Stroller Advice - Staten Island,NY

Snap and go is so great when they're in the infant car seat.
I have 2 kids, 2 and 4, and we're on about the 5th stroller...needs change...better strollers come out. But I never regretted the snap and go.

It's been a while, my son is five. But... I was given the car seat. SO I was left with looking for a seperate stroller, at the time we lived in NE Ontario, Canada... Read.. SNOW in winter... SLUSH.. till summer... and knowing I was going to be on rough terrain..
I bought a Bebecar. It could fold flat, the wheels could lock and unlock.. so it was like AWD. The stroller part it's self was great, I could use it like a pram when he was a baby.. then switch the front and back... so he sat as in an upright position faceing forwards like a conventional stroller.

Good luck.

Yes, I will go with an inexpensive Snap and Go, and then go with a more expensive type. As far as the more expensive, I love Mclaren's, the only stroller you will need. I regret not purchasing one for my last child (I have three). Love the size and the sturdiness of the Mclaren, they accomodate children as old as 4 years . Congratulations!

M.
proudtots.com

I second Maclaren. I went through FOUR strollers. All of the regular travel systems -- Graco style -- they are huge and heavy. When you're carrying a baby, or loading things in and out of a car.. the last thing you want to deal with is some cumbersome stroller that weighs 25 pounds. The Graco style bulky plastic strollers also don't turn very easily, and usually are NOT easy to fit through places like between clothing racks, shopping, etc. They also DO NOT fold down nearly as small as my Maclaren does. Combi also makes a decently slim stroller.

I have the Maclaren Techno XT. It weighs 14 pounds. It's good from birth up (it fully reclines) and it can carry up to 55 pounds (past Kindergarten). I wish I had just bought it from the start. http://www.maclarenbaby.com/us/content/view/434/88889568/...

My advice - Go to your local Babies R Us. Look at the weight. Think about if you're going to want to lift something like that in and out of the back of your car. Look how small it folds down. Think if you're going to want to give up that much of your trunk/cargo space. Try to turn corners in it - see how it handles.

I would definitely just get the frame for the baby carrier at first.. and then get a non-travel system stroller.

The snap and go is great for when the baby is still in the (bucket) infant carrier. The travel system is good for the same reason later on. The infant carrier snaps on. IT is very sturdy and yes, it is not great for in and out of the car. Say the baby is not really sleeping in the car, you always have a stroller and they can see everything and not have to lift out the carrier. If you can get both, you are better off. I have a combi stroller too (hand me down). My baby is 13 months and little. She is just fitting comfortably into it. Good luck!

I agree with the majority of posters here...no travel system!! They are big, bulky and heavy. We used the Snap & Go and loved it while my daughter was in the infant car seat. We also paid up for the Peg Pilko P3. Our infant car seat fit in just fit with the strap they provide. It was nice for long walks around the neighborhood. Once she hit 4 months, she was able to be in that stroller with the car seat and it became our stroller of choice. We use it all the time and 2.5 years later it's still in great condition. We also have a lightweight Maclaren umbrella stroller for quick trips to the mall.

I had the Metrolite Graco system. And really liked it. But it wasn't a system that came together and weighed a ton. It was nice and light and fit in my car. I am really glad I did that because my son only fit in the car carrier about 4 months. It would have been a waste to spend the money on the snap and go!

With my infant, I LOVED the Graco SnugRider Infant Car Seat Stroller Frame. The infant carrier snaps right in and the basket underneath was large enough for even grocery shopping.

By the time the baby outgrew the infant carrier, both children were able to sit up and used a regular standard stroller. We just purchased a simple unbrella stroller for our daughter and now, since there are two, we purchased a side by side Combi that has been wonderful.

In all cases, these strollers were light weight, easy manuvuerability, and flexible enough to take anywhere.

I would recommend that less is really more.
~C.

