Car Seat/ Stroller Combo Suggestions

I am all about the Chicco. I have 2 kids and I will say we did not spend this much on my daughters combo.. but this was really worth the money.. I like the fact that you can pretty much do everything one handed! there is a lever at the top of the stroller that you pull up on and the whole thing unfolds.. it's great. Here is the one we bought :
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3156651

It is about 300.00 and I dont know how you feel about used stuff.. but if you are interested I still have mine along with an extra base.. let me know if you would be intersted in buying from me and I may be able to let it go :) (last baby this is sad.. I love babies) :)

I have the Chicco Cortina system. They come in a variety of different patterns. I love the car seat...we chose it because it was one of (if not, the) top rated car seat by Consumer Reports. It's easy to adjust the straps and take off the cover for washing. The stroller is pretty good. The only thing I really don't like about the stroller is the basket. You really can't get to it when you have the car seat in the stroller. But, other than that, it's a great stroller that 1) you can fold one-handed, 2) stands on its own when it's folded, 3) you can steer one-handed, and 4) can go over pretty much any terrain. We have gravel roads and I don't have any problems pushing it on those. PM me if you want more info.

Hi K.,

We used a Chicco brand combo and it was the best seat ever. Everyone who saw it said how easily it looked. We bought a few bases and had one in every car including the grandparents. The was the best purchase and I just wish they had a toddler seat. My little one stayed in this until she was one and we were forced to buy the toddler seat because she no longer fit. Hope this helps.

I bought a used Graco travel system (stroller, car seat/base) from someone on Craigslist and we absolutely love it. My baby is now almost 6 months and we still put her in the carseat part when we use the stroller. It's easy to fold down, etc. No problems at all.

My favorite is the Combi for a combo but my favorite car seat is the Britax!

A. J

We used the Graco Snug Ride and liked it (the other Graco one that's "safer" - maybe? is really huge and heavy!!). Didn't get a travel system, but got a PegPerego stroller that you can sit virtually any car seat in. Doesn't lock in w/ a different brand, but there's a strap if you're so inclined. The kicker is, it turned out to be a crappy stroller - well reviewed and recommended in books, but a piece of junk. PegPerego Aria - everyone I know who has it is disappointed. The wheels are impossible to deal with, and parts started falling off immediately.

Sorry, I'm running late and not very structured - I'd recommend the Graco Snug Ride, but not the PegPerego Aria. A lot of people I know loved having a Snap and Go or something similar, then they switched to an umbrella-style stroller later, which is what we use now when we're not using our jogging stroller. (Which we use all the time and love - BOB Revolution.)

I highly, highly recommend the Snap-n-go infant car seat frame. I bought a like-new one at Once Upon a Child three years ago and it has been a total God-send with each of my three kids. I still use it almost every day. When your baby outgrows the infant seat, you can go straight to an umbrella stroller, unless you have some specific stroller needs. You might want something a little more comfy than the $10 version (even though they're pretty durable), so maybe look at the Jeep Wrangler ones? I have their double-umbrella and love that stroller too! Good luck and let us know what you end up going with.

We followed my sister's suggestion and got the Graco Metrolite system because its car seat did well in testing. The only thing I don't like about it is now that my daughter is just using the stroller, the sun shade has a fixed side, so it frequently does not go down far enough. I did like the fact that it had a sun shade when she was younger though - the lightweight snap-n-go's don't seem to have a sunshade.

I have the Graco Stylus Travel system. I think it runs right around $200- $220. I love it. The carseat is lightweight and I can open and close the stroller with one hand. The stroller itself is also very lightweight and folds up pretty compactly. I would definetely buy this one again given the option.

I got one for my youngest, the only thing is, the baby will outgrow the car seat way before they outgrow the stroller... so you have to store the car seat forever... my 2 year old still loves the stroller and I think we'll have it for a few more years, well at least one more...

Loved this set for around town.

http://www.target.com/Baby-Trend-Flex-Lock-Infant/dp/B000...

http://www.target.com/Baby-Trend-Snap-n-Go-Stroller/dp/B0...

I actually agree with the snap-n-go type at first. They are so lightweight, and are perfect for most everything you would be doing while the baby is still in the pumpkin seat. As far as car seats, I would for sure get one with a higher weight limit. Mine is a graco and it goes up to 30 pounds. When your little one is 7-8 months and ready for sitting up in a stroller, you will find that you dont need a big bulky one, so you could get one that would not allow a car seat to snap on, but would be easier to handle. ~A.~

Try the Graco Mosaic if you can find it still. It is sort of like an umbrella stroller (but heavier) and Graco infant seats hook into it. The stroller reclines etc, it does not have a snack tray or cup holder for a kiddo though and there's only one cup holder for mom and dad. Otherwise I'd go with the Snug Ride Stroller for now and something lightweight later.

We bought the Chicco travel system and liked it very well. However, baby outgrew that giant bulky stroller, and I got tired of getting it out of the trunk. It's so bulky, big and heavy.

Personally, if I could do it all over again, I wouldn't get a travel system. Instead, I would buy a infant car seat on it's own, and then purchase one of those inexpensive infant carrier/stroller (bare bones and black). Then, I'd rebuy my McClaren Umbrella stroller again and again. it's been a great purchase from the get go b'c it's light and I can load and unload with one hand. I retired my giant bulky travel system stroller to the garage when he was about 8 mths old, and have loved using my McClaren ever since.

K. - I just bought a Chicco Cortina travel system for my sister in law. Honestly it was more than a intended on spending but when I compared it to the Graco I just couldn't pass it up. The biggest difference I found betweent the Graco and the Chicco was how the carrier fit in the stroller. When I placed the car seat in the Graco stroller (and it clicked) I could still wiggle the carrier and it didn't feel secure. When I did the same test on the Chicco - nothing moved and the carrier felt like it was really in there. Also - I liked how the stoller folded into sort of a bassinet.

One last thing - When I took it to the fire department to make sure that I secured it correctly in my car - the fireman actually commented on what a nice system I had - and remember this was a guy so not really interested in patterns and stuff but really liked how the system was made and secured to the car.

Good luck and congrats.

I purchased the Graco Snugride combo. I believe I got the central park pattern. It's a little more costly, it has the black and white toile pattern. I have loved it! Both the carseat and stroller are lightweight. I really have loved the stroller. Very easy to steer and folds up quickly, I could do it w/ one hand. These have gone through two girls and I'm getting ready to use them for our 3rd!