[*krista*]

Help me out here. I'm looking at strollers and carseats. I saw on a Graco carseat that it "fits inside most Graco strollers". But then I go to look at the stroller and it already has a seat in it. How does this work? I know there are some that snap in an out of the strollers and that's what I want, but how do I know that's what I'm getting (I'm shopping online)?

Also, any recommendations on brand or size or whatever else I need to consider would be great. Obviously I'm pretty clueless. I like the idea of the larger ones that go up to 32lbs, but I'm afraid they might be too heavy?

[The Jenny]

The best thing you can do is go in to stores and try some put to figure out what you want

Some of them snap onto the chassis others snap on top of the pushchair seat unit. You'd need to read the spec on them to see which way the ones you look at work. I found searching the make/model on youtube helped a great deal as there are video instructions on there for a lot of them!

[fromGirltoMommy]

If you want a stroller and a carseat that snaps into it you want a, travelsystem. A brand is really your preference. I LOVE my evenflo Aura travelsystem. The stroller is bigg but its so easy to guide and theres even a one handed way to push that makes sterring easy if you have to carry beeb. Good luck on your quest sweetie! No question is stupid, weve all been there!

[Trannyfromtheuk]

I would also reccomend going in store, That way you Can have a play with a load of diffrent makes and modles.

[KatiInCT]

Some travel systems actually come with the carseat and the stroller. Other travel systems you buy the pieces separately but they work together. Good luck on your choice!

DH and I bought the Combi Shuttle infant seat and the Combi Cosmo Ex stroller and love them both (had to buy them separately but they snap together). They are a little more pricey than some of the Gracco systems but the stroller is wonderfully lightweight and takes up little space in the trunk and I can easily drive it around with one hand if needed and the carseat has good safety ratings. I expect Osric to outgrow the infant seat before the stroller sees it's last day so really the stroller was more important to me than the carseat (even though I love the carseat too which is just an added bonus). Just my two cents. I traveled with both (checked them at the gate in the airport) and got lots of compliments and the carseat worked wonderfully without the base in the rental car!

[Mars]

Ditto to what was said before. In store observation and sales assistance would be great too. I never got a travel system because I found them to be a bit bulky.

[**jessie**]

I didn't get a travel system because I would not have used it. Next time I may get one of those metal carseat 'frames' (don't know what to call it) that the seat actually snaps into... but is not an actual stroller. I personally think the strollers that come with the travel systems are too big and bulky for regular use. You can already use an umbrella stroller when the baby is 3 months old, so there is not much use for a big one, kwim? I got a Maclaren Quest Sport umbrella stroller, which is the one I use all the time now.

As for the infant seats, I have a Maxi Cosi infant seat that goes up to 26 lbs. I love the seat. It is easy to use, the baby likes it, and it looks good. Jaxon is about 15 lbs now and he is getting really heavy to carry around. Like I have to use 2 hands to hoist him around. I still do use it over a convertible because it is so handy to just pop him in and out of the car without waking him everytime.

I would get a 26 or 32 lb infant seat. You never know how big your baby will be or how quickly they will grow. If she gets too heavy at some point, you can just switch over to the convertible.

[szczepanski]

This is the stroller we got:
Graco Lite Rider Stroller - Pippin - Graco - Babies "R" Us

A lot of the travel system strollers are really bulky and I wanted something a little more streamlined. This accepts Snugride/Snugride32 car seats just like a travel system would...just without the bulkyness. It's so awesome - it weighs like nothing and collapses down so small, I can even unload it one handed at 9 months pregnant.

[niknok]

I have not loved my Peg Perego carseat, at all. Totally not worth the money IMO.

[*krista*]

Thanks for all of your advice! I think you are right in that I should check some out in the store before I choose one. We might go graze the baby section next time we go grocery shopping to get an idea of what we like then just buy it online like we planned. It's weird, I've avoided the baby section for a while now (and I thought I would do the exact opposite) just because I feel so lost, I don't know what I need or even want! Heck, I don't know what half the stuff is even for.

[*Amy*]

I plan on getting a SnugRide 32. I'm really not concerned about the weight because I plan on wearing him quite a bit. I figure once he's big enough for it to be heavy I'll want to just grab him from the carrier anyway. A friend has the SnugRide 32 in Lemongrass and just recently got this stroller: Graco Mosaic Stroller - Lemon Grass - Graco - Babies "R" Us and she said it snaps in perfectly so I think that's what I'm going to do. I don't have a big trunk so I don't think a big stroller would work well for us.

I agree with those that said to go play around with the strollers & car seats to see what works best for you.

[Oriyan]

Just wanted to add -- make sure if you get a travel system that the stroller will fit in your car. Cause mine does not fit in my trunk. I use the frame for my snug ride 32 more then anything.

[KatiInCT]

I think what you need is a GREASE STROLLER! (It's the one that you want!) Grease Babies

[Chelnae6]

What I did was went into the store and check out all of the different type of travel systems and matching stroller/carseat (they did have some that werent packaged together). I was literally in the store for about an hour or so just fiddling with the systems. I checked it out by putting the combo's together, taking it apart, seeing how easy/hard it was to collapse the stroller, how big or small the stroller was collapsed, seeing how the carseat fit into the stroller and base, and seeing how sturdy it looked. I initially had a Graco SnugRide on my registry when I went to BRU, but it didnt look sturdy enough and I didnt like how you had to lock the stroller into place. We then went to Target and realized that I like the Graco Alano style better but I didnt like the color that they had in the store. So I went online to find that same collection to see what other colors they had and found a color that I liked in that same style.

Before I put anything on my registry, after trying it out, I looked up reviews for it online to see what others had to say about it and to look at safety ratings.

[*krista*]

omg Kati! You don't know how bad I needed that.

[Miracle]

I had a Graco Alano travel system with Ella and I didn't like the car seat at all because you couldn't loosen it/tighten it easily which is a perk of the more expensive car seat models (also with the more expensive travel systems). To me, that is a big deal to have because babies grow so quickly and I never felt like I really would get a good, safe fit with her because you could only tighten/loosen the straps from the back of the car seat. So I'd recommend getting a car seat where you can pull the strap from the front to tighten all the straps.

My sister has the Graco Quattro Tour travel system (the top of the line Graco one) and she loves it. The car seat is pretty heavy to lug in and out of the car but most of the time she just took her daughter out of the seat anyway so that wasn't a big issue for her. She loves the stroller- says it works great for mall trips, etc.

[bittersweet]

I have a Graco snugride. It works great and is pretty easy to get in and out of the car. I wanted to get the Safeseat (one that goes up to 32 lbs), but I couldnt find one that matched our stroller. It is a good thing I didn't get it though. I have a Toyota Corolla and the Snugride just fits...with the driver and passenger seat having very limited range of motion now. The Safeseat is significantly bigger and there is no way it would have fit in my car properly.


Our stroller is a BOB Revolution. It is a jog stroller but works great for walks, shopping, everything I would need to do and it goes up to 70 lbs. The Granco seats can be attatched on it.

I would suggest getting a stroller you really love and will use for a long time. Most strollers that arent travel systems can adapt to many different car seats.

[sara~b]

We're also probably getting a BOB. Obviously, I'm going to want a jogging stroller and the BOB's have a front wheel that can be fixed or free swinging. Fixed is good for jogging, free-moving is good for steering. Plus they can go off road if you get one made for it. I'm going to get one with the offroad wheels because I run on a trail but bigger wheels with lots of traction are great for parks and if you go to flea markets or any place that might have grass/mud/gravel. Hope that helps!