Lightweight Travel System Strollers

Review by Nwest 23 : Great for the price

As many parents, I took a long time to read reviews and decide on the right stroller. I chose this one mainly because it was not too expensive yet not too cheap in terms of durability. If you want durability at an affordable price, this is the set for you. I have used this thing nearly every day (my baby is now 5 months old) on streets that are less than stroller friendly and it is in great shape. It provides a smooth ride for baby and I feel that she's safe in there with the straps. The car seat is sturdy and again I feel that baby is safe. I gave this travel system a four and not five for a couple of reasons. One: it is heavy. Although it is lighter than Graco, it is still heavy. Two: as one parent said, great for tall parents. Well, I'm short, 5'2" and the stroller is difficult to collapse at first, at least until you get used to it. The handle bar adjusts, so I don't find the use difficult for my size. Third: The stroller, although easy to collapse, is still big and does not fit in all trunks. Finally: When the car seat is locked into the stroller, you have to have the seat all the way down in order for the car seat to fit. This makes absolutely no room to fit a bag easily underneath. The opening could be made at least 2" inches wider. Other than these items, I am happy with the purchase and would not have bought another system.

Review by James Williams "Captain Jim" : Love the carseat, wish I hadn't bought the travel system (stroller)

As a first-time parent (my child is now a toddler), I did hours and hours of research and visited Babies-R-Us several times before deciding on this travel system. If I had things to all do over again, I would purchase the car seat by itself and forget about the stroller. I found that there was not too much difference between car seat weights from when comparing one good brand to another, so the fact that this car seat is a little bit on the heavy side did not bother me (a 20 pound child in an infant seat is going to be heavy no matter the weight of the carseat!!). I really like how substantial the infant seat base is and the ease at which it can be installed. I won't go into details about all the specs/bells and whistles because you probably have a good idea of those features if you are doing extensive research as I did. The stroller is fine for what it is made to do (be a full-size stroller) and the features are what you need and expect. HOWEVER, I found that hauling around the stroller (I even have a large SUV) was tedious and the bulk/size of the stroller makes it impractical for frequent use or for travel. After speaking with several moms of toddlers, I recently purchased a Maclaren Quest, which I LOVE. The Quest is in a totally different class of strollers than the Chicco Cortina stroller, so comparisons are not really fair. Personally, after having a baby, I founded that I wanted a smaller, much more compact stroller that was more practial for daily use, airports, travel, etc.; the Quest has storage, is lightweight, folds very compactly, and reclines to almost flat, but obviously you can't just clip your baby's carseat into it. The Quest was expensive, but I didn't want to cheap out and then end up buying yet another stroller and keep adding to the collection. Maclaren does make at least one model of stroller that can be used from a newborn up (although I don't know that you can clip an infant seat into it). The Cortina does have some practical uses for a very young baby, but again, if I had it to all do over again, I would wait to purchase a stroller until I had a better idea of my needs and expectations. I don't know if a good option for strolling a newborn who is in his infant seat would be a frame that the carseat could clip into---I have several friends who have used that option. I encourage you to talk to other moms whose babies are at least 6-9 months old and also of moms who have toddlers and see what their thoughts are of their strollers.

Review by Caitlin Kendall : That's right, it DOESN'T FIT ON THE CART

There's a very good reason this car seat, rated the SAFEST by Consumer Reports, doesn't fit on a grocery cart - it isn't supposed to. Car seats were never intended to fit on grocery carts and are extremely dangerous if used in this fashion. Many of you will be saying "Hey, nothing ever happened to my baby when I did it with such and such car seat!" But how many of you make your kids wear their seat belts even though you've never been in an accident? It's just common sense. If you are having trouble with too many kids/no room/whatever at the grocery store, figure out another way to handle it. Invest in a sling or front carrier for your baby, or use one of the store-supplied carts that have infant seats (just cover it with a blanket of your own, of course), but don't use a car seat for something for which it was never intended to be used. Babies have actually died from blunt force trauma due to being in car seats placed on grocery carts that overturned. Regardless of whether your seat fits ever so nicely on the cart seat area, just don't do it!

Review by J. Stover "ShopDiva" : Great for a taller parent

After spending a lot of time testing strollers in store, this one was absolutely my choice. My husband and I are both very tall and this is so comfortable to push around relative to height. I was actually delighted by how light the car seat/carrier was, and I thought the fold up was a breeze compared to some of the bulky Gracos we tested. Positioning the seat for forward facing use (without the carrier) was also very easy. The car base is extremely secure and clicks into place so you can tell its in there properly. Frankly when it comes to ease of use I can't imagine anything else better than the Cortina system. I have read some places that the carrier does not fit in shopping carts. That does not bother me, we use the baby carrier or sling when shopping or just take the stroller in and put items underneath in the storage compartment. As a first time mom I am very impressed with this item and consider it a great value for the price.

