(Part 3) Best strollers & accessories according to redditors

>after the baby outgrows the infant car seat, does he still need to sit in a car seat in the stroller, or do we just graduate to a convertible car seat in the car and go without in the stroller

Yes, the baby will just go in the stroller.

> are most convertible car seats compatible with most strollers?

Convertible car seats cannot be put in a stroller. They are intended to stay in your car.

>Basically...what do we need while buying the least amount of stuff?

You can use a convertible car seat from newborn through toddler if you want to! (See here!) You don't need to start with an infant seat at all. So, if buying the least amount of things is important to you, maybe look into doing that instead. Then, you'd only need...

• One convertible car seat per car
  
  
• One stroller (that can be converted from pram to regular stroller like this, because infants can't sit in a forward-facing stroller until about 6 months or whenever they're able to sit unassisted)
  
  If you are set on getting an infant seat, then you'll want...
  
  
• One "travel system" - this typically includes one infant seat + one base for the car + one stroller (that clips the infant seat into it and converts to a regular stroller after the infant stage) - like this
  
  
• Additional bases (and, if needed, additional infant seats) per car
  
  
• One convertible car seat for when baby outgrows the infant seat, per vehicle
  
  We did the second example I mentioned, and I kind of regret it. I feel like we spent much more money doing it this way, mainly because we have two cars (so we needed two bases, two convertible seats, etc.). But the benefit of doing it that way is being able to take baby in and out of the car in the seat, rather than risking waking them up by taking them out of the convertible seat. But, I have friends who did the convertible seat from birth and it worked out great for them, so I hope to do that when we have our second!

I feel like I've become an unpaid spokesperson but this was literally one of my most useful baby items for our first winter. It is completely safe for the car seat (nothing touches the straps) and it kept my daughter so warm. I would just dress her in a regular sleep and play and with this thing she would not even notice that it was 5 degrees outside.

But as for the snow suit it just depends on your lifestyle. Do you spend a lot of time outside? Then yes, get one. If not, it's really not necessary. We had one, but only because I found it at a mom 2 mom sale for $5. We literally used it once to take some photos outside in the snow. That was it. Meanwhile, my cousin lives in the Rockies and they hike as a family a lot. Obviously a snow suit was critical for them.

Worth it, but not for $800. Try and find something used if you can. Uppababy, BOB and other quality strollers generally have good resale value too so if it turns out to not be a good fit it shouldn't end up costing you too much. Craigslist, FB marketplace, and FB sale/swap groups are great places to find a deal, especially if you start searching now. Finding a double stroller that can work with your car seat is extra helpful. If you toddler is likely to want to only ride occasionally a sit & stand could be a good option (a few companies make these). Or you could get a buggy board and attach it to your current stroller.




Our 3 year old was more into riding in a stroller perhaps that it sounds like yours will be but there are other things to consider. It's so nice to be able to strap them in when you need to. Chasing a kid or trying to keep track of them in a crowd or near a road can be nerve wracking. It's also possible that your kid will regress a bit or be jealous that the baby gets to be in the stroller.



I was super excited about babywearing but last summer in CA was pretty uncomfortable, and I didn't really get into it until fall, and really only once we stopped using a wrap and switched to a SCC without an insert. But then I am a sweaty person and so are my babies haha.

Google Search

Amazon

Alright so we’re not carless but a one car family. So while my husband has the car for work I do all the running around with the kid (and baby when he’s done cooking) alone. Also when our oldest was born we lived in Germany and I grew up in a big city. Most people walk or take the bus/subway there.

We have tried several things.

car seat since we do have a car and needed to drive to and from the hospital we kind of needed one. We bought a Graco snug fit car seat while it was on sale. With base and beltway. It also was airline approved since we knew we’d be flying with baby and having baby have her own seat in the plane made things so much easier on us during the transatlantic flight.

Stroller(s)
We have bought 4. Super expensive to super cheap umbrella stroller.

