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Forbes
30-04-2025
- Automotive
- Forbes
The Best Travel System Strollers To Simplify Every Outing
The best travel system strollers offer convenience and safety, making it easy to go anywhere with your baby, whether that's in the car or the stroller. 'Most parents are looking for something that is safe, simple and practical. They want a setup that's easy to use, makes life with a baby more manageable, and—most importantly—keeps their little one safe,' says Kyleyn Gosewisch, a customer care specialist at Strolleria, a baby gear specialty store. After researching dozens of options, interviewing experts and personally testing over 40 strollers, including a variety of travel system strollers, my top pick is the Uppababy Cruz V2 + Mesa V2 travel system. The car seat easily attaches to the stroller without adapters, the stroller is easy to maneuver and the whole system is user-friendly. The best travel system strollers make it that much easier to tote baby around, especially from the ... More car to the stroller. Choosing the right travel system stroller for your family depends largely on how you plan to use the system. 'You'll want to consider factors such as whether you live in an urban or suburban location, how often you fly, if you have a car or take taxis and rideshares, if you'll want something that works for not just one but two (or three) kids, if you're a runner and so on,' says certified child passenger safety technician (CPST) and Chief of Staff at GoodBuy Gear, Amanda Brown. After careful consideration, testing and research, these are our picks for the best travel system strollers. Amazon Car seat child weight limits: 4 to 35 pounds (or up to 32 inches tall, whichever comes first) | Seat weight: 9.9 pounds | Stroller weight: 19 pounds (frame only) There's a good reason the Uppababy Cruz V2 is such a popular stroller. It's easy to maneuver, has user-friendly features and is comfortable for kids. When combined with the Uppababy Mesa V2 car seat, it transforms into an intuitive travel system. The car seat connects to the stroller without any adapters, giving you one less thing to buy and keep track of. Once your baby outgrows their car seat, the stroller has a spacious toddler seat with an extra-large extendable canopy and the high-quality materials means it will hold up for years. I've personally used this stroller for years with three kids, as has Forbes Vetted deputy editor Rose Gordon Sala. 'My Uppababy Cruz lasted through three kids, and then I passed it down to another family because it was so well-made. It was also my go-to travel system,' says Sala. The stroller is Greenguard Gold-certified and has a famously large undercarriage basket. The car seat comes with an infant insert to keep even the youngest babies cozy and snug, and it also has a large hideaway sun-protective UPF 25+ canopy that's ideal for naps. User-friendly features include a one-handed car seat release and a simple fold. The car seat can also be installed with or without a base, which is really helpful if you'll be traveling with the stroller. Uppababy strollers and car seats can be an investment, but the Mesa V2 has one of the highest weight and height limits of any of the infant seats on our list, which means you'll be able to take full advantage of the travel system for longer. When your baby is still tiny, they'll probably enjoy facing you on walks, and when they get older and want to explore the world more, you can turn the car seat to face out on the stroller. Amazon Car seat child weight limits: 4 to 22 pounds (or up to 30 inches tall, whichever comes first) | Seat weight: 9 pounds | Stroller weight: 19.6 pounds The best travel system strollers aren't always the most expensive. I see parents using Chicco travel systems often, and it's easy to understand why. The Chicco Mini Bravo Sport Travel System gives you a comfortable and safe infant car seat along with a solid stroller that even includes a parent tray with two cupholders. While it may not have more premium fabrics or a super stylish design, it's safe, sturdy and durable. When the canopy on the stroller combines with the one on the car seat, they create a well-ventilated shield for your baby, which is great for parents who want to keep away well-meaning people trying to touch and coo over them. The car seat can only face in on the stroller, so you won't be able to turn your baby out to face the world. Purchase of the travel system includes the adapter that you'll need to click the Chicco KeyFit Infant Car Seat into the stroller. The seat includes head and body support for newborns that you can remove as they grow. While the car seat itself is great for the tiniest of babies, it does have a low weight maximum (22 pounds), so your baby will outgrow this seat faster than many of the others on our list. The stroller itself is a solid option with a nicely sized basket and a simple fold. Amazon Car seat child weight limits: 4 to 30 pounds (or up to 32 inches tall, whichever comes first) | Seat weight: 9 pounds | Stroller weight: 22 pounds The Britax Willow Brook Travel System is one of the easiest and most straightforward car seat-stroller combos I've tested, making it a top favorite. Britax's car seats are known for being easy to install and comfortable for kids, and it's the brand I