The Best Carseats and Strollers
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OK, guys, let’s do this: the registry series. What should new moms register for baby gear and more? Which are your favorite pieces of baby gear — and have they changed through the months and years with kids? We’re going to start with just two categories: the carseat and the stroller. (I was going to do a big post on all of these categories, but after an hour of writing just about strollers and carseats, I thought I’d break it into smaller posts!) I envision the entire series going through these categories:
- Carseat — necessary from coming home from the hospital!
- Stroller — how many have you tried? How many do you keep? (E.g., big stroller, umbrella stroller, jogging stroller)
- Sleeping gear — crib and bassinet rocker, if necessary
- Clothes — swaddles, sleeping clothes, daytime clothes, baby socks
- Babywearing carrier — infant and 15-lb.+
- Baby toys — swings, seats, and other Big Things to register for (Exersaucers, etc)
- Essential books
- Diaper bag
- Nursing clothes
- Breastfeeding pillow
- And one final category: The Biggest Flops (stuff you hated).
My own $.02 on the first two categories (stroller and carseats) are below.
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My Carseat Reviews
Carseats — We have an infant carseat, two convertible carseats, and a third booster we use now that J is 40 pounds.
Infant Carseat: Chicco Keyfit 30. We were happy with it and, when we bought it, it was Consumer Reports’ top recommended car seat. I do know that the Car Seat Lady does not think it’s the best for taxis, but we never had a problem with it. (Pictured, J in his Chicco.)
Convertible Carseat #1: Once your kiddo outgrows the infant carseat (30 lbs or 30″, I believe) you need to go to the convertible carseat. We got the Combo Coccori for J’s first convertible carseat because it’s the one that installs easiest into taxis, and we used to travel with that to and from Ohio (using the same BabyTrend Universal EX Stroller Frame we used with the Keyfit).
Convertible Carseat #2: Once my second son, H, came along, we decided to stop bringing the Coccori with us on trips so we could focus on H’s Keyfit. We bought a second convertible carseat to keep in Ohio (the main place that we travel to) — based on recent Consumer Reports’ rankings we bought the Chicco Next Step.
Travel booster: J weighs more than 40 lbs and is really tall for a 3.5 year old, so we’ve been using the BubbleBum Travel Booster for him for the short taxi ride to the airport.
You can often call a car service and ask for the car to include a car seat, but I got uncomfortable with the fact that the carseat was often kicking around the trunk, and because we were unfamiliar with the carseat model we had to totally rely on the driver for proper installation.
I decided I’d rather have a properly installed Travel Booster rather than an improperly (and possibly damaged) car seat, so… yeah.
My Stroller Reviews
I’ve found that most people tend to hate their strollers eventually, and that’s true of ours. One of our friends has tried FIVE strollers, and her daughter only just turned one — she keeps buying and selling them on the local parents’ listserv. We’ve stayed loyal to our four:
BabyJogger City Select (pictured with JJ Cole bunting and Zutani hat, with J) — This was recommended by the Baby Bargains book as a great competitor for the UppaBaby Vista (which costs about the same and is the one that most of our friends have; the Vista seems like it’s always on sale on Gilt, too) and the Bugaboo (more expensive, and if memory serves it wasn’t recommended by the Baby Bargains book).
When we went to the store to try the strollers we vastly preferred the steering on the City Select to the Uppa Baby, so this is the one we got.
Some thoughts: First, we loved this when it was just J — it was our main stroller until my second son, H, came along. It’s a very solid, comfortable stroller — he preferred the seat, and it rolls over rocky ground SO much better than the umbrella stroller.
But, of course there are some negatives: First, note that it isn’t really collapsible unless you remove the seat, which always seemed like a pain to do. Second, note that you can’t use the seat until the baby is six months old — you can either buy an attachment to use with your carseat (which we did; it was a super heavy stroller), or buy a bassinet (which we did for H, and then never used it because we wore him everywhere and put J in the stroller).
Third, the main reason we bought the City Select was for the option to add a second seat — and we HATE THE SECOND SEAT. Maybe if we had twins or something, where they were both the same size… but J is so tall at this point that the seat that’s lowest to the ground is too low for him, and with both boys in it it’s almost 85 lbs — almost impossible to steer around a corner, and the curb cuts are vital for crossing the street.
Our condo building has an elevator, but the hallways have little stairs here and there, so it’s almost impossible to use in our current situation with two seats. A double stroller (side by side) is going to be impossible to use with the front door and back gate (we could barely get the City Select into and out of them) so we’re not sure what our plan is except to keep wearing H and putting J in the stroller, and make J walk when that gets tiring.