Review by Grace W "Grace" : Nice stroller and travel system!

We love this stroller and travel system- we feel like we're driving the limo of strollers! We've had it for a little over 2 years now, and are now using it with our 2nd baby. I would have given it 5 stars, but there are a couple minor issues which anyone buying the system should know about: Pros: -The best feature about this stroller is the adjustable handlebar. It works for both short and tall people. My hubby is 6'5" and I'm 5'8" and it works perfect for both of us. I've also let friends push it who are shorter than me, and they have had no problems either. -The shade factor. I love the fact that I can adjust the stroller shade and the carseat shade, so that way the baby is covered COMPLETELY when she or he is sleeping. It is wonderful to not worry about sunburns on those sunny days. -Comfy for kids- I can't count the number of times my kids have fallen asleep in this system. The carseat is supportive with just the right amount of cushion. The stroller reclines all the way back to let kids sleep. Both my kids love to ride in this stroller. -The shocks on this stroller rock! When going on walks, I can go up or down a curb or over large bumps, and the baby will hardly even notice. -Love the removable tray for snacks. It is so nice to just be able to pull out the top of it and wash it off really quick -Good storage space underneath- just right for a medium sized diaper bag plus some other stuff too. Also good small storage by handlebars for keys/ cell phone/ water bottle. -The car seat is easy to use and adjust, and the carseat base is easy to use too. Cons: -The stroller seat does not adjust to straight up-- meaning its highest setting is still too reclined for an older child. So when my toddler wants to have a better look around, she has to strain against the straps to see. We have to unbuckle the straps just so that she can sit comfortably and look around -We live in a place where it's very hot in the summer, and I've noticed with my 1st baby, that she sweats A LOT in the places that come in contact with the car seat fabric. Not a huge deal and it may be just our kid, but still something to be aware of. -Bulky.(This is usually the case with any travel system you may find) When this stroller is folded up, it takes up the majority of my Toyota corolla trunk.... Because of this fact, we mainly use it for walks around the house and are unable to take it on trips when we need to pack any luggage. However, if you have a car/vehicle with more storage, then it's probably not an issue for you. Overall, it's a great system and I would recommend it to anyone!!!

Review by PuppyLove : Meets All Our Needs + Stylish and Very User-Friendly

My husband & I had the hardest time picking a stroller/car seat combo. This was our first baby, so we had no idea what qualities would be important to us. Safety is obvious, and price was of course a factor, but what else? Lightweight? Easy to set up & take down? Comfort for us & baby? Which mattered more & which "cons" should we give the most credence to? We went to many stores & tried out every model, then we'd come home and read the Amazon reviews, and the ones we liked would have negative comments that would make us doubt our decision, so we'd start the search all over again. It seemed like no one liked their stroller/car seat. I'm sure some of you out there are having the same trouble, so for those of you hung up like I was on the negative comments, I would like to give you a different perspective on some of the other reviews. Just because there is a "con" doesn't mean it's a dealbreaker - these things are livable! There is no perfect item out there - the Chicco is as close to perfect as we felt we could get - we love it, and we'd buy it again. THE BIG PICTURE: 1. This is a GREAT stroller for the price range. It is not the cheapest, but not nearly the most expensive. We bought a Graco first and didn't like it - the carseat on this locks so much easier into the base and the stroller, and it also feels much sturdier, smoother, and better put together than the Graco. 2. It rides great - inside & outside. It steers easily, it's smooth, and the handle feels comfy. 3. It is easy to clean, and the fabric choices are stylish. 4. The stroller is very simple to unfold & fold, and the carseat could not be any easier to lock in place. 5. It is comfortable for the baby. She falls asleep & stays asleep in it often. NOW, TO ADDRESS SOME SUPPOSED DRAWBACKS: 1. Yes, the fabric is warm, (some of the styles of Chicco even seem hotter than others, go see them in person first), but so are pretty much all carseat fabrics (and swing and high chair fabrics). It makes them easy to clean). We bought the "Cubes" and are happy with that fabric and pattern. It is summer in Texas and the baby sweats a bit on her back. It doesn't seem to bother her at all. 2. We have not had any trouble with the straps being too tight or too loose, brakes not working, or wheels squeaking. Our baby has been in the 75-90th percentile for height & weight since 2 months, and no trouble fitting. And I can't imagine how anyone could have trouble locking in the carseat unless it was broken. We literally tried every model at Babies R Us and Buy Buy Baby, and this was the easiest one to lock in. 3. Yes, it is heavier than some models. The seat feels heavier than the stroller. I consider myself a full-fledged wimp, and I could handle either. I use a carrier of some type instead of toting the seat by itself when possible. Not a big deal. 4. When using the seat with the stroller, unless you have a very narrow diaper bag, it will be hard to get it under the seat, and you won't be able to fit some shopping items under there. Again, not a big deal - use a mommy hook or carry the bag on your shoulder. You don't need tons of heavy stuff in your bag when the babies are that young. We always used a hand basket for shopping - it is easy enough to maneuver the stroller with one hand, and we never felt comfortable putting shopping items under the stroller. It felt like people were always watching us thinking we were shoplifting. (Sometimes they specifically checked for that). 5. The adult beverage holder is too shallow. If you hit a bump, your drink will probably spill. However, if you are at the mall, etc., not many bumps there, and if you are outside, you can attach a water bottle to a mommy hook. Disclaimer: We have owned this for 5 months now, it is holding up perfectly so far. We live in the suburbs, so we use this for shopping, but we also take it on a pretty rough sidewalk about 1/2 to 1 mile every day. We also have large vehicles, so no trouble fitting the stroller. Another caveat, either one of us does the grocery shopping while the other keeps the baby, or we both go & one pushes the cart and the other pushes the stroller, so if you have to do lots of shopping alone & with baby, there may be a better product for you since the carseat does take up most of a shopping buggy & the basket is difficult to access.