used most often when my three kids were newborns. You don't need any adapters to attach the Willow car seat to the Brook stroller, and your baby can face in or out. When it's time to install the set in your vehicle, you can do so with or without the base. The base is super easy to install thanks to Britax's ClickTight installation, and the seat installs with no-fuss—even without the base—using the quick-push LATCH connectors. In the car, the handle of the car seat acts as a rebound-reducing bar for additional safety. The stroller folds in just a few seconds, and there is a lock to keep it in place. Other features include a parent cupholder and a cargo basket. Once your child is ready to move on to the toddler seat in the stroller, they'll be able to use the child snack tray. The fabrics on the car seat are also machine washable. There are also various places to adjust the seat straps to help your baby stay comfortable: the hips, shoulders and between the legs. Unfortunately, you'll have to rethread the straps each time you need to adjust them. Amazon Car seat child weight limits: 4 to 30 pounds (or up to 30 inches tall, whichever comes first) | Seat weight: 5.9 pounds | Stroller weight: 20 pounds (frame only) I love the Uppababy Vista V3 stroller and plan to use it with my kids until the day they outgrow it. It's such a smooth stroller and has plenty of room in the under-seat basket. I'm not the only one who's a fan. 'The Vista was my everyday go-to stroller. Whether it was to the park or at Disneyland, the basket held a ton of stuff including an overly packed diaper bag, it was super comfy for my baby and it was a breeze to snap the infant car seat in during the early months,' says Forbes Vetted editor and mom of three, Esther Carlstone. It's a great option as a travel system for more than one kid, too, because you can configure convert it into a double stroller in a wide variety of ways. Use it with two newborns or two toddlers; it allows two bassinets or two infant car seats. The Uppababy Aria infant car seat attaches directly to the stroller without adapters, though adapters and an additional seat are sold separately to convert the stroller to a double. Add on a ride-along board for additional siblings or tots who would rather stand. The Aria car seat is very lightweight at under 6 pounds, making it easier to carry on your arm. The travel system is also Greenguard Gold-certified and has machine-washable fabrics. Other car seat features include an infant insert, an anti-rebound panel and a stabilizing load leg. You can install the car seat without the base, but in this setup, you lose the anti-rebound panel and stabilizing load leg. Amazon Car seat child weight limits: 4 to 35 pounds (or up to 32 inches tall, whichever comes first) | Seat-Stroller combo weight: 17.2 pounds If you're looking for something lightweight and intuitive, the Doona is ideal. What makes this travel system so unique is that the car seat is built into the stroller, so there's nothing to carry around or store in the trunk of your vehicle once you have your child secured in the car. By simply pushing a button, you can transform the Doona from a car seat to a stroller. When it's time to ride in the car again, the wheels fold under the seat. 'I'm dreading the day she outgrows the Doona—it's been the ultimate all-in-one solution, both for travel and everyday, and I honestly don't know how anything else will compare,' says Alexis Caldwell, Forbes Vetted's vice president of business development and partnerships. The Doona is especially useful when you're traveling or if you have a compact car since it doesn't take up any extra space in the trunk. Safety features include an anti-rebound handle and a UPF 50+ sun-protection canopy. An important note: While the stroller is lightweight when compared to others, it's heavy when you compare it to other car seats. Because it's an all-in-one travel system, you can't detach the seat from the stroller. The seat has a higher child weight and height limit compared to many others on our list, which can help you get your money's worth since you can't use the stroller once your baby outgrows the infant seat—but this is not a one and done stroller that you can use for many years. Nordstrom Car seat child weight limits: 4 to 22 pounds (or up to 29 inches tall, whichever comes first) | Seat weight: 7 pounds | Stroller weight: 14.6 pounds If you live in a city or frequently travel, you want something light, compact and simple that's still comfortable for your baby. Enter: the Nuna Trvl and Pipa Urbn Travel System. At only 14.6 pounds, it's an incredibly lightweight stroller, and the car seat is one of the lightest on our list as well at just 7 pounds. Car seats can quickly feel heavy when carried, making this compact option ideal. The seat is also easy to install in rideshares or taxis without a base using the PipaFIX rigid latch, which is why this system makes sense for those living in or visiting urban environments where they won't have their own car or don't want to lug a car seat base on their journey. I used the similar Nuna Trvl Dubl with my twins and been really happy with it. Even though it's a travel stroller, the seats are still pretty roomy. The stroller is also easy to maneuver. The car seat releases from the stroller with one hand, and it clicks into the stroller