A travel system—an infant car seat, base, and a compatible stroller—allows you to go from vehicle to the sidewalk, so you don’t have to wake up your sleeping baby (or needlessly annoy an awake one). The infant car seat attaches directly to the stroller without the need to purchase additional accessories (though in many cases, an attachment is necessary).
The best car seat stroller combos are cost-effective bundles for parents to buy—or, because they’re useful from day one, they’re often a good big-ticket item to add to a baby registry. It’s a worthy investment, too, because once your child outgrows their infant car seat, you can often continue using the stroller for their toddler years or pass the entire system down to a younger sibling.
“The benefit of having the combo systems is that you can transition the car seat from the vehicle very easily,” notes Petra Stanton, a car safety seat installer and trainer at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in Florida. Car seat and stroller combos should be user-friendly for all caregivers, offering simple attachment and detachment in the car and stroller with solid lock-in mechanisms. Our top picks fit the bill.
UPPAbaby Cruz V2 + Mesa V2 Infant Travel System
Why We Like It
In terms of ease of use, the Uppababy Cruz V2 and Mesa V2 travel system is hard to beat. The stroller arrived nearly assembled—all we had to do was pop on the wheels. The sleek, full-grain leather handlebar and seatback are adjustable to accommodate both kids and parents. The large cargo area easily holds a medium-sized diaper bag. The toddler seat has a high weight capacity, so the stroller grows with your child, plus you can add a rider board to the stroller for siblings.
Maneuverability: The stroller is lightweight and easy to push on all terrains. Going up steps was tricky due to the large tires, but the stroller was light enough to be picked up and carried. The stroller folds in half for easier portability.
Car Seat Installation: Attaching the car seat to the base or stroller is simple. It makes a loud clicking sound, so you know when it’s locked in correctly. A level indicator on the base turns green when it’s leveled correctly. The seat removes with the push of a button. The no-rethread harness adjusts seamlessly, and there are storage pockets for the buckles.
Britax Grove Modular Stroller
According to one of our testers, everything about the Britax Willow Grove travel system felt “easy breezy.” It’s almost effortless to use, featuring a less-than-10-minute installation, a one-handed fold, and comfort touches like a lumbar cushion. It’s super easy to fold. The cargo area is huge and can easily fit two full diaper bags.
Maneuverability: Despite its medium size, testing found it handles turns more like a compact stroller. Its generously sized wheels are large enough to take bumps in stride, even without suspension, and the stroller handled turf and concrete like a pro. The stroller felt light, solid, and high-quality while pushing with the car seat in place.
Car seat installation: Britax’s ClickTight installation technology is the easiest of all the car seat bases. You install it by threading the seatbelt through the base compartment (which conveniently opens), buckling it, and then snapping it closed. All Britax infant seats work with a simple click-in and latch-out method.
But Take Note
This stroller has a brake on each back wheel, but no color indicators to show which is engaged. You have to press both brakes to keep the stroller entirely in place. If you press one, the stroller won’t roll away from you, but it will turn.
Graco Outpace LX Travel System
Travel systems are often bulky and difficult to maneuver, but not the Graco Outpace LX. We were surprised by how well it handled bumps and different terrains during testing, resulting in a smooth ride. We suspect this is because of the brand’s “ComfiTech” suspension system, which is essentially a wavy bar beneath the seat that absorbs shocks. The rubber tires also help absorb bumps and provide cushioning as the stroller transitions from one surface to another. We were equally impressed by this travel system’s low price.
Maneuverability: If you’re tight on space or live in a densely populated area, you’ll appreciate how well this stroller handles. “It made pretty tight turns, considering that it’s a standard size, and was super easy to push through gravel, carpet, and turf,” says our tester.
Car Seat Installation: We found it really easy to pop the car seat in and out of the base. Simply recline the stroller and remove the snack tray, then the car seat will attach seamlessly to the bumper bar. It detaches from the base with the press of a button.
But Take Note
This stroller was a bit difficult to assemble, taking over 25 minutes. Even after reading the manual, the setup wasn’t intuitive. The cupholder wasn’t deep enough to comfortably fit a taller water bottle. This could be an issue if you’ve got a Stanley, Hydrojug, or are a caffeine queen.
