Stroller and car seat recs for row house life

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love my Uppababy Vista, using the bassinet for tiny infants. I would never snap a carseat into a stroller, nor would I use a carseat outside the car. Like you,mI prefer to wear my babies as often as possible, and to use the bassinet or stroller seat whenever I cannot baby wear.

Because you have a car, you could just start with a convertible carseat that stays in your car. There are plenty of convertible seats that fit newborns well.

The two situations when I liked having the infant car seat that we could remove:

- When dining out during the first few months (when she slept all the time). When we drove, she’d fall asleep in the car, we’d bring the car seat in and tuck it under the table, she’d sleep through the meal. Heaven. We did this probably 40-50x, so worth it.

- When taking the baby to visit friends and family at their homes. It was nice to have somewhere the baby could lie down or sleep that was safe in a house that might not have anywhere else to put her. I loved holding her and of course others did too, but sometimes it’s nice to have somewhere to put the baby down.

I agree it’s not essential and in either scenario you could put the baby in a carrier instead, but having eaten with a baby strapped to my chest many times, I know it’s definitely not ideal. Thus I am pro infant seat.

Not the uppababy poster but the point of the bassinets is car seats aren't considered safe sleep spaces

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love my Uppababy Vista, using the bassinet for tiny infants. I would never snap a carseat into a stroller, nor would I use a carseat outside the car. Like you,mI prefer to wear my babies as often as possible, and to use the bassinet or stroller seat whenever I cannot baby wear.

Because you have a car, you could just start with a convertible carseat that stays in your car. There are plenty of convertible seats that fit newborns well.

The two situations when I liked having the infant car seat that we could remove:

- When dining out during the first few months (when she slept all the time). When we drove, she’d fall asleep in the car, we’d bring the car seat in and tuck it under the table, she’d sleep through the meal. Heaven. We did this probably 40-50x, so worth it.

- When taking the baby to visit friends and family at their homes. It was nice to have somewhere the baby could lie down or sleep that was safe in a house that might not have anywhere else to put her. I loved holding her and of course others did too, but sometimes it’s nice to have somewhere to put the baby down.

I agree it’s not essential and in either scenario you could put the baby in a carrier instead, but having eaten with a baby strapped to my chest many times, I know it’s definitely not ideal. Thus I am pro infant seat.

Not the uppababy poster but the point of the bassinets is car seats aren't considered safe sleep spaces

Correct. Carseats are not sage sleep spaces. It's one thing if baby falls asleep in the seat while in the car, but to use a carseat (or other contraption, such as a swing, bouncy chair, or inclined surface) as a sleep space is not safe.

[Anonymous]

We have a small townhouse and I love the doona. One less piece of equipment to worry about. I also leave it in the car quite a bit and just take baby in and out and wear her to walk around.

[Anonymous]

My kid screamed and screamed in the stroller and the car seat, so we used a carrier pretty exclusively for the first year.

So just be aware that your kid may have opinions on this, too.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks for all the input so far.

I’m considering the points about leaving the stroller in the car to save from taking it up and down the front stairs. This could work a lot of the times since it’s usually parked on same block and usually right out front. One caveat is we’d just need to remember if the car might be away and whoever’s at isn’t left without the stroller if/when they want it.

Going to buybuybaby very soon to get a feel for the weights and usability.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some of this I can’t help you with (no car) but I have a few nuggets of wisdom that may help.


5) I strongly recommend the city mini. Great stroller, easy to bump bump, easy fold, pretty lightweight, not too pricey, rolls and handles great. Uppababy Vista can’t be beat as a double but for a single, save yourself big $$ and get the city mini.

For people who liked the city mini, what did you generally do in the newborn stage? Wear baby or did you actually do longer walks with the car seat attachment? (Thinking about safety…)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some of this I can’t help you with (no car) but I have a few nuggets of wisdom that may help.


5) I strongly recommend the city mini. Great stroller, easy to bump bump, easy fold, pretty lightweight, not too pricey, rolls and handles great. Uppababy Vista can’t be beat as a double but for a single, save yourself big $$ and get the city mini.

For people who liked the city mini, what did you generally do in the newborn stage? Wear baby or did you actually do longer walks with the car seat attachment? (Thinking about safety…)

Pp who said we only v have bassinet- we have city mini gt2 and love it, bassinet is discontinued but i bought one on fb marketplace

[Anonymous]

Another parent with steps to navigate who would recommend skipping the infant bucket seat and going straight to a convertible car seat.