without an adapter, giving you one less thing to keep track of. Between the canopies on the stroller and the car seat and the pull-down sky drape, you can get a lot of privacy for your infant. Other features of the travel system include a one-handed fold and unfold, a UPF 50+ canopy, and Greenguard Gold certification. The fabric is also machine washable, so you can easily take care of diaper blowouts, spit-up and other messes. The only major drawback of this travel system is the lower height and weight limit of the car seat. Babies outgrow this seat at either 22 pounds or 29 inches. Amazon Car seat child weight limits: 4 to 30 pounds (or up to 32 inches tall, whichever comes first) | Seat weight: 7.2 pounds | Stroller weight: 20.9 pounds I found that fresh air often calmed my babies—and me—when they were fussy, so taking them out for a stroll in a bassinet or stroller with a flat recline was helpful for us. Our top travel stroller pick for newborns, the Graco Modes Pramette Travel System, offers such an option at an affordable price without the need to lug a bulky bassinet attachment along on your travels. It includes an infant car seat, and the main seat of the stroller transforms into a pramette, giving your baby a safe place to lie down flat. 'Using the car seat attachment for a travel system is great for short trips. However, if you will be out for multiple hours, ensure your newborn has a flat environment for safe sleep and healthy spine positioning,' says Brown. If your baby falls asleep in the pramette, you'll also want to move them to a safe, flat sleep surface like a bassinet as soon as possible to be extra cautious. The car seat can face in or out on the stroller frame and extra features include a parent cupholder and phone holder, as well as a child tray with cupholders for when your baby graduates from the infant seat. The stroller has a one-handed fold, making it easy to pack up and go. It can also accept any Graco infant seat without an adapter. Forbes Vetted's baby and kids gear team is committed to reviewing the best products, from the best strollers to the best bottle sterilizers. To find the best travel system strollers, we considered our experience testing strollers and car seats. We also relied on insight from experts and compared various features and attributes of each system. When shopping for the best travel system strollers, consider how you plan to use the stroller, whether that's for walks around the neighborhood or frequent travel. Here are some factors to consider that can help you make your decision. When you buy a travel system package, you're typically buying an infant car seat and a stroller that are compatible, either with or without adapters. However, if you decide to mix and match different strollers and car seats, you'll want to make sure they are compatible. 'A lot of parents assume that a 'travel system' means they need to buy a matching stroller and car seat from the same brand, but that's not actually the case. Many don't realize that they can mix and match brands, as long as the car seat is compatible with the stroller (either directly or with an adapter). Sometimes choosing a stroller and car seat separately can give you more flexibility to find the perfect fit for your lifestyle,' says Gosewisch. There is a lot to consider when it comes to safety for strollers and car seats. You want something sturdy that will support your infant. Some car seats have additional safety features like anti-rebound bars, load legs or energy-absorbing foam. 'These can add extra layers of protection in the event of a crash,' says Gosewisch. Extra safety features are nice, but they aren't necessary. 'The safest car seat is one that fits your child, your vehicle and can be installed and used correctly every single time,' says Brown. Gosewisch recommends reading manuals, watching installation videos and getting a car seat check from a CPST. One of the great things about travel system strollers is that they make it easy to get your baby from the car to the stroller and vice versa. 'Choose a car seat that is user-friendly and comes with clear installation instructions. Some models may include features like color-coded indicators or built-in leveling systems to assist with correct installation," says Brown. She also advises considering how the car seat will fit in your specific vehicle—or multiple vehicles—and alongside other siblings or car seats. Other features to consider in terms of ease of use include the weight of the stroller, the weight of the car seat, how easy the stroller is to fold, the tire type and suspension on the stroller. 'It's especially important to consider how often you will be installing the car seat. If it's going in and out of the same car regularly, you'll want a base to make it as easy as possible to click it in securely or a baseless seat that has a simple installation like a seat with rigid lower anchors,' says Brown. It's important to choose a travel system that is appropriate for the size of your child. 'Because travel systems are compatible with rear-facing seats, this means you can use the travel system from birth until your child weighs about 30 pounds. Travel systems are most helpful in the first year or two of your child's life,' says Brown. If you have an older or larger baby, this is particularly pertinent. 