• expensive stroller: we bought this one in Germany. I love it. It’s super versatile, you can take the bassinet part off and carry baby while sleeping in there wherever you need. You can use the bassinet as a sleeping place when visiting people. It swings a bit or you can extent tiny feet that will block the swinging motion.
  The sport seat can be turned forward or backward. The springs are amazing!! I literally pushed the thing through fields and grass and little one sleep away happily.
  The only negative thing I’ve found is that it doesn’t have free moving front wheels. And it is bulky. It’s also a bit wide for american sidewalks.
  
  
• umbrella stroller: utter crap. I hate it. While it’s nice you can fold it up and it barely takes up space. My arms where to short so I always have to hunch over, it’s noisy, i kept kicking the wheels/axle because apparently i make too large steps. Not fun.
  
  
• Graco click connect snugrider: fit perfectly for our car seat. We used this while at the airport since we didn’t want to bring the expensive stroller out of fear that it’ll get damaged when checking it at the terminal. We bought that one on sale for $60 and it did perform amazingly for what we needed it to.
  
  
• Baby Trend Jogging stroller: bought this when we moved to the states and our dd was a bit older (15 months) my husband was away for 2 weeks (with the car) and I needed something easier to manage on limited american sidewalk space. We live on a military base so I can do all the shopping and medical stuff by foot. It works great. The only thing I’m not too happy with is the harness. It looks a bit loose and is hard to fit to a smaller child.
  
  
  So when it comes to strollers I honestly would have rather spent a bit more money on a jogging stroller than buying the $600 german monster, so I’d have the same comfort for baby as the $600 one but smaller and more manageable. I hope that makes sense. In Germany the $600 one was amazing. But Germany is a bit better laid out for pedestrians than the US. Maybe a bit smaller than the one we got but quality wise and versatility wise it’s my winner.
  
  Baby Carriers
  I absolutely adore them. We/I have tried a few.
  
  
• Moby Wrap: nice way to get used to wrapping babies and very comfortable to wear. However since the material is stretchy I couldn’t really relax and just not have a hand on baby because i always felt like o have to redo it and re tighten it.
  
  
• Ring Sling: no thank you. Our baby was a super chunk and carrying the weight on one side of my hip gave me so much back pain. So much hip pain and the rings pushed into my skin and bruised me.
  
  
• Soft Structured Baby Carrier: we have a Tula Baby Carrier and it’s amazing. You can carry your baby on your chest (no you can’t forward face baby. That is not good for their hips. Ever. In any carrier. Just because a carrier offers that option doesn’t mean it’s good for their hip development) and when they’re old enough to hold their heads up reliably on your back like a backpack. The weight is distributed evenly throughout your shoulders/back/hip. Yes you’ll have some back pain at the end of a long day. But you do have that if you’re lugging around any backpack. We carried our daughter a lot. My husband loved it because she’d fall asleep on his chest when we were walking, shopping, sightseeing or hiking. Also keeps Baby grabbers at bay lol. And if your wife wants to nurse, you can nurse while baby is in the carrier! That’s a game changer! It takes practice and especially in a SSC an older baby who knows how to nurse and latch.
  
  
• Woven Wrap Carrier: we haven’t gotten to try it yet since we lost the baby we bought it for and our rainbow is still cooking. But I hope it’ll take away the feeling of having to rewrap because the material doesn’t stretch.
  
  
  So for living in a big city I’d recommend having a small, agile stroller and definitely a baby carrier. Especially if you go shopping you can put the groceries into the stroller and push baby. If you just want to be out and about a soft structured carrier (SSC) is worth its weight in gold. And you’re more mobile and fit into crowded places like the subway easier.
  
  I hope that helps you decide what to do :) good luck.

After I read this I made DH come to the store with me to see the strollers and check out if the one I picked out on-line was one I really did like. It was totally eye opening! The one I thought was perfect (only saw it on Amazon) looked cheap and didn't move well at all so we talked to the nice lady there and found one that we both like and is exactly what we want. It's less expensive on Amazon than in the store and there's a set with the car seat/base included with the stroller! When I saw the price originally I was a bit skeptical, but in the store the stroller itself was $330 and the seat itself is over $100, so it's actually a good deal.

