https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Tue, 07 Apr 2026 23:00:52 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/recommend-your-infant-car-seattravel-system-and-anything-else-you-love#post-2889902 Wed, 03 Jul 2019 09:30:43 +0000 karenbme 2889902@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@nwm: @DesertDreams88: Thanks for the tip! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/recommend-your-infant-car-seattravel-system-and-anything-else-you-love#post-2889893 Wed, 03 Jul 2019 08:38:34 +0000 DesertDreams88 2889893@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Agreed @nwm: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/recommend-your-infant-car-seattravel-system-and-anything-else-you-love#post-2889889 Wed, 03 Jul 2019 07:51:27 +0000 nwm 2889889@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>this is very random, but i have STRUGGLED to find thermometers that i really trust--both forehead variety and even rectal thermometers we've had will tell us baby is at something crazy like 93 degrees when they clearly have a temperature.</p> <p>just got this one and have been SUPER impressed by how easy it is to use and how consistent the results are: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/EXERGEN-TEMPORAL-ARTERY-THERMOMETER-TAT-2000C/dp/B01455CYS6/ref=sr_1_3?crid=11YBDWZ99NQDR&#038;keywords=original+exergen+temporal+scanner+thermometer&#038;qid=1562158157&#038;s=gateway&#038;sprefix=original+exergen%2Caps%2C188&#038;sr=8-3" rel="nofollow">https://www.amazon.com/EXERGEN-TEMPORAL-ARTERY-THERMOMETER-TAT-2000C/dp/B01455CYS6/ref=sr_1_3?crid=11YBDWZ99NQDR&#038;keywords=original+exergen+temporal+scanner+thermometer&#038;qid=1562158157&#038;s=gateway&#038;sprefix=original+exergen%2Caps%2C188&#038;sr=8-3</a> [pretty sure this the right version, i picked up mine "the original exergen" at target] </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/recommend-your-infant-car-seattravel-system-and-anything-else-you-love#post-2888663 Sun, 23 Jun 2019 12:19:14 +0000 periwinklebee 2888663@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@karenbme: I'm sure you've been completely overwhelmed with stroller recs. :silly: Thankfully there are lots of good options! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/recommend-your-infant-car-seattravel-system-and-anything-else-you-love#post-2888640 Sun, 23 Jun 2019 08:10:50 +0000 karenbme 2888640@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@periwinklebee: I hadn't thought about a jogging stroller... I run, but I'm a weirdo who likes to run on the treadmill :silly: The suspension is definitely a good thought, though, for sure.</p> <p>@Pollywog: This is a really good idea! Def. going to do it. Thanks! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/recommend-your-infant-car-seattravel-system-and-anything-else-you-love#post-2888534 Sat, 22 Jun 2019 09:53:40 +0000 Pollywog 2888534@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>One more bit of advice, go to a local playground (or a few) and see what strollers are there. Especially look at people with toddlers and ask the nannies or parents about their opinions.</p> <p>I bought a stroller highly recommended on hellobee and it just didn't work in my neighborhood. The features that made other people love it (easy to fold, lightweight) weren't really that useful for me. Had I looked at my neighbors, everyone has the (heavy) City Mini for a reason-- our sidewalks are super bumpy and they are narrow enough to fit through our narrow doors. People here rarely drive with their strollers, so it's no big deal that it's huge.</p> <p>In my mom's area people think I'm nuts for having a $400 giant, heavy stroller. They drive everywhere and only use theirs for outings. They're perfectly content with their Graco because they are on smooth sidewalks for relatively short distances. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/recommend-your-infant-car-seattravel-system-and-anything-else-you-love#post-2888496 Fri, 21 Jun 2019 19:57:48 +0000 periwinklebee 2888496@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@karenbme: I haven't tried the vista (@Foodnerd81: is making me drool for it, as we'll be in the market for a double). If it's really important to handle well in snow and trunk space/navigating in tight city spaces isn't a huge concern, you may also want to look into a jogging stroller designed to go off road + adapter for whatever infant seat you want. I have the Thule and might rank it as my most valued baby item (I also run, which is the reason I got it to start with, but we used it so much to walk around the neighborhood when DS was a newborn, he stayed warm bundled up and it was the only way he would nap...) With the suspension and huge wheels, that thing handles snow like a beast.... