Chicco or Combi?

If you are concerned with weight and bulk. I would get any car seat and a snap and go, not a whole system, which are super bulky.
Get a Maclaren when the baby is 4 months old.
The Maclarens are super light, small and good to stroll.

I purchased the Chicco/keyfit30, then returned the darned thing! It does not click into grocery carts!!!Arrgh! Since we have 3 kids, I must be able to use the cart for shopping!!! We went with a Britax infant seat and purchased the matching stroller online. Love it.

You mentioned only two Chicco's in your posting, but your title says Combi? Have you looked at this book??? I researched the heck out of this book and ended up with the Combi Travel System. I lived in this book for amazing ratings on all price levels of items.

http://www.amazon.com/Baby-Bargains-Furniture-Equipment-M...

http://www.combistrollers.com/products/savona_ts.htm

I chose it for three reasons 1. because of its ratings in that book, 2. because the car seat held more weight and one or two more inches than the others(hence lasted longer than most) 3 light weight stroller. My daughter was 3 in July and I still LOVE my stroller. It only weighs 14 lbs. so I have never even had to buy an umbrella stroller since most good ones wiegh this much anyway. My daughter loves the tray on this one and I love the storage space on the bottom, lots of shopping bags fit!!!! Most of my friends have the Peg Perego and mine has lasted much better.

PS: you may want to take a drive to Irvine to go to Bergstroms. I always thought it was a fortune, but we ended up buying all of our baby furniture there and the stroller. They have a giant selection and the employees really know the product.

Hi S.,
I had the Peg Pereggo Pliko and loved it. It wasn't too bulky or too small. (I did get a smaller stroller for travelling when my son was about 8 months old). But the best thing for you to do is go to Babies R Us and try them all out. Practice opening and closing them and lifting them, etc. See which is easiest for you. (I also used to stop women on the street to see how much they liked their strollers). You might also want to check the Baby Bargains Book and Consumer Reports.com - they both give good ratings and suggestions on which systems are the best. The Baby Bargains book is great if you haven't gotten it - lots of good advice on what you need and don't need and how to save money on baby items.

Good luck!

I have the Chicco Cortina and I really like it. The stroller is nice, and the best part is the seat fully reclines- which is great when my son falls asleep, when he was really tiny, or when I want to change his diaper if we are out & about.
Good luck!

I have the Orbit and it is AMAZING! It is the best system...so convenient. It is really expensive, but I got it for a friend for her shower as a surprise by inviting everyone to chip in for it, especially great for those who can't come to the shower. My friends, in turn, did the same for me. It may come across as way too much for a stroller, but seriously worth it, and my husband and I are generally very frugal. You should check it out at Dagermans or on orbit.com.

I have not used either brand you are referring to, but my only advice is to take the stroller for a test ride. If you and/or your husband have a long stride, you will end up kicking some strollers when you walk. Just a thought.
CONGRATULATIONS on your baby! She will bring you more joy than any words could possibly prepare you for.

I have the Chicco Cortina stroller with the Chicco Keyfit 30 carseat. I love it. The stroller is really easy to fold up, even with one hand. It is also really easy to steer. I know it's on the larger side, but you'll be able to use it for years to come. I have a few recommendations on the carseat though. You probably don't need the Keyfit 30, because your baby will probably grow out of it lengthwise, before weighing 30 lbs. My son does get pretty hot and sweaty in it, but it doesn't seem to bother him. When you install the base, make sure it is level. I use a hand towel. I like the fact that I could by an extra base for my husband's car so we didn't have to keep installing it every time we switched cars. I remember how overwhelmed I felt when trying to choose the carseat. But I am happy with my decision and will use it again with my next chile. Good luck!

First of all CONGRATS to you! My son will be 2 in December!

No one seems to be mentioning Combi...I am a stroller junkie...really...I've used SOOOO many! I've used several Combis and I don't recommend. One was one of the ones you can buy at Babies R Us another was a part of an travel system that was already put together. The travel system was better than the tri-fold. The one from the travel system isn't a tri-fold but MUCH smaller than your typical travel system. Here is the running problem with Combis... they DO NOT maneuver well, one handed steering is really not an option (and trust me you want it to be..think cell one in hand or Starbucks ha ha). They feel flimsy compared to other standard strollers especially when baby is in it.
You mentioned storage issues with Combi and YES it is an issue! When you have a toddler and your toting around less, not so much, but with a new born GOOD LUCK! :) Also, I like having the tray and cup holders. I totally use them.
If what you want is light weight and compact I would get a Snap and Go stroller frame for your car seat (make sure that the car seat you want or buy fits the frame). I used this first and it was the best. TONS of storage! Cup holder and tray! Since it's only a frame it's super light weight and when folded there is NO bulk! You just snap the car seat into that rather than a full size stroller. It's also more compact and super easy to maneuver...and only $50. You can use this as long as your baby is in the infant car seat. When you upgrade to a toddler seat then find a compact stroller or any kind of stroller you really like. TRUST ME! There will be so many new brands and styles out, you will be glad you waited.