Edit - Of course I looked over this thread again and found out things I didn't know, so I updated my registry with just the stroller in this set and a different multi stage car seat and an infant car seat.

We got a Chicco Keyfit30. Amazon doesn't seem to have the combination exactly of what we got available anymore, but these are different color versions of our choices:

Stroller

Seat

Extra base

The convertible seat we got is a Chicco NextFit Zip. I chose that one because it was consistently rated at the top of lists, and the cover zips out for cleaning. This is the exact car seat we have.

If you have a tiny car (prius, etc.) these seats might not work well for you. The convertible one does have a variety of recline positions to choose from so you can sit your kid a little more upright to make more room (if they're able to sit up, don't do this if your kid doesn't have good head/neck control) but it definitely isn't the most compact seat available. It is REALLY easy to install, though - we took kiddo with us while test driving cars since we have to replace our current vehicle in the next month or so. We popped the seat out of the truck, installed it easily in the vans we were driving, and were on our way. Took less than 5 minutes (it is rated as one of the easier seats to install on several of the comparison sites) from "I'll go get the seat" to putting the kid in it.

Edited to add: we moved kiddo to the convertible seat around 11 months, because he was constantly trying to sit up in his infant seat. He'd get really frustrated since it was such a recline. Car rides went from frustrated baby to happy kiddo as soon as we switched seats because he could look out of the window. Technically he's not too heavy for his infant seat even now (27.5 pounds at his 15 month appointment last month) but he is too tall for it (it goes up to 30 inches in height; he was 30.25" at his 15 month appointment.

I did a 4'x4' topper that sits on my coffee table and raises the playig surface so that you can play comfortably while sitting on the sectional. Covered it in headliner material to make it quiet/make cards easy to pick up, though I love the look of yours. I do still need to buy and install a rail, and have been looking at different trims and baseboard for it. Then I want to get some slide-under cupholders like these :https://www.amazon.com/Brybelly-Slide-Under-Stainless-Holder/dp/B00911UXJ2?th=1 so that people can put their drinks on the table without worrying about spills.

My friend just showed me her 7AM Enfant Nido . I just bought one!

It’s super safe for car seat (doesn’t go between baby and straps) and in about 20-30 degree weather, she put her baby in with a long sleeved onesie and pants, the Nido, and he was soooo toasty warm. Actually a bit sweaty if you kept him wrapped up in it in a car, but it opens very easily. No need for bulky jackets or anything. I loved it and bought it on amazon prime a few hours later, haha.

I know you said you wanted in line, but we have this and love ithttp://www.amazon.com/JOOVY-Scooter-Double-Stroller-Black/dp/B00O20OPTQ
It is so so easy to push, folds up easily with one hand, and fits thru doorways! And a huge bonus, it's so much cheaper than most of them!

I'm a runner. Just bought a babyjogger for the new baby due any day now: from amazon

It's good to 30kg. People use them for 7 yr olds when going out for a run. Lots of storage space, and they easily fold up with one motion. Might be what you need?

Baby Trend Expedition Double Jogger, Elixer https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008TTQ2A6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_PM.JAbH0P4H0C

We bought this double specifically for Disney with our two little kids. It was perfect. Not expensive and not as big as some of the joggers out there, so it fit well in our car. We were able to gate check it at the airport too.

My only advice is the stroller has to be folded to get on Disney Transportation. All of them do. So pack everything in a backpack that you can just pull it out of the bottom bin when you need to get on a Disney bus. My kids napped in it. It maneuvered really well too.

Great stroller, we are taking it again to Disney in April.

Happy birthday!! :D This is such a sweet gesture you're doing. Giving feels so amazing, it's like a gift in itself right? hehe.
I think that Odin's (almost 3 years old) ultimate gift would have to be This stroller


http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/367CEBFHDAFWM/ref=topnav_lists_1
Here is his wish list.




We take walks in several different parks with rough terrain in Salem, OR, and his current stroller's wheels are breaking/falling off and are hard to navigate the terrain. We've been trying to save up for one but it just hasn't been able to happen.
I'm not sure if this is more a gift for us as a family or not, but It would help us continue our routine and he absolutely LOVES going on walks through the parks.

