Let's talk strollers and car seats!

DecemberDoll27 · August 2018

Hello there!
As a future FTM I am overwhelmed with the choices for strollers and car seats available. Amazon reviews are not very helpful as everyone's situation and life style is different. So the next best thing is to ask my fellow bumpies for their opinion! Which stroller/ car seat did you get or planning on getting? Why did you choose that particular make/model? What do you like/dislike about it? I am looking for any kind of advice as I am lost in the sea of options!
We are looking for something light and easy to fold. DH wants a jogger but I am not sure how much use we will get out of it! I am so confused about the whole thing! Help!

mtpbadger · August 2018

We got the graco travel system (I can’t remember which one exactly, the city maybe?). We chose it bc the car seat is one of the lightest ones and the storage at the bottom of the stroller had one of the biggest capacities of all the ones we looked at. It’s easy to fold with one hand and I really do love that you can hear the “click” both in the stroller and in the car when the car seat is connected.

MMD1986 · August 2018

We got this Graco system. I liked it because you can click the car seat into the stroller until you baby is older. We didn't really need a jogger because I don't run, but it is so easy to steer. It's kind of bulky, but I don't find it to be heavy and it's very easy to fold up.

https://www.amazon.com/Graco-Fastaction-Jogger-Connect-Travel/dp/B00UVW40XA/ref=pd_sim_75_13?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00UVW40XA&pd_rd_r=VMHFEF7CSG4BY2Q44B66&pd_rd_w=NLhmD&pd_rd_wg=2XgHe&refRID=VMHFEF7CSG4BY2Q44B66&th=1

Now that my son is bigger, we just ordered a convertible car seat. We go the Graco Contender 65. It hasn't come in yet, so I don't have a review, but I have been very please with all our other Graco products.

mayflower513 · August 2018

With my first we did the britax stroller/infant car seat combo. When we bumped up to a convertible car seat we did recaro.

For this one we will probably use the britax again since we already have it. For a convertible car seat I may look at clek foonf, but only if i can get a really good deal because they are $$$$.

LynnNJ · August 2018

I'm going to be 2nd time mom in Jan and my son is 19 months old today.
Last time around I got the Graco Modes Jogger for the stroller. I'm not a runner or jogger, though I do like to go for walks outside. Someone recommended getting a jogger stroller because it turns smoothly and it is very helpful if you do a lot of walking. The large wheel in front gets over curbs easily so you don't have to constantly walk around to find a spot to get up to a sidewalk.

It comes with an infant seat and a toddler seat. The infant seat is also a carseat (I think it's called SnugRide Click Connect 35) that snaps into a base you put in the car. I bought an carseat and base, and had our parents buy a base. Our extra carseat stays at the house in case I need anyone wise to pick up our son at daycare.

Last month, we just switched to a convertible carseat. Infants can use it, but the seat pretty much stays in the car all the time.

So back to the stroller. I have gotten a lot of use out of the stroller, but it is sometimes a pain to get in and out of the car. It's helpful to have in the beginning because of the storage and for walks in the neighborhood but we really need an umbrella stroller now.

Now that I'm expecting baby #2, I'm look for a double stroller that is compatible with travel system, but I haven't settled on one yet.

wildrainbow · August 2018

We have the Greco 4ever for our convertible and I love it! It's pretty compact and has two cup holders, which is awesome. Our infant seat the Graco click connect. It's light and I like it a lot. It was used for Ds and we will use it for this babe as it's not expired. I never used a stroller until ds was a toddler, I just baby wore, if I needed to shop. It was easier for me, and kept my hands free.

mbradfo2 · August 2018

We did the Britax travel system (B-Safe carseat + B-agile stroller).

The stroller is super easy to use with the carseat (or on its own) and very light, but not alot of storage if that's something you need. The carseat just snaps onto the stroller. It has nice thick wheels that are v. stable and is a jogger style so it moves very smoothly, turns easily. I use it all the time and while it's less than ideal for actual shopping, it's fine for going out to pick up a few little things; I can stow my selections in the little area under the seat or put them in a bag over my arm. We need to have a cart + stroller if we're doing super heavy duty shopping.