Hi, not really a stroller suggestion, but we did use a stroller that fit the infant carrier we borrowed with our first child, and it worked fine (everything was used and I really can't remember the brand), but if you are just running all over with a little one, I also highly recommend getting a baby sling--I LOVED having it with my second and wish I had had one for my first. It was so much easier for toting him all over without dragging a stroller, unless you need your body more free. Just think about what you will need the travel system for--do you shop in malls? Hike? Grocery shop with a stroller? Go for neighborhood walks? One drawback for the snap-in strollers is if you don't love the stroller part, your baby might only be using the carrier for a few months, depending on how he or she grows. A good umbrella stroller is also great--we always keep one in each car and they are very inexpensive.

I love our Baby jogger City Eite. I live in a area w/ rugged dirt roads & pushes great on beach. If I was on city pavement would have gotten the Baby jogger city mini...
Also I loved our snap and go...but Baby J has an adaptor bar for baby car seat

Yes, I had the travel combo and HATED IT! So heavy and my daughter was uncomfortable in the stroller. Also it didn't have very easy steering. ( I had a graco quatro tour) I sold it before my daughter was 6 months old.

Now I have 2 strollers, a BOB Revolution for rough terrain and jogging (LOVE IT) and a Maclaren Quest for everyday (also LOVE IT) I recommend getting a good quality one, even if it is used on craigslist or something because if you are anything like me you will use your stroller constantly. Both of mine fit in my honda civic trunk which is great, and they are both easy to fold and the BOB is kind of heavy but not too bad (you can also buy a car seat adapter for this)

Another thing, I also had a front pack for my daughter when she was smaller, which was another life saver!

Congratulations on your baby!

Yes, as a mother of a nine year old and a seven month old I say definitely go with the snap and go! It is convenient and easy to use. I did purchase a graco lightweight stroller also so that my daughter doesn't always have to be in the car seat. The combos are too big and bulky and very heavy. I had a pregnant woman approach me when I had my daughter in the snap and go and she loved it! She went and purchased one...:) Good luck!

Hi those travel combos are great but what you heard is true & bad if you have a small car. I just had a baby in Sept. and bought the Baby Trend care seat & stroller but not as a bundle. The stroller is large but light enough, fold well & runs smooth & the car seat is the easiest I've seen to latch. I love it. For your awareness car seats have an expiration on them so don't bother saving them for the possible future. I saved everything from my firstborn & was dissapointed to find this out. The manufacturer put the date stating that its because of the durability of the plasctics. I wish I knew about this before my purchase but they have travel strollers that look like the smaller reg. strollers or umbrella strollers that are universal to most car seats. They are light, foldable, and have cup holders & a decent size basket. The price range is about $50 & up. My advice as a mom of two is to find yourself a good car seat and a compatable stroller as I mentioned above. By the way a must have book "Baby Bargains" by Denise & Alan Fields. I carried this everywhere shopping & it was a lifesaver. A new book edition comes out every 2yrs. Look for the 8th edition that just came out in 2009 about $18.00 ISBN # 978-1-889392-33-2 Hope this helps.

Get the snap n' go. You'll love it.

I definitely agree that travel systems are too heavy and every friend of mine has cursed their travel system when they have a 20 lb kid in one arm and are trying to fold the travel system stroller and then lift it into the trunk. I only wanted to buy one stroller as I've seen too many people collect a garage full of strollers and I just don't have the room. I ended up forking a bit more cash out 2 years ago (and I know that since then there has been a recall which they sent us the part to fix), but we bought the Maclaren Techno XLR. We LOVE it.

It's just about 2 lbs heavier then a lightweight stroller (umbrella stroller). It has a bar that allows you to attach your car seat (almost all of the brands), and it fully reclines if you want to give the baby a place to lay down and take a nap. It has the greatest sun protection as it unzips a bit and extends to cover more then any other stroller I've ever seen. I get comments on that all of the time while I'm out. It folds easily once you've figured it out and though the storage space under the stroller is hard to get to when the car seat is attached or the seat is fully reclined, we've never had a problem as we just pack lighter, store a blanket and rain hood under and carry everything else in our rather compact diaper bag.

