Graco - Premier Modes Lux Stroller, Midtown Collection

I think we should be friends! Baby number 2 is 4 months old now. 100% agree on getting a carrier that works for you! I love Moby wraps, my husband loves the Baby Bjorn. The best carrier is the one YOU feel comfortable in. We let baby lead us with their sleep schedule for the first 6 weeks or so, then start encouraging longer sleep and wake windows. My first slept 8 hour stretches by 1 week old, he was a miracle sleep unicorn wonder. My second came home to a house of the flu (courtesy of the now toddler) and 2 back to back hurricane evacuations, so none of us slept super well the first month. My single stroller is a graco modes lux, the one with the faux leather handle, not the foam handled regular graco modes. I love it to the moon and back, it's so easy to use, it holds everything, and fits everywhere. Short of pushing it through sand ON the beach it's a workhorse beast. Best $400 I've spent on any baby item period. My double stroller is a Graco ready2grow 2.0. I bought and sold a couple before settling on this one. It's grown on me. It's super compact, has multiple seating options, and a pretty big storage basket. When we converted baby #1 out of the crib we also found ourselves looking for a foldable mattress. My husband has just been in a car accident and really messed up his shoulder so tossing blankets on the floor wasn't working even for 5 minute stretches to get kiddo to sleep. We opted to spend the money on a nugget couch instead of the folding mattress and never looked back. If you like a firm mattress, and need a folding sleep solution, I recommend you try it! We still use the nugget daily in our house for play time etc.

We went with the Graco modes merge stroller https://www.target.com/p/graco-premier-modes-merge-stroller-midtown/-/A-92331714 and got the snugride snugfit 35xt bucket seat https://www.gracobaby.com/-/SAP_2170449.html?utm_source=babylist.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=BabyList-NonAffiliate It was super affordable for us, both go on sale often! Baby isn’t here yet, but we’ve practiced with it a few times. It’s lightweight. Not sure how it would do as a travel stroller, but we aren’t planning on getting a travel stroller so it’ll work for us.

I had the graco premier stroller for my first and it was definitely luxurious but it was HUGE. I would recommend something smaller and easier to get in and out of the car. Once my son turned 1.5 I switched him to a $20 umbrella stroller and I’ve loved it. Now he’s almost 2 and we’re about to welcome our second baby. We purchased a BabyTrend SitNStand second hand. I can’t give much of a review yet because baby #2 isn’t here yet but it seems like it’s going to be great. Lighter weight than our first stroller despite being a double.

We have 3: a Graco travel system that converted to a bassinet, a jogging stroller, and a quick folding travel stroller. My husband uses the jogger the most and I use the travel stroller the most. We feel a bit silly having 3, but only bought the travel stroller ourselves and don’t regret any of them.

2! A Graco bassinet type and a doona! Super love the doona for going out

I don’t believe in spending a million dollars on a stroller (I don’t use it much, especially during the first year). So I went with the tried and true brand that parents have been using for eons - Graco. My first Graco stroller was like….maybe $200? The seat can be either a bassinet or what I call “toddler mode”. I used the bassinet like twice, mainly just used toddler mode. You could also just click your Graco car seat into it if you prefer that. Now I am pregnant with my second and I got the Graco that has 2 seats - it was on sale for $180 at target. I don’t particularly want to spend a poop ton of money on an item I only use when we go to the zoo or what have you. Graco is a trusted brand that’s been around a long time and all of their products I have used I like.

We initially had a convertible Greco set and then bought a Doona for our first baby because we had to travel for a work conference. We kept the doona and now plan to use it as an infant car seat for our second and I am so excited for it. I remember my husband having to awkwardly carry our first born out of the hospital in the big car seat. This time, we’ll be rolling our baby girl out in style 😂

We have the Graco 3-in-1. Car seat clicks into the stroller seat or stroller frame (either one), seat can be a seat with variable recline or bassinet. The basket underneath is huge and holds like, 20 lbs easily, and the frame is super sturdy. It's not the fanciest and most expensive, but it works great and is super affordable. Our stroller has been used almost daily for 2 years, still works great.

Stroller can be amazing, especially if you wind up with a baby like mine who HATES babywearing. We've put ours through its paces. But you also don't need the super fancy brands. We have a Graco Modes, it's like, $250 brand new for the stroller (and has all the accessories some other brands charge as extras!). Almost 2 years of daily use and going strong. Convertible car seat, yes, you'll need that eventually. You could get one with a low weight limit and skip the infant bucket seat, but you'll need a seat that can do rear facing, front facing harness, high back booster, and regular booster (or multiple seats that cover that span collectively. Those are just the phases you need covered). Our convertible can do the first 3, and we'll get a basic booster when needed. Some seats do all 4 phases. Again, you don't need a super expensive brand. We have a Graco that was $160 and it's been great. High chair: highly kid dependent. Our 20 month old recently decided all configurations of her high chair are awful, she wants a big chair. My friend's kid the exact same age loves her high chair still. Crib: we have a convertible one. But I fully intend to modify it to fit a full size bed frame, so it's gonna be super convertible 😅 some come with that ability, but we just got the 4-in-1 and figured I've got power tools for the big bed. But really, all you *need* for a baby to sleep can be safely and completely met by a pack and play. We used one for several months around our kid's first birthday because we moved and all our shit was in storage. It's perfectly acceptable to do that and just get them a twin size bed when they outgrow the pack and play as a toddler.

Im at 38 weeks and have two strollers already purchased, the uppababy vista and a lighter weight graco 3 in 1 system. I keep second guessing my choices and getting FOMO with other strollers! Moreso with my Vista, which is SO bulky and heavy and im just having a hard time seeing how I will practically use it as a petite woman.  All is to say that even for some of us that already have strollers, we may still feel overwhelmed and anxious!

Price really matters here. There's some top of the line stuff that can do a lot. Then there's the budget friendly Graco that I went with. It's the 3 in 1. So it comes with the bucket seat and a bassinet attachment that converts to a sit up stroller seat. It's everything you need. You can have the baby facing you or away. It's a really nice stroller and car seat for the price. The only downside is it's not very compact. I have a Nissan Rogue and it takes up a big portion of the trunk.