Modes 3 Lite Platinum Travel System

Maxi cozy bouncer! My baby wouldn’t go in a swing but she would sit in this. A good travel system but doesn’t need to be $1000 I have the graco modes trio travel system and it’s $500 I think and I love it. A nice rocking chair ( I still don’t have this😭) Bedside sleeper not a regular small bassinet it’s bigger

Graco Modes Trio Travel System - $200 Has car seat with base, bassinet that turns into a toddler seat. It has a faux leather handle and good underneath storage. drives super smooth and the stroller part folds up super easy.

Think about your sidewalks, bigger wheels can handle potholes and cracks much smoother than smaller wheels. Cup holder is nice to put phone and keys or coffee. Under seat storage is super helpful to carry extra crap. For the early phase having a click-and-go system is super handy. They do grow out of that pretty fast, so be careful about spending tons on it. We had an inexpensive hand-me-down click and go from Gracco and then a nicer three wheel stroller that we used a bunch.

I have my larger indie bumbleride jogger for my dirt driveway and road that I keep at home. I purchased a super cheap second hand graco click and connect 4 wheeled stroller for my travel stroller because the infant seat clicks into it. And it folds nice and small for the airport.

Graco modes is trash, it can barely handle clear sidewalks, let alone any kind of obstacle. 

Not crazy but unconventional for sure. I had my baby in December and did the baby wearing but I ended up being so worried about slipping on ice that I felt safer with a stroller. Yes they can be bulky but we stuck with the graco brand for click and connect so we could just throw the base in the car and attach his carseat if we went shopping. We have since moved on to a stroller wagon for bigger outings like the zoo and boy its great.

We had a graco with the “click and connect”, being able to pull the car seat out of the base with a lever and drop it in the stroller, then have it lock in was worth its weight in gold. We took it everywhere with both kids, fairs, beach, hiking trails, as well as city/shopping.

Yes, almost every evening for walks at home. We have the graco click connect or something like that (it was second hand). It’s a bus to push around but it works for us around here. When we’re out and about we use a small single and carry baby in a carrier. (19m and 6m)

We got the Graco SnugRide SnugLock 35 LX infant car seat (in the $200 range) and a Graco click connect stroller. My husband is a composite technician and I’m a SAHM so we don’t have luxurious spending money but want to prioritize safety ratings especially when it comes to a car seat. How do those car seats rate safety wise should be your #1 priority and not aesthetics. We love our car seat especially with blow outs, the inserts come right out for easy cleaning and I don’t have to practically take apart the entire car seat to wash. Also… IMHO, a jogging stroller is the way to go if you’re planning on being active and outside. The regular stroller is nice for grocery stores and stuff but being outdoors, I feel like a jogging stroller holds up way better. You don’t need to break the bank for something baby will only use for a short time frame but also don’t want to cheap out for something meant to potentially save their life.

The car seat can be good. I can see the benefit. I liked having the separate newborn car seat/stroller combo for the first winter - I was nervous I would slip/fall if I was holding her or baby wearing. If you don't live somewhere with snow/ice, it is less of an issue. On the plus side, if you plan on having multiple kids, you'll already have it for next time. The combo pack and play / bassinet / changing table / crib was good for us. We used it a lot - it was downstairs at first so I had a central place for baby and then her nursery/our room had a bassinet / changing area upstairs. But if you live on one floor, I think you could easily get away with just that. We had it as a bassinet/crib after she rolled over at 3 months making our regular bassinet unsafe. We had a crib for her but I wanted to keep her in our room until 6 months due to SIDS risk. I got rid of the separate bassinet and we'll just be using this with our next, I think. The stokke chair looks really nice, but we got a $45 high chair. She's 2.5 now and can still fit in it, but she's been on regular chairs for the past year or so. So I don't find that as appealing now - I like using the regular chairs. I was able to get a lot second hand. A crib, a bathing tub for newborn, crib sheets, a changing table, bassinet, strollers, etc. We got the car seat new. That was about it. I also really liked having a bouncer in the early days, but we got that secondhand as well. So it can sometimes be cheaper than buying one thing new. Strollers with the bassinet are nice, but we just had the Graco click connect that worked with our car seat. Also, you're probably going to have more dispensable income now, pre-baby. When the baby gets here, they are expensive. Need new things constantly (grow out of clothes, diapers, wipes, all the random things you didn't think you need but your baby does) not to mention childcare and/or reduced income if you are SAHM. That changes and gets better when they are in school, and yes, even when they are teenagers. You don't have the childcare costs, and you/your partner will advance in career. For us, these early years will be hardest financially. But it is okay and it works out. (: