Best Stroller and Car Seat for 1 Yr. Old

I would definitely get a Britax car seat. For strollers I have a Maclaren umbrella stroller, which is nice, but pricey. I just recently got a baby jogger brand mini city elite double stroller (new baby on the way) and it is the best stroller I have ever used. It is lightweight and easier to fold up than my single strollers. They have them in single strollers and a lot of good accessories that you can add on too.

Love the britax marathon. I have one for my 3 year old and one for my 11 month old. For a stroller the Chicco umbrella stroller is great. It is not flimsy, has a solid back that is adjustable and is easy and lightwieght to carry. At 1 years old you really don't need the big stroller's anymore.

I bought the Britax car seats for my girls. It will last for years before you have to go the the booster model. As far as strollers are concerned I am still using the one I had when I had my first child. She will be 7 next month.

Congrats on your DD's almost-first-birthday! :-)

It's good you're seeking input, because at 1YO, a forward-facing car seat is not appropriate yet. Although 1 year *and* 20 lbs. is the *minimum* requirement for turning a child forward facing, your daughter will be *significantly safer* if you get her a seat that allows her to continue to ride rear-facing for at least another year, even two. These seats are called "Convertibles" because they can be used rear-facing or forward facing. The American Academy of Pediatrics and other safety organizations recommend keeping children rear-facing until they reach the height or weight limit of a convertible car seat. ("Once your child has reached the highest weight or height allowed by the manufacturer of the seat for rear-facing, she can ride forward-facing in a convertible seat. However, it is best for her to ride rear-facing to the highest weight or height allowed by the manufacturer of her car safety seat" http://www.aap.org/family/carseatguide.htm)

Some good choices (in order of least to most expensive) include:

Evenflo Triumph Advance (~$130 and up)
Compass/First Years TrueFit (~$170 and up)
Sunshine Kids Radian 60/80/XT (~$200 and up)
Britax Marathon/Decathlon/Boulevard (~$250 and up, although prior years' fabric patterns can often be found online for around $180)
This site does a nice summary about those seats as well as giving a good overview of what to look for in a car seat - http://community.babycenter.com/post/a991035/faq_and_car_... (sorry if it's information overload, you have to scroll down a bit through the link!)

These seats are frequently recommended by child passenger safety technicians because their high height and weight limits ensure that most children will be able to remain rear facing until close to 3YO and forward facing with harness to at least 5YO. Every step "up" in the car seat progression (rear facing, forward facing, booster, seat belt only) is a step DOWN in safety.

Here are some links that explain the significant safety benefits of keeping your child rear facing past the MINIMUM of 1 year *and* 20 lbs.:
http://www.car-safety.org/rearface.html
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/StayRearFacing.aspx

Feel free to email me if you have any other car seat questions, or check out this forum - many of the regulars are certified child-passenger safety technicians and are super-helpful with car seat questions! http://www.car-seat.org/

We have Britax Boulevard and it's working out great for us. My daughter loves sitting in her carseat and would often fall asleep easily. During a long road trip, she would sleep for hours (slept the whole time we were driving to LA from Bay Area.) It is very expensive (over $300) but it's so worth it for us.
It you don't mind girly printed covers, check out the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/Britax-Boulevard-Car-Seat-Madison/d...

It's on sale for $244.76 with free shipping and no tax.

As far as light weight stroller is concerned, give Keekaroo Karoo a try. We just bought one from Overstock.com and it's great. It's very similar to McClaren Techno XT but I think it's actually better and much cheaper. It's $129 but make sure you look for an Overstock.com coupon code to get additional discount. It weighs about 16 pounds and has three recline positions along with two leg positions. It has shocks on wheels so no problem going over bumps and uneven surface roads. There are lots of great reviews on Amazon.com and Overstock.com so read them first.

http://www.amazon.com/Keekaroo-Karoo-Stroller-Crimson-Red...

http://www.overstock.com/Baby/Keekaroo-Karoo-Crimson-Red-...