I have used this in the snow (many times), rain, on city streets and sidewalks and in the suburbs. I've taken it on 6 airplane roundtrips and gate checked it (I suggest buying a little bag to put it in) and I've done 2 of these round trips by myself and had no problems getting my child in and out of the stroller for security checks and to load onto the plane. It has been a trooper and is still going. I had one minor squeaky wheel, sent it in it's original box to the nearest repair location (they paid for that) and they had it back to me in 3.5 days from when I sent it. I have been happy with the company and the product and can't wait to use this stroller with my next child as this one outgrows it. The max weight of the child I think is 60lbs in this stroller which means that your kid will be in it for a long time.

I wouldn't suggest this if you're looking for a stroller to jog in or go off trails in and my friends who live in the city swear by strollers that are more jogging style as the uneven streets can cause for a bumpy ride. If you're looking for a stroller to go with you in the city and take lots of jogs/city street walks, then I wouldn't put the Maclaren at the top of your list. But if you want a lightweight stroller that can do it all, I would seriously consider this one on your list.

Good luck!

I have the Chicco Cortina travel system for my newborn and regret it! It is sooooo heavy and awkward...I can barely handle it myself. I so regret not getting the Snap n Go as I see other people use it effortlessly. I would still buy it now except baby is going on 5 mo's and won't need it much longer. I will probably go with a MacClaren umbrella stroller for the next phase as they are not too too expensive. Get the Snap N Go!

I agree with Victoria. If you are going to have more than one baby get the good stuff. I have a peg and I LOVE IT!! I have the Pliko P3 and it's a breeze to open and close and it folds nicely. Not big and bulky like Graco, Evenflo, or the other one's like it. They can be expensive, ($300 just for the stroller) but if you look on ebay I got mine for brand new $180 which is just a few more dollars than a Graco or Chicco. With The Peg Perego Pliko P3 and the Aria's you can buy any car seat that you want and you can purchase this strap that you can use to anchor the seat into the stroller.
If you want very small and light I'd then go with a Combi system I also have one and I too love it! It's just that my very huge 6 month old son dominates it (he's either above the charts or in the 90th percentile). So if you have an average size baby, then it should be fine. Combi's are very small and very light. It folds in thirds so it's even smaller when you need to put it in the car.
And for the carseat I'd only go with European brands or Graco. I used to work for Babies R Us and I can't tell you how many broken stroller's or carseats would get returned. Evenflo, Safety First, and Eddie Bauer (I can't remember the other ones, but they are cheap too) to me the plastic feel's like the plastic that McDonald's happy meal toy's are made out of. The great thing about European brand's is that they have higher safety standards than we do. My favorite it the Britax. I'm not sure on the infant seats, but with their convertible seats they insert foam into the frame of the seat. That absorbs a lot of the shock of an impact. Other brands just line the seat with foam and call it good. If you have any other questions, feel free to email me. I can't wait to go back to work at Babies!! I love helping people pick out their baby gear.
**Oh and the pliko p3 it so easy to steer even though it's got two handle bars instead of the traditional one that goes across the stroller. And it fits so nicely in between racks at stores.

Don't do a travel combo, they are bulky and awkward and if you ever take them into the city, a major pain. Think about lugging it on and off a train etc. NOT fun. I'd go with the snap and go. Just be warned some babies (like my 9 month old) are not infant seat babies, I ended up with a Baby K'Tan sling/wrap and we still use it pretty regularly because all he'd do was scream & cry in the car seat.

For ease and portability, we've always loved the combination of a Baby Bjorn and a simple $10 umbrella stroller. Those are the most compact options we found, and the lightest!

I hated my travel system. We ended up buying a Peg Perego stroller, the Si, which we could of bought the extra attachment for a car seat. However, you do have to buy the Peg Perego car seat. I know they are expensive, but since we plan on having more than one child, I would of spent the money and gone with the Peg combo.

Snap and go will be your best friend. You'll miss it when you switch to a real stroller. My only opinion is to wait to buy a stroller until your baby is ready for the transition from the snap and go. Then you'll know what you need and want. I had bought a Peg Perego and hated it. It had to get fixed twice, the wheels never worked right. Nightmare!! Looking back I would have bought a lighter weight stroler with a LARGE basket for my stuff. Good luck!