Mesa

All of this! We bought our travel system (Uppababy Vista V2) on Facebook Marketplace for $350 then just bought the Mesa V2 bucket seat separately. I deep cleaned the stroller and accessories and they looked basically new. Once baby outgrows the bucket seat we’ll buy a convertible car seat, we’re considering the Joie Saffron which is $200 after discounts. In total we’d be about a grand in, but she’d be set until she’s done with car seats. So basically yes, you will have to spend some money, but there are ways to stretch your dollar and still get good products.

All of this! We bought our travel system (Uppababy Vista V2) on Facebook Marketplace for $350 then just bought the Mesa V2 bucket seat separately. I deep cleaned the stroller and accessories and they looked basically new. Once baby outgrows the bucket seat we’ll buy a convertible car seat, we’re considering the Joie Saffron which is $200 after discounts. In total we’d be about a grand in, but she’d be set until she’s done with car seats. So basically yes, you will have to spend some money, but there are ways to stretch your dollar and still get good products.

We were gifted an Uppababy Vista stroller with the bassinet and purchased the Mesa 2 car seat. I loved the bassinet because that was her bed downstairs for months. And the car seat attachment was really easy. All that to say, it’s huge. Like the stroller takes up so much space. We still have it and use it, though only used the car seat for 6-8 months before loving her to a larger one and the pram for 2 ish. ETA I don’t use it as a travel stroller if that is important to you. I have the Uppababy Minu (I think?) which I love.

We first had the mesa v2 and no issues. For the convertible seat I got the graco turn2me extend. I like that it can be rear facing up to 40lb and the ability to turn it to get baby in and out has really helped my back. Downside is that its pretty big and heavy, but i don't tend to move it anywhere. Baby gear lab rated it highly on their private crash tests.

For my first we used the Mesa V2 until she was 14 months, she was 15th percentile. For my second she has outgrown the seat at barely 7 months and she is 99th+ percentile. I would absolutely use any infant bucket until it’s outgrown instead Canadian winters.

I've used both the chicco and Aria and honestly, the only good thing aobut the Aria was how lightweight it was. My kid outgrew it quickly (\~5mos) and because it's so light, it feels really kinda flimsy. The UB Mesa on the other hand feels really luxe but it is so damn heavy. Hauling that thing around to peds appts or even hauling it out of the car sucks.

We didn't skip the infant (aka bucket) seat BUT we did not have a stroller that it clicked into. My SIL gave me her used bucket seat so we trusted that it was in safe condition, but it's an Uppa Baby and we didn't want to buy the corresponding stroller. Even so, we did still find the bucket seat really handy and i would not recommend skipping. - handy when visiting people. Easier to be able to enter a house and put her on the ground in the seat for a sec while we unload etc. Gave her a moment to adjust as well before being handed off to someone. - handy when in offices and appointments; didn't necessarily have to disturb her by hauling her out when she was comfy/calm or sleeping. - easier to get her buckled in safely inside our home during summer heat and winter cold, rather than trying to do it outside in a parking lot. Just logistically easier to do this in the comfort of your own home, particularly in the early days when we weren't confident about the straps and took a little longer to get it right. Also in winter we knew we could bundle her up well inside our home and then just hustle to the car and click her in. No faffing around. - easier for quick errands like picking up a pizza or the like. Could bring her into a store in the seat, she was calm but got a little change of scenery rather than having to haul her out and then strap her back in. It takes like 5 mins to get a tiny floppy baby out or in, and they don't usually like it. It can get really flustered and reducing that stress is valuable. The bucket seat can be clunky to haul around but you get used to walking with it for the short distances you need to (home to car, car to store, etc). We had a lay-flat stroller (Bumbleride Indie) and I used a carrier alot for our June baby but nonetheless the bucket seat made a world of difference.

Congrats! I’m due in May as well, my second baby. With my first, we got the UppaBaby Cruz stroller which we LOVED and used so much. The stroller is light, compact but has a lot of storage space. And we got the UppaBaby Mesa baby car seat that clicks directly on the stroller. I could not recommend it more. Then for the longer term car seat we got the Graco4Ever which we’re still using for my first (he’s 7yo).