My Unfiltered Stroller & Car Seat Review for Babies 0-12 Months

One of my best friends, Angie, is pregnant with her first baby (a sweet little girl!) and the other week she called to chat about strollers and car seats. I ended up talking her ear off for over and HOUR about them and still had more to say but I had to get back to Eliza from her nap! I realized that with everything I’ve learned over the past year, it would probably be helpful to put together a post sharing all my thoughts on strollers and car seats for babies 0-12 months. Grab a coffee and settle in… we’ve got a lot to chat about!

Ok, first thing you should probably know about me is that I LOVE strollers! Like, it was the one thing on our registry that I was so excited to register for and if I could have 10 different ones I would because I think they are so darn fun! (I know, I’m a nut but they are like purses to me- you should be able to swap them out!) So I totally geek out over strollers and systems and what’s new and what works best… all that to say I have a lot to say on the topic! 🙂 While I’m certainly no expert, I am now an experienced mom and I hope by sharing my thoughts it would help you pick out what’s best for you, your baby, and your budget.

What We Have (and Love!)

I figure the best way to kick off this review is by sharing the stroller we have (and spoiler alert- LOVE!) After months of research, and many trips to Buy Buy Baby to test them out, Rob and I decided on the Uppa Baby Vista. There were a few things I knew I wanted in our main stroller:

• Travel System- in simple terms, this means that your stroller can be used multiple ways. When Eliza was a newborn we used the bassinet attachment so she could lay down and sometimes snooze in the stroller! We could also attach her carseat to the stroller frame when we were out and about. Now that she is older we use the regular stroller seat with it.
• A huge basket- I need my stroller to hold ALL THE THINGS as it is often what I use as my “cart” when it’s just E and I out running errands. The vista has a huge basket that holds our diaper bag + lots of room for shopping!
• Room to Grow- while Eliza is an only child right now, one day we hope to expand our family and we wanted a stroller that could grow with us! Unlike the Uppababy Cruz (their single stroller model) the Vista can convert to a double stroller and even a triple if you get the piggyback ride-along board. We loved how versatile it was allowing us tons of configurations that would work for our family down the line.

As with everything, there are a few cons to the Uppababy that in all fairness I want to share to give you an unfiltered review:

• Price- the Uppababy starts at $999 and with additional seats and attachments can go up substantially. Rob and I actually ended up purchasing ours from a friend (it was in fantastic condition!) for around $550, but now that we are a year in with it I can say hands down it is worth every penny!! But, it is a lot to spend up front when you are purchasing so many other things for baby!
• Weight- I believe the stroller (pending which attachment you have on) weighs about 20lb, so it is not light to get in and out of the car. It is certainly do-able, I do it all the time :), but it is something to be aware of!
• It’s not a one handed fold, it does take two hands to open and close. When I used it with the carseat I always parked it, put Eliza in the car, and then came back and folded it. Not a huge deal but it is an extra step.

As I said, we love the Uppababy Vista stroller to pieces, use it about 5 times a day and truly think it’s worth every penny!! I highly recommend it to any expecting mamas!

One thing to note, is I have several friends who own the Chicco Bravo and Mockingbird strollers- both of which are similar in size and travel system features. While I don’t own them, they all speak very highly of them and they are more cost-effective strollers if you want the function of the Uppababy without the $$!

Our Second Stroller

So you may be thinking… if your main stroller is a 10/10 why do you need a second?? Rob asked me the same question when I first brought it up, so here is what I shared!

I mentioned previously, but the Uppababy is heavy, and I drive a small SUV. When I had it folded in my trunk it literally took up my entire trunk space which made it hard when Eliza and I went out running errands. It also was slightly cumbersome to take in and out when I just needed to pop somewhere really quick. And as Eliza started getting older, I didn’t necessarily need the same support from her stroller when out and about.

Here was what I pitched for our second stroller as what I needed:

• Lightweight and a one-handed folded
• I did NOT want an umbrella stroller, I still wanted E to have a smooth ride and to have a bit of “heft” so that it didn’t feel like she was going to topple over
• A small bottom basket
• Able to go in the overhead compartment on an airplane for travel down the line

Because I love and trust Uppababy so much, we ended up getting the Uppababy Minu and I have to say it is perfect for what I was looking for! Its lightweight, collapses w/ one hand, is smooth and easy to maneuver and is exactly what I need for running errands! I keep it in my trunk so that I always have it with me!

Here’s how I explain the difference between what I use both strollers for:

• • When we are going out for a full day and need all our supplies I bring the Vista. For instance, we spent last Saturday at the zoo and I needed her diaper bag + extra snacks and her carrier, so we brought the Vista. Plus it’s the ultimate comfort ride so I knew Eliza would be comfortable spending an extended period of time in it.
  • When I’m running errands we use the Minu! Target runs, popping into the mall, or just something quick this is exactly what we use! When I used to take Eliza to PT this was perfect to just get us in to the appointment w/out juggling a ton of stuff!

What I’d Consider for Baby Number 2

While we are perfectly happy with our one little love right now, there are a few notes I’ve stored away for when the time comes to prepare for Baby #2! (Lord willing!) One of the investments I am highly considering would be the Doona stroller! This is an infant car seat that converts into a stroller- no attachments needed as the stroller legs fold up underneath the carseat! It’s kind of amazing. The big con for me on this one is the lack of any kind of storage space (no basket underneath!) so it wouldn’t be a main stroller for me. BUT, pending Eliza’s age if/when a sibling comes, I think this would be such a handy infant stroller and the ease of it also being your carseat is amazing! Several of my girlfriends have this stroller and have said it works so well if you end up running around longer than expected and maybe you want to stop for dinner or need to walk somewhere but didn’t bring your full size stroller… BOOM you’ve got one right there! It’s also clutch for travel as it can be used in the airplane seat. Definitely high on my list for next time around!

Other Thoughts!

Alright, I know this is a lengthy post so I wanted to leave you with some final thoughts! Hand in hand with picking out your stroller, you will need to consider your infant carseat. You will want to make sure that if your seat isn’t the same brand as your stroller there are adapters you can use to attach the carseat (we have the Peg Perego carseat and bought adapters to use on our Uppababy). However, I would HIGHLY recommend the Uppababy Mesa carseat if you end up choosing the Vista as your stroller. One of my biggest pain points what that the way the adapters connected our carseat was super difficult to unlatch and get the carseat on and off. It was a total pain! If we had gone with the Mesa that issue would have been eliminated since they were designed to work together.

I hope that this was helpful information as you navigate the world of baby gear! I could literally talk about strollers all dang day, so if you have any questions please let me know! Id be happy to share my experience with you!

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Thanks for stopping by y’all! || Gentry