I have the Chicco Cortina and love it! My son is almost a year old, so we are getting ready to stop using the carseat, but we will continue using the stroller for a long time. It folds up well and hasn't been too heavy for me (and I'm a little woman). Best of luck!

Britax Car Seat... anf the Snap and Go...

I haven't used either, but I had the Peg Pereggo infant seat and Peg Pereggo Aria one-handed stroller, and they were awesome! The stroller is easy to open/close (literally can do it with one hand), and it is not too bulky. The car seat was great too. It worked great for us, we're constantly on the go, even took it abroad and it worked great. Never bought an umbrella stroller because the Aria was easy and compact enough for us, even for small trips.

I bought the chicco trifold 2 years ago for my son and find it very frustrating. I do love the tri-fold! It folds up neatly and is very light. So easy to take through security and airports. Steering is a problem with this stroller. The front wheels are not very responsive. They do not turn fast enough. You end up with the wheels getting stuck in a different direction from your intended direction. I would give this a 2 for strolling even around town.
Storage: The storage basket is poorly designed. You cannot really access the diaper bag if the seat is reclined and anything stored in the basket hangs low and rubs against the wheels. We have a small backpack that we use for a diaper bag and it constantly rubs against the wheels while in the basket. We now have a hole in the storage basket mesh. THere is also a bar that is underneath the seat and right in the middle of the storage basket, so whatever you store must be small or fit underneath that bar. It's frustrating. I would recommend this stroller only as a travel stroller in the airport but not for an everyday stroller. Test drive both strollers in the store. See how well it handles tight turns. Even put a diaper bag in and see how well it stores your bag. The stroller's ability to maneuver is also dependent on weight and as my son has gotten bigger, turning on the tri-fold has gotten worse.

Hi there,
Personally I like the Combi. I went through probably 6 different kinds of strollers and I found that the Combi is the best. I've had two and both are great. There lightweight, small and CUTE. The best models are probably the cosmo, helio or flex. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Hope this helps.
Have a great day.

**Theres a new one the Cosmo DX Limited Edition in the color Blush. It doesn't come with the car seat, but heres the website you should check out. www.combistrollers.com or www.combi-intl.com(USA Baby Store(Craigs & 95) can order anything on the combi-intl website....its GREAT)

:)

I loved the Chicco Cortina/keyfit, but it was too heavy for me and did not easily fit in the trunk of my car. So I ended up getting the Chicco Trevi, which is the "umbrella" stroller that fits the keyfit car seat. We've had it for 3 months now and love it. It's true, you can't access the basket underneath if you use it with the carseat, but to tell you the truth we've never needed it. Everything is in our diaper bag, that hangs nicely on the handels and when I shop, I just add the bags to the handel (tranted I don't add anything too heavy that could cause it to trip).

Hope this helps.

Have you tested driven either one? Go to BRU and push them around the store, fold them, unfold them and load them up to see how much you can fit in them. I personally haven't had any experience with either, but this is what I did when I was deciding which system to go with.

Hi, I recommend the Maxi-Cosi Mico car seat and the Quinny Zapp stroller (they can be used together like a system). I did my research and chose these two because of the car seat's safety and the stroller's easy maneuverability and compact size. Comparable to the Orbit but much less expensive! Check them out at rightstart.com or at the company's websites.

we have the chicco cortina and love it the only down fall to it is it does not fit on grocrey carts as other strollers do however it is light and easy to use with the carseat base

Hi. I am a child passenger safety technician and instructor, so I will weigh in on this one. :) While I am not supposed to suggest any specific seat/system, I can say it is most important to make sure the seat you choose fits in the vehicle(s) properly, fits your child properly and is one you can use correctly every use. I can say that my God Daughter's mom had the Chicco and loved it. I also know people who have had success with the Combi.