Graco - Modes™ Nest2Grow™ DLX Travel System

Same here. We seem to have acquired Graco everything and honestly I like everything we have. Their products are good and they are affordable. I have both strollers you mentioned and they’re both great.

Anyone recommending uppbaby obviously did not see your budget lol.. imo not at all worth for the “luxury” brand. People told me “go push them in store and you can feel the difference” but I did that and did not notice anything better that would warrant an almost $2k price tag. And they don’t even come with cup holders! I have a Graco Modes Next DLX and then a Graco Modes Nest2Grow DLX (2 under 2 so needed the double), and I love both of them. The single version can turn into a bassinet (not a separate piece, it just flattens) and can face either way, and is compatible with any Graco car seat. Never had any issues at all and I’ve been using it for over 4 years. It has all the same functionality as the Vista (or at least at the time, idk if they have made changes) for less than half the price.

Seconding Nest2Grow if you plan on multiple kids!! We still use it now with our 2 year olds!

I plan on having multiple children so a stroller that will hold multiple was important especially one that holds an infant. I wanted the car seat that could just click into a base in the car and the stroller (duel uses). As well as a bassinet attachment for the stroller. I also wanted lots of basket/storage space in the stroller. (I got the graco modes nest 2 grow travel system) I also knew I didn’t want a brand I wasn’t familiar with and I didn’t want any weird or fancy features (or what I think of as weird or fancy) like the rotating seat and the car seat that pops out wheels to be the stroller. I wanted something very normal.. almost old school classic stroller. I like that my stroller can have many different configurations of seats and directions (wish it could hold two infant seats but not necessary unless twins 😬). You need to think about what is important to you and what will fit your lifestyle best. We also got a used jogging stroller for my husband but I knew I didn’t want that for my use. And go with one you feel safe and comfortable with. There are a couple of well known brands I will not use because they feel very cheap and I have concerns about their safety (I know they are safety rated but I can’t see how they will protect my LO. We are about to size my LO out of her infant seat into a rear facing convertible and I’ve had to think about new concerns and issues. But a convertible or all in one is an option for you too. I didn’t start there because I wanted the convince of not removing baby from seat at the car and with a baby that was nice (car seat is in house and not hot in the TX summer, no standing in the rain buckling her in most of the time) but I have friends who got an all in one because it would last them longer and ultimately save them money.

I have a graco modes and I love it. It has the car seat that snaps in which can be swapped out for a bassinet or a toddler seat. Mine can accommodate 2 kids (not 2 car seats but a toddler seat and the either another toddler seat or the car seat or bassinet). It’s easy to manuver (although a bit long and takes some getting used to) and not horrendously expensive. I haven’t been on a trail with it but it does great in the neighborhood.

We got the Graco travel system Nest2grow and I believe it came with the third car seat. The infant car seat was great, and it also snaps onto the stroller. Then the stroller comes with a toddler stroller seat, and eventually can be used with two kids in a bunch of different ways (infant and toddler seat, and two toddler seats, a bunch of configurations) You do have to buy the second toddler seat additionally however. I’m pregnant with our second so I’m glad we’ll be able to go on family walks with one stroller! We’ll be using the same infant car seat again as well.

I have the Graco nest2grow or whatever it is and it’s great. Has two seats, under carriage, and the click connect feature is the best. It swaps to any Graco seat including the bassinet and car seats

I’m very much of the mindset of using a travel system when running errands and a bassinet attachment when taking longer walks near home. That said, keep in mind that some car seat brands **do not allow use with car seat adapters from other stroller brands.** Graco is one of those. We got the Mockingbird for my first and have since expanded it to a double. I love it, but if I could go back I would have done the Graco Nest2Grow from the start instead for compatibility (I used the Mockingbird car seat adapter with my first, but ended up getting a small Graco travel stroller for errands with my second after learning about the potential dangers of using an off-brand adapter).

just spent a month researching. my takeaway: Nuna - loved this one the most (mixx or trvl xl) but all of the carseats/accesories make it extra pricey. my fav uber premium option uppababy- i found these all to be kind of rigid and too large. didn't like the vibe but its obvs popular mockingbird - decided on this one and so far love the balance of quality and price point. truly feels strong but also premium, while not being huge, and almost all the features feel obvious instead of buried silver cross - if you really want to go with the most premium it is indeed very nice. graco Modes nest - solid budget option. felt a little on the light/fragile side for me but if lightweight with versatility is important, this one isn't bad at all bugaboo - maybe the one i tried was a janky floor model but i didn't think it was smooth at all. nuna/mock crushed it