No issues with the carseat and it seems to be holding up well. Very easy to snap into place and use. I just got the same thing as my sister since it worked for her!

lablover78 · August 2018

I’m a FTM to be so I can’t speak to the actual use but I went with a Graco brand I think LX something for 2 main reasons: #1 you can use 20% off coupon at Buy Buy Baby (they limit the stroller brands eligible for coupon use) and #2 you can just put the infant seat directly into the frame without the big toddler part of the stroller. Once Baby is big enough you just pop the toddler portion back into the frame. Since my mom will be helping with child care I wanted something that was lighter to maneuver. I found going to Buy Buy Baby was the most helpful- I did a ton of online research but once I was there the store associate was so helpful and extremely knowledgeable and that helped a ton!

lablover78 · August 2018

This is what I got: Graco® Modes™ LX Travel System in Myles™

cashewchicken · August 2018

I got the Chicco Bravo LE travel system which includes a stroller and a car seat. I went with Chicco as their car seat is the highest rated car seat by Consumer Reports. The stroller is okay. I didn’t do much comparison shopping but the stroller folds easily and is not too heavy. The downside is that we are thinking about baby#2 soon and if we are successful, we will have two kids under two. Which means we need to get a new stroller that can hold a toddler seat and a car seat. In hindsight, perhaps we should have gotten the Uppababy Vista for the stroller.

Aera11 · August 2018

I am with a lot of PP about the Graco -- I watched my nephew one day a week for 9 months and that is what my brother & SIL had; super easy to use, light & had a good size basket. The carseat base was a pain in the butt though.

We have the Uppababy Vista & Mesa carseat. I have zero complaints! Other than the price tag. I wanted something that could easily turn into a double & have the carseat click in without the seat being present. The base for the Mesa is 100x easier than my nephews Graco one too.

kristimh80 · August 2018

@Aera11 Thanks for commenting! I have been looking at the Uppababy and Nuna. Uppababy has a prettier look, glad to see how much you like it and how easy it is to use

persnickity · August 2018

We went with the Cybex Cloud Q car seat and stroller with the alterrain wheels. The car seat is fantastic! Love how easy it is to get in and out of the base. Plus the base was easy to install and has a load leg for extra safety. You can also safely use it without the base, which had been great for travel.
The stroller folds up nicely and is easy to turn/manuver. But i baby wear and we've only used it once in her first year of life.

JWatt5 · August 2018

We got the Nuna Pipa car seat for the Ridged LATCH base and Dream Drape (draping a swaddle blanket or using an OVer/Milk Snob cover is so dangerous on the warm weather) and then we purchased the Baby Jogger City Select. We were going to get the City Mini GT but had a pretty good idea we want two kids and we also live on country roads - it’s super sturdy.

We’ve since also purchased our Baby Jogger City Tour as our light weight stroller. Easier for quick trips and some travel (we still took our City Select to mexico on vacation).

We have our convertible car seats as well now - Clek Foonf for my SUC and the Fllo for DHs car.

Aera11 · August 2018

@kristimh80 oh my gosh, first of all, CONGRATS!! and yes, we love our Uppababy! I do love the Nuna too. I looked the the Baby Jogger City Select as well; it's basically a more affordable Uppababy IMO. DH wants a jogging stroller at some point, so I have been researching those as well and I think we'll get a Bumbleride, which also has a bassinet (something to consider if you want a jogging one).

kristimh80 · August 2018

@Aera11 Good to know! I'll look into the City Select as well. Thanks again for all your help! There's a chance this maybe our 1 and only...so I don't mind spending extra if it's worth it!

chicandbubbly · August 2018

STM here... #1 regret the first time around was that I didn’t buy a stroller that could convert to double. Seriously!!! What was I thinking?!!! Lol. If you plan on having more then one in the next few years consider this! For my son we had the Nuna Pipa Car seat and the Nuna Mixx Stroller. Love them both- but don’t Love the fact that now that we will have 2 under 2 we obviously need a double stroller!! This time around we purchased the Baby Jogger City Select Lux and we are using our Nuna car seat again.

JWatt5 · August 2018

The only real big difference between the Uppa and City Select is the tires. The Uppababy has a more “city tread” not heavier terrain tire. There’s the new City Select Lux which is the same price as the Uppa (Or really close) and has the same type tires as the Uppa. There’s some perks that come with the Lux (like the folding seats). @Aera11. @kristimh80

mayflower513 · August 2018

We have a bob jogger what is pretty good too.

Tulips29 · August 2018

We got the Uppababy Vista stroller + Mesa infant car seat for when A was younger. The reason we chose this stroller is because it's durable, folds easily (it's not super light), has a huge basket underneath for all essentials, and the ride is smooth for any sorts of bumps. The Uppababy Mesa infant car seat clips right into the stroller, so no adapters are needed. When we switched to the toddler car seat, we went with Britax Marathon. For us, safety was #1 factor and its highly rated on all satefy lists. My husband did a lot of research and this car seat was at the top of the list. It's also the easiest to install and take in and out of the car. We give it to our parents when they use it for their cars and it takes seconds to take it out and install it back. Highly recommend both!