<3 <3

https://www.amazon.com/Baby-Trend-Expedition-Jogger-Stroller/dp/B007O102JM

Love this stroller!

Well, I really need it to ride smoothly on more bumpier roads. I'm simply wondering if a bigger front wheel helps with that noticably or not. I also need to worry about size. I know bob ironman is big enough to carry what I need (because a girl used it to run 3000+km across europe), but I'm not sure about the other three. If I was, I'd pick the cheapest:

• https://www.amazon.com/BOB-2016-Ironman-Stroller-Yellow/dp/B01BSPDQ9M/ref=dp_ob_title_baby
  
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Joovy-Ultralight-Jogging-Stroller-Black/dp/B015ZL8IWK/ref=pd_sbs_75_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=1XBZMQRG11DJXH90Z3V6&th=1
  
  
• https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NJZDHW6?psc=1
  
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Graco-Fastaction-Connect-Stroller-Tangerine/dp/B00UVW45IA/ref=dp_ob_title_baby?th=1

We were in the same boat as you, couldn't justify $500 on the Bob Revolution. For whatever reason target had a random clearance on it last year and we bought it for about $250. So keep an eye out and you might get lucky, we did!

Otherwise we were looking at this Joovy.

We have the Joovy room 2, it randomly broke, we called Joovey and they sent a new one to our house in 2 days and they covered all associated expenses. So I trust their cust service.

> Recaro umbrella stroller

i looked that up and the images when its folded don't nearly look as compact as the one in the .gif. am i missing something?

https://www.amazon.com/RECARO-Easylife-Ultra-Lightweight-Stroller-Onyx/dp/B00VA0C94O

I looked on Amazon for strollers under $200 with the best reveiws. The way I shop is by deciding on a price I'm comfortable with and then find the product under that price with the best reviews and so far it has worked out. For my first we bought this one:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0190QVZH6/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1485712412&sr=8-1&keywords=jogging+stroller

I love it! And for my second we bought a double stroller:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B007NYRAC2/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1485712467&sr=8-1&keywords=double+jogging+stroller

Haven't used it but we set it up and like the way it feels and it's a great price!

not cheap, but we use the city select by baby jogger. It's a dream to push, folds easily, and can be disassembled in 2 minutes if you are trying to fit is somewhere small.

Oh and the seats can be turned in any direction, so you can have your 2 kids face each other if you wanted.

If you're having a shower or want to get a nice double stroller I swear by my Britax b ready. I have this one. I'm pretty sure the only difference between that one and the 2017 model is that be 2017 one is a black frame and different look. The one I have is also a lot cheaper than the 2017 one.

It can be used as a single or double. It folds up nice and is def the Cadillac of strollers IMO. I've had other strollers in the past such as Chicco but the Britax is def here to stay.

We just bought the City Select last weekend! There's a manufacturer sale going on right now so Amazon, BuyBuyBaby, Babies'R'Us all have the single seat strollers on sale for 400.

Amazon is the best deal because they are selling the double stroller for $519 (as opposed to 400 +169 for the second seat kit). And you could use your 15% completion discount to bring the total down to $440!

I have a britax bready that we purchased when my 19 month old was born because we knew we would have more than one child needing a stroller at a time. I love love love this stroller. I've only used it as a single, but the second seat only costs about $100 and any britax infant seat will clip right into the frame where the top seat goes. When baby outgrows the bucket seat you just pop the regular seat back on and you are good to go!

https://www.amazon.com/Prince-Lionheart-6550-Stroller-Connectors/dp/B000056J23

I hate to tell you this, but this product already exists.

7 A.M. Enfant Blanket 212

We have that car seat and stroller (and car base) system and we NEVER use the stroller, like this one:

http://www.amazon.com/Chicco-Cortina-Keyfit-Travel-System/dp/B00AHQ0232/ref=sr_1_2?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1408888132&sr=1-2&keywords=chicco+stroller+travel+system

Instead, we use this:

http://www.amazon.com/Chicco-Keyfit-Caddy-Stroller-Frame/dp/B005JDOYF0

We got it for $79.99 on sale at Babys R us.