Honestly, just my personal opinion, I never use it. I got one after doing tons of research and I find it more helpful/fun for us both to wear my baby on my back (now that she is big enough - I wore her on the front at first). For trips, walking/hiking, grocery shopping, literally everything. She loves it, I love it, and I don’t have to lug around a huge stroller. With that being said, I had made a few posts similar to this one and ended up getting the Graco Modes Nest stroller. It has a bassinet feature which was my biggest reason for getting it. I would’ve got one used and not brand new especially if I knew I was not going to use it. Lol I also probably would’ve opted for a more compact one. It breaks down but it’s still soooo bulky. Given - I may use it more when we decide to have baby #2. I hope this helps at all. Haha

Seconding the graco modes! I have the graco modes nest and love it, absolutely zero complaints.

I absolutely loved my Graco modes nest

I have the second car seat and I like it! No problems thus far. We bought a stroller with a pram attachment though. The Graco Modes Nest

Graco modes nest. Its 3 years old, goes into a bassinet for baby and a seat for toddler. Came with a car seat that attaches too. Nice sizeable storage basket below, cuoholder for mom, tray for toddler kiddo. And we paid less than $400.

I got a nuna car seat and stroller - Pipa RX and the Swiv. My baby is 4 months now and the car seat has been less useful and I wish I’d gotten a convertible car seat instead of an infant seat! You can’t leave babies in car seats for long anymore (30mins for newborns and at 3 months it goes up slightly, but still not like they can spend several hours in a car seat). To answer your questions: 1. I had a summer baby, so it was too hot to baby wear. However, I think I would have baby worn A LOT more if weather had allowed. People don’t try and touch your baby when you babywear. If you’re going to church and it’s cold and flu season, this will be a big consideration. That said, baby gets HEAVY after the newborn period. My baby is close to 18lbs now. I’m looking forward to getting something like the TushBaby, but you can’t use it until they’re sitting independently, which is around 6 months old. I babywore when we traveled. All in all, I find scooping up the baby and putting him in the stroller (I got the bassinet attachment) much easier than wrangling him into a carrier. 2. I have the Nuna Swiv and got the bassinet attachment, so I can only speak to that! The bassinet has been basically the only way we’ve used the stroller. I rarely attach the car seat. I like that the bassinet attachment is a safe sleep surface. We used it a lot for daytime naps and I loved that I could go on a walk with baby and leave him to nap in the bassinet when we got back (a key part of this is NOT needing to go up any stairs to get inside our house! I can wheel him right into the kitchen). 3. Most travel strollers don’t have the ability to face your baby towards you, which is definitely necessary. But I would say they’re all “sturdy” enough! They’re made for kids and babies. 4. If you’re going up and down stairs a lot, the nuna is light, but not THAT light. It’s easy to pick up and put in my car, but it doesn’t fit in an overhead bin for air travel or anything. We’ve since gotten a specific travel stroller to use for travel. I was told there isn’t a stroller that does *everything,* so ultimately plan to have 2-3 strollers. I also got a cheap Graco Modes Nest from RebelStork for when I visited my parents. I LOVED the Pramette, the huge storage basket, and the “slide to me” adjustable height feature. The nuna is kind of low to the ground, although it’s never been an issue and I didn’t notice it before I visited an UppaBaby-heavy area and noticed they all seemed to sit so high. The adjustable height was super useful when we were seated at a high-top table once, we could just slide baby up. Otherwise it’s probably not super necessary. The big storage basket was luxurious. However, the stroller is MASSIVE. Truly huge. It barely fit in the back of my parents SUV. I don’t think it would fit in the back of my small SUV. The nuna fits beautifully in my trunk. I take off the bassinet and leave it expanded and can still fit the folded nuna base in with it. My one issue with the nuna is that the bassinet attachment is low to the basket underneath, so the basket is hard to access. That won’t be a problem in like two months when we move to the stroller attachment. In terms of the Nuna vs. Graco, the Graco just can’t operate in tight city spaces. The Nuna turns on a time and is fantastic in the city. But is it necessary? No. There are plenty of cheaper strollers that I’m sure can operate in the city too. Don’t feel like you need to spend a fortune on a stroller.

Second vote for graco modes nest. Absolutely love it. And both the kids did too

I have the Graco modes nest and really like it! The car seat is super easy to install and use. You can get extra bases for it if you have multiple cars, but it also works without the base. With this stroller, the bassinet converts to the toddler seat, so it’s only one attachment aside from the car seat. It has worked great for me and is a reasonable price compared to others on the market. Would 100% recommend.

