Strollers & Carseats

As someone said, once they get too big (usually 20 lbs and 1 year) for the carrier, the next size carseats stay in the car. I'd go with something good for BOTH carseat and non carseat use. I have the Graco light and it's pretty good. I'm not a fan of umbrellas strollers but they're great in a pinch. I had a BabyTrend stroller that was wonderful but I left it in the park and when I went back someone had taken it. Oh well.

HI there J.. I'm not sure about the car seat switch, but for short outings my son & I always loved to use a wrap or sling. This cut out the seat/stroller delima all together. we just left it sll in the car. He was happy to stay close to me, & I still had my hands free. Our favorite was & still is the mi tai

I would reccomend getting an umbrella stroller. They are lightweight and don't take up much space. Yes, you do have to take the baby out of the carseat, but it is much easier to deal with. And they can continue to sit in that umbrella stroller for awhile. You can get one from Walmart for $10 & up. We got a $10 one & it was perfectly fine. They don't work on newborns, but I think that by 3 months they can sit in it well enough.

Jaime - I love the Graco Metro lite stroller. I bought the whole system when my 5 year old was born and we still use it now that we have a second. The carrier only works until they are 20 pounds...We are lucky thazt our one year old is small. The metro lite is easy to fold and unfold and is lightweight. I believe they sellthe stroller by itself. I have recommended it to several friends and they all have loved it.

I bought a barely-used BabyTrend Snap N Go (Model #1305) at a consignment store for $25. It sells new for about $49-$59 which is cheaper than MacLaren's Easy Traveller. I think it's our best investment, even for a year (but I bought it used). It folds with one hand, and it works with any infant seat. I have the Graco SnugRide carseat and it works perfectly with it. Graco sells it's own version too (Graco Snugrider Carrier Stroller Frame ~$58).

It will be obsolete once your baby moves into a convertible carseat (or forward facing carseat). These systems only work for the infant seats. However, because its a lightweight frame, there's not much 'storage space' underneath the carriage. But the BabyTrend has 2 cupholders and a small storage space at the handlebar. It's designed to be folded with one-hand operation.

If you're worried about cost, look for a used one (since people only use it with an infant seat, i'm sure you can find one in fairly good condition)

I'm really happy with it. I've used it in the mall, airplane travel, walking around, and "quick" outings. Of course I opted not to get a travel system like yours. Just the carseat and this.

I read that BabyTrend was the first to come out with this type of "universal stroller frame". Now there's Graco's and MacLaren's version too..

I used a Graco Lite Rider with my first kid (now have 3) instead of the travel system stroller. The infant carrier fit on it just like the larger stroller, but it was also still a great stroller after baby grew out of the carrier. It is light weight, steers easily, and I could fold it and lift it into the car with one hand. I bought it for about $70 six years ago (if I remember correctly), but it was all I needed until I needed a double (when the oldest was almost 2 1/2).

The first mom pretty much summed it up. Instead of getting the Maclaren stroller you might look at investing in a better lightweight stroller. I have seen some stroller that are like umbrella strollera but recline and are a bit more versitile for a younger child.

I would get a baby trend if you want to have an alternative or get a Mclaren that has a recline. We still use our reclining Mclaren at age 2 1/2 so it was worth the money but I wouldn't spend the money of the Mclaren easy traveler as you probably only would get 3-6 months use of it.

J.,

You have about 3-5 more months of using the snug rider car seat. They have a base that the car seat snaps in and isn't a "stroller" It's part of the snap and go collect. It rocks. It's Easy. Go to Babies R us and they have two versions. One is not graco but you can still use it. It might seem like a waste of money but I LOVED it and so does my neighbor (6month old)

I wouldn't buy another "big" stoller unless it was the one I wanted to use later.

you can often find this at consignment shops.

Good luck

No once she is out of the infant carrier the carseats no longer come out of the car. I would suggest just getting an umbrella stoller. They're compact and not as much of a struggle to get in and out of the car. And there are some that aren't "umbrella" strollers but they're much smaller than a standard one and still reclines. Hope this helps.

Hi J.,

If you mainly use a stroller for running errands and shopping, then I'd go for the snap n' go stroller frame. By the time your daughter outgrows her infant seat, she'll be big enough for an umbrella stroller. Both of these are inexpensive and super portable. Also, once she learns to walk she mights start objecting to any kind of stroller, so you may not get as much use out of them as you think! But, if this is your first baby and you're planning on having more, then you might want to go ahead and invest in one of fancier ones that you can use with your other kids.

Hi J.,
I have a Graco stroller "shell" that just fits the car seat in it. It is light weight, especially compared to other strollers. We bought it because it is simple and I have a bad back. I know it is specifically for Graco carseats, but assume you can only use infant carseats in it. The stroller costs $60 and is worth it! Good luck!

You only use infant car seats with any stroller system. You will have to buy another car seat when your baby outgrows the infant seat that will last until they are 3 or 4 years old, but you will not be able to use it inside a stroller. The "snap and go" stroller can only be used with infant car seats, but it is inexpensive and you could probably find one at a resell shop cheap. After your baby outgrows the car seat, you will just use a regular stroller. I like my Maclaren stroller because it fully reclines and is lightweight, but honestly I used a cheap umbrella stroller from ages 1-3 for most trips. About $20 at target.

The strollers that accommodate the car seats are only good while they are facing the rear. At about 1 yr and 20 lbs they will be in a different type seat that faces forward. These seats do NOT attach to any stroller. I take mine out of the car seat and put them in the stroller when they turn about 5 months old so they get a break from the car seatwhile on outings or walks.

As far as I have found, there are no car seats that would be able to use a base system to pop in and out. That kind of goes away at 1 yr old b/c they go into a forward facing seat.

Once she is a year old and you get out of the infant carrier into a convertable seat you will not really youse the Maclaren but would go back to using the one you have now.

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