We use the car base, and it's awesome. Just drop kiddo in and you're done.

Then we use the Lite-away stroller.

HOWEVER, Chicco later came out with THIS Liteaway stroller, which combines BOTH of those into one - it's the frame and the stroller:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DJP14YE/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_2?pf_rd_p=1535523722&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B001ODAHF0&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=01FTMNMCQPBAPJYEVT22

The advantage is the light weight. We hated the full-sized stroller. It did not fit in our trunk easily, took up a ton of space, is giant and hard to use, heavy and hard to lift into the car or move up/down stairs, etc. The "frame" version is super light and totally easy to use, and the liteaway stroller is the same.

I know that I've seen these used in the past and I'm sure that there are other options, but you can buy clips that connect two umbrella strollers together.

http://www.amazon.com/Prince-Lionheart-6550-Stroller-Connectors/dp/B000056J23

:) We got a ride-along attachment for the stroller so my older could stand when she got tired on walks. She really likes it, and I can take much longer walks that way! Plus, if it's a 'tired and cranky' day, she just sits on the step part and sticks her legs in the stroller basket and rides the whole time.

Keep at it! Being active as a family is definitely hard, but the more you do it the easier it gets. (Also, my feet are gargantuan too, so I feel your pain on that one. Like, EE width before my first pregnancy, and spreading ever since. I have really great luck with New Balances, especially in the Men's wide widths.)

My problem with those long ones are that they're boats, and no matter how well they're made, they will not collapse to fit into the back of a normal car because the bars are just too long. :/

This is what I was referring to (the link is just the joey seat, but it shows the whole deal). I believe you can also use a conversion kit to put a baby carrier in the joey seat, so it will work for infants as well as toddlers.

With my son, we've got (or were given) three strollers. I think we've used one maybe a half dozen times in his life. We live in suburbia, if we take him somewhere, now he sits in the cart at the store, and he's too little to want to go 'visiting' anywhere we'd need a stroller. With three, that changes, we won't be able to go anywhere without a stroller. Time will tell!

I have no experience, but I did a ton of looking.
A neat option you can try is a joey attachment for a side by side double stroller. This is like a higher seat that clips in centered over the double.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0041F2CFQ/ref=mp_s_a_1_2_a_it?qid=1462804233&sr=8-2&keywords=joey+stroller&pi=SY200_QL40

My third is older so I'm just going to get the board for him. :-)

here's an armband phone holder thing for holding my phone with my music and run mapping program going. this would make my running experience much better.

and here is my most ridiculous fitness item, haha, just for laughs a double jogger stroller for taking my kids on runs with me, so i don't have to wait til dad gets home. i'm saving gift cards towards this and a kitchenaid.


thanks for hosting a contest, you're amazingly fantastic!!

> Then I want to get some slide-under cupholders like these :https://www.amazon.com/Brybelly-Slide-Under-Stainless-Holder/dp/B00911UXJ2?th=1 so that people can put their drinks on the table without worrying about spills.

So I looked all over for cupholders that clip, including the ones you posted above.

The issue I ended up having was that those specific ones are very small and finding large ones like that are almost impossible. The second issue is that if they are not attached then they can easily slide out from under the topper. I bought three different clip-style cupholders that were the best I could find and all three ended up being sub-par and not practical.

I ended up using these and they are absolutely perfect. Super sturdy, large and they can be placed on the table. You can even use them with wine glasses.

Zero spills so far after more than a dozen game nights.

If you have a Graco car seat I would highly recommend the Graco Relay. It comes with the click in car seat adapter and I've seen the price dip well under $200. I have a Bob double jogger now and I'd put the quality right up there with Bob.

I am in love with my BOB!!! I got the Flex because I'm 5'9" and need the extra height in the handle bars.

My almost 4 year old SS fits in it with tons of room to grow still. He said it's pretty comfy too It's super heavy duty and navigated a corn maze this past fall with no issues. The only thing that sucks is if you are going to use it with a car seat, make sure you get a Graco, Britax, Peg Perego or Chicco seat.

