City Mini GT

Ok, with a November baby I would probably go with an infant car seat that comes out of the car because it's so much easier to get a newborn in and out of the actual inside rather than standing in the snow. (If you want a rec on the convertible for after I can do that too!) Since you are on the shorter side and have average sedans you don't need a super compact seat, but wouldn't go super large either (Evenflo infant seats are out since they have some weird spacing rules). I'd rule out Babytrend too since they are not a great for average newborns and definitely not for smaller babies. And with only one planned baby I wouldn't "invest" in an expensive or luxury seat here. Some of the more expensive features are actually a detriment here as well (no rethread harnesses can push some newborn heads forward into an unsafe position). All seats, when they for your baby well and are installed correctly, pass the same safety testing as well. My recommendations for infant seat are: 1. Chicco Keyfit 30 is by far the most popular, loved CPSTs, reasonably priced, and fits most babies well. (Don't go for the higher numbers because you with NOT being carrying around this baby at 20+ pounds). This car seat also plays well with most popular strollers and fits 4+ lbs babies. 2. Graco Infant Seat (there are a few with similar names and I can grab a link if you'd like) that doesn't have a crazy limit or extra crazy features. Grab an extra base with whichever seat you get. Then, my stroller recommendation is a little different from some here. I would recommend two different strollers. The first is a "frame" stroller  1. Chicco caddy or the 2. BabyTrend universal frame stroller  This will be the least sexy stroller you've seen, but it holds the car seat. In November you probably aren't going for nice long strolls, it's light so it's easy to lift up and into your trunk or even fit on the floor of the back seat (important if you have tearing or a c section), and is compact. This stroller basically gives your car seat wheels without paying out the ass for it/making the seat heavy and awkward. You can probably find one for like $50 or less on marketplace and sell it for the same once you're done with it. By that point you'll be past the "needs to lay completely flat" phase or almost past it so you can get a "regular" stroller, not worry about a bassinet feature, and not strictly need the car seat compatibility (but you can still have it). We're also knocking off all the "convertible" strollers (Mockingbird, Vista, City Select, etc). And we're going to go more in the "great wheels (for whatever terrain) ,doesn't weigh a ton, a little more compact" direction. 1. Baby Jogger City Mini GT (not a jogging stroller, just the brand) at another $400 (or less on a sale) will get you a nearly flat recline for a younger baby, optional accessories that you don't *need* to get, tires that will give a decent ride over most terrain. It's easy to fold and weight about 20 lbs. You can also get an adapter for the Graco or Chicco to attach. 2. Chicco Viaro is around $250 and 20 lbs. This works with the Chicco seat and you can probably get it as a travel system. The wheels aren't quite as nice/the ride not quite as smooth, but it comes with parent and child cup holders. 3. Bumblerode Indie is a luxury stroller so don't look at the price ($750) because you should get this used or on a good sale. It's a little over 20 lbs, but has a great suspension, air filled wheels (with a pump but it's not an every day maintenance thing), and easy ride on basically anything. You can get an optional adapter for either the Chicco or Graco seat as well. The canopy on this is huge with awesome UV protection, can be easily steered one handed, the handle bar swivels *down* for shorter people, and a ton of storage (basket and lots of pockets). If it were me: I'd go Chicco Keyfit, (used) Keyfit caddy, and sale/used Bumbleride Indie. I wouldn't get the car seat adapter until I was sure I'd use it. I'd get a skip hop or other universal parent "console" and consider if I needed a cup holder/tray when baby was 9+ months old.

When my baby was small, babywearing worked much better than a stroller. For a kid under 6 months, I'd want a bassinet where they can lie flat and face the parent pushing the stroller. After that, ease of pushing the thing on gravel and grass really matters to me, along with some storage and ease of use--and an adjustable handle, because my husband is a full foot taller than I am. I chose the Baby Jogger City Mini GT. I put every weight Buy Buy Baby had into the strollers and shoved them around the store to see which one rolled smoothest, and it was no contest. The City Mini GT can roll smoothly on any surface, even when I pile two or three kids into it (because the big ones got tired and didn't want to walk home). And, in our goatshead-prone region, it's nice to have tires that don't pop.

The City Mini GT I have has been abused for 8 years straight and is still going strong. It's just a great stroller.

Baby jogger City Mini GT seemed to be best happy medium of price and performance… and we lived in an urban environment with lots of walking, often uneven sidewalks of a gentrifying area.

We had the Baby Jogger Mini GT (I think now there's the GT2) and it was a great city stroller. I feel like the one larger wheel in front is better over uneven sidewalks and maneuvering in tight places. Also folded down well and into the pretty small SUV we had at the time. And it seemed to fall into the best price/performance ratio... there are lots of trendy $1000 strollers but we didn't really see the benefit to spending so much more.

Depends how your going to be using your stroller. If your going to be walking/jogging down that dirt road regularly or be in rural areas a lot, your gonna want some sort of jogger stroller or something with inflatable wheels. If your going to keep it in your vehicle and use it for when your going shopping in the city, going out to eat, and use it for an urban sort of lifestyle, with tad bits of times you walk the stroller on gravel, grass, etc, maybe a good all terrain full stroller with good suspension like Uppababy Cruz, Nuna Mixx Next, Bugaboo Fox 5. If you want something more budget friendly in this category maybe the Chicco Corso or Bravo stroller,Graco Modes Nest 2 grow. Jogger strollers include BabyJogger city mini gt, Thule Urban Glide, Guava Roam, Uppababy Ridge, etc. A carseat is 100% necessary, so no matter what, that should be the 1st thing you look at. Find 1 you like, then look at what strollers its compatible with (usually you might have to buy a separate adapter if you use a different brand of carseat from the stroller). You can always look at what strollers already come as part of a bundled travel system with that carseat. But before you even get started looking at carseats, you need to make a decision ifbyour going to use an Infant Carseat (pill bug looking seats), or a convertible carseat (the big ones that stay in a vehicle), or both.

I grew up on a farm, and I currently live in a rural village with gravel streets and no sidewalks. No, the Momcozy is not quite all-terrain enough. BabyJogger City Elite, Phil & Ted’s Sport, Mountain Buggy (I think it’s called Terrain), Bumbleride Indie or Era, BOB strollers, etc. The smallest stroller I’d say can deal with the terrain is a BabyJogger City Mini GT. I got one on marketplace for my mom to keep on hand at the farm and she loves it.

The stroller use will last a lot longer than the infant carseat use. Prioritize a stroller that will work for your needs over a compatible travel system that meets your criteria. There is ALWAYS babywearing rather than stroller. I have a friend with a Graco Modes travel system and I absolutely hate the stroller. It rattles SO MUCH and steering is stiff and clunky. BabyJogger City Mini GT bare minimum. We live in a rural village with gravel streets and no sidewalks, so we are no stranger to rougher terrain. My family is also on the farm and we walk the dogs in the pastures sometimes. The City Mini GT can manage the gravel and pastures ok, but there are definitely better options. You can get adapters to click many carseat options into it. BabyJogger City Elite. The bigger, beefier sibling of the City Mini GT. Handles better on gravel for sure. Phil & Ted’s Sport. I had this for the double stroller option and loved it so much. Has the option of carseat adapters and a bassinet. Bumbleride is another great option to consider, and Mountain Buggy.

Being able to recline really far back for stroller naps, a sun shade that comes down far, and a large basket! Old City Mini GT stroller off of Facebook marketplace

What kind of terrain will you encounter in general? We have an older version of the GT and really like it. It was intended to be a back-up stroller for grandparents (super clearance deal) and we use it more than our expensive stroller. If you’re looking for a smaller Jogging stroller, I’d look into the Guava Roam or Thule might make one too.