UPPAbaby - Mesa Max

We use the Uppababy Mesa Max carseat and Vista stroller. She's still under 30lbs, so we shall use the carseat for a while longer. We also have a convertible carseat ready (it was a gift from one of my SILs, I think the brand is Britax)

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.

The Uppa Mesa car seat. ( I had to look it up) it works with or without the base so easy to use in an airplane or taxis.

It is super great as long as the stroller fits in your car. The typical Travel System Stroller (can attach the infant car seat) tends to be a bit bigger, so that’s something to be cognizant of. We got the Uppababy Vista with the Mesa infant seat and it has been great. We still use it now with the normal stroller seat (2.5 year old kid). We then got a Graco convertible car seat when our little outgrew the infant seat.

I have Vista 2 and mesa from uppa and love it! We have two bases, one in each car so we don't have to deal with switching bases. Not a hassle for us at all!

We love our Vista with Mesa car seat. Whatever you end up going with, I would highly suggest getting an infant car seat that can clip into your stroller. It’s been a lifesaver.

We did the Uppababy system - Cruz stroller, bassinet (got this on Marketplace, i would def not bother buying this new given how short it lasts for - there are tons available used), and Mesa carseat. It worked well for us! I believe we got the carseat from Snugglebugz and the stroller from Amazon.

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.

I think it’s easiest to start with making a list of your priorities! Convertible car seats (like the rotating ones, as well those that can be used rear facing or forward facing) usually can be used from birth to booster, but it’s important to know if that’s what you want. I personally like the convenience of having an infant seat/carrier that I can remove from its base in the car, because baby falls asleep in the car a LOT and I like to bring him inside without waking him. If you do go the route of an infant seat first, I’d recommend one that is compatible with a travel system because it makes like so much easier. I personally have an UppaBaby car seat/stroller combo and love it, but have heard great things about nearly all of the others too. I think having a bassinet attachment for a stroller is great when baby is small, because it allows them to stretch out and wiggle while you stroll, which is great for them developmentally. It’s not recommended that babies spend extended periods of time in the infant carseat, so I don’t recommend using them for walks if you can avoid it, and the bigger stroller seats aren’t recommended for babies until they have better head and neck control, which also makes the bassinet a winner. If you prefer to skip the infant seat and go to a convertible seat from the jump, that’s fine too! I personally have a rotating car seat for my toddler and plan to use the same one for my infant when he outgrows his infant seat. It makes for less strain on you when buckling the baby in, and is my favorite car seat I’ve ever used. If you go this route, you also don’t have to worry about a stroller that is compatible with an infant seat, which can be a plus if you are looking at some brands that don’t make car seats! I’d write down your must-haves. Decide if you want an infant seat or a convertible seat, and maybe watch some installation videos on YouTube to see if you’re willing to install the seat before you buy it (some are way easier to install than others). From there, decide if your budget is compatible with all or if you need to weed out the ones you don’t want to pay for. And just take it one step at a time! It’s overwhelming but you can’t go wrong, truly. It’s mainly a personal preference situation!

So I worked at BuyBuyBaby for 3 years and learned a lot of the different brands and their pros and cons. When we did have my LO I knew I wanted the car seat and stroller to be the most expensive of the items I was going to purchase of everything (and I had already left the store before they closed permanently) because I planned to use them the most. My co worker in the stroller/car seat department gave me all the info on what you should look for in a stroller (foam tires being a big one so it get a tear you can still push it vs ones that have air) and car seat (what safety measures and brands known for good ratings) I also knew that I wanted a car seat that could attach to the stroller without having to deal with adaptors etc so I could just put them in and go from the car. Settled on the uppa baby mesa infant and the uppa baby vista set (so came with the bassinet and toddler seat as part of the package). Was very pricy but three years later I'm still using the toddler seat now and the stroller while I've passed the other items along to friends having babies so I got my monies worth I feel.