'Choose a stroller that has comfort and safety features aligned with your family's lifestyle. Many families appreciate a travel system stroller that has a sizable cargo area for a diaper bag or groceries, an extendable UV canopy for sunny days and an easy-to-use braking or locking mechanism. An adjustable handlebar will also be helpful for caregivers of varying heights,' says Brown. Though it can be difficult to imagine your baby outgrowing their infant seat, you'll also want to think about what features you'll appreciate as they get older. For example, once your baby is a toddler, you might want them to have a snack tray. Or perhaps you're planning on having kids close in age and you want a stroller that can convert to a double in a year or two. For many families, a travel system stroller is a great purchase. 'By buying a travel system, you know that your car seat, stroller, base and bassinet are all compatible. You don't need to do any extra research into which adapter is necessary and compatible with both your stroller and car seat model. The price can also be lower when you purchase everything together, versus purchasing the car seat and stroller separately,' says Brown. As your baby gets older, you won't need to purchase another stroller, either. You'll simply stop using the car seat attachment. Travel system strollers are stroller and car seat combinations that can be used together. Sometimes, this means you'll need to use an adapter to attach the car seat to the stroller, and other times they are built to work together without an adapter, especially if made by the same brand. While strollers do not expire, car seats do. This means that the entire travel system will not expire, but the car seat portion will. Most car seats expire between seven and ten years after the manufacture date. It's important to keep an eye on this date, especially if you'll be using the same car seat for subsequent kids since an expired car seat is no longer safe to use.
USA Today
18-04-2025
- Business
- USA Today
Tariff and inflation woes have millennials thrifting more. Here's how to start.
Tariff and inflation woes have millennials thrifting more. Here's how to start. Show Caption Hide Caption How to clean and disinfect toys It's important to disinfect your children's toys so they don't get sick. ProblemSolved, USA TODAY Kelsey Meyers started thrifting baby gear and clothes when she had her first child 20 years ago. A teen mom at the time, she said the only new items her daughter had were a stroller gifted by Meyers' coworkers and a car seat. Meyers, of Minnesota, is 38-years-old now and still buys most things secondhand. She has four kids and said she's seen the secondhand market change dramatically over the last two decades. The biggest shift she's noticed happened just after the COVID-19 pandemic. Suddenly, she said, thrift stores and estate sales were inundated with younger shoppers: high schoolers, college students and millennials. 'Sometimes I can't even find a parking spot," said Meyers, whose youngest child is 7 years old. "I think the word is out." More: Summer means new clothes, bikes, strollers and more. How will tariffs impact parents? Inflation and looming tariffs threatening to raise prices for clothing and household items are sending more and more parents to secondhand stores. The thrifting industry was already booming as social media personalities, Meyers included, have destigmatized buying secondhand. The result? Thrifting is trendy now. But with rising demand for thrifted goods, some shoppers and retailers are anticipating price hikes at the secondhand level, too. Meyers posts content on Tik Tok about parenthood, cooking and decluttering her home. She recently posted about thrifting, and has more than 100,000 followers and more than 3.5 million likes on her videos. She told USA TODAY that she's already noticed, in the last couple of years, price hikes at the thrift shops she frequents. "You're still getting a deal, but..." she said. It's not what it used to be. Sheng Lu, a professor and director of graduate studies at the University of Delaware's Department of Fashion and Apparel Studies, said secondhand clothing stores are "not totally immune to the tariff impact" and that the trade war will result in several unintended consequences for the fashion industry. Lu anticipates consumers will seek out more secondhand options, that demand at thrift stores will mean fewer options and higher prices, and that, overall, consumers might make do with less. Demand for kids' clothing is always higher, Lu said, because children have more consistent needs for new items as they grow. "I'm afraid that the supply can be more limited," Lu said of children's items. Kristin Langenfeld, CEO and co-founder of GoodBuy Gear, a resale site for baby gear, said she hasn't yet seen the impact of tariffs on her business, but that she's getting ready. GoodBuy Gear partners with more than 50 popular brands and retailers to inspect and sell their returns. 'Every one of them that we've talked to has either already or is in the process of increasing prices on almost all of their products," Langenfeld said. Items on GoodBuy Gear are priced by an algorithm that assesses several factors including interest in the product and its manufacturer's suggested retail price. So if tariffs mean price hikes for goods, they'll likely mean price hikes for secondhand goods, too, Langenfeld said. Alon Rotem, Chief Strategy Officer for ThredUp, a managed marketplace for secondhand kids' and women's clothing, said tariffs won't impact ThredUp at all. 