Here's a coupon for Overstock:

http://www.overstock.com/st-patricks-day-sale/22183/stati...

I think this coupon expires today though(7% off for St. patrick's Day)
Hope you find the perfect stroller and carseat for your family.

Hi. I agree with all the mothers who have responded. Britax (Marathon and Roundabout) is the best carseat. It's a little bit pricey, but you cannot put a price on safety. My son used his until he was 6 yrs. old. As for strollers, we have MacLaren, it's pretty lightweight.

We bought the Alpha Omega Elite by Cosco (not the warehouse store) and have used it for 6 years. My daughter is 7 and still in the same car seat (tiny girl and over protective mom). It's a pain to take apart and clean (straps loop through here, over that, under this, between those, etc.), but it wipes up beautifully. You wouldn't know it was over a year old.

It also converts to a booster. The back adjusts up and down to put the shoulder strap at just the right height. Additionally it has these side wings, which make great head rests, even for 7 1/2 year olds who still take naps on the way home from school.

It was EXPENSIVE, but we bought one for each of the three cars.

As for strollers, we had that big ol'Greco. In all honesty, we JUST got rid of it last summer. While bulky, it was great for hauling things. Even though my daughter wasn't in the stroller anymore, we took it shopping to carry bags, for her to rest (marathon holiday shopping), and used it in the garden to carry bags of soil amendment and fertilizer. We used to to carry the neighbor's dog, who gets tired before the other dog, so she rides home. My daughter also under it to take her babies for rides. All of them could fit inside at once (Well, she did put quite a few in the bag carrying zone.) I say, it's sturdy and will be around for a long time. Besides, it will build your muscles every times you load and unload the thing.

Stephanie

Hi N.,
I hear what you're saying about buying all the wrong stuff =O).
I have the Britax Boulevard for my daughter, it has side impact protection and just like ALL of the larger Britax car seats it goes up to 65 lbs (not 100!!). They have a great website where you can click on several of them and compare. At the time we bought ours, it was $35 more to go with the boulevard over the marathon and the biggest difference was the side impact protection. They are expensive, but I didn't/don't want to regret the car seat I bought if I got into an accident.
As far as strollers go. I carry with me and use regualarly my Chicco stroller. It's big like the Graco, but I still love it. I recently bought a used MClaren (SP) umbrella stroller and it is AWESOME!!! The basket isn't as big, but it feels sturdy and folds up small.
Best of luck,
C.

For carseats--spend the money on Britax. They are the safest, easiest to use, and most comfortable. My kids started out with a Roundabout at birth--I had one of those carrier seats installed in my car on what turned out to be the day before my daughter was born. The next day I got into a bad wreck. At highway speeds. The impact of the seat belt on my tummy broke my water, and my daughter was born 18 hours later. That carrier car seat came off of its base and ended up in the back of the car (this was a Subaru Outback). I'll stick with the convertible Britax seats and a good sling for carrying the baby around, thank you!

What you want in a stroller depends entirely on what you use it for. For us, one of the jogging strollers with the swivel front wheel (the one we have is Jeep, made by Kolcraft) gets the job done the best, and I'm currently working on buying a double one, 'cause that's what we need now. They are wonderfully easy to maneuver, but not as light as, say, an umbrella stroller. I've used it everywhere from the beach to the airport to the flea market to any store that I'm not going to be using a cart in--and it has enough cargo space to accomodate a run through Trader Joe's if my girlie is too sleepy for a cart. That said, I have an umbrella stroller in the back of my car, in case I need a stroller & don't have my good one along for some reason--but I try hard not to let that happen!

