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Porscha
Need help on picking out a good travel system for my unborn son!!!! Want a light weight car seat and stroller
Answer
I wouldn't get a travel system. Most of the time they are made to rope you into a specific car seat or specific stroller, and one or the other isn't what you'd choose normally. SIDS is a risk for babies who are in a sitting position for more than an hour a day, the position lowers oxygen levels in their blood, so while the car seat is the best place for the baby in the car it's not once you get out of the car. It's MUCH better to put the baby in a stroller that lays flat, or a sling/chest-carrier. Even if the weather is bad you're hopefully just going to take the car-seat+baby into the house, then back again. Though having the car seat on the stroller is better than on a shopping cart, there's just no real good reason to worry about a stroller that allows the car seat on top of it. If you do use a wrap/sling/carrier for the first 3-6 months then you can also look at any stroller on the market safely and not be restricted to one that lays flat, which means you can really find a good lightweight one that will fit your lifestyle.
Rather than looking for a set, look for the car seat you want. This link has a list of recommended car seats that you can look over. I personally don't like BabyTrend because of the harness-clip that they had when I checked them out, it required a bit more coordination than the others. Basically it required you to put it together, then put it in at the same time. They may have fixed it by now, but it was annoying and I couldn't see my mom being able to do it. I prefer where you can put in one side then the other. However, if you try out a BabyTrend at the store and like it, it's a good brand.
Then if you really want a stroller that car seat will work with you can usually find one that will either go with it or allow you to use it with the stroller. Like, if you like a certain Graco seat, but like a baby trend stroller, you can look up the manual online or go to a store and look at it and usually find that most infant seats will secure into the stroller no problem. Since the strollers are less likely to be recalled, you can even find something on craigslist afterwards and usually save yourself some money.
If you DO want a travel system, I recommend looking at the Chicco line since they're well known for being a good car seat and a stroller that lays flat.
But if you want something that's very lightweight and will be easy to go through say stores and everything with baby, look at slings and things like the Ergo or Beco or Boba carriers. I've used mine for 2 babies now and I can't imagine going back to carrying the baby seat and trying to juggle it or even using the stroller for a newborn. They sleep so much better against you, and there's nothing quite like them looking up, touching your cheek, and laughing while you're shopping. :) I used the infant seat with my first and it was one of the lightest on the market... but it STILL hurt our shoulders and backs. I'd go with a wrap/sling/carrier first, stroller second, stroller with a car seat... never.
I wouldn't get a travel system. Most of the time they are made to rope you into a specific car seat or specific stroller, and one or the other isn't what you'd choose normally. SIDS is a risk for babies who are in a sitting position for more than an hour a day, the position lowers oxygen levels in their blood, so while the car seat is the best place for the baby in the car it's not once you get out of the car. It's MUCH better to put the baby in a stroller that lays flat, or a sling/chest-carrier. Even if the weather is bad you're hopefully just going to take the car-seat+baby into the house, then back again. Though having the car seat on the stroller is better than on a shopping cart, there's just no real good reason to worry about a stroller that allows the car seat on top of it. If you do use a wrap/sling/carrier for the first 3-6 months then you can also look at any stroller on the market safely and not be restricted to one that lays flat, which means you can really find a good lightweight one that will fit your lifestyle.
Rather than looking for a set, look for the car seat you want. This link has a list of recommended car seats that you can look over. I personally don't like BabyTrend because of the harness-clip that they had when I checked them out, it required a bit more coordination than the others. Basically it required you to put it together, then put it in at the same time. They may have fixed it by now, but it was annoying and I couldn't see my mom being able to do it. I prefer where you can put in one side then the other. However, if you try out a BabyTrend at the store and like it, it's a good brand.
Then if you really want a stroller that car seat will work with you can usually find one that will either go with it or allow you to use it with the stroller. Like, if you like a certain Graco seat, but like a baby trend stroller, you can look up the manual online or go to a store and look at it and usually find that most infant seats will secure into the stroller no problem. Since the strollers are less likely to be recalled, you can even find something on craigslist afterwards and usually save yourself some money.