I was overwhelmed when I was pregnant with all the choices and ended up getting the Graco Modes Nest stroller. We used a convertible car seat from birth. We brought baby home from the hospital in it. I looked on consumer reports .com and ended up getting a Chicco convertible seat for my car. The plan was to use the infant bucket seat in my husbands car but we never installed it in his car and just used my car when we took the places. The Graco stroller is heavy but any big stroller like that would be heavy. I liked that the bassinet and toddler seat where one piece so we didn’t have to spend extra money or store extra items in our small condo. I like that the Graco stroller came with the snack tray cup holder. My kiddo ate a lot of snacks out of it while on walks. We used the bucket seat in the stroller exclusively because once kiddo was old enough he didn’t want to lay down in the bassinet he wanted to be sitting in the bucket seat and looking at everything. I liked that the basket was very large and could hold lots of groceries, toys, pool stuff. I liked that the seat was reversible so I could see baby on walks. My toddler started walking well at 12 months. He has a ride in plastic Step 2 car that I can push him around in for walks that he prefers now. I want to get him a push trike soon. For not needing a giant big stroller really past 12 months I’m happy I didn’t spend $$$ on an uppa baby or nuna. I bought a $70 travel stroller that I preferred to use once he could sit up because it was easier to pick up and get in and out of my car.

The Graco Modes Nest. I’m petite and my husband is tall and it works great for us. We tested out the trendy ones (Nuna, UppaBaby, Doona..) and my husband found them too short for him.

We have a Graco that came with a bassinet that converts into a toddler seat and also could accept the bucket car seat. “Baby” is 13 months old now, the stroller has over 500 miles on it, and we still absolutely love it. My only serious complaint is that it takes up almost all of the trunk space in my subcompact car. We got one of the Momcozy drink holders to attach to it. The cup holder it comes with is terrible.

Ive had two kids, very different systems in place. Cost was my biggest concern basically. Baby 1 Bed: uppa bassinet + jolly jumper rocker stand. Stand was $10 used. Bassinet came with the stroller Stroller: used uppa baby from fb marketplace. Paid $100 for the stroller, seat and bassinet. Came with a snack tray. It was around 8 years old and an outdated model Car seat: safety first seat that stayed in the car (not a system), but that adjusted from infant to 50 lbs. Cost about $300 Once baby could sit up, I ditched the uppa baby because it was too big. Opted for a Summer 3D stroller that was super portable. That cost about $80 Baby 2 Bed: ingenuity bassinet (not relevant, but showing that we didn’t have a bassinet attachment). Bought used for $30 Stroller: graco modes that we got from a friend. They gave us the whole system with the car seat. Free, but valued at $450+ brand new, and worth mentioning that this is difficult as used car seats should only from a trustworthy source. Also still had the summer 3D mentioned above, and that was compatible with the Graco snugride Car seat: graco snug ride mentioned with stroller. Free from a one-and-done friend. This baby will need a new car seat when we grow out of the bucket. She will use that summer 3D stroller exclusively when that happens as I looove how light and portable, yet sturdy, it is. Baby 2 didn’t have a bassinet stroller attachment. She is 4 months old and would be outgrowing it now. We are huge on baby wearing, so we didn’t have her in the stroller much for walks around the block. Note that dad did a lot of the bigger walks while mom was recovering. Used ergo baby carrier: $15 Sorry for the long read. All this was to say the answer doesnt need to be black and white or fit in a box

I see a lot of comments about getting the uppababy Cruz and while that one is a really popular brand, I got the *GRACO modes travel system* it comes with an infant carrier and a stroller that converts to a bassinet. It can be used with infants to toddlers for a portion of the price of the uppababy. If you’re buying everything yourself I recommend this one, one of my siblings bought the uppababy and the GRACO is essentially the same thing and runs nearly identical imo

Graco Modes travel system- we love it. We used the bassinet attachment a ton when she was first born so she could nap on walks. Now at 4 months we mostly put the car seat onto the stroller base- but we still use the bassinet attachment for day-long events (grad parties, weddings, picnics, etc.) because it makes diaper changes and naps so much easier. The bassinet also can be configured into a normal stroller seat, front or rear facing and now that she's really eager to see everything around her I think we will be making the switch here very soon! Also worth noting I drive a Toyota Camry and not only does the car seat fit well in the back- the stroller and attachments also fit easily into my trunk!

