Best strollers/car seats/breast pumps?

Re: Best strollers/car seats/breast pumps?

• knottiec0e3f9a88bb0740d member

  November 2023

  Finding the right work home balance will be different for each mom. I can’t tell you what to do there but as far as the best of things. I have been referencing lists. New York Times lists, Forbes best 100 strollers. I personally liked the graco snugride carsest and stroller. And those cordless Elvie for my return to healthcare. They don’t have wires or those bulky power sources. But just keep reading and find what works for you. The snugride stroller isn’t good for things like gravel. But I live in a city. There isn’t much gravel here. But if you live on say a farm or have a gravel driveway then that stroller isn’t what’s best for you. Just keep reading. And remember everyone will have different requirements so take advice with a grain of salt and remember you know what’s best for you and baby

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• curlyandpreggo member

  November 2023

  I agree that finding the right things will be different for everyone. @littlemarshmallow just posted a product spotlight schedule so you can get insights from others on each of those categories then. I also highly recommend going to look at strollers and car seats (particularly strollers) in person if at all possible - Buy Buy Baby was good for that, but since they closed, I'm not sure what places might be good to look. 
  
  Since you asked, I'll go ahead and chime in now and say I love our Mockingbird Stroller and thought our Chicco Keyfit infant car seat was great (I'll note I was also a fan of getting an infant car seat then moving to a convertible one when needed as it's great to be able to carry baby in and/or attach to your stroller).  A few considerations that I remember making - 1. Are the car seat and stroller compatible (is there an adapter for your car seat for the stroller you want)? As car seats are about safety my personal recommendation is to choose a car seat first and then make sure you get a stroller that works with it. 2. How will the car seat work in your car? We have a compact car and not every car seat would work in it. 3. How and where will you be using the stroller? I live in a city and walk a lot, so while I needed something that I can get in and out of my car, my priority was something that was good walking around my neighborhood. 4. Do you plan on having more than one kid? MH and I disagreed about this, but we were pretty sure we wanted to have two and that they would be fairly close together so I wanted a stroller that could be converted to a double stroller (MH on the other hand thought we should just focus on the first kid and worry about what was to come later). 
  
  For pumps, unfortunately different ones work well for different people. But I will say I love my Spectra for my main pump and I ended up getting a hand-me-down Spectra for the office. I have a lot of other pumps that I tried (I had supply issues so played around with pumps more than most) including the Pumpables Genie Advanced (portable - love it); Imani 2 (wearable - love it); and the Baby Buddha (wearable - not for me). I found that I needed to still use my Spectra to fully empty me so that was my primary pump, but loved having a portable or wearable for on the go or times when I needed to be up and moving. I also have a feeling I might lean towards portable or wearable for a second kiddo for obvious reasons. I found Karrie Locher's Portable and Wearable Pump comparisons really helpful - she gives her own thoughts and has feedback from her community so you can see what many different people think. 
  
  Wearable Pump Comparison: https://www.karingforpostpartum.com/blog/wearable-pump-comparison
  
  Portable Pump Comparison: https://www.karingforpostpartum.com/blog/portable-pump-comparison

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• pinkwatermelon member

  December 2023

  The points about best product for your lifestyle are key. We ultimately got two strollers: the Chicco Goody and the Evenflo wagon. One is super lightweight, folds with one hand, fits easily in any taxi trunk or even back seat. It’s good for shopping and flat terrain and narrow aisles. The wagon is like a Range Rover. We walk on bumpy sidewalks to the beach, drag through the sand, etc., and use it for hauling stuff without the kid in it. It’s possible to set up for naps too like a bassinet until they get too tall. It was pricey but basically indestructible and works even for 2+ kids at a time. It’s a pain to fold and get into a car so we use it for trips from home.
  
  Eventually the Goody wore out, we used the heck out of it as we didn’t have a car (think daily use, miles of walking, folding and unfolding constantly) so if you want to invest in something that would last for more than one kid, get the UppaBaby Minu. It’s an almost identical design but less than twice the cost, it’s twice the quality, and will definitely last more than twice as long. We replaced the Goody with this one and I couldn’t be happier with it; I am now pregnant with my second and confident the two will serve us until our stroller days are done. 

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