky and heavy.
FWIW DD is 18months and we just bought a city mini gt to take to Disney with us because we wanted an easier fold and portability, I can see us using it as the main stroller with the next baby.

RSB1982 · July 2017

@Chawk17 we don't have a wrangler but when we were shopping for a csrseat, we looked for one with a small footprint because DH has a small car. We bought a cybex Aton 2 and it worked well. It's fairly small and lightweight. Maxi cosi may be another smaller one you can check out.

ladybug0088 · July 2017

We have a b-safe car seat and the britax b - ready stroller. Love this travel system!

DD will be 3.5 when the baby arrives so we are browsing sit 'n stand strollers for her. She prefers to walk and I like that she will have an option to sit or stand when she gets tired. I think we have decided on the joovy caboose ultralight option. We will hold off on a purchase for awhile though. Hoping some of these will have price drops soon as they clearance out the 2017 models and push the 2018 models.

Chawk17 · July 2017

@RSB1982 thank you. And if 1982 is your birthyear...we are the same age

RSB1982 · July 2017

Chawk17 said:

@RSB1982 thank you. And if 1982 is your birthyear...we are the same age

Yep! 34 here!! I will be 35 in November.

Chawk17 · July 2017

I'm slightly older

35 in September.

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