Car Seat and Umbrella Stroller

I know this response is late, but I wanted to also vote for Britax and Maclaren. We have the Roundabout and it's so easy to use and move from car to car. We have the Maclaren Quest, and I think that the newer models are even better - the sunshade is more substantial, etc. The stroller is so light, I can take it out of the trunk and set it up with one hand.

Good luck!

I love the Britax seats. I have two and have used them for all three kids now. They are easy to use and easy to install. And they are highly rated. They were worth the extra few dollars.

Britiax Marathon car seat and Maclaren Triumph umbrella stroller. Both are on the more expensive side, which of course was never our intention, but after doing the comparisons they won out, and we do not have a single complaint about either.

I have a Costco Alpha Omega and it was a little cheaper than the Britax and had no recalls on it. We've been very happy with it. The Maclaren Triumph is great. I bought mine used on craigs list so I saved about $100 dollars that way.

I have the Britax Marathon, my husband wanted one for his car so we checked out Consumer Reports and the Evenflo Triumph got the same rating and it's on sale now at Babies R Us for $109! The Britax was $289!!!!!

Britax... we went with Marathon

Sorry - not familiar too much with umbrella strollers. I purchased the cheapo ones from Babies R Us - not so good, too short.

We have the Britax Boulevard with the side impact. It's great and my son looks like he's in a lazy boy when he sits in it. We have gone on several road trips and they have gone well. The Marathon is also a great choice. You can't go wrong with Britax in my opinon.
Check out albeebaby.com. They have discounted prices on last years models sometimes, plus you don't pay tax of shipping!

I agree with so many of the others that Britax is worth every cent you pay. For a stroller, I LOVE my Maclaren Volo.

we have the evenflo triumph and the eddie bauer deluxe booster by cosco and I LOVE the evenflo WAY more. It is so much easier to buckle than the cosco. But both are fine in comfort and safety for my boys. As for strollers I've bought 6 (including a double) and only had 2 kids - if I could do it again I would have bought the Combi Torino DX Stroller or Peg Perego Pliko 3 off the bat - has all the perks of the Graco "full size" strollers but folds like an umbrella.

I really really like our Maclaren Triumph umbrella stroller. I can throw it on my shoulder and carry it around anywhere, it maneuvers great, the basket is a good size, it's sturdy - it's great. Plus it's really light - 12 lbs, I believe. I've used it since my daughter was 7 mos and now she's 2 1/2 and it is still great.

We also got the Britax Roundabout when my daughter was 7 mos and she's just now approaching the height limit (the weight limit is 33 lbs). It's fine since she needs a new seat and we're having a new baby who will use this one in about 6 mos. However, in retrospect I would have gotten the Britax Marathon because it has higher weight and height limits. Or I would have looked into the SafeGuard Child Seat, which is highly impressive though VERY expensive. Still, that's a seat that would last until your child's ready to be out of a 5-pt harness, so I'd think worth the investment.

Britax Roundabout. We've tried others, but none can compare to Britax. Worth every cent!

Amelia-- you posted that the weight limit for the Roundabout is 33 lbs. It's 33 lbs when rear facing, it's 40 lbs forward facing.

Personally I think that the Britax are over priced. Ourselves and several friends all have the Evenflo Triumph car seat. My girlfriend just started using (rear facing)it for her 9 month old that is 23 pounds and too big for the infant carrier. I also still use it for my 2.5 yr old daughter (forward facing) She will be able to use it until she is 40 lbs. Right now she is about 33...so we have several months left. They are resonably priced (starting at like $119.00) and easy to use!
As far as umbrella strollers we like the Jeep all weather one.

We've been thrilled with the Maclaren Volo for an umbrella stroller for our 8 month old. It's 8 pounds, really easy to fold and unfold with one hand, has a strap so you can carry it easily. We dragged it to Japan with us and it was great. Now it lives in our car and I use it more than my nicer but heavier stroller.

My daughter just outgrew her car seat as well. We purchased the Britax Roundabout yesterday based on the high ratings from the Baby Bargains book. It's expensive but I figure we're going to use it every day so it'll hopefully be worth it.

Britax car seats are the best!!!
Britax are one of the very few seats that will allow you to tether them rear facing, which is a bonus.
My DD also outgrew her infant seat at 7 months.
I went with the Decathlon because it will last longer than the Roundabout (which only goes to 40 lbs), and also because it has an adjustable crotch strap. The Marathon was very nice and has the same height/weight limits as the Decathlon, but the crotch buckle seemed a bit close to the back of the seat. I was thinking once DD grew more she may end up sitting on the buckle of the Marathon.
I know a few people who have the Alpha Omega, but you have to be VERY careful snapping them in because the design of the crotch buckle really seems to like to pinch baby's thighs.
I do not own an umbrella stroller, but everyone I know recommends the Maclaren Volo.

For umbrulla strollers I like the MacClaren strollers. Babies R us has them & worth every penny. Car seats just shop around to see what fits to your vehicle & personal peference. Convertible seat & booster seat is a good pick. I was told from our police department that you do not need to spend a-lot for a good quality car seat. Good luck.

We made the switch with my daughter when she was about the same age. We switched her to the Britax Decathalon carseat... it is big but we love it!! As for a stroller, we got the Maclaren (about $200). I LOVE IT!!!!! Good luck!

I second the Evenflo Triumph. It is reasonably priced, and it ranks the SAME as the Britax for safety by Consumer Reports. (It is their best buy.) We started using it around 10 months. We've been very happy with it (especially once we got to turn it around). It is like an overstuffed recliner in the backseat.

I'm not sure what you mean by umbrella stroller. I consider those to be the $20 Kolcraft models you can get anywhere. As far as a car seat goes, I'm on my third child and wouldn't use anything but Britax. We've had a Roundabout, and currently are using a Marathon for my 2 year old and my 8 month old just went into the new Boulevard. I've never been anything but happy with them. I feel they install easily and are the safest thing out there. Unfortunately they are expensive, but luckily you will get many years out of this car seat. Good luck.

I would recommend the Evenflo Triumph as well. It is ranked 2nd by consumer reports. I would recommend the Chicco for a light weight (if you aren't too tall, I'm 5'3).

Chicco
http://www.chiccousa.com/product.php?productid=200&ca...

My husband and I both love our Maclaren Volo stroller. It is very lightweight and it steers really well. It is a little more expensive than some other umbrella strollers, but I think it is well worth the money given the ease of use.

Also, we have the Britax Boulevard. We chose it over the other models because it has side impact protection. In general, I think it is a great seat. But, it has a very easy-to-use lever for adjusting the straps and my child (15 mos old) has figured out how to loosen her straps. I think that the new models are better because Britax has sewn the material that covers the lever in a way that makes it tougher for the child to loosen the straps. I think that the models with the push button strap adjusters (rather than the lever) are much harder for the child to figure out. Just food for thought....

Here are the ones I have, and LOVE them!!!

http://www.kohls.com/products/product_page_vanilla0.jsp?P...

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=230485...