(We have the Rollerboard for the City Select and it is also a PITA with our hallway situation.)
UppaBaby G-Luxe – We’ve had this umbrella stroller since J was about 18 months old. It has taken a LOT of use — it’s collapsible so we used to take him to and from daycare in it; we also grab it if we’re taking an extended trip into Manhattan (although, honestly, having J walk and wearing H is easier).
The main cons: it’s broken a number of times (mostly covered under warranty), the seat needs adjustment every.single.time we un-collapse it, and it doesn’t collapse if it has any stroller bunting on it.
BabyTrend Universal EX Stroller frame – We’ve used this in the airport with both the KeyFit and the Combo Cocorri. It seems to roll fine, has a nice big basket for shoving stuff, and has been gate checked a zillion times without damage. We always use this bag when we gate check it.
Random junky umbrella stroller – My parents bought a random junky umbrella stroller for $20 or so the drugstore for when we visit them in Ohio. We’ve taken J to the zoo and so forth in it — it seems fine for such limited use. It’s far heavier than our G-Luxe, and is missing a lot of the nicer bells and whistles — the sun shade, the cup holder, the big wheels, the brakes, etc.
OK, ladies: I think this exhausts my thoughts on strollers and carseats for working moms. Which do YOU have? Which have you cast off? Which would you register for, if you could do it all over?
Social media image credit: Stencil.
My favorite is a convertible car seat. I usually travel with it and my daughter feels comfort during traveling.
Infant Seat: Chicco Keyfit 30. Currently on its 4th kiddo (between two families) and doing fine. We have 2 bases for ourselves and one for local grandparents. No complaints.
Convertible Seat: Ricaro ProRide. We have one for each car and love them.
Strollers: We had a cheap Snap N Go that was quickly retired. My tall husband bent the axle in <10 min of using it. We bought our Mountain Buggy Terrain jogging stroller two years ago and we LOVE it. We don't use it much for jogging, honestly, but its big wheels navigate any terrain nicely. You can lay the seat flat or remove it entirely and put on a frame for the infant seat. I refused to get a double stroller when we had our second because they are so huge, so I usually wear baby and let preschooler ride in the stroller, or baby rides in stroller and preschooler walks.
I am surprised that there is so much love for Britax b agile. I hate it, it only works okay indoors in shopping centers where the floors are smooth. It is incerdibly heavy outdoors and is impossible to manouver over any bumps. With the winter wheels it’s even heavier and difficult to turn.
Emmaljunga city cross is my favourite. It rolls with ease, snow is no obstacle, great in the woods. I think Emmaljunga city cross is the biggest seller in my area too. Mine has been in continuous use through three kids, its 10 years old, and we only had to tighten the screws a bit. The fabrics also come off and can be washed. It is roomy, so it’s great for bigger kids too, but takes up a lot of space in the car.
We bought the car seat that won the yearly safety test. Be Safe IziKid Combi x4. The kid likes it too.
Hi Kat (and everyone)!
Strollers are probably the most expensive investment parents make for their kid(s). Because I’m a stroller geek and after TONS of research on strollers, I went ahead with a more expensive option and picked out a BOB stroller. Definitely love it!
There are obviously tons of other awesome strollers out there and finding these for parents is my my goal at http://www.MommyStroller.com!
Feel free to drop by!
Cheers!
Evelyn
I keep reading reviews of car seats and there’s all this discussion regarding ease of use etc and none around how it protects the infant. Being a passenger in a car is one of the most if not, the most dangerous thing it’ll do. Can someone point at safety reviews for car seats?
Just wanted to chime in on the umbrella stroller recs, since I don’t think anyone mentioned it. But we LOVE the McClaren Triumph. We were living in Brooklyn where everyone and their mother had the Uppa Baby G-Luxe or G-Lite and I tested them both and hated them both. Really wanted an umbrella stroller that reclined so scoured the earth reading all the reviews. Ended up with the Triumph and have loved it ever since. I often prefer it to our Citi Mini.
Graco Snap and Go was great for the first year, but I was delighted when I got to throw it away. Too many alignment problems, but maybe we just need a different brand.
We are no longer in an urban environment, and I’ll just go with a better snap and go and the Triumph from now one. City Mini was fine for urban living, and much cheaper than the high end alternatives. The only stroller I’ve lusted after is the Bob. Really easy to push over all kinds of terrain.
