Graco - Modes 3 Lite Platinum Travel System

We have the graco modes 3 lite travel system and I love it. I’m pretty low maintenance. It wasn’t expensive. It has a cup holder/key tray. It has a basket at the bottom that’s big enough to put bags under. When it was just the stroller base and car seat I could open and close the stroller with one hand. Super clutch when getting in and out of the car without another adult. No ramp or elevator taking too long? Pop the car seat off and put it on one arm, close the stroller with the other and throw it over my shoulder. It works great as just a stroller for us too.

Maxi cozy bouncer! My baby wouldn’t go in a swing but she would sit in this. A good travel system but doesn’t need to be $1000 I have the graco modes trio travel system and it’s $500 I think and I love it. A nice rocking chair ( I still don’t have this😭) Bedside sleeper not a regular small bassinet it’s bigger

Graco Modes Trio Travel System - $200 Has car seat with base, bassinet that turns into a toddler seat. It has a faux leather handle and good underneath storage. drives super smooth and the stroller part folds up super easy.

I live in canada, my baby was born in the fall. I wish I would have considered suspension. I got the graco modes trio, I didnt want anything expensive. Although I do like it and it does the job, pushing through snow in the spring was basically impossible. Is definitely only good on flat smooth ground

We went with Graco, we got the infant bucket seat (this may not be important to you but it was for us, if it’s not something you want, you can do a convertible car seat right away!) and then got the Graco 3-1 modes stroller. It fits any Graco car seat, it lays down to a bassinet and then works for a toddler too. It was the most reasonably priced so that’s what we went with! It’s all pretty lightweight.

Think about your sidewalks, bigger wheels can handle potholes and cracks much smoother than smaller wheels. Cup holder is nice to put phone and keys or coffee. Under seat storage is super helpful to carry extra crap. For the early phase having a click-and-go system is super handy. They do grow out of that pretty fast, so be careful about spending tons on it. We had an inexpensive hand-me-down click and go from Gracco and then a nicer three wheel stroller that we used a bunch.

So for our first we got an affordable stroller/car seat set from Costco (Graco click and connect, I think) and I would highly suggest something like that to start. It comes with a bucket car seat which just pops on to the stroller so it makes it so easy to transfer the baby from the car to the stroller for outings/walks. Once they’re big enough you can use the stroller without the car seat too. I would not shell out for a fancy or specialized stroller before the baby has been born. I would wait until they’re here and you can see how it’s going with the cheaper one because there’s a good chance it will be good enough for you anyway. It was for us for a long time! But it will depend on your baby and your specific needs/lifestyle whether or not you’ll want or need a more specialized stroller. And your wants/needs/lifestyle are going to change once the baby is here and not necessarily in a way you can predict. You might end up wanting a jogging stroller, needing a good quality umbrella stroller if you take public transit or travel a lot, a double stroller if you end up having a second baby in the next couple years, etc. So yeah unless you have money to burn I would just start with a basic car seat/stroller set and then go from there. Edit to add: if you get a bucket seat/stroller combo I would get it new because of the car seat. If you’re getting just a stroller second hand is great!

I have my larger indie bumbleride jogger for my dirt driveway and road that I keep at home. I purchased a super cheap second hand graco click and connect 4 wheeled stroller for my travel stroller because the infant seat clicks into it. And it folds nice and small for the airport.

Graco modes is trash, it can barely handle clear sidewalks, let alone any kind of obstacle. 

Not crazy but unconventional for sure. I had my baby in December and did the baby wearing but I ended up being so worried about slipping on ice that I felt safer with a stroller. Yes they can be bulky but we stuck with the graco brand for click and connect so we could just throw the base in the car and attach his carseat if we went shopping. We have since moved on to a stroller wagon for bigger outings like the zoo and boy its great.