What is better to purchase - a travel system, or a separate car seat and stroller?

This is our first baby, but we plan on having more in the next few years. I'm trying to decide whether I should by a travel system or just buy a separate car seat and a lighter-weight stroller. What are the pros and cons?What is better to purchase - a travel system, or a separate car seat and stroller?I have to disagree with most on the answeres..sorry guys. I registered for the travel system and loved it , but it didn't last long. The stroller is very bulky and didn't fit in my trunk (mid-size sedan) , the carseat is also very small. My daughter is 3 1/2 months and barely fits in the infant carrier anymore. I went to Babies r' us the other day to look for a new stroller that folds up more compact and spoke to 3 different mothers and they all agreed. Yesterday I went and bought the Peg Perego stroller which is good from infancy through toddler , and I switched to a convertible carseat , also good until around 4 years of age.



The pros of a travel system are that is it way more convenient to transport the baby in and out of the car while still in the carseat.



The con is that once your baby hits around 15 lbs. the carrier can get very heavy to carry around. Also the strollers tend to be a little bulkier.



The pros of buying separate is that the carseat will last for years , and you have a wider variety of stroller to pick from , lightweight and compact , or a more expensive trendy one.



The cons of buying separate are that you have to physically take the baby in and out of the carseat , which can get annoying if you have a light sleeper.



Good Luck!



buybuybaby.com has a great selection of strollers!What is better to purchase - a travel system, or a separate car seat and stroller?
I'd definitely go for the travel system. We had one and it was the greatest thing ever invented! your little one will sleep alot, especially in the car. When you have a day when there's alot of errands to run, it's great to just take the child out of the car without disturbing his sleep, click the carseat in the stroller and off you go. They were a lifesaver with our busy lifestyles!What is better to purchase - a travel system, or a separate car seat and stroller?We used the travel system with both of ours,and loved it!It's much more convenient,although takes up more space,like in the trunk of your car,but while they're still in an infant carrier,it's much nicer for them to be facing you while you're strolling along.When your baby gets bigger,you can always buy a light-weight stroller for very little money later!Congrats on the new baby!God bless!
I think it totally depends upon 2 things:

1) the size of your newborn

2) you!

The convenience of the carrier snapping into the stroller can be nice, but I wouldn't actually use it all that much. I can not stand seeing babies constantly buckled into some contraption all the time. They're meant to be held, LOL! I think the carrier has its purpose, but I much prefer to use a sling. It leaves your hands free, for one thing. Have you ever tried lugging around one of those carriers with a 3 month old baby in it? UGH! You can also nurse discretely in a sling and STILL have your hands free if necessary. Lets your baby be close to you, keeps them happy. People like carriers b/c they attach to shopping carts. What they don't tell you is that most of them don't attach securely to shopping carts. There's been numerous incidences of carriers falling off the cart and minorly injuring baby. Using it in a restaurant? Not always enough room, and lots of babies won't stay in it happily anyways, they will however happily stay in a sling.



Also, from a money standpoint - the travel systems can be pretty pricey, and the car seat portion can usually only be used till baby is 5-7 months old, when he gets too heavy/tall for it. And then you're off to buy a car seat. Again. A convertible car seat will last a lot longer, especially if you get one with higher weight/height limits, like Britax. A Britax Marathon can likely last a baby through at least age 5!!! Or a Roundabout (cheaper) can last till at least age 4. The seats seem expensive but when you figure they last twice as long as the other seats, its not so expensive anymore.



In the end you really have to decide what features are most important to you - but since you asked for opinions, there's mine!What is better to purchase - a travel system, or a separate car seat and stroller?we used the travel system. it a lot easier when they are little to just leave them in the car seat and pop it on the stroller. the stroller is really light by itself.What is better to purchase - a travel system, or a separate car seat and stroller?
My husband and I are choosing the stroller/car seat combo, and then a car seat/booster combo as the child gets older. We will also purchase an umbrella stroller for quick trips.



We felt that the benefit of being able to remove the child from the car without disturbing them was huge for us.
With the travel system the car seat can hook right into the stroller properly, where if you buy a smaller stroller it won't do that, also if you end up with a different brand car seat than stroller it won't work right either.

i am thinking that is pretty much the difference.What is better to purchase - a travel system, or a separate car seat and stroller?
TRAVEL SYSTEM!!! We used ours for almost a full year before having to purchase a standard car seat. It was cheaper to buy the system than to get the pieces separately. That being said, you have more choices if you buy each piece separately. We still use our stroller for walks, shopping trips, etc. Now that our kiddo is older, however, we're looking into a lightweight umbrella stroller for travel.
I think the travel system is a great deal. I got one with my first daughter and it was the best. You can just snap the car seat in the stroller and go. I had my second daughter and I purchase a double stroller of the same brand, and it also takes the car seat. The prints are different but they are in the same light sage green family so they compliment each other. The girls are two years apart and the oldest still loves to be in a stroller so I got the double stroller instead of just using the single one. I think that the lighter weight strollers are much better suited for older kids because they all don't recline like the heavier duty ones do. Just keep the first stroller in as best condition as you can so that maybe you can sell it to a second hand store and make some money back from it.



Congrats on your new baby!



p.s. you can buy another car seat base separately for your second car if you have one so you do not need to purchase a second car seat. You can just snap and go! Graco is a great brand for everything your baby will need.
Absolutly a travel system. They are so much nicer to have. When its cold outside and you have a tiny little baby, you just take the whole car seat out and place it right on the stroller. I love having a travel system and i wouldnt do it any other way :) Trust me LOL



Mom of 4 boys and 35 weeks 5 days with boy 5!!