Review by a.f. : GREAT TRAVEL SYSTEM!!

My cousins bought this travel system for me for my first baby. It's so easy to use. The stroller was light and easy to maneuver. Of course you have to read the manual to know how to operate it, but once you know how, you can fold and unfold it with one hand. The lady who said her 2 month old baby didn't fit in it probably didn't read the manual to know that you have to take out the extra padding so that her baby can fit nicely. I was sad when my daughter got to big for it and I had to get a forward facing carseat already. I'd recommend this travel system to EVERYBODY!!

Review by Brady'sMommy : Absolutely love this thing

First, since I'm only rating the stroller and not the entire system, I can't give it 5 stars. The stroller deserves 5 stars though. Our infant was too big for the car seat when we bought it so we haven't had a chance to use it yet. We bought this system because we wanted the stroller but since it didn't come without the car seat we just gave in and bought the whole thing and decided to sell our old seat. Anyway, the stroller is amazing. It had all the amenities we were looking for. We did not want a large stroller or a small umbrella stroller so we were looking for a mid-size. My husband is 6 ft tall and I am 5'5" so the adjustable handle is perfect for both of us. My son is tall and big and is 9 months old. He is off the charts for height and is in the 95th percentile for weight and he fits in the seat fine. IDK why another parent said his/her child didn't fit in it. I'd personally love to see that myself. This is our third purchased stroller, 6th if you count the ones we have borrowed. It rides smoother than the others we have used. It turns easier, rides higher, has more adjustments and amenities than any others. I wish we had bought this instead of the other two strollers we have gone through but hey, live and learn right? The front wheels are lockable so they do not rotate. Awesome feature. There are many times I rock the stroller back and forth to comfort the baby while eating out or while in a long line at the store. When the wheels rotate on the other strollers while doing this, it frustrates me to no end! I love this locking feature. The material is the same material as our high chair (Chicco Polly Highchair - Adventure). The material gets spots very easily but they also come out easily. Just throw it in a cold wash without soap, high water level, hang dry and you are set.

Review by D. Smith : Simply Awesome!

Positives: The car seat installed extremely easily. So much easier than the other seat we bought for our older son. The car seat latches in and comes out very easily. The car seat latches into the stroller and comes out very easily. The stroller also works great for our 2 year old as well when necessary. The stroller handles amazingly well. It is extremely easy to maneuver with just one hand and works better than any other stroller I've ever come across. Negatives: The car seat latch straps were ALMOST too short to fit into the SUV. However, they did fit. The Stroller is a little bulky when folded up, but that is to be expected with any travel system. Overall, this system is great. It works very well and looks great and without any hesitation I would strongly recommend it to others.

Review by Ann M. Pope "annie1777" : Awesome travel system!

First, I bought this system in the Discovery design...which is basically the same as the others, just a differnt fabric. This is by far the best travel system on the market. I was about to buy a Graco travel system, when my eldest daughter spotted this. Although quite a bit pricier than the Graco or Evenflo systems, I feel much more comfortable having my baby in this carseat. I love the level in the base that shows you it is installed correctly for baby's positioning. One of my favorite features is that it can be fitted for a bench seat (such as a minivan's) or a bucket seat (such as a Mustang!) by adjusting the base vertically...I've never seen that feature on any other carseat! I also love the little insert in the carseat that just sort of hugs my son when he's in it. The shoulder straps are comfortable and the strap easily pulls and tightens to make sure your baby is snugly fit. My only negative comment would be that when the stroller is reclined all the way with the car seat in the stroller, it is very difficult to get a diaper bag in and out of the basket w/o taking out the carseat first. That gets kind of annoying. The stroller sets up easy and closes with ease. I wish it had bigger cup holders for drinks, but overall, I am more than pleased and would highly recommend to everyone!