LadyMillil · August 2018

Tulips29 said:

We got the Uppababy Vista stroller + Mesa infant car seat for when A was younger. The reason we chose this stroller is because it's durable, folds easily (it's not super light), has a huge basket underneath for all essentials, and the ride is smooth for any sorts of bumps. The Uppababy Mesa infant car seat clips right into the stroller, so no adapters are needed. When we switched to the toddler car seat, we went with Britax Marathon. For us, safety was #1 factor and its highly rated on all satefy lists. My husband did a lot of research and this car seat was at the top of the list. It's also the easiest to install and take in and out of the car. We give it to our parents when they use it for their cars and it takes seconds to take it out and install it back. Highly recommend both!

Ditto all of this. I love my UppaBaby vista and Mesa. I have the same convertible but haven't made the switch yet. The Mesa base is so easy to install. When my parents were visiting they couldn't believe that we could grab the base from our car and have it safely installed in their car in 2 minutes.

DecemberDoll27 · August 2018

Thank you everyone for your input! It is very helpful! I think I am leaning towards buying Britax b-agile and B-safe travel system! But I might splurge on something more extravagant if I can talk DH into it! I mean, compared to money we spent for IVF, baby gear expenses are nothing!

mbradfo2 · August 2018

@DecemberDoll27
I know, right? Although the biggest ticket item I got was our crib (we got this one, but in a white finish which they apparently no longer sell. it looks awesome -- very vintage!**) and that was a gift from my parents...so far I'm not seeing where all the complaints about baby expenses come from! I mean, in my mind, we haven't even spent a quarter of what we spent on IVF!

Our biggest expense is going to be buying into Florida's prepaid college program -- but that way we lock in today's tuition and it will all be paid for by the time she's 18. Jeez.

**When it arrived, my husband was very unimpressed. "Isn't it very plain?" He didn't get why I was so excited about it. I do need to take nursery pics to show you guys

Decorating is one of my little passions but it takes me forever to actually finish a project since I'm very picky.

laurad75 · August 2018

Jumping in a little late on this one but I wanted to add that we got the Nuna Pipa car seat and the Uppa baby vista stroller. I had to buy a converter for the car seat to drop into the stroller but it was reasonable. The Vista does have an intimidating price tag so I kept an eye on FB marketplace for a 'gently used' one and then ultimately bought last year's model on PishPoshbaby.com for $200 less than the current model.

JWatt5 · August 2018

@laurad75 - buying “last years” model is a great way to save a bit of money! We did that with our Clek car seats - got the 2017 in March 2018

kristimh80 · August 2018

@laurad75 Good to know...I've been looking at both the nuna and uppababy. Thankfully the FB marketplace always has these items up! Will definitely check out that website, thank you!

laurad75 · August 2018

@kristimh80 I was really picky about the color and model we got as well as insisting we got the bassinet with it so I never found it on marketplace but I did the work so H didn't mind me spending the money to get what we wanted. I did get a bassinest on marketplace and I was very proud of that. I saved $150... and then immediately spent that $150 on other crap.

kristimh80 · August 2018

@laurad75 Hey whatever works! I figure I'll buy the car seat new, but have seen the strollers, etc on the marketplace. So hopefully something similar will be around. Guess I need to go stroller test driving again! Honestly, I'll probably go with whatever one is cute and lighest to maneuver. I'm way ahead of myself with all of this...but I hate no being prepared

Def want the bassinet!

KidShrink · August 2018

We also have the Uppababy Vista and Mesa combo and love it. Pricey, but so easy to maneuver. I’ll definitely sell it for a good amount still when we’re done with #2.

persnickity · August 2018

We talked infant car seats, what about convertible car seats? Anyone have one they love?

Griffin5413 · August 2018

@persnickity - we have the graco 4 ever and love it. We won't need to buy another one. It transitions from Rear to Forward to both boosters. My son is comfy it in too. He's not very tall so we didn't worry about the extend to fit option which would extend the leg room.

persnickity · August 2018

Thanks @Griffin5413 we'll check it out. Car seat shopping this weekend.

artemis618 · August 2018

Bit late to this and a FTM-to-be myself (so we’ve only gone to the store and played with strollers and stuff in the store). We’re going with UPPA baby vista (fingers crossed for Black Friday deals - and that baby stays put at least for that long) since we would like more than one (we have 5 more PGS normals so hopefully one of them will work out!) for our stroller. I sort of figured there was a reason that we see them EVERYWHERE - but confirmed this when comparing with the weight of the Silver Cross Wave (and remembered that I’ll have to get it up into the back of my SUV).

Probably going with Nuna Rava for convertible car seats (one for each car) - and hoping for Black Friday promos since I totally missed that Nordstrom had them on sale during their anniversary sale

. Apparently I was too busy stalking the Zella maternity leggings. Also considering the Cybex Sirona M - Amazon currently has these for $250, which helps since we know we’re going to have to buy two. But I understand Nuna Rava to be easier to install. DH didn’t love that the fabric wasn’t removable to clean on the clek Foonf and the fllo (and that separately purchased infant inserts are needed to use them when baby’s little).

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