I find that a lot of people sell BOB's on craigslist if you don't mind second hand. I saw someone recommend Children's Orchard and to be honest, mine has never had joggers. But you can check there too!

It's fold isn't bad, and it actually can fit in the back of my SO's sedan (BMW 335i) with room to grow. The front wheel comes off super easily in case you need even more room. It's a bit heavy, but it's a heavy duty jogger. The canopy is AMAZING on it.

Another jogger I could recommend is baby jogger. I've never used it but it's compatible with a wider range of car seats and I'm sure it's as easy to use as the BOB.

Edit: Otherwise, if you aren't going to be jogging with the stroller I have the city select as well. It does really well with all types of terrain and can be 'expanded' to a double stroller. Again, my 4 year old SS still fits just as long as he doesn't have a huge bulky snow suit on lol. It's expensive, but I actually bought mine when they were having a buy the stroller and get the second seat free. So I saved a ton of money that way.

I added a stroller cooler. Because it didnt say golf on it, it was only $10. Has extra storage as well.

Somethig like this (i can’t find the one i purchased. But there are mnay more for less): https://www.amazon.com/STROLLER-ORGANIZER-Strollers-Premium-Extra-Large/dp/B00KLO5F78/ref=pd_sbs_75_1?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00KLO5F78&pd_rd_r=XF4NJEHFQ771V1AWT5MK&pd_rd_w=H6zod&pd_rd_wg=HhbuN&psc=1&refRID=XF4NJEHFQ771V1AWT5MK

There is also this - https://www.walmart.com/ip/Rain-Tek-Golf-Bag-and-Club-Rain-Protection-Cover-for-Golf-Push-Carts/151242739?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&adid=22222222227067082736&wmlspartner=wmtlabs&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=t&wl3=170926161827&wl4=pla-277638379673&wl5=9008022&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=online&wl12=151242739&wl13=&veh=sem

This is the Velcro one that I’ve been using on my double Vista. https://www.amazon.com/STROLLER-ORGANIZER-Premium-Holders-Extra-Large/dp/B00KLO5F78
It stays put but is adjustable and I don’t remove it when I fold it to place in trunk.

This is the one we have (well, an older version)

http://www.amazon.com/Contours-Options-Tandem-Stroller-Velvet/dp/B00M9ZR8XQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1450470466&sr=8-1

It is perfect for our needs and maybe will the bill for you: many positions for the babies, either in regular seats or car seats, and inline. The newer version appears to be shorter than my old version, which looks nice. Universal car seat adapters. No third seat, but they do sell universal gliding boards that attach at the back. My singleton just turned 3 before the twins were born, and had been forced to start walking on errands early on in my pregnancy because I couldn't lift him into strollers or carts any more. The contours stroller, at least my version, has a toddler handle on either side and he holds onto it and walks. We do 95% of the household errands with myself and the three kids, all under age 4. The basket is generous underneath, but I also ordered these hooks for the handlebars, and I attach a store's hand basket to them when shopping: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002MXP3SM/ref=sr_rp_1?m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&ie=UTF8&qid=1450470916&sr=sr-1&keywords=Stroller+hooks

Good luck!

I couldn't find anything that you were looking for, but there are plenty of tandem jogging strollers out there with side-by-side options available. They are a little harder to snap 2 carseats in that way.

If you open your options to having 2 wheels on the front, the Contours Options Elite Tandem Stroller has lots of positive reviews. I actually wanted this one, but we settled on an In-Step tandem jogging stroller for when I want one with actual wheels whenever we go to parks and stuff with different terrains. And an graco double stroller for when we are doing things like shopping with narrow aisles.

Joovy 8077 ScooterX2 Stroller, Black
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00O20OPTQ/ref=as_li_ss_tl?psc=1&linkCode=ll1&tag=thebigaawes06-20&linkId=254892cf03d98f8b7ef3bdecbe388b6b
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61UPjXaZoYL._SL1299_.jpg

I love my Graco Relay Jogger. It's so smooth. It turns really well and the shock absorbers make it handle bumpy terrain nicely. The only problem is that it's not small.