The bucket car seats are more of a pain to carry down the stairs and down the block to wherever you parked than to just carry the stroller up the stairs (or better yet, use a carrier to get to the car). Our bucket seat left the car only a handful of times.

Also, most importantly, bucket seats are not safe sleep spaces. Look up positional asphyxiation. Never leave an infant sleeping in one uninstalled unless you are going to watch every breath. I bring a blanket for the floor or a bassinet stroller when visiting friends for a safe sleep space.

I got an Uppababy Cruz to save on weight but picked up a NIB bassinet from a parent with a Vista who’s kids were too old for it. I LOVED the bassinet attachment. Far more comfortable for baby than being strapped in to an infant bucket seat. I could be out all day and my infant had a comfortable space to sleep or even do tummy time. If I were redoing the decision today, I might go with the Nuna Mixx because the new model has such nice handling. We picked up a used Babyzen Yo-yo for the car.

If your life is completely suburban where every errand is by car with multiple stops, I could see getting an infant bucket seat and a snap and go, but if you’re shopping for an actual stroller, car seat compatibility is one of the least useful features for an urban lifestyle with stairs.

[Anonymous]

Consider the sidewalks. Are they smooth or are they uneven cobbles or bricks? What wheels would work best?

[Anonymous]

I’ve had both a Mountain Buggy and an Uppababy, and I much preferred the Mountain Buggy. It was lighter and had better curb pop. It also had suspension so the crazy sidewalks were no problem.

[Anonymous]

When we were in a row home we used (and loved) our Uppababy Vista. We folded it up and stored it by the stairs. It was so easy to fold and it doesn't take up much space. It was great over city sidewalks and easy to steer with one hand.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some of this I can’t help you with (no car) but I have a few nuggets of wisdom that may help.


5) I strongly recommend the city mini. Great stroller, easy to bump bump, easy fold, pretty lightweight, not too pricey, rolls and handles great. Uppababy Vista can’t be beat as a double but for a single, save yourself big $$ and get the city mini.

For people who liked the city mini, what did you generally do in the newborn stage? Wear baby or did you actually do longer walks with the car seat attachment? (Thinking about safety…)

I’m the PP. Longer walks with the car seat attachment. I know it’s not “ideal” but honestly, during some phases it was the best nap of the day for my borderline-colicky baby.

I believe you can take the newborn insert for the uppababy and put it in the city mini so you can use it from day one if it’s totally flat, but my baby hated that. We also used a carrier sometimes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some of this I can’t help you with (no car) but I have a few nuggets of wisdom that may help.


5) I strongly recommend the city mini. Great stroller, easy to bump bump, easy fold, pretty lightweight, not too pricey, rolls and handles great. Uppababy Vista can’t be beat as a double but for a single, save yourself big $$ and get the city mini.

For people who liked the city mini, what did you generally do in the newborn stage? Wear baby or did you actually do longer walks with the car seat attachment? (Thinking about safety…)

I’m the PP. Longer walks with the car seat attachment. I know it’s not “ideal” but honestly, during some phases it was the best nap of the day for my borderline-colicky baby.

I believe you can take the newborn insert for the uppababy and put it in the city mini so you can use it from day one if it’s totally flat, but my baby hated that. We also used a carrier sometimes.

[Anonymous]

If you're going to leave the stroller outside lock it up like a bike. My friend had her stroller stolen from her porch and then one time when she was driving through another neighborhood she saw it outside someone's house and took it back, lol. But don't count on this happening.

I liked having the bucket option for carseats. We would carry it into daycare, use it in restaurants and church, etc. I just had a less expensive Graco bucket seat (you can buy a base that you leave permanently installed though it can be used without a base as well) and a simple folding stroller (I think it's the snugrider). Of course, this stage only lasts a few months so your mileage may vary.

For carrying the babies I used a traditional wrap for the newborn stage and an Ergo when they got a big older (facing me).

For walking around town I had a Mutsy, which is a European brand, and then later I got a Mountain Buggy that could take two kids. I also had a BOB for jogging. And for zoo visits and stuff I had a Joovy Sit and Stand, which my kids LOVED.

Your safest bet is probably just buying an Uppababy or similar system, especially if it can convert to a double later. I never felt like I needed to spend the money on Uppababy (I preferred to spread the money out over more specialized strollers) but I'd definitely consider it if you want one stroller to rule them all.

You mentioned the set up inside the house. We had a pack n play set up on the first floor so we could put the baby down. I think swings are generally not considered to be safe so you want something completely flat. A pack n play is pretty necessary if you're going to be traveling places without cribs anyway.

[Anonymous]

I used to just carry my bob up the stairs. It wasn't fun but it was fine.