Hi lovelies and happy Wednesday! I feel like I’m really cranking out the baby / pregnancy content right now between today’s post, my hospital bag post, my nursing bras post and my favorite products for pregnancy-safe skincare but I would rather crank it out now then go back to it when I have a whole new set of information on my mind to share. I kind of love that it’s all here for whenever you’re in this season and I won’t have to wrack my mind to remember it later. But, I realize it’s a lot for those of you who have been here for years and aren’t in this season of life. I promise things will normalize as I get back to my old body / old self [just a renewed & different version, I’m sure hah] so thank you all for bearing with me while I get this baby content out of my system!
So, today is all about strollers! This is a hot topic among moms and if I’ve learned anything in the last six months or so it’s there are about a million and seven different options! Like, wow. It still blows my mind. My biggest takeaway was just how GREAT many of the options you have in front of you are. What is going to help you the most is taking your individual situation / needs into consideration before making a decision about which one to buy. Don’t go off of what everyone else is buying and / or recommends. Everyone is going to have different circumstances that make a particular option right for them, so just know that while I hope this information is helpful, it’s also unique to where we live, the car we have, how much we want to travel, etc. Like most of my pregnancy content, there’s quite a bit of information here and I hope me sharing my perspective and what I learned about strollers is helpful in some small way if you also find yourself in this season of life!
Things We Had to Consider When Choosing Our Stroller
Being that we live in a city, drive a smaller vehicle, and generally don’t have a ton of storage space to spare, there were some things that were really important that we had to consider before deciding on a stroller. Here’s what we took into account when choosing:
• Weight of stroller due to potential use on public transport and the need to navigate stairs.
• Width of stroller due to potential use on public transport, navigating smaller buildings / aisles / elevators in the city as well as smaller sidewalks.
• Whether it’d be easy to use for travel.
• How much room it’d take up in the back of our car as well as in the entryway of our house.
• How easy it is to break down for me, especially if I happen to be on my own with baby.
• How well it would handle cobblestone or older streets being that we do want to use this stroller for travel throughout Europe once life allows.
I also only wanted to buy ONE stroller. While I realize this could change in the future, especially after we move and hopefully have a little more space to store things, I really wanted to find one that was a good option as an everyday stroller that worked for city life and also as a travel stroller. Your girl wants to get OUT AND ABOUT this year as soon as it’s safe to do so! 😉
Before sharing the stroller [and carseat] we chose and why, I wanted to dive into the strollers I considered. I received RAVE reviews about all of these strollers from so many moms out there! So, just because a stroller didn’t work for me doesn’t mean I wouldn’t buy it if my life looked a little different or my circumstances were a little different. Alright, here we go!
Strollers We Considered
UPPABABY VISTA V2
This was definitely the most highly recommended of the ones we considered. It’s the “Cadillac of strollers”, it seems, for my gals in the US and I can completely understand why!
What We Loved:
Aside from all of the bells and whistles [you can check out HERE], I loved that it has the conversion potential for up to three kids! Strollers are expensive so I loved that you can add a seat to it when you have a second baby and a little piggyback stand for your toddler. Absolutely genius! The amount of storage space you have underneath the seat was also a tempting feature and so many of you raved about how easy it is to navigate and that it turns like a dream! It is compatible with the car seat we were considering, as well, so I like that it has a travel system option. I also loved how many color options there were to choose from!
What Didn’t Work For Us:
The