Hi N.,
I have the Britax roundabout carseat, it is the best. Easy to buckle which is so important. Also very easy to clean the cover comes off. As for a stroller that is light weight I think that the Mclaren umbrella stroller is fantastic. If you want a jogger the BoB is wonderful.
And expensive yet so fabulous is the Bugaboo. Have a great day

Our daughter is 22 months old and we have the Britax Roundabout and Britax Boulevard (one for each car) and we are happy with both. Britax is a great brand and has received great reviews. For a stroller, if you want something lightweight, I would recommend the Maclaren Quest. It is an umbrella type stroller but the reason we bought it is because the seat reclines, it opens and closes very easily and it is compact. Unfortunately, the shade is not that great but overall we are happy with it. Hope that helps. Happy shopping!

hi N.,
congrats on doing the research...
BEST STROLLER: CITYMINI by Babyjogger

(better than McLaren, Boogaboo etc. very sturdy, good quality and manoevers well due to sleek 3 wheel design)

amazing for travel (compact and lightweight and yet fully
RECLINABLE - great for letting the toddler sleep w/o breaking her/his neck when you are out and about...

folds EZ onehandedly - great when travelling by yourself
fits in AIRCRAFT overhead compartment(!)

has large retractable sunshade (doubles as rain protection)
and good sized storage basket

accommodates tall mothers and dads

enjoy your search
C.

I am sure you're going to get a ton of responses, but here are my two cents. As for a carseat, I think most will agree that you should get a Britax. I would recommend either the Roundabout or the Marathon. They are the same, except the Marathon is bigger, so it will last longer. But they are the safest in the market.
As for a stroller - I would recommend a Maclaren. We have the Quest, which is the middle-of-the-line, and has held up well. It's light, compact, easy to fold.

all about the Britix, they are the safest carseats in the world. And right now they are on sale at Rightstart store in walnut creek. I have both my 3 year old and 6 month old in one and couldn't be happier. my brother works for the fire department and it's the one they indorse. I also have a macclaren (sp?) stroller. light weight but still tough enough. I actually used it for my older daughter and now and using it for the little one
edit: right start will also help you make sure it's put in the car right :)
hope this helps

Any Britax carseat is the best! We have a Britax boulevard and love it. It's been rated year after year as the safest seat and we trust it completely. They also come in cute patterns. Check out Albeebaby.com they usually have great prices on them. Also, we have a Quinny Buzz stroller that we LOVE. It has a hydraulic lift system so it unfolds itself and is SUPER easy to maneuver. It has a peddle brake system that you operate with the base of your foot, so no messing up your pedicure or shoes! It's not that light (like an umbrella stroller) but it's way lighter and easier to use than the travel system you are used to. We used to have one of those before our son outgrew the infant seat too! Also, the front wheel of the Quinny locks so you can use it as a jogging stroller if you want. And, the back wheels are all terrain and can go over snow, gravel, sand, etc. I could go on and on... we love ours. Unfortunately we'll have to sell ours soon to make room for a double stroller! Good luck to you!

another vote for britax! as for a stroller, I think you're right to just get a light one. I got a used chicco on craigstlist for $15 bucks, I always keep it in the car and it works great. I also got a used double jogging stroller for both my kids that I keep at home and use for walks or take camping, it was around $50. So for cheaper than I would pay for ONE pricier stroller I got two that serve my needs really well. When I had my first I got a big bulky travel system too and I haven't even touched it with my second. Went straight to the Britax carseat and just used the old carrier for going in restaurants.

happy b-day to your little girl!

I agree with the pervious post that you may want a convertible car seat because the rear facing position is still the safest for little kids as long as they can still fit in the rear facing position. Our favorite is Britax Marathon. My son has been in it since 9 months old and now he is about to turn 2 but we are still using this as rear facing seat. Once he is too tall/heavy for the rear facing position, we will turn the car seat forward facing.

As far as strollers are concerned - we love BabyPlanet strollers. It is easy to use and relatively light weight yet sturdy and very supportive for little kids. Plus - the material is entirely recycleable. :D

At the time I ourchased mine, consumer reports had the Britax Marathon listed as the best in crash tests. That is what I got and I loved it. Of course any car seat is only as good as how properly it is installed in the car. If you have a latch system on your car that will be the best and the seat won't budge, plus it takes 2 seconds to get it in. I found that almost everyone I knew puts the seats in completely wrong and so it wouldn;t have mattered what they used. FYI I bougt mine off the internet from a stor out of state that did not have a physical store where I live. They also offered free shipping. I would up save about $80 on the cost.