I drive a MINI Cooper and refuse to get a bigger car (yet). So we searched all over creation for an infant car seat that would fit behind the passenger seat and would adapt with a stroller that fit in my postage-sized trunk. I only came up with one option for each, but turns out they are both great. We love them and they have the added benefit of being really convenient and light.
Car seat – Nuna Pipa. Another commenter mentioned the magnet drape, which is truly awesome. It is also super light and compact. Bonus points for the safety stability leg which is standard in Europe but appears on very few US car seats. Fit in MINI? The passenger seat has to be all the way up, so passengers are uncomfortable but can still fit.
Stroller – Mamas & Papas Armadillo. Light, compact and easily folds/unfolds with one hand. Really large canopy, which is nice for sunny/rainy days. Maneuvers like a dream. The Pipa fits onto it with adaptors, which was great during the sleepy newborn days. Fit in MINI? Only stroller that fits into the trunk without needing the seats folded down or the trunk shield or wheels removed. It does take up the entire trunk, so keep that in mind.
Highly recommend both of these for anyone who doesn’t want to throw their back out with heavy baby equipment or who has a smaller vehicle.
City dwellers who primarily walk or use personal (compact) car.
Carseats: We’ve had many carseats. Some were fine (Britax Marathon, Chicco Keyfit, Evenflo Amp) others were adequate, but the only one that I – and my kids – have genuinely liked enough to recommend is the Britax Pioneer. Love that seat. Comfortable, great cupholders, straps don’t twist. My kids are small for their age so going up to the Frontier didn’t make sense, although I’d recommend it, too.
Stroller: Snap and Go is fantastically useful. All that you need in the first months and a great basket. I’ve had more strollers than I’d like to admit, but CityMini (Single and double) are my favorites for day trips. Easy fold, maneuverable, great cover, bigger-but-not-too-big wheels. Single easily fit into the compact trunk. The cheapo umbrella stroller from Babies R Us has been extremely handy as well, and a favorite with our kids. We keep them in the car trunk for errands.
I’ve got the Chicco KeyFit 30 and the Chicco version of the snap-n-go. I kind of wish I had gotten the regular KeyFit, as baby girl will be more likely to outgrow it by length rather than weight, but oh well. It’s not too bad to install without the base, but I don’t do that regularly.
Although some books said the snap-n-go carriers weren’t worth it for the short time you’d use them, I love mine. It was easy enough for me to use on my own shortly after a c-section and it’s just so much lighter and less bulky than using a “real” stroller as a base for an infant seat. Also, it has a bigger basket than a real stroller, so I used it for shopping before I was comfortable enough using a K-tan to carry baby girl.
We haven’t gotten a “real” stroller yet — one other nice thing about the carrier is it’s let me/us think about how we’d use a stroller. I’m leaning towards the CityMini GT, but I’d like an option to have her face me, which you can’t do in that one.
1. I had Maxi Cosi infant car seats and convertible car seats for both of my kids and LOVED them.
2. Quinny! Again, completely in love. They snapped in with the infant car seats and then became just normal strollers when they were no longer in infant car seats. I had the Zapp and loved it. We now have a boogie board on the back for my 4YO and I still love it. I run a lot and have a double BOB jogging stroller. It’s fantastic and I recommend BOBs to any runners asking about strollers to get.
3. IKEA Gulliver crib for both kids and the Fisher Price Rock-N-Play where they slept next to me for about 6 months — loved both
4. I loved the Halo swaddler, Woombie, and A & A blankets for swaddling.
5. BIG fan of Baby K’Tan wrap for newborns to toddlers
6. Skip Hop diaper bag — liked it enough to use for two kids
7. I never really understood nursing clothes and just wore normal clothes, except I did have nursing bras I had to wear for my hands-free pump. I thought Target nursing bras were the best I’ve found.
8. Loved Boppy for the 6 months and under crowd and Baby Balboa for the 6 month to 2 years stages.
From my (admittedly tightwad) perspective, the only thing I have experience with is the graco snug ride and the snug ride elite stroller base that goes with it. And I’ve been perfectly happy with both of them. The stroller base folds really easily and stays folded in my trunk. The basket below the stroller could be a little bigger, but I really like the tray thing for me to put a drink in, etc. Basically, the stroller has been completely functional for what little use it gets. I just could not justify getting some big fancy stroller for the infant time frame. That said, I’m planning on getting a “real” stroller and a convertible car seat this spring, and I’m willing to spend more on something I know will be used for years.
