HELP - need to pick a stroller.....and perhaps rethink the car seat...?

[1st timeparents]

***originally posted in Car Seat Forum....
Hello to all out there!
Just registered & this is my first posting....

Yesterday my husband & I went to register for the first time--wow....just a bit overwhelming. I had spent the past week reading up on things, and felt pretty ready to make some choices. Well...we got to the car seats & strollers, and thats where we got stuck. We had been told & read that travel system strollers are not the way to go. So we first went & found a car seat we liked. We picked the Graco Snugfit LX-French Bear. Now we needed to find a stroller that would be compatible. We got totally confused. All those travel system strollers look so appealing....

Can someone recommend a stroller--mall jungle ( although at some point a few day tripd into NYC required ) that would be compatible with the Graco-French Bear. Or am I totally off the mark here & should I look at other options? Any help at all would be much appreciated :0) We read that Maclaren, Combi, Aprica & Prego were suitable options. Felt like the selection for those at BRU wasn't the best....

Thanks so much,
K&K

1st timeparents
South Orange, NJ

[blnony]

You might want to look at an Inglesina Zippy. The Graco Snugride is compatable and it's an all around great stroller. Opening and closing is amazing on this stroller, and it isn't too heavy (but not a lightweight either.)It folds umbrella style, and has a great full recline for a newborn. You can research them on the web, and if you do a search under this topic on this board, there is a lot of feedback on them too.
I don't think BRU carries them though.

Good luck - just remember that stroller shopping can become addictive!:)

[jubilee]

We also picked the French Bear Snugride, and we chose the Combi Perfect Match which had great ratings by Baby Bargains. You can order it online at www.combistrollers.com . That's where I ordered mine and it was delivered in 3 days, looks great...but I haven't tried it out yet!

[Ryansmom]

We used the Graco Snugride along with a Kolcraft Universal Car Seat Carrier - I loved it! I almost can't wait to have baby #2 just so I can use the Car Seat Carrier again. :) The basket is HUGE, the parent tray convenient and it folds VERY easy. For the money, I felt like I got a great deal.

The most important thing when considering a car seat is the proper fit in your car. BRU will let you try the car seat in their parking lot. Also check www.carseatdata.org for further info. The first seat we purchased did not fit well in our car.

[ginalc]

My Graco Snugride only lasted 3.5 months with DD and less than 3 months with DS. Both babies outgrew the seat that quickly! Also, whenever we were out for more than 30 minutes (just about every outing) they were too hot in the carseat so I ended up using the stroller by itself and leaving that useful carseat carrier in the van.

If I were you, I'd skip the whole idea of which stroller will carry the seat and just search for a stroller you love. By the time baby is 6 months old, you'll probably just want a small folding, easy to push stroller with enough basket space to hold a small diaper bag and a few shopping bags.

There are many strollers that fit this bill, including the Peg P3, Ingelsina Zippy, Maclaren strollers (except the Volo which is just bare-bones) and the Combi line. Of all my strollers, the Maclaren fits best in my trunk space, with or without loads of other items! :)

The Universal car seat carrier stroller has been a good option for many parents until they can decide on their stroller needs. With strollers, you really do get what you pay for. (I spent $1200 on strollers before finally finding something I liked!)

gina, mom to 3

[spencersmommy]

Hello, I have the French Bear Snug Ride, too, can't wait to use it! And we bought the Combi Ultra Savvy stroller. The car seat fits on it, and it matched it OK. The stroller is pretty light and fold quickly. As I mentioned, we haven't use it yet (baby due tomorrow!!), but can't wait! The stroller was pretty cheap, too at babyage.com. Good luck!
Amy

[bnme]

The Snugride is great! Just make sure the model you want has the straps that adjust from the front. My DS is about to outgrow his at 5 months, what a bummer. Although it is now way t heavy to carry around!
:)

It is so convienient for snapping into stroller on errands or for using it to carry infant into Drs office etc. My DS is still much more comfy in the carseat than directly in the stroller. And I like that he is facing me.

I haven't had an overheating problem, but it has't been to summery here in NY yet! (I have the Saratoga model)

[heatherly2475]

I was in the same boat just a few weeks ago. Fortunately, I had the help of my book the folks who posted here and came to a decision. The subject of my old post was "Travel systems vs. seperates." At first, I thought I wanted one of those travel systems too. After much research and test drives in the store, the seperates were the way to go I found. I too, have a SnugRide and the Combi Ultra Savvy. I could only test the Combi that was in house at BRU, which was not the US, but I knew I liked it and it seemed very well made and easy to operate. I would not have paid full price for the Combi Ultra Savvy (or at least I think I wouldn't) but I found the 2002 models half off and nearly half off at babyage and babyandteen, respectively. Finding such a well thought of stroller at such a bargain helped me make up my mind (and quick before they were all gone!). I had intended to register for the stroller also, but ended up just ordering it myself since I felt I should act fast and the places I registered did not have the US. I liked the idea of the universal car seat carriers, but ultimately did not want one more piece of gear to store or sell after the baby outgrew it, so I knew I wanted one stroller that would work for pretty much everything. I am completely satisfied with the Ultra Savvy-it's stylish, lightweight, well made and SnugRide compatible. The Pegs were too expensive for my blood, although I did like them.