Car seats/Baby Carriages

Stroller- I have used the Graco Metrolite through 2 kids and over 5 years, and I love it!
carseat- I have tried a few different ones and really love the Evenflo Triumph.
Good luck!

As for car seat we have 2 Britax (Marathon and Decathalon). I love both and have used them both rear and forward facing. The 5 point harness holds them in place very well. We have 2 different ones because one style fits one car better than the other (we have and SUV with a fixed headrest so it limited our selection). Holds until 60 or 65 lbs although I moved my older one into a booster at about 35 lbs since I needed the Britax for my baby (she outgrew the Graco carrier in weight by 7 months). Britax also has another model called the Roundabout and I think that holds until 35 lbs or so.
As for strollers I do love my Maclaren and just called yesterday to get the recall parts so I can start using it again. Good luck.

Hi V.,

I have the Graco Metrolite stroller and I like it because it's not super heavy - since you have to lift it in and out of the car so much. I think we have an Evenflo Triumph car seat... I can't remember. But there are 3 things you should look for: 1. a convertible car seat - at 6 mos your daughter still needs to face backwards, and it would be nice to just turn the carseat around when she's old enough instead of buying another one. 2. a five point harness system (important even as she gets bigger). 3. check the maximum height and weight on your new carseat to try to get the most use out of it before she outgrows it!
Babies R Us has most of their strollers on display so you can push them around, try to fold them up and see how heavy they are. Good Luck!!

For strollers: Maclaren is the best. We have the Volo (the lightest model), and we love it. it's super easy to fold and unfold and very light, it doesn't take up much space in the car either. it has a small basket underneath, and you can get the multi-pocket/pouch thing to hang on the back of it for keys, cups, tissues, and other small junk.

i wouldn't worry about the recall, just make sure your child's hands are not near the hinges when you fold/unfold the sroller (as if you need someone to actually tell you that?!).

I would have recommended Maclaren, but since that recall...maybe not. I actually never purchased the Mac (I wanted to be different) so instead I got the Citi Mini. I love it. It is not an umbrella stroller, so you'll need your strength to move it around (but it's not as heavy as most travel systems IMO), but it's easy to fold and very durable, and it carries kids up to ?50 lbs or so.

I had a Peg Perago stroller and I HATED it. I went for an expensive stroller that was supposed to be very good and it was junk. I had to get the entire frame replaced after a few months because it would no longer snap into place when open. Then the wheels went.

If I had to do it again I would go to the store with my baby and try them out. The basket is really important - let's face it, you've got a lot of stuff that you need to get in there. And light weight and easy to fold are very important as is size. There are some really good and not expensive ones out there - go give them a test ride at TRU or Bye Bye Baby.

Definitely Britax car seats. We have 3 of them and love them. Just bought my daughter a Graco Nautilis and it is alright, but definitely feels cheaper than the Britax. Of the three I have, I would definitely go for the Marathon. You can keep the child rear facing for a long time, then turn it forward.

I have a Peg Perego and a Graco Metrolite. I use my metrolite ALL the time, and the Snug Ride car seat fits right into it. It is not heavy, and has great cup holders for parent and child, a larger basket and is so easy to push. Ilove the tray as it is a great place for a snack or toy to keep little ones busy. I HATE the the Peg Perego Pliko, it is so hard to push. Good luck

I used the Graco stroller that came with the infant carrier.

You should go to the store and try them out.

For car seats, we are a Graco family. My son was in a Graco SnugRide until he was ten months old, then he moved into a ComfortRide. He is currently one pound and 1/2 inch away from outgrowing his ComfortRide, so we've ordered the Nautilus for him to sit in until he's old enough to not sit in a car seat. Graco has an excellent reputation for safety, and they aren't as bulky or heavy as other seats. Easy to install, easy to move between cars, just plain easy. And very safe, which is most important.

Strollers... we love Maclaren. I know there was just a recall, but Maclaren strollers are great. Lightweight, very easy to open and close (important when you are carrying a baby/toddler), and easy to drive. We have two Maclaren Triumphs - one for traveling and another for home. I've called to get the replacement part for our strollers, and I plan to keep using ours.

Go to Babies R Us to "test drive" strollers to see which one works best for you. Every person is different. Good luck!

Did you have a travel system? How much does your 6 month old daughter weigh?? Usually travel systems are good until about a year at which time you can switch to a larger forward facing carseat. At this point if your daughter has truly outgrown her baby carseat then you need to get one that is forward as well as rearfacing so you don't have to buy another one at about 1 year. We have a Britax Marathon and I remember we had it rear facing for a month or two before we had it front facing. As for strollers, we have a McClaren umbrellas stroller and the child kinda sinks into it. My son loves it and sits quietly and happily in there.