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Do you have the option to leave the stroller downstairs on the 1st floor or will you have to carry it up with you?

If you have to carry it up, my vote would be for a city mini! You can get a carseat adaptor so you can use it with the carseat, and the seat reclines almost flat so it's usable from very early on without the carseat as well. Another more lightweight one is the uppa baby cruz.

OR you can get a carseat and snap n' go to use for the first 6 months or so, and then just start using an umbrella stroller.

Pretty much ANY stroller can become a travel system now, since almost all strollers have carseat adaptors that allow you to click the carseat right in.

I would recommend getting the snap n go first and using it for awhile to see what kind of stroller you really want. It's really light weight so if you're carrying that and the car seat, it won't be as bad as the car seat and a bigger stroller (the city mini is over 20 lbs). The car seat adapter and the snap n go are about the same price.

This is what we did and then ended up getting the city mini as our heavy duty stroller after DS grew out of the car seat.

I walk everywhere, usually at least a couple hours a day and I like my bugaboo. I had a tiny space when she was born and I used the bassinet as a moveable bassinet indoors- it doubled as a place to set her. I never used a travel system. I wanted just one stroller- I know a more lightweight/compact stroller may also be needed for some people, for travel/ in the car- but my cameleon has been great.

We have the Uppababy Cruz and love it. Huge cargo basket, lighter than the Vista, car seat snaps right into it and rides smooth. The Mesa car seat is a little heavier than others but makes up for it with the easiest install ever. We got the Cruz to try and avoid buying multiple strollers. So far it's working great for us. We just added a Britax parent stroller organizer (told the UP one sucks and is overpriced) and it's been super.

@SerenaSF: I NEVER used the carseat unless I was using the car. I personally didn't like having LO in the carseat unless necessary--I jjust don't think it's a good position for them to be in for multiple hours (and we walk all the time too, so LO was in his stroller for 2-3 hours some days). We had a bassinet in our stroller so we used that, and if he fell asleep in it, we just took the bassinet and put it in the bassinet stand, so we didn't have to take him out. But I think that's the main advantage of the carseat-as-stroller-seat. If they fall asleep in it, you can take them out of the stroller, in the carseat, and not wake them up.

Congrats!

We live in NYC and we bought a chicco keyfit 30 and a snap and go type frame. When DD was old enough we put her in our Uppa Baby G Luxe (has the recline option)

We found this to be the best fit for our family due to space. Also these systems are lighter than most strollers. Great for going up and down subway stairs.

I lived in NYC and didn't use the stroller for the first 6 months - I wore LO everywhere in our Beco carrier. It was so much easier than schlepping the stroller down stairs etc. So...I'd suggest getting a snap n go (used if possible) at first and then see what you really need for a stroller.

We have a CityMini GT which I like and was great esp because our sidewalks were "historic" (old and bumpy), but if I could do it again probably would just do an Uppababy Gluxe or Glite which seems to be the nicest umbrella stroller.

Another vote for city mini! We put LO into it straight from birth, using a newborn positioner. My only complaint in the newborn stage is that it's forward facing so you can't see the baby. My DS didn't like that - but I'm sure some are fine, and if you use a car seat attached or the bassinet then I think those rear face anyway. It's no longer an issue now he's more interested in the world around him, and he knows he has to just look up to see me!

I live in a second floor flat up 4 flights of stairs, and even this bad boy feels pretty heavy by the top - I can't imagine having a heavier one! I sling it over my lower arm by its handle so I can have both hands free to carry my 24lb LO at the same time - not doing that journey twice! I would definitely factor weight into your decision, it can be tough if you want to nip somewhere close but then your heart sinks at the thought of dragging the pushchair up and down the stairs!

I've never seen one of these snap and go frames but they do sound good, as long as baby is ok with being in the car seat!

I'm not quite in the same situation as you, we live in a small town. But we love our Cruz! We use it with the car seat a lot, but Uppababy makes an infant positioner so you can use the actual stroller seat with a newborn. I chose the Cruz over the Citi Mini because you can have the baby face back or forward.

We have a UB Vista but I can't imagine taking it up and down a set of stairs every day.. Especially with a baby, diaper bag, groceries... Maybe consider a UB Cruz?

In the beginning, even with a stroller, we just ergo'd a lot

If you want a full size stroller with tons of options but is still lightweight, I'd recommend my stroller - contours bliss. I absolutely love it! I was deciding between that and the Vista and although the Vista is definitely a step up, I loved that this was lighter, the seat switches with one hand (which I have found to be very handy!) and the seat turns into a bassinet (vs. the separate bassinet - this was important to me since I was trying to keep gear to a minimum). It could have better wheels, but I use it tons on various terrains and it's a smooth ride.

Also, the fact the seat turned into the bassinet was super convenient when my daughter was learning to crawl and wanted to be on her belly all the time! We'd have her in the stroller at dinner and she wouldn't want to sit in it, so we'd fold it down into the bassinet and she was happy as a clam playing in it on her belly.

If you don't want a full size stroller, I'd go with the G-luxe. I think it reclines enough you could use it very early on (if not right away).

It really depends what options you're looking for. I used the car seat part of my Bliss a good amount, but I had a winter baby and we drive around a lot. I probably still used the bassinet portion more though. The amount of time you'll use the infant adapter piece is pretty small, so I think you can get away without having it, especially if you don't drive tons. (we switched to a convertible car seat at 6 months because the infant carrier gets heavy fast!(

We lived in NYC for my first and had a Maclaren Techno XT from birth. It was great because it can be used from birth, folds easily, doesn't take up too much space compared to practically every other stroller and 3.5 years later we still have it. The cons are that it's a bit bumpy and the basket is tiny.

Have you thought about the Bugaboo Bee? They just came out with a new one and it looks really cool, and seems like it would be great for city dwellers. You get a lot of the bells and whistles of a full size stroller, but it is definitely smaller and lighter.

If you can't leave the stroller downstairs (locked), I would not get a big stroller that I would have to lug up and down the stairs everyday. That will quickly turn into a huge PITA. My Bugaboo weighs something like 26lbs when completely empty!

Chiming in late here....we had th UB Cruz! We bought the car seat adapter and what's how we pushed LO around until she got big enough for the seat. We lived in downtown LA...had an elevator, but still encountered a lot of random stairs here and there and it was lightweight and easy to fold. Also. I LOVE the basket underneath.....it's huge! Big selling point for us since we walked a lot and needed storage for all our stuff that we lugged around with us!

If you plan on doing a lot of walking then you definitely want a stroller with good wheels and suspension, I hired a Snap'n Go while my LO was still in her capsule but it wasn't that great to push on anything but a smooth surface and I much preferred my Mountain Buggy for anything other than quick errands. Personally, I wouldn't worry about being able to attach the capsule if you don't do a lot of driving.

Just as another option but have you considered the MB Cosmopolitan or Mini? Here's the link!

http://mountainbuggy.com/nz/Products/buggies/cosmopolitan#.VB_oxWscTIU

http://mountainbuggy.com/nz/Products/buggies/MB-mini#.VB_pCGscTIU

@SerenaSF: hey, these decisions suck, right? I would say for sure no to the travel system. I echo @luckypenny with a good carrier and an umbrella. We also live in a 3 story walk-up and Uppababy G-Luxe is the bomb because it folds into something that stands and has a carrying strap so it's the easiest to lug up the stairs. It's also the perfect travel stroller - we've travelled to many North American cities and in Europe with it and have no complaints.