Something else related to car seats that I have that I love is the Jolly Jumper Arctic car seat cover. It’s perfect for this time of year. It fits over the top of the car seat like a shower cap, and is nice and fleecy and warm. You don’t have to take it off the car seat, since there’s a pair of zippers that zip down so you can put the baby in.
I think its really interesting how varied opinions are based on situation. For instance, I live in an of a mid sized southern city and I have taken a cab maybe twice in my entire life, so ease of installation is basically meaningless to me… My sister lives in Europe and almost exclusively baby-wears when she is out and about and thinks all strollers but tiny umbrella strollers are pointless (because she carries her child everywhere!) I am so fascinated by how big-city urban many people on this blog are, too. It’s just a totally different lifestyle and set of requirements for baby gear.
I think the perfect stroller really depends on your circumstances. I am pregnant with my first and fully expect to have two under two (or something close to that). We live the suburbs, work in the city, and frequently visit family at the beach and in the mountains, so we deal with a variety of terrains. I was set on the UppaBaby Vista or City Select for the ability to convert into a double…until I tried to fold them and lift them as if I was putting them in a car! So heavy and awkward! Same thing with the BOB. After a lot of research and test drives, I’ve chosen the City Mini GT. It has the bigger forever-air tires to help in all different kinds of terrain and you cannot beat the one-handed easy fold to get it in and out of the car. The two main cons I have about the City Mini GT are 1) the basket isn’t the biggest and can be hard to reach with a kid sitting in the stroller, and 2) you can’t hand a bunch of heavy things off the back/handlebars since it’s a light stroller (which you really shouldn’t do this with any stroller anyway).
We really used just one stroller, a sturdy umbrella that our baby seat snapped into. When son got older, we used it without a baby seat. They were Combi brand and worked great. I CANNOT WAIT until son is old enough for a booster instead of a car seat, which is a PITA.
Great topic, I have so many car seat and stroller questions! It’s been hard to parse the recs for our situation: live in a city, mostly public transit, don’t own a car (but will probably do taxis/uber 1-2x/month).
1. Is the “European beltpath” necessary if I will basically never use the car seat base?
2. If I skip the infant bucket and get a convertible + stroller that can be used from birth, is this crazy? What do we do with the seat once we get to our destination by taxi (vs. click into stroller if we have the infant seat)?
3. Stroller needs to work from birth, be light enough to carry up 2 flights of stairs while I carry baby, and small enough to maneuver in tiny stores/restaurants in the city. Recs? I checked out the Peg Perego book plus and fell in love – any thoughts on PP strollers?
TIA! And sorry for the barrage of questions, I’ve been starting to get really anxious about all this stuff in the past week – my husband read that people wait until 7 months to buy anything so he says just don’t worry yet (easy to say when you don’t have hormones telling you otherwise!)
Suburban mom of two with one on the way chiming in.
Infant carseat: we have a Graco Snugride which for me is the right balance of cost and usefulness. I agree with the poster above who said it was ubiquitous enough to fit a lot of different carseats and snap-in contraptions.
Convertible carseats: we were Team Britax for years until my son came along, and he’s an enormous beast who outgrew his carseat RF’ing way too early. So we bought him a Graco MyRide 65 and have been very pleased with it.
High-back booster: Back to Team Britax, I think the Frontiers? Very happy with them, but they’re BIG so be forewarned!
We have the following strollers:
Chicco umbrella stroller — useless. Used it less than 10 times and I should probably get rid of it.
Snap N Go — I loved this for ease of use when my babies were little, but it was a luxury item (i.e. we didn’t HAVE to have it). I’ve loaned it to a lot of friends so it’s gotten quite a bit of use in its lifetime.
Single Stroller — BOB — We love love love this stroller, and the nice thing is that in a pinch a toddler or older kid can hitch a ride on the front. We use it all the time, indoors and out, running and otherwise. It has a smallish basket but that doesn’t bother me b/c I don’t tend to pack an enormous diaper bag. We’ve gate-checked it a handful of times with no issue, either.
Double Stroller — Bumbleride Indie Twin — Also love! We considered a double BOB but the one thing I don’t like about that particular brand is the short canopy, so if you have a tall kid their head bumps the top sooner. After a ton of research and Craigslist stalking we went with the Indie Twin — and I have no idea why this isn’t a more popular stroller b/c I super duper HUGE pink puffy heart it. It has an enormous basket, I can steer it with one hand and it’s great for rough terrain (i.e. long walks) as well as indoors.