Graco - SnugRide 35 Lite Elite

We went with a Britax travel system for our first and it was a miserably heavy carseat. I got a Graco lite carseat and a snap n go stroller for it the second time around. The Graco carseat was over $100 cheaper than the Britax (Amazon days and black Friday specials are amazing for Graco) and the Snap n' go was bought for less than 20 at a consignment sale.

We have the 35 lite car seat and love it! Very easy to install and pretty lightweight which is nice both when you’re recovering and when baby grows. Can’t speak on the stroller but we’re really happy with the seat

I had the Graco snugaride travel system. It was simple and worked well. This was gifted to me. But what I would do to save on cost is pay for the infant car seat new, and then get the stroller from a secondhand store for probably $30-$50; as long as it’s Graco it should be compatible with the car seat.

I think you’re just having weird luck. Majority of parents are certainly not rich in many countries. We got a graco stroller + car seat combo for $350 from Walmart. Worked plenty fine. Got a second hand halo bassinet for $70 from a friend of a friend. I got a baby bjorn carrier for $20 on marketplace, a used wipeable changing pad for $10 on marketplace, and I gave a friend $100 for her medela breast pump she used once (she paid a lot more for it). I took hand me down clothes from friends and coworkers and have probably bought my son a handful of clothing items in 15 months. Graco pack and play - $100. As far as feeding stuff - ikea simple high chair $25, although I got a used graco high chair on marketplace that was ugly as crap but it worked great for $60, and I buy bowls, plates, utensils and cups from Amazon or Walmart. We warmed our bottles in hot water rather than buying a bottle warmer. I have a skip hop sound machine from indigo/chapters - it was $45. Crib was brand new for $200 (my choice), dresser was used from a family member and free, and we upgraded to a mattress on the floor when my son turned one which I bought for $75. The only thing I had to spend money on to buy brand new was sleep sacks and bottles. I have also had luck with used stuff at thrift stores. I got a snow suit for my son for $20 and used winter boots for $20. For baby number two, we’re keeping all the same stuff. I may buy new bottles or at least nipples. I probably will need a new breast pump or replace the parts. Baby is a girl and my first is a boy, but she will be in his swaddles and sleep sacks, she will be in majority of hand me down clothes from her brother or her cousins.

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

Stroller I have the Mockingbird Single to Double. It’s a single stroller that can be changed to a double stroller with an attachment. It also has a car seat adapter for tons of infant car seats. We’ve had ours for 4 years and we love it. It’s super durable, folds up easy, and is easy to pop out and open. It also has TONS of storage. For a car seat we did the Graco infant seat and when they grow out of that we change to a convertible seat that adjusts to fit all of their needs until they don’t need a car seat/booster anymore.

We're due in a couple weeks there's snow on the ground - so we got an infant car seat for about $200 CAD (Graco) when it was on sale. Just check if there's adapters for the stroller if you drive everywhere and don't plan on grocery delivery. Infant car seats still have a 2hr window for baby