We got the Mockingbird and got the adapter for a Graco carrier seat. I love it, it allows for a second seat attachment. THAT BEING SAID… eventually I said “eff it” and got the Graco jet set light weight stroller because the normal strollers are HEAVY. I regret getting rid of my Graco Modes because it was not only cheaper, but way more light weight than the bougie brands.

Had the Graco one as well and it was great!

Graco Modes. It's easy and inexpensive. The Uppababy stroller is a lot bulkier, which was frustrating. I've traveled internationally with it, and it went went. I also love the huge bottom basket.

We got the graco one and it lasted all 3 kids. Kids are 3 years apart. It was like 250 bucks.

We have the Graco Modes travel system! We used it for our 3yo & now with our 2nd.

i have the graco modes travel system with the infant seat & the bassinet/toddler seat attachment and we LOVE it! the stroller base is kind of bulky but it just lives in my trunk. we havent really tried to the toddler seat yet bc my LO is only 4 months but i like the bassinet attachment, and we use the stroller all the time with the car seat which is great. i love the storage underneath & the phone and cup holders.

We have the Graco Modes. No complaints. Does everything we need it to. Fits in my small ass trunk, and doesn’t take up the entire space either.

We have the Graco modes too and love it. I’m glad I didn’t spend extra money on a separate bassinet because our son did not like it. But since it converts into the toddler chair, it wasn’t a waste. I’m currently pregnant with baby # 3 and we will be using the same travel system. The quality is good and I have no worries of it lasting another 2 years. 

We had the Graco modes one as well and liked it enough. The click and connect between car seat and stroller was great. The only real issue we had was the size of the stroller. It took up the entire tree trunk of my wifes SUV (albeit a smaller one). It took a while before we were able to find the basic frame to use that basically takes up no space in the trunk. I do suggest taking a look at the foldup dimensions of your vehicle and take a tape measure to your trunk to see how it can fit.

I have one of the graco modes travel systems. Can't remember which one exactly as I bought it 1.5 years ago. But the infant bucket seat can be attached directly onto the stroller, which is so nice if baby fell asleep in the car seat and you need the stroller. It rides really smooth. Graco also has great deals sometimes. I got the stroller, the infant bucket seat, and the car base for under 300 bucks. Im 4'9 so being super small, it was important that I could easily lift the stroller into my suv too and I'm able to with ease.

Graco Modes. Meets all your criteria. We’ve been using it for almost 2 years and still love it.

I have a Graco modes and it’s fine at 1/5 the cost. If I need something smaller and with better wheels For cities or rougher trails I’ll just buy one specialized for that and still end up saving.

Also went with graco- did the modes stroller with infant car seat- like that had option for bassinet or infant seat. We have also bought the graco convertible car seat for next seat. I looked at online reviews, price point, and nhtsa ease of use ratings. Plan to be one and done, and pick up a second hand jogger on Craigslist or marketplace when they are big enough to sit upright.

I went with the graco modes and graco snugride. They are affordable! We used the bassinet only for walks in neighborhood until recently. She’s now 5 months and not quite ready to sit up in toddler upright stroller position, but likes to ‘see’ so we are using the car seat more for stroller walks. I think the guidance for maximum time in a car seat gets a bit longer after ~3 months (shifting from 30min to 2hrs). We honestly carried the car seat into most stores because she was awake and it wasn’t that heavy- but now that she’s heavier we have started clicking it into the stroller. I actually did my first sit down in a coffee shop and enjoy an ice cream while she sleeps in the car seat-stroller (transferred and didn’t wake up) ever two weekends ago- it was bliss!!

I have two strollers. The Graco modes travel system. Which worked well because it included the infant car seat for when he was a tiny baby. The undercarriage is also huge, so I use that for shopping. It’s also very durable. It was a gift, not my choice stroller, but has worked well for our needs. I keep that one in my car. We also got the Bugaboo butterfly for travel. I love it! We just used it for our first trip and it fit well in the overhead compartment of the airplane. My husband keeps this one at home or in his car. He works from home so he has the baby while I’m at work. Having two strollers seems like the way to go

Ok so I’m a 3rd time mom and I am 100% buying that stroller again! It was soooo easy to use. Lightweight compact and just a breeze I love the Graco snugride line basically anything is good there. I got 2 kids uses out of both of those car seat and stroller.

That’s what we did. Got a Greco travel system (stroller and car seat) for like $180 and that’s the one we fly with.