UPPAbaby - Mesa V3

Get a bassinet for the 4-6 months as baby will likely be sleeping next to your bed. Any crib would be fine tbh, I wouldn't recommend a mini crib (we thought babies are small, want do they need that space for). We end moving our kid to a floor bed at 10 months. We did a newborn seat (rear facing) then upgrade to a convertible at 10 months (big baby). Having a newborn seat that is compatible with your stroller is really handy. The stroller was the most important part, my kid is 3 and we still haul it out for trips with lots of walking. We are also in a very walkable area, so your milliage may vary. We got the Uppababy Cruz +Mesa car seat. If you are close to a retail store, definitely go try out a few brands. I'd suggest a convertible seat that is easy to disassemble and wash. We got the Diono Radian 3RXT and it's work to clean.

Uppababy Mesa V3 car seat fits. We just graduated to the Nuna Rava. It fits too. When going into the seat, watch baby’s head with the Nuna rava. I have it backward facing and reclined to position 1 and still have to be careful. But once little one is seated, clearance is good.

We are getting the Uppababy Cruz 3 stroller with the Mesa V3 seat and adding a bassinet attachment as we go on frequent walks. I like how sturdy it is for our cracked/brick city sidewalks, and we get snow and ice so we like the wheels on it. Goes up to thirty pounds for the car seat and can be installed without a base if need be. I was a little uncertain as it’s pretty pricey system but we already got the bassinet and seat purchased for us from our registry, so it will definitely be it!

I have the mesa v3 and love it for its looks, easy install (latch system) and adjustability, but for some reason it forces my newborn into a hunching over position that doesn't seem comfortable, and has her chin almost always touching her chest. I scheduled a consultation with their carseat representative and while helpful, its seems it's just built that way :/ My husband and i have found that stuffing a burp cloth behind her back helps make her more comfortable. I kinda wish we went a different route ( i was eye-ing joie + nuna) but we found the vista for a good price on marketplace, so we figured we'd buy the mesa (purchased new of course) as well. Congratulations and good luck!

You can gate check a stroller and a car seat (you can also use the car seat on the airplane if she has her own seat.) you can check these items for free. When our babies were that age, we just took our car seat (the uppababy mesa without the base) onto the plane, used it with the rental car, and gate checked a smaller travel stroller. Traveling with a baby can seem overwhelming but it’s really pretty simple if you just take a breath and think about it. Buying a Doona for this would be overkill. Your normal car seat probably would work? Idk why you’d need to buy a new one

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).

Interesting, the cpsts are always saying how compact it is. We had the mesa but a bigger car. If I could go back in time I would have gotten a smaller, cheaper seat though. 

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.