UPPAbaby - G-LITE Stroller

We bought an uppababy g lite (used) which is an umbrella stroller but with a basket and a shade for traveling and have taken it through the airport and gate checked. We use the Cosco scenera next for a travel seat. It’s so light weight it can be carried in one hand easily and checked or gate checked. Personally we buy a seat for our kids so we just use it onboard. 

We also have the Mockingbird and love it! We do a lot of walking / commuting on foot and so it made sense for us to have a nice (larger) stroller. Disclaimer: We also have a used travel stroller (I think it's the Uppababy g-lite, which is fine but not amazing) which we got when our baby was ~9 months old and had a few airplane trips coming up. We now keep it stored in the car and typically choose it for airplane travel. For the Mockingbird, we had the sleep-safe bassinet attachment and the separate bassinet stand, which was my favorite purchase when our little one was a newborn. She slept in there a lot, both while attached to the stroller and while sitting on the stand at home. Had we done more car commuting, maybe we would've bought the car seat attachment instead. But I'm glad we had the bassinet! The only attachment, other than the bassinet, that we bought was the cup holder. There is plenty of storage underneath and a handy phone pocket on the back of the child's seat, so this felt like the only thing it was lacking. I figured we would enjoy using the Mockingbird as a double stroller when we had our second baby, but our second baby is due later this year and I actually plan to try going back to just the single bassinet and adding the riding board attachment for my older daughter. She will be 3 when the baby arrives, and seems to be enjoying her time outside of the stroller more and more. PS- We did have an issue with one of the wheels after using the stroller for about a year, but Mockingbird sent us a replacement wheel quickly and free-of-charge.

Of those, I've only used the G-lite, but it's very good *for an umbrella stroller.* I would go with that one, mostly because it's more convenient and I would care more about avoiding the drive than saving five dollars.

We took our 20 month old in an umbrella stroller. But if you do an umbrella, and i definitely recommend them in Italy, esp Rome, it has to be a solid one. We had an uppababy umbrella stroller (great wheels and shocks), which did AMAZING on all the Rome cobblestone. Also folds up super small in restaurants and easy on trains. Was also great to recline the baby while siteseeing or when we had late dinners and the baby was sleeping. That stroller incredibly made it through over 20 cobblestone cities throughout Italy and Spain over the course of 5 years. We couldn't believe the wheels still hadn't come off! (This is not a paid advertisement lol) PS. Carrier is fine (I brought one too) but wore it maybe once because the stroller was too easy and comfortable. I used the carriecarre time when climbing a very narrow spiral staircase in Florence but never used it again for that first trip.

I have the Uppa Baby and Nuna TRVL. Both are great for different reasons. Just remember - if a stroller is on the market, it has to do through in depth testing to get there. It wouldn’t be for sale if it wasn’t safe. Same with car seats, there really is no bad option. They all work. It’s what works best for you!

Love the Joolz Aer. I've put in hundreds of miles with it and it's still going strong. I keep waiting for the wheels to eventually wear down. I carry it up and down subway stairs, take it on the bus, etc. Someone had given us a much heavier duty Uppa Baby stroller that we used like three times then never again because we found the Joolz so much more manageable.

100% worth the money - you'll use it everyday - and way easier to roll & fold than other options - also very sturdy

Conversely we are still going strong with 3 kids on it used daily. 9 month old in a seat and then my 2 year old and 4 year old switch off who is in the seat and who is on the board standing.

We got a chico keyfit 30 travel system with the activ3 jogging stroller for our first kid and then got an Upupbaby when our second came. They're definitely expensive and the Upupbaby is probably overpriced but they're both amazing and well worth the investment. If you can afford the premium it's a solid buy.m, especially if you can find them used. Just make sure any car seat combos aren't expired. You'll obviously be fine with a Graco, but there's definitely a big jump in quality that's worth it for how often you'll be pushing these things around.