Shopping for a new baby can be overwhelming, especially with endless choices and products that are all too unfamiliar. Furnishing the nursery can add up quickly, but another big purchase to carefully consider is transportation. There are hundreds of separate strollers and infant car seats out there, but there’s a lot to love when it comes to the ‘all-in-one’ travel systems. They typically combine a standard stroller with an infant car seat that snaps on top, making it easy to transfer sleeping infants from the stroller to the car without waking them up.
When shopping for ours we tried to weigh the options based on price, safety, ease of use and design. We were also looking for something fairly lightweight and easy to open and store with an infant in hand. Three of the top picks:
Chicco Cortina KeyFit 30 Travel System
This was our pick. It’s received great reviews from both pros and consumers, including the title of Safest Stroller System by Consumer Reports.
It’s loaded with features including a removable newborn insert for the car seat, parent and child cup holders in the stroller, a storage tray and large storage basket, adjustable leg rest, canopy and all wheel suspension. One of the best features is the one-hand fold and automatic storage latch which allows you to fold the stroller and store it easily without having to put the baby down.
And, in all honesty, my favorite feature – it comes in a sleek black and gray (designer’s dream) that’s gender neutral for future use and matches the car! The system retails at approximately $320.00. The Romantic color scheme isn’t available everywhere, but we did find it on Amazon – for more click here
Graco Quattro Tour Travel System
Also well ranked by Consumer Reports, the Quattro Tour received some of the highest ratings in maneuverability, durability and ease of use.
Features include a SnugRide infant car seat with removable insert, parent and child cup holders, storage tray and drop-down basket, canopy with peek-a-boo window, and all wheel suspension. The stroller also has a one-hand gravity fold system for easy storage and is very similar in weight to the Chicco Keyfit.
The Quattro comes in a wide range of colors, including Boone, shown here. For more information click on the link above or to purchase from Amazon, click here
Evenflo Aura Select Travel System
Another parent favorite which was recommended to us was the Evenflo Aura Select Travel System. It shares similar features with the Chicco Keyfit and Graco Quattro including the newborn car seat insert, storage compartments, cup holders and the one-hand gravity fold, but isn’t free standing once folded.
One great feature the others don’t have is the integrated wipe dispenser on top. The system weighs a little more and there have been mixed reviews on fabric quality, but of the three it’s the most budget friendly, retailing for approximately $170.
Also available in a wide range of colors, you can find the Oh! at your local Babies R Us or to purchase online – click here.
We got the Chico Key fit Cortina and are so excited to use it! All the reviews said it was a great carrier and I like how easily is locks into the base.
We loved it too! The only downside was having to buy a completely new system for her now that she’s a toddler and forward facing. But I loved the Chico system when she was small.