Family Forum / Pregnancy / Pregnancy / April 2005

    It think it's a really personal decision.  We used a
a big old carriage that converted from a bassinette in the
early months to a regular seat later (yes, European and yes,
expensive--though it's sailed beautifully through three children).
I like it.  I like having the room for a little baby to stretch
out and sleep flat (my babies did a lot of sleeping through
dinner in a restaurant).  I liked that it was sturdy and roomy
and comfortable.  It was big and heavy, but did fit in the car
just fine.  I found it handy for the uses we put it to--strolling
around the neighborhood and shopping, for the most part.  When we
went somewhere that it would be too bulky or where the baby would
have been in and out all the time, we went with a sling or other
carrier.  Still, other people in other situations might have very
different preferences.  Certainly not a lot of people choose these
carriages, and many people seem rather enamored of the travel
systems.  Those just didn't appeal to me.

Best wishes,
Ericka

We have it all, even 3 types of car seats. What we usually end up using
is the stroller that folds down flat. This serves two purposes:

1. It holds the baby when we're on the go.
2. It holds our stuff and our shopping bags when we're holding the
baby.

Regards...

I have the snap n go base for the carseat, and really love it. Alli seems
very comfortable in it, and often falls asleep in the car and stays asleep
in the stroller (in fact, the usual reason for using the stroller instead of
taking her out and putting her in the front carrier is that she's asleep).
Now that she's a bit older, she can see out and look around, and also enjoys
that (I do have to make sure the sunshade on the carseat is folded down.  I
haven't found bundling the baby to be an issue-when it was cold here, I had
a blanket with legs type thing which worked great, and now that it's warmer,
she doesn't need much in the way of covering.

I have the Graco travel system (we got the car seat free from a friend and
the stroller used off Craigs List) and it's worked great for us.  Micah
was born in November and we just bundled him up -- granted, we live in
Northern Cal, so take that with a grain of salt!!  He slept in the infant
seat all the time, so I wouldn't worry about that.  He's pretty much
outgrown the infant seat so he sits in the stroller alone, and it reclines
all the way so it's great for sleeping.  That's why I like the travel
systems better than the Snap-n-go -- more use for longer.

We just bought a Combi stroller to keep in the car -- it's bigger than an
umbrella, but it reclines (sort of) and has a shade and a little basket,
folds up very flat, and has a strap.  I'm planning on using it for air
travel as well -- the travel system *is* very bulky (not as bulky as a
bassinet stroller, though).  I often take the Bjorn with me and pop him in
that while shopping.

Thinking about getting a jogging stroller... but that would make us a
3-stroller/4-carrier/2-carseat/2-swing family!!  ;)

Em
mama to Micah, 11/14/04

I have a graco travel system (got a great deal on clearance, $150 off) and I
found that it made a great shopping cart in the stores.  Rhiannon hates her
car seat and will not stay in it, so snapping it into the stroller always
met with minimal success and me carrying her and trying to push a stroller.
I used her pack carrier a lot when she was younger, not so much now that she
is heavier but still sometimes.  Without the carseat and just as a stroller,
she doesn't seem to mind it so much though.  It is springtime here and still
pretty chilly, so to go for a walk I have to bundle her up well and that is
a bit of a pain.  I usually wrap blankets around her legs and tuck them in
and then cover her with extra blankets.  It's not too bad, mostly just time
consuming, and then I am afraid that she is still too cold, in reality she
is probably roasting under all the blankets.

There are a lot of gravel walking trails here too and I find the the
stroller is not really that good for them, not too bad, but I don't think it
will hold up long on that terrain, I think the stroller with my system is
designed more for malls and asphalt.  I am hoping to get a jog stroller or
something else that will be better for offroad.  I am getting a carrier made
too, hopefully that will work out, it is just a piece of material 6 meters
long that gets wrapped around me to put the baby in.

SIL had a peg perego bassinet style given to her by her sister and didn't
really like it, she found it too big and cumbersome.  They came to our house
for a walk one day and later in the evening when the weather turned chilly,
we converted our carseat to fit their baby (theirs 3 weeks, ours 5.5 months)
and drove him home, but the stroller had to be taken in 2 trips, it didn't
collapse and came apart only minimally, we barely got it in our car.  (we do
have a small car but still)  She ended up buying a more versatile stroller
that could collapse and steer.  The bassinet one didn't have wheels that
turned so steering was a PITA.

It really depends on what you are going to use it for though.  Every
stroller has it's strengths and weaknesses and finding the right combination
of these is what you have to do.

Rhiannon doesn't mind being covered in blankets at all, but will not under
any circumstances let her hands be covered, that would be a bigger concern
in the winter.

We had a car seat stoller, which we used mostly as the car seat,
and we had several varities of slings, which go a lot more use.

I would heartily suggest a sling or two in addition to the stroller.

Larry

Thanks for all of your replies.  Right now my primary choice is the
following travel system from Graco:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000302AEQ/ref=ba_br_o_a3//102-533
0320-6843353?v=glance&s=baby&me=A1F83G8C2ARO7P&coliid=I31CIJ9EBD7U9&colid=1C0BNP
8OZTO1V

The downsides is that it's very bulky and the boot does not go all the
way up like in a real basinette.  The good side: can be converted to
basinette in the beginning, and into a stroller later on, large basket,
etc.

Do you have an opinion on this?
Elana