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/recommend-your-infant-car-seattravel-system-and-anything-else-you-love#post-2888493 Fri, 21 Jun 2019 19:37:18 +0000 karenbme 2888493@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Foodnerd81: I really love living where we do! There were some economic sacrifices that came with moving away from a city, but DH and I are lucky that we’re both in jobs where we use our degrees and feel stimulated. We have some elbow room and a connection to nature (I grow raspberries and blackberries in our yard!) but still can walk to everything we need and have a neighborhood feel similar to what we had in the city, though much less diverse, but that’s why we travel. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/recommend-your-infant-car-seattravel-system-and-anything-else-you-love#post-2888491 Fri, 21 Jun 2019 19:14:14 +0000 Foodnerd81 2888491@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@karenbme: if you plan to walk a lot in that environment, I think it’s perfect for you, even if you only end up using it for one kid. Except it’s expensive of course. You could try checking for used ones or previous season colors, but it was worth every penny for me.<br /> Also living in a village where you have some space but also walking distance to many things sounds awesome. 😊 </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/recommend-your-infant-car-seattravel-system-and-anything-else-you-love#post-2888490 Fri, 21 Jun 2019 19:06:25 +0000 karenbme 2888490@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Foodnerd81: We’re in a village in VT, so we’ll do more walking than suburban people but less than city. It’s really common for us to walk to the market, post office or restaurants, but if we want to do a target run it’s a 30 min drive. We generally get less snow than Boston being inland, but I would want to use it most of the winter for errands unless it’s too cold, so being able to handle cleared but still slushy/icy sidewalks is important. And we both have big 4wd vehicles with plenty of trunk space, so I’m less worried about it being big than if we were driving priuses. </p> <p>I also really like the idea that it could grow with us. I’m big on limiting waste and it seems silly to buy a single now knowing that in a couple years we’ll want a different one even if we could hand it down. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/recommend-your-infant-car-seattravel-system-and-anything-else-you-love#post-2888487 Fri, 21 Jun 2019 18:26:37 +0000 Foodnerd81 2888487@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@karenbme: do you live in the city and walk a ton or in the suburbs and take the car more? </p> <p>I lived in Boston when my kids were babies, and had the UB Vista. Zero regrets, it handled just fine in the ivy or slushy weather and very light snow. Once the snow was deep (I was there the winter we got historic amounts of snow) I don’t think any stroller would have gotten through it so I baby wore. As a double it was good, but I had the older version. The new one lets you put the rumble seat in either position which is really nice. It is a bit of a beast to push with a 3 year old in the lower rumble seat and the infant car seat snapped into the top, but once my younger was old enough to be in the front rumble seat, it was way better. I loved that baby could face me as I pushed her long after I started using the stroller seat instead of the car seat. </p> <p>Down side is it’s big and requires two hands to fold and takes up a good amount of trunk space. Again, living in the city and hardly ever driving, that wasn’t a concern for me. Also know that you can’t fold it with the seat facing you- it can fold with it forward facing or you can detach it, which it takes a few seconds. But it definitely confused me a lot at first! </p> <p>I walked so so many miles with the stroller. I just passed it on to my sister and was sort of weepy (my kids at almost 6 and 3.5 now). </p> <p>If you walk a ton I recommend a good stroller and a car seat adapter. If you are in the suburbs and mostly drive I don’t think it’s as big of a deal.</p> <p>ETA: oh and the basket was huge! I generally did my weekly grocery shopping and walked a mile home with the groceries in the basket, maybe one hanging from the handle (when we only had one kid- the rumble seat does limit the basket space) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/recommend-your-infant-car-seattravel-system-and-anything-else-you-love#post-2888482 Fri, 21 Jun 2019 17:38:46 +0000 Eebolleh 2888482@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@karenbme: I really liked the vista. We got it on sale maybe Black Friday so we just got the rumble seat at the same time. We are expecting our second when my daughter is 2, so I think we’ll get use out of the double. It is probably the best you can get on snow and ice except maybe a chariot. The top two doubles are the vista and the city select. The other downside is that the frame is pretty large but I’m not sure you can get a double that is smaller. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/recommend-your-infant-car-seattravel-system-and-anything-else-you-love#post-2888453 Fri, 21 Jun 2019 14:34:25 +0000 karenbme 2888453@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Eebolleh: @nwm: Reading more about the Vista, it seems pretty ideal... If everything goes right with this pregnancy, we're planning to start trying for #2 at about 8 months postpartum because we're old and if it takes 2 years again we'll be even older. It's pricey for sure, which is the only real limitation. The marginal cost between the vista and a city mini (or other stroller) now and a second stroller later, though, makes it a lot less of an issue. So def not something I would buy until 24 weeks when danger of second trimester loss goes down, but a serious contender once that's the case. And who knows, if we put it on our registry one set of parents might spring for it. Do either of you know how it handles snow/ice?</p> <p>@bhbee: Good to know the cover/blanket combo works well. If I go to term our 6 week appointment will be in mid-January and we regularly get high temps right around 0 here then, so I'm (probably a little too) anxious about keeping baby warm. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/recommend-your-infant-car-seattravel-system-and-anything-else-you-love#post-2888438 Fri, 21 Jun 2019 12:54:38 +0000 periwinklebee 2888438@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@nwm: Thank you so much, super super helpful! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/recommend-your-infant-car-seattravel-system-and-anything-else-you-love#post-2888432 Fri, 21 Jun 2019 11:58:54 +0000 nwm 2888432@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@periwinklebee: i do! we really love it (which explains this novel). we are in the city so we use it every single day, and often load it down with TONS of stuff and weight (eg, groceries, i literally used it when i was moving to haul stuff, etc), and it has held up amazingly well. the wheels are great and it handles so well. we like that you can do multiple arrangements with it, so my son (who's older) can go in the rumble seat facing out or facing in if he wants to have his own little cave seat down there. </p> <p>one note is that the rumble seat, which goes on the bottom (and can't go on the top), is smaller than the regular seat. my almost 3.5 yo DS is really pretty close to too tall for it (he's tall and skinny and i think he exceeds the height limit but not the weight). we have to really remind him to keep his feet up on the foot rest when he's facing forward because he can easily touch them to the ground. but we've been reluctant to put DD down there because she's not yet one. when number 3 arrives in November i think it will be perfect for us because we'll move DD down and she'll fit great in the rumble seat. DS1 will have to move to the ride along board. among the strollers i looked at, though, i don't know that any were better with the second seat. i think you'll probably be good with your LOs slightly closer in age than my first two, but definitely something to be aware of if your LO is on the bigger side for his age.</p> <p>i also love uppababy customer service--we had the cruz before, and they systematically replaced basically every part of the stroller for free for us while we were using it.</p> <p>final note--when set up as a double it is a bit of a pain to fold up if you're packing it into the car regularly. it's pretty easy to actually fold, but you have to take the rumble seat off. it's not bad to lift once you take the seat off though. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/recommend-your-infant-car-seattravel-system-and-anything-else-you-love#post-2888416 Fri, 21 Jun 2019 10:19:06 +0000 periwinklebee 2888416@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We also didn't go the travel system route. We just got the adapter to snap our carseat onto our thule jogging stroller. This was PERFECT for our needs: baby born in middle of winter in New England and the jogging stroller with suspension handles like an absolute dream in snow. It's big though, not a stroller to use if you are popping it in and out of cars, in lots of stores, etc. We got the summer infant 3d lite when LO was around 8 months as a stroller for navigating tighter spaces, and am also so happy we have that. </p> <p>Another must have for us that was not obvious is the love to dream swaddle up. LO wouldn't tolerate any other swaddle, because he wanted his hands up, but loved this one. </p> <p>Sorry to threadjack, but @nwm: do you have the vista? I've been looking into doubles, LO loves the stroller and we use it a ton, but he's big (99th percentile; will be 23 months when the baby is due; not quite old enough for a sit and stand). From everything I've read the vista is one of the few double options that can grow well with a tall toddler. Expensive but MIL will buy it. But curious to hear from someone who has used it! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/recommend-your-infant-car-seattravel-system-and-anything-else-you-love#post-2888390 Fri, 21 Jun 2019 08:20:18 +0000 bhbee 2888390@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I love my city mini - we got it in 2011 as a shower gift and still going strong with baby #3! It has gotten a ton of hard use. Only complaint is not a huge basket but even when we were city dwellers for 2.5 years of that (ie it was my car) I made it work fine. I had the connectors for my infant seats which is 100% worth it to me, then no snap n go needed (we had a Britax bsafe and a graco one and I think I preferred the latter! But tons of good options). If you end up needing city mini connectors I’m always trying to pass on mine :silly: </p> <p>Our second infant seat (first expired) was the graco snuglock. I don’t know why this seat isn’t more popular because the base is amazing to install! It’s not super luxurious but I found it more than adequate and easy to do the straps. </p> <p>We’ve never had a true double. My kids were further apart than I planned as we had some struggles. We have a cheaper graco sit and stand we used some when my second was born and it was fine. </p> <p>Our first was born in January in Boston and my go-tos for keeping her warm were the shower cap style jj Cole cover or using the infant insert in the ergo. Both kept her super warm, with a hat and a blanket inside the cover (over straps of course) she was always super toasty! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/recommend-your-infant-car-seattravel-system-and-anything-else-you-love#post-2888379 Fri, 21 Jun 2019 07:17:53 +0000 misolee 2888379@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We had the Britax BSAFE and B Agile combo with my first and second (suburban, milder climate). Can’t complain. The car seat and stroller worked well together and super easy switching in between base and stroller. Stroller also held up well for two kids use. </p> <p>For my 3rd, the car seat had expired so I decided to get something entirely else for a new change. We got the Nuna Tavo and Nuna Pipa light. The infant car seat is the lightest and that helped a lot bc my 3rd was a 9lb baby and I was wrestling two other kids. The stroller is also good but there’s some minor quirks that irks me. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/recommend-your-infant-car-seattravel-system-and-anything-else-you-love#post-2888365 Thu, 20 Jun 2019 22:09:53 +0000 nwm 2888365@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Littlebit7: i would echo this. we have the keyfit 30 and it was super easy to snap into our uppababy, we just left the connector in and used it that way for the first couple months, or to swapped between the seat and the car seat connector depending on what was best for us at the time.</p> <p>i would generally agree also about not worrying about turning a stroller into a double at this stage--except if you find yourself leaning toward an uppababy cruz, just get the vista. the difference is size is minimal (they're both big) and you get way more flexibility with the vista. this is the advice i wish i could give my three years ago self. if you're not even considering either of these strollers then ignore me :happy: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/recommend-your-infant-car-seattravel-system-and-anything-else-you-love#post-2888359 Thu, 20 Jun 2019 21:38:53 +0000 Eebolleh 2888359@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>The chicco keyfit 30 is a super popular car seat. It doesn’t have weird quirks and it’s quite a bit lighter than the graco. Just so you know, all the car seats pass the same safety tests so none are “safer” than others. The best thing you can do for your child is to