Maclaren travel stroller is awesome. Super light and easy, we travelled on many planes and vacations with it. I got it on ebay for $75 new.

We have a britax marathon carseat, super luxe and safe, kind of pricey though. We have a fisher price one we found for half the cost online that is a britax w a different cover for my husbands car. It actually says britax underneath. You may want to look around.good luck.

I LOVE our Britax marathon! It is easy to install and has been great for us. I have still yet to find a stroller that I like so I still use my Graco metro lite.

Britax is the number one car seat (Graco is the best for the carrier type) per the CHP. If given the choice, always go with the highest weight...pay now or pay later. We just got out of ours and my son turned four in November. We just bought the Britax booster with the five point harness.

Stroller - get the BOB jogger - yes a jogger for a stroller. If I were doing it all again that is what I would have. It is the best! The Revolution is what I would recomment....and it goes up to like 75 lbs.

I would definately go with a Britax, we have the Britax boulevard and my daughter loves it. Also they are the safest ones around! Strollers are a tough one, because each parent wants something slightly different. I personally love my BOB Revolution jogger, its not small, but it maneuvers great and I can use it everywhere. My friend has the city mini, its great because you can fold it one handed and is pretty small.

Love the Brittax Marathon car seat and we have a Peg-Perego Pliko stroller - easy to use and love it...
good luck!

Good morning N.,

I just transitioned my doughter (who turned one Feb 28th) to a Britax Marathon. It is not overly bulky but the best part is that these seats are crash test rated at speeds of 65 mph - where most seats are rated from speeds of only 35 mph. The materials surrounding your child on a Britax is super thick and hard - more so than in other brands. It is a little more expensive - but will last until your child is 100lbs, I believe. Good luck! OH! Also, stop by your local fire station - they are happy to ensure that your car seat is properly installed.

we really like the Recaro seat, it can change into a booster as the child grows. it is a super safe seat, w/ side impact protection- check it out on line at Recaro child seat.com, I think or google it. We also really like our Maclaren folding stroller that we bought used. It is not the super fancy Maclaren but is it easy to use, folds easily, and is light weight
good luck

Hi N.,

Elaine is SOOOOO correct. When my daughter was approaching her first birthday, I started to research which forward facing car seat to buy. Back then I found many sites, two of which she also mentioned: www.car-safety.org and the American Academy of Pediatrics site. I also found one with wonderful information and a great Q&A section. The whole site is great (get a tissue), but the part specifically you need to go to before turning your child around is:
http://www.kyledavidmiller.org/pages/4209/Car_Seat_Safety...
Also, about half way down on that page are links to actual video footage of both forward and rear facing car seats in crash tests. You cannot view this and then face her forward--it's that compelling. No one could pay me ANY amount of money in this world to have my 3 year old or 10 month old face forward after what I learned from a medical stand-point. Also, my Aunt works for Shriner's Hospital and I have heard too many stories of spinal cord injuries (the neck being stretched and causing life-long disability or vegetation because of facing forward in a crash).

I know...I'm very passionate about this so forgive my 'soap-box' approach. I just want you to make your decision from the most educated place you can.

I too, love my Britax Marathon, by the way. She is rear-facing until 37 pounds at which time she (per specifications by Britax) needs to be forward-facing. We can then continue to use that same seat until 65 pounds. Worth every penny! Happy birthday to your baby and happy shopping.

Hi N.,

I agree with most of the responses, go with any Britax car seat, its the best. The Britax are a little pricey but worth every penny. You will love it. I have two Britax marathon and a roundbaout. My daughter love her car seat. I understand what you mean about buying the wrong stuff.

Hope this help.