If you DO want a travel system, I recommend looking at the Chicco line since they're well known for being a good car seat and a stroller that lays flat.
But if you want something that's very lightweight and will be easy to go through say stores and everything with baby, look at slings and things like the Ergo or Beco or Boba carriers. I've used mine for 2 babies now and I can't imagine going back to carrying the baby seat and trying to juggle it or even using the stroller for a newborn. They sleep so much better against you, and there's nothing quite like them looking up, touching your cheek, and laughing while you're shopping. :) I used the infant seat with my first and it was one of the lightest on the market... but it STILL hurt our shoulders and backs. I'd go with a wrap/sling/carrier first, stroller second, stroller with a car seat... never.
what is the Best travel system?
jenniferas
i am trying to decide on a travel system & needed to know which one is better.
yes it's the carseat & stroller combo thing
Answer
It really depends on what you're looking for. There is no universal "best" system for everyone. Some have lots of storage, but are heavier. Some are lighter, but more expensive. Some are more affordable, but lack in details that might be important to you (Do you want two cup-holders? Are the styles and colors important to you? How often are you going to be using the system? Et cetera.)
I did a ton of research on them because I wanted the best bang for my buck. I initially fell in love with the Chicco Cortina system because it was easy to use and small. The reviews are also mostly positive, and the negatives were about things that didn't matter too much to me (its fairly heavy and the under-seat storage isn't as expansive as most systems).
However, after a lot of thinking, my husband and I decided that a travel system wouldn't be the best for us. I live out in the sticks, and won't be pushing a baby carriage all that often. Lugging a travel system around just seemed like a whole lot of "extra" that we really didn't need. We ended up deciding on a Graco Snugrider infant seat and bought a lightweight Graco frame to attach the infant seat to--instant carriage! It just seemed silly to us to have a huge travel system to push and infant seat around in.
Once she grows out of the infant seat, we'll pick out a new stroller. If the small, lightweight system works for us, we can pick out a cheap umbrella stroller. If we decide that we need something a little more expansive, we can get a fancier stroller. In the end, it is potentially less expensive to do it this way, plus we'll be able to buy things once we truly know what we're going to need!
So, take a good long look at what you plan to do with the travel system. Think about what you need and don't need, and consider that things may change over the next few months.
Babies R Us has plenty of fantastic (and useful!) reviews of almost all of their products. Its been very helpful to me for picking out strollers, as well as plenty of other kinds of gear. Good luck!
It really depends on what you're looking for. There is no universal "best" system for everyone. Some have lots of storage, but are heavier. Some are lighter, but more expensive. Some are more affordable, but lack in details that might be important to you (Do you want two cup-holders? Are the styles and colors important to you? How often are you going to be using the system? Et cetera.)
I did a ton of research on them because I wanted the best bang for my buck. I initially fell in love with the Chicco Cortina system because it was easy to use and small. The reviews are also mostly positive, and the negatives were about things that didn't matter too much to me (its fairly heavy and the under-seat storage isn't as expansive as most systems).
However, after a lot of thinking, my husband and I decided that a travel system wouldn't be the best for us. I live out in the sticks, and won't be pushing a baby carriage all that often. Lugging a travel system around just seemed like a whole lot of "extra" that we really didn't need. We ended up deciding on a Graco Snugrider infant seat and bought a lightweight Graco frame to attach the infant seat to--instant carriage! It just seemed silly to us to have a huge travel system to push and infant seat around in.
Once she grows out of the infant seat, we'll pick out a new stroller. If the small, lightweight system works for us, we can pick out a cheap umbrella stroller. If we decide that we need something a little more expansive, we can get a fancier stroller. In the end, it is potentially less expensive to do it this way, plus we'll be able to buy things once we truly know what we're going to need!
So, take a good long look at what you plan to do with the travel system. Think about what you need and don't need, and consider that things may change over the next few months.
Babies R Us has plenty of fantastic (and useful!) reviews of almost all of their products. Its been very helpful to me for picking out strollers, as well as plenty of other kinds of gear. Good luck!
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