Graco - Modes Pramette Travel System

I had a January baby in New England!  I went back and forth depending on my preference, the surface, and how cold it was.  We used a graco stroller and car seat combo a lot, with the baby in a fleece jacket and tucked into a blanket.  We also got a fleecy bunting thing that could go in the stroller seat (not the car seat), and if it was frigid I would put her in the baby carrier and zip my coat around us both.  We had her in a hat all the time.  I loved our walks.  I would flip flop the car seat attachment for the stroller seat pretty easily, so I kept both in the car and would just use whatever I felt like at the time.  Takes up the whole trunk lol but otherwise this worked well for us.   I’m pregnant and due in January again lol and the only thing I might change is to get the bassinet for walks, as i think it would be nice for napping. I would do fleece plus bunting or blankets again with that.

With my first I had uppababy cruz with an infant insert, she was a July baby so we did outside walks in it pretty much right away. For car seat we had a Graco snug ride, we didn't have a car at that time so needed something light and easy to bring on Uber rides. We got a car when baby was a year old and at that point she outgrew the bucket seat and we got a clek fllo. This time around I'm due in Feb. Planning to use the same cruz with infant insert with a clek liing car seat. I don't find the bassinet attachment to be very important. I love my cruz though, it's a great urban stroller.

When my first was born we didn't have a car, I bought a Graco snugride bucket seat without a base and used it with an adapter on our uppababy cruz. I used it in Ubers a lot and it was easy and fairly light. We did eventually buy a car when she outgrew the bucket seat and got a Cosco Scenera Next for when we travelled which could be an option for you when baby is a year plus.

I learned a lot from my firstborn (now 11 years old) and utilized a lot of similar items for my second baby (now 2 months old). Didn’t use a crib for my first, just a pack n play that had a bassinet which worked great until she was about 2, then transitioned straight into a twin bed; didn’t bother with a toddler bed. I was living in a tiny apartment for the first year of my firstborn’s life, but am now in a two story house, so we have a [pack n play](https://a.co/d/5xxr3uA) in our room, a bassinet downstairs, and a second hand crib in my office for the days when I work from home (once I go back to work). I also love our [car seat/stroller combo](https://a.co/d/5Xwx8n2) that grows with the baby. The car seat fits into a collapsible stroller base, or it can be switched to a pram that can be converted into a regular stroller as the baby grows, and the car seat fits into any Graco car seat base, so purchasing an extra for our second car was easy. Good luck!

We got a graco travel system with the infant car seat. I loved it. The infant carseat we were able to use it for awhile. I know a lot of people complain the infant carseat gets too heavy to take out all the time, but that's what we did. I loved the bassinet feature with the stroller. And then it converted to toddler stroller. We still use it and my daughter is 2. It is not the smallest when folded, but that's my only complaint. We mainly use it in the neighborhood so keep it open in the garage for easy use. I have an umbrella stroller to take on errands that I know I need it to keep her contained, like the DMV.

We have the pramette system, still going strong 15 months, 2 states, and 4 flights later!

To piggyback: I had the exact seat you linked, the one that was the same but different trim, and also purchased the Snugride Lite for my parents.  The  Graco Snugride Lite does not have the Snuglock feature, and I had firefighters/paramedics compliment that specific feature in the Snuglock DLX  Because of this,  the Snugride Lite base does not get anywhere as tight as the one you linked. 

Graco with the Snuglock feature. 100% do not get any other seats. I had a fire fighter/paramedic compliment how good it was. I’ve also heard multiple car seat technicians say that Graco is the only brand they recommend.  It’s safe for 4lbs+. 

Yeah, we paired a Graco with a Mockingbird, and we have no issues.

I've seen a lot of comments about how it's a personal choice, but it's worth noting that baby wearing versus stroller isn't really YOUR choice. Some babies just don't tolerate one or the other. My LO LOVED being in the stroller (travel system, so atill in the infant seat but looking around), tolerates her carseat as its rear-facing, and was sort of meh about being worn. Her cousin MUST be worn or carried at all times or it gets messy. You won't know your baby's temperament until they're here, so I'd hesitate to buy a whole lot of expensive stuff now unless you're getting help (a la a baby shower). Strollers and carriers are often good second hand if desired/available, but carseats must be bought new for safety reasons! Also, for your consideration, my 16mo STILL hasn't outgrown the infant seat from the travel system we bought (Graco Modes). I bought a convertible carseat when she was a newborn, my postpartum brain thinking she'd need it before too long. She'll probably need it by 18mo, but there's no rush unless you have a high %tile baby!

Keep in mind you really might not use the infant seat for very long. My baby boy was 16 lbs at 4 months and it just got too heavy to carry inside. I ended up switching him to a convertible because he’s much more comfy in it and it’s easier to put him in/take him out. I personally hold not splurge on an infant car seat, my graco was absolutely perfect

Have an infant car seat (graco) and an evenflo giant car seat that I call the captains chair in my cx5. It’s tight but both my husband and I are under 6 feet tall so it works for us. You can’t recline well and you can’t put the front seats back too far. We had the car before the babies though so we make it work.