Some Tips for Choosing The Baby Car Seat & Stroller Combo

  When you’re ready to roll with your little kid, you require a car seat and a stroller. Thanks to a smarty who designed the very first travel system– a safety seat that clips onto a matching stroller– you can make one purchase and get both essentials.

They’re guaranteed to work terrific together, and you don’t have to awaken your kiddo (who’s lastly drifted off) for the car seat-to-stroller transfer. Simply unclip the safety seat from its base in the backseat, snap it onto the stroller and go.

With so many choices on the marketplace, how do you pick the ideal one for you and your infant that will not have you scrambling for the guarantee card a month later? Prior to you stress and rush out to purchase a travel system (the best car seat stroller combos on the marketplace for 2019), there are a couple of things to consider.  Here's some tips for choosing your baby car seat and stroller combos.

Do You Need a Travel System?

Apparently a baby stroller is an essential part in your life if you have a baby– certainly one of the top ‘must have’ items. And if you’re carrying around your baby from place to place, you’ll definitely need a safety seat. So, why not just combine the two and save yourself the inconvenience of buying separately?Certainly, you may like the Disney Stroller for its cute Minnie Mouse design, but does the Chicco Keyfit 30 Car seat detach and immediately re-attach to your Disney stroller? Let’s face it, parts that don’t go together add to the confusion– and sometimes price. So what are some of the real benefits of buying a travel system?

1. Easy car-to-stroller switching. No un-fastening, moving and re-fastening your child in the middle of the grocery store parking lot. Unclick the carrrier from the carseat, snap it into the stroller. Compatibility.
2. Some hospitals may not let you leave without having an infant car seat for the ride home– all reviews are with infant car seats.
3. Convenience. If you live in a cold climate, you’re going to like the quick transfer of carrier-to-stroller.
4. Ease of shopping. Compare the safest car seat and stroller combo and go with it. How many strollers and car seats would you have to investigate individually. Ugh!
5. Repeat the process for your future children.

When Do You Need a Travel System?

For parents with younger babies, traditional strollers alone cannot be used until the baby is about 6 months of age and can sit without assistance. So a travel system allows you to use a stroller from birth until she outgrows the stroller itself at 50 + pounds. By then, she’ll be dragging you along by the hand so you don’t miss the sea lion show. 

 What do I look for in a travel system?

Purchasing a travel system means that you will also be purchasing an infant car seat. Unless you have another dedicated seat for the car, the car seat part of your travel system is the most important part to consider. Your child will most likely spend more time in the car than the stroller, so look for a travel system with a car seat that has a higher weight limit (35 + pounds). The seat should be highly rated and really easy to install in the car.Push-on LATCH connectors are a real lifesaver. So are no-rethread harnesses. Car seats with a good canopy and breathable fabric will keep your baby comfortable when you attach them to the stroller.

In just a few short months, your baby will be sitting up on her own and ready to ride in her stroller without the car seat. Since the usual stroller should last until your child is 50 or more pounds, you’ll want one with good suspension and easy maneuverability. A sleeping 3-year-old can often feel like they weigh a ton, so you want something you can push around easily without breaking your back and waking her up. The stroller should also be easy for your toddler to climb in and out of without having to be picked up.

Snack trays and parent trays with decently sized cup holders are a real lifesaver for long outings. You don’t want to be stuck in the zoo on a hot summer day with no good place to store water for both of you. Having it right at hand will be very convenient. Of course, there’s always the chance she’ll play the “drop the sippy” game, but that’s where a second parent cup holder and extra storage baskets on the stroller can save the day.

Besides your budget, one of the most important aspects of knowing which travel system to buy is your lifestyle. Do you rarely leave the house? Do you live in a city or in a suburb or way out in the country? Do you enjoy hiking or jogging or just simple strolls around the neighborhood? Do you fly or use public transit or ride shares a lot? Do you have twins? Look for a system that fits your lifestyle, whatever that may be.

Other factors to consider:

1. Safety
2. Comfort
3. Ease of car seat installation
4. Maneuverability
5. Compactness
6. Weight
7. Tires
8. Storage space
9. Breathability.
10. Easy stroller folding/unfolding
11. Stroller recline

What do these weights mean?

The weight of the stroller determines, in large part, how easy it’ll be for the wind to tip it over – and how easy it’ll be for you to stash it in the trunk of your car or walk up a short (or long) flight of stairs with it.

It’s important to understand that “umbrella” strollers usually weigh about 12 lbs (5.5 kg), and heavy duty strollers can weigh 30 lbs (13.6 kg) or more. Most strollers are somewhere in the middle.
Before you buy a travel system, you’ll want to check the weight of the stroller and how heavy the stroller and car seat are when used together.

Will buying a travel system save a lot of money?

When you are doing research to find the perfect car seat-stroller combo, of course the most important thing is safety. You’ll want to pay particular attention to the car seat portion of the combo, as your baby will spend more time in the car than the stroller. Car accidents are still a leading cause of injury and fatalities in young children, so it’s vital to ensure they’re in a good safety seat.

But money is still an important factor for most families. If you buy your car seat along with a stroller in a travel system, it can save you some money. For instance, a Peg Perego Primo Viaggio 4/35 car seat is about $300 alone. The Peg Perego Booklet stroller is about $350. Buying them together in the Peg Perego Booklet Travel System is about $600, so you’re saving at least $50. That might not seem like much, but every dollar saved can really help when you need to buy essentials like diapers, baby food, etc.

When shopping, these 4 tips will help you make the most of your money:

• Price. How much do you want to pay? A car seat stroller combo is going to cost you more than buying one of those items individually, but that might not always be the case. Compare the price of each item individually to the price of the combo to see which will save you money.
• Type of seat. There are two types of seats for infants: convertible seats and rear-facing seats. Convertible seats can often last through the time your child no longer needs a safety seat, which can save you money. But they don’t work as infant carriers and therefore will not attach to a stroller. Think about getting a convertible to stay in the car and a separate travel system so you’ll have an infant seat for the stroller. Then you’ll also have an extra seat for grandma, babysitters, etc.
• Ease of use. Read reviews to see which car seats are easiest to use. This, in our opinion, is the most important factor for safety. A car seat that is difficult to install or use increases the chance of a malfunction. Look for a travel system that includes that seat. The stroller should ideally be easy to unfold/fold, easy to push, and easy to attach/unattach a car seat.
• Custom combos. Sometimes a custom combo is the way to go, especially if you already have a car seat you love but need a stroller to go with it. Many brands like Graco and Britax have strollers that are compatible with several of their seats. Or you can often purchase a car seat adapter so your car seat will fit on a wide variety of strollers. Example: the Joovy Zoom 360 Ultralight Jogging Stroller can be used with a LOT of different car seats if you buy a specific car seat adapter.

Can I reuse the stroller portion?

In general, you can reuse the stroller portion of your travel system. While most people don’t suggest that you reuse the car seat portion because the quality of it degrades over time, there is generally less wear and tear on a stroller.

Most of the support, comfort, and safety features are actually included in the car seat itself. The stroller is just more of a base, but ALWAYS check all parts, wheels, etc. regularly to make sure none of them need replacing. For parents who are truly on a budget, they will just buy a system from a brand name that they trust and then keep buying compatible car seats as each child comes along.

Bigger name car seats and stroller combos are more likely to have several compatible seats and available replacement parts. But don’t overlook smaller brands, as they may also have better customer service.

To inspect the stroller, look for any wear and tear first on these parts:

• Wheels
• Joints
• Axles
• Harnesses
• Seat fabric
• Handles

Note that just like other pieces of equipment, the stroller does have an expiration date. Try to replace strollers a few months before they expire in order to give yourself time to search.

The Type of Car Seats and Strollers?

When choosing your baby travel system, you should look for the type of auto seat that you want first. Some will work with strollers. Others won’t.

Types of car seats

• Infant Car Seat: These are for newborns up to at least 2 years. They have a harness and seat that cradles your child, protecting the spinal cord and neck. You must use this seat in a rear facing mode. **Note: Most infant seats can be used with strollers.
• Convertible Seat: These seats can be used from birth as a rear-facing seat, then converts to a forward facing seat when they’ve outgrown rear-facing. Some even convert to boosters and last until your child is too large for any safety seat. This is usually a costlier investment, but can save money down the road. **Note: They cannot be used with strollers.
• Booster Seat: These position your child so that he or she can use the lap belt and shoulder belt more effectively. **Note: They cannot be used with strollers.
• All-In-One Car Seats: All-In-One Car Seats provide great value by following a kid from birth to booster. This type of baby car seat is a tempting money-saver, but our tests have shown that by trying to do too much they don’t do any single task pretty well. It accommodates children from 5 to 45 lbs. sitting rear-facing; kids from 20 to 65 lbs., forward-facing in a harness; and kids from 30 to 120 lbs., in booster mode. All-in-one car seats are usually large and heavy, lack the convenience of a detachable carrier, and may not fit to smaller babies (or smaller vehicles) well. They could be a good backup seat or for a caregiver who transport a child less often. **Note: They cannot be used with strollers.
• Toddler Booster: Toddler Booster can only be used for toddlers who are at the appropriate weight, age, and height limits to sit facing forward. This type of baby car seat is designed to be forward-facing only having a harness (for use up to a certain height/weight), and able to transit to a booster (removing the harness). It is designed for children weighing between 20 lbs. and 90 harnessed, and 30 lbs. to 120 in booster mode. In comparison to convertible seats, they are less expensive option (if your child meets the forward-facing age and weight requirement), and offer a safe option for an older child not yet ready for a booster or a transition seat. **Note: They cannot be used with strollers.

Types of strollers:

Now, once you’ve chosen the type of seat that you want, you have to choose the type of stroller you want. The most popular ones include:

• Travel systems: Travel systems combine the car seat and stroller for a smoother ride but a shorter lifetime as your child outgrows it.
• Prams: This is a trendy style today that was the only style years ago. It has oversized wheels and a larger, covered bed for your baby. This is only meant to be used for newborns.
• Seat carriers: Probably the easiest of all strollers, this is a metal or plastic frame that holds the baby car seat. There are many models available under this category.
• Jogger strollers: For parents who love to work out, this one allows you to run without jostling your child.

How to Avoid making mistakes ?

Six years ago I was all gung-ho to choose a travel system, and I even made sure it was handled stairs easily and folded in, not out. What I forgot to check was if I could carry it easily, and how easy it would be to maneuver the stroller with a 20-pound child in it instead of a nine-pounder. The answer? Not easy.

To avoid mistakes like mine when choosing your travel system, make a list of what you want.
Do you do a lot of walking? Do you need your stroller to fit in the trunk of your car? Are you tall, or does your stroller need to fit behind a pushed-back driver’s seat? Maybe it needs to fit through your building’s elevator doors, and maybe you need something you can easily toss in the machine.

Regardless, be sure you can easily steer and maneuver your stroller, both with and without a car seat attached. Also make sure the stroller isn’t too heavy for you to lift on your own. If it is, taking it in and out of your trunk, or up and down stairs, will be….purgatory.

To sum up, think about your lifestyle, and make a list of your needs. Then, find the travel system – baby safety seat and strollers combos which will meet those needs.  

About the top 10 baby car seat and stroller combos, you can refer to:  http://babaholic.com/child-care/best-travel-systems-of-2019-baby-car-seat-and-stroller-combos/