'All of the clothes that we sell come from the closets of Americans," Rotem said. Tariffs won't impact how ThredUp does business, Rotem said, and he's not anticipating surges in shipping and labor costs anytime soon. Still, Rotem said the company is anticipating an influx in interest for secondhand shopping. He said he hopes their inventory can keep up. 'We think that there's a really compelling reason why consumers are choosing secondhand, and now in the era of tariffs, it's even more of a unique way to shop and get what you're looking for, and see prices not rise," Rotem said. How popular is thrifting? 'Nice, name-brand clothes' don't need to be bought new Nearly one-third of baby gear is now bought secondhand, Langenfeld said, based on a soon-to-be released resale report from her company. In a recent poll by Babylist, a registry site for new parents, 67% of expecting parents said that buying or receiving secondhand is their primary strategy for saving money. Babylist is launching a new feature in April to meet the rising interest in thrifted goods, where users can mark their registry as "open to secondhand." The feature was soft-launched in December, and in just a few months users have added over 350,00 secondhand items to their registries. For apparel, an all-time high of 58% of consumers shopped secondhand last year, according to a recently released resale report from ThredUp. Among Gen Z and millennials, 68% shopped secondhand and nearly half said they looked to thrift first when shopping for clothes. The survey also asked shoppers and retail executives about government policies around tariffs. More than half of the retail executives surveyed said they believe resale offers a more stable and predictable source of clothing in the face of potential tariff fluctuations. Nearly 60% of consumers said they would seek more affordable options like secondhand if tariffs make apparel more expensive. 'Secondhand prices are going to be much more compelling in relative terms," Rotem said, looking at tariffs for Chinese goods in particular that could more than double the price of some items. Millennials and younger generations are focused on value, Rotem said. And secondhand shopping also scratches another itch for younger shoppers: sustainability. Rotem said he thinks shoppers are starting to care more about the environmental impacts of their consumer habits. That's true among Lu's students at the University of Delaware, most of whom are Gen Z. Lu said those students have expressed that regardless of price changes, sustainability remains important to them. "This is a reminder to a lot of brands and retailers," Lu said. Mitigating the cost of production with cheaper textiles, Lu said, "may not be a good strategy." Rotem and Langenfeld said thrifting offers parents and kids an opportunity to shop high-quality items and aspirational brands at an affordable price. Nearly all of Meyers' kids' clothes are thrifted, she said. But she's confident no one would ever know that by looking at her kids' style. 'They have nice, name-brand clothes,' Meyers said. When her kids were younger, Meyers said, she often shopped at Once Upon A Child. Now she shops for clothes at Savers, The Salvation Army, Goodwill and local community thrift stores. She gets her kids' sports equipment from Play It Again Sports. Rotem and Langenfeld said they have empathy for parents trying to make ends meet with rising costs. These aren't items families can do without, Langenfeld said. She doesn't want to see parents priced out of items their children need, and she doesn't want to see them "roll the dice" with safety on free or too-good-to-be-true deals they find on social media. "Parents need to buy a stroller, they need to buy a bassinet, they need to buy a high chair," she said. Want to thrift but not sure where to start? Here are some tips from a seasoned secondhand shopper Meyers prefers to shop in person and doesn't typically use online resale sites like ThredUp and GoodBuy. She doesn't go on Facebook Marketplace, either. "I find the better deals in person," she said. Meyers offers the following tips to first-time thrifters: The best deals for furniture and household items are at estate sales, Meyers said. She suggests going on the last day of the sale. Keep a running list on your phone of items you want or need, and shop consistently. Meyers said she reviews her list before she goes into a thrift store so she can stay focused on the things she's after, and accepts that she likely won't find everything on the list in one outing. Buy a size up for children's more expensive items, like winter gear. Those clothes might be a little big, but kids will grow into them. Make sure to donate nice, quality items to the stores you shop at. "If you want the thrift gods to give to you, you have to give to the thrift gods," Meyers said. Plus, sometimes you get a coupon if you donate. Madeline Mitchell's role covering women and the caregiving economy at USA TODAY is funded by a grant from Pivotal Ventures. Pivotal Ventures does not provide editorial input. Reach Madeline at memitchell@ and @maddiemitch_ on X.
