Advise on Choosing a Stroller

O., I wish it was that simple. Everyone I know has multiple strollers. Typically the combo with the car seat for when they are infants - my advice is go light. The snap & gos can come in real handy too.

When they get older hopefully you can use the stroller, but you may find it too bulky to travel with, too small to fit them in or too bulky to store in your home. We graduated from the combination to what I call a souped up umbrella stroller from Target about $40 that was awesome - it folded up small, was light, had a basket, a tray for the kid and up top for the adult. It flew with us many places. So, I guess what I am saying is you are right not to spend too much and if you are registering - register for one of the smaller ones as well.

M.

Hi, O.! We have the Evenflo Aura Elite travel system and are VERY happy with it. My folks got it for us when my son was born (he's 26 months now, and I have a baby due in January), and we still love it. It has the car seat base that you just leave in the car, plus the infant carrier that snaps into the base and into the stroller. When the baby outgrows the infant carrier, you can still use the stroller, can also use it as a buggy where the baby lies down, without the carrier. Extremely useful, one-hand fold, nice big wheels. I think it was around $150 2 years ago. You can find details about it and other Eveflo products at their website http://www.evenflo.com/.

Good luck, and congratulations on your pregnancy!

N.

This is kind of a reverse suggestion - advice to stay away from one I've had horrible troubles with. I received a Baby Trend travel system as a gift, and after borrowing a friend's Graco travel system for a month while on vacation I realized the problems with my own. The carseat was outgrown MUCH faster than the Graco - by about 2 months. This forced us into purchasing a new car seat earlier than we'd anticipated, or would've had to with a Graco. Also, the stroller is just so hard to manage, opening and closing and getting the front tray up and down. The Graco was so much smoother, requiring only one hand instead of two hands and a foot.

Good luck!!!

We too have a Chicco, the Trevi. This is our third child and I finally found a stroller I love. It folds down and together so it is very compact and easy to handle. We have the carseat that goes along with it, but my girlfriend has a Graco seat for hers that fits just fine.

I was totally obsessed with strollers, so I've done sooo much research. Honestly, I think the Chicco (pronounced Key-co) is great for the price. It's an Italian brand that competes with Peg-perego but at a fraction of the cost.
If you still need a carseat, the Chicco Cortina travel system is the way to go and it's close to your price range.

On the higher end, I love the Uppa Baby Vista. I plan on getting that for my younger sister when she starts a family, but that's around $500!

E.
(mom of a two year old and a five month old)

Graco MetroLite stroller (works with matching SnugRide infant seat) served us very very well! My only complaint, it does not fold up very compactly and so you do need a bit of trunk space. But for the price (and the saftey ratings on the infant seat), it really seemed to be the best option. I still use it for neighborhood shopping and my son is 3.5 years old (he is small for his size...I believe the stroller goes until 40 lbs).