I'm going to write the review I wish someone would have written for me when I first set out to buy strollers. In short, you're going to need three strollers. Get ready to invest $500 in strollers, and call it good to go. Any less, and you'll get what you pay for. Or worse yet, try a bunch of mid-priced strollers, and still not end up with what works.
The first stroller you'll need is an infant seat carrier that is incredibly lightweight and easy to fold apart and back together. I can't imagine what I would have done without my Baby Trend Snap-N-Go EX Universal Infant Car Seat Carrier. When they are tiny, you're going to spend all sorts of time lugging that infant carrier around. You literally need something that basically falls right open to toss that heavy seat in and run errands. I used this thing constantly, and it was well worth the investment.
I tried other similar infant carrier holder/carseat combinations such as the Graco Modes 3 Lite DLX Stroller, Includes Reversible Seat, Pierce and Evenflo Urbini Reversi Lightweight Stroller, but they both turned out to be a huge waste of money. The Graco reversible only works with their propriety travel system car seat, and the wheels are still plastic! No matter how tempting it may seem, don't settle for a regular sized plastic wheeled stroller no matter how many gadgets it might have.
The Evenflo was also great in theory, but a waste of money. Being able to interchange the carseat, and flip the baby forward and backward just does not matter all that much at all. Instead, you REALLY just need a very lightweight and portable universal infant carrier. That's all I used for the first six months of my daughter's life, because she was so little.
The next stroller you are going to need is a good jogging stroller. I love my JOOVY Zoom 360 Ultralight. In theory, you can get a carseat adapter for it. It has big wheels for walking off the postpartum weight, but it is still pretty compact and lightweight. I would get the Joovy Zoom 360 Ultralight Jogging Stroller, Large Canopy, Lightweight Jogger, Extra Large Air Filled Tires instead of the original ZOOM for sure. It is absolutely worth it to get the rain cover and the bigger canopy. There is nothing worse than going on a walk with the sun in your child's eyes most of the time.
That said, you're still going to need something more compact than your jogging stroller. Don't fall for the trick of getting a regular sized stroller instead. That's a huge waste of money. You already have your jogging stroller, and an infant seat carrier. When they are less than six months old, those two should do the trick. Once they get a little older, you'll need to replace that infant seat carrier with an umbrella stroller.
I tried the Cosco Umbrella Stroller with Canopy stroller. Another giant waste of money. I took it through airport security, and my daughter literally fell out of it onto the ground! I left it at my destination, and opted to carry her back through security the other way. Every parent thinks they need a 'regular' stroller, but what you actually need a shopping/airport/errand running stroller for your trunk. The jogging stroller can live in your garage for when you want to get your walk/run in. This second stroller needs to live in your car where you used to keep your infant carrier. It needs to have a five point harness, but it also needs a great canopy. That's my biggest complaint about the Zoom Ultralight 360: the canopy is worthless. It makes a huge difference. You also need it to be super compact. A stroller that is for the purpose of lugging around your baby needs to be small. Trust me, you'll pay all sorts of money for a 'regular' stroller, and it will sit there in your garage unused. Either you will use your jogging stroller to power walk/run, or you'll need something for on the run. That's really it.
I HIGHLY recommend Joovy Kooper Stroller, Lightweight Stroller, Compact Fold with Tray. It is the quintessential alternative to a 'regular' stroller. It fits in my subcompact Scion XD no problem, and I just push the button to unfold it in an instant. It folds right back up no problem. The trifold takes up less space than a cheap umbrella stroller. It glides through tiny aisles. There is nothing worse than trying to push a GIANT stroller in any store. This is the solution. It is way more than an umbrella stroller, but way more helpful than a 'normal' stroller. You don't need your stroller to make your baby recline, or turn around. You just need a place for a snack, a cup, a water bottle, and some shopping items below the cart. The wheels are big enough, and even though they are plastic, they are only going to be for running in and out of stores. You'll use your jogging stroller for gravel, cement, rough roads, etc. This just needs to get you in and out of the coffee shop without needing someone to help you hold the door.
And there you have it! This is the review I wish someone had written for me specifically when I set out on this incredibly expensive journey of finding a perfect stroller!
Rachel Jumper
Amanda Brees
Morgan