make sure it properly installed and you know how to install yourself. It has a super simple seatbelt install and I really encourage people to learn how to do the seatbelt install. We did have two bases. </p> <p>The only think I didn’t like about the chicco keyfit was the cover was a little difficult to remove for cleaning. I think there is a keyfit zip that has an easy remove cover. </p> <p>We ended up with the uppababy stroller and I will tell you it is huge. Yes, it takes up the entire trunk for my SUV. If I did any groceries with the baby, I had to stack it all in the passenger or back seat. It was perfect for walking malls and loading the basket full of groceries etc. Also, I didn’t end up babywearing and we used the car seat/stroller system a lot when she was a baby. </p> <p>We will definitely need a smaller more lightweight stroller in the future, but we are expecting baby #2 in February so I’ll probably still have my gigantic stroller for another year as it converts to a double. </p> <p>Keep in mind with any covers, it must be a “shower cap” style. It is unsafe to have the fleecy material behind the baby. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/recommend-your-infant-car-seattravel-system-and-anything-else-you-love#post-2888353 Thu, 20 Jun 2019 21:17:17 +0000 Pollywog 2888353@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>You're due in January and live in a cold climate? I'd really reconsider the stroller you get. Realistically, it's going to be too cold/snowy to use it until the baby can sit up. At that point you have so many more options. Our favorite stroller is the City Mini. We got it used and I cannot recommend it enough.</p> <p>For baby wearing, I got a Tula Free to Grow and it was perfect. I would zip up my jacket over the baby and we'd both be warm. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/recommend-your-infant-car-seattravel-system-and-anything-else-you-love#post-2888348 Thu, 20 Jun 2019 20:45:07 +0000 Littlebit7 2888348@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@DesertDreams88: fair point. Two have the old and one has the new. I think that being said, the all in one types just don’t last for the long haul and you sacrifice on the actual stroller in exchange for getting an “all in one” . When you consider you are going to be possibly using the stroller part for 4 years-ish give or take, I personally want the stroller part to be durable and long lasting. Plus baby jogger is great about honoring their warranty. Lifetime frame warranty. Or even an uppababy cruz would be a good albeit more expensive alternative. </p> <p>Unrelated, but I also wouldn’t worry about the ability to turn it in a double. I meant to type that in my first post. Plans change, kids are weird about riding in strollers when they are older, new models come out. I’d stand by my recc to buy the infant seat you want, borrow a cheap snap and go for the few months you’ll use it, get a good soft structured carrier, and buy a durable, long lasting stroller that will get you from 0-4 years old. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/recommend-your-infant-car-seattravel-system-and-anything-else-you-love#post-2888345 Thu, 20 Jun 2019 20:38:21 +0000 DesertDreams88 2888345@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Littlebit7: Totally agree that usually travel systems suck, but, the new Bravo actually allows you to take out the stroller part completely and turn it into a car seat "snap-n-go." So I wonder if your friends have the old Bravo or the new Bravo. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/recommend-your-infant-car-seattravel-system-and-anything-else-you-love#post-2888343 Thu, 20 Jun 2019 20:06:17 +0000 Littlebit7 2888343@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think you can do a lot better than the bravo and definitely Better than a graco. Travel systems aren’t the best; I’m a major stroller user living in an urban environment and strollers take a beating around here. My friends who have the bravo massively regret it. It’s bulky, larger fold than necessary, etc. And most of the Graco strollers are... well... crap. Sorry they are</p> <p>You could do a lot better by getting the stroller you want, the car seat you want, and buy an adapter to mate thr two and then buy or borrow a cheap snap and go for the early days. I’d reccomend the citi mini gt. They last forever, hold value well, good on snow (you mentioned the northeast) can double as a travel stroller weighing in at 20 lbs, they are newborn ready with a Lay flat recline, the fabric totally snaps off and can be machine Washed. It also folds almost flat in the car and has the dead easiest one handed fold out there. The basket sucks but if you are in and out of the car a lot, it’s doable. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/recommend-your-infant-car-seattravel-system-and-anything-else-you-love#post-2888339 Thu, 20 Jun 2019 19:06:21 +0000 catgirl 2888339@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Sams Mom: even with an average or large newborn infant seats with no rethread harnesses can still push their heads forward, making them chin to chest. The fit is obviously different for every kid but it seems to be a common compliant. But those are the only major downfalls. It is almost two pounds heavier than the keyfit30 and even though it is possible for kids to use it until it's limits (height would typically be hit first) it can feel very tight on kids at the upper limit. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/recommend-your-infant-car-seattravel-system-and-anything-else-you-love#post-2888336 Thu, 20 Jun 2019 18:32:30 +0000 Sams Mom 2888336@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@catgirl: in a small thread jack... I imagine I'll have bigger babies in subsequent pregnancies (son was 9 lbs 8 oz 22" @ 39 weeks), is the only downfall to the fit2 accommodating little babies? Or? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/recommend-your-infant-car-seattravel-system-and-anything-else-you-love#post-2888332 Thu, 20 Jun 2019 17:26:38 +0000 snarkybiochemist 2888332@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Ms. RV: the ktan was a simplified wrap so it was snuggly and kept E really close. The lilliebaby didnt need an infant insert I used it from about 9ish lbs and has lumbar support. It also offers multiple carry options.<br /> I second the idea of leaving the car seat at day care and having 2 bases and then later getting 2 convertible carseats. Also for a travel stroller the summer infant 3D lite is great. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/recommend-your-infant-car-seattravel-system-and-anything-else-you-love#post-2888331 Thu, 20 Jun 2019 17:14:37 +0000 catgirl 2888331@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@karenbme: I agree on seeing if you can leave the infant seat at daycare and then just buy a second base if you can. You can also install the seat baseless but if it will be used in both cars often it can be really useful to have a base in each. If you can't leave the seat at daycare I would consider buying a convertible seat for the other car from the start, rather than two infant seats. And eventually getting two convertible seats. </p> <p>The keyfit 30 is a great seat. I would stick with the keyfit instead of the fit2. The keyfit is way more likely to fit a preemie or small baby and the rethread harnesses on infant seats can sometimes make for a challenging fit with really young babies. </p> <p>As far as strollers I had a britax b ready and I loved that we could use it as just a frame with our car seat at first, and that when she was done with the infant car seat I loved that the seat was reversible. She mainly faced us until 1.5 or so and then she faced out. I'm not sure I think the b ready is worth the price, we got one on super clearance, but I would consider if you want them to be able to face you. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/recommend-your-infant-car-seattravel-system-and-anything-else-you-love#post-2888330 Thu, 20 Jun 2019 17:11:26 +0000 Ms. RV 2888330@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@karenbme: It comes with an infant insert and a detachable hood to cover the head that stows in a pocket. If you don't want the hood, the pocket it big enough to carry my Galaxy S9. There is a small pocket under baby's bum that can hold a coin purse. It comes with stirrups for feet of toddlers (also detachable). The shoulder has little loops that snaps to hold a bag on your shoulder. It easy enough to adjust yourself while baby is in and it is comfortable. I never nursed in it, but I can't imagine it is that much better or worse than any other SSC. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/recommend-your-infant-car-seattravel-system-and-anything-else-you-love#post-2888327 Thu, 20 Jun 2019 16:43:08 +0000 Sams Mom 2888327@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@karenbme: get a second base, but not a second seat while they're in the bucket seat. We always left the bucket at daycare (in home, so maybe not the same) and then either one of us could pick him up.</p> <p>ETA: check secondhand baby stores like Other Mothers or Once Upon a Child (might be local ones to me 🤷🏼‍♀️) but I often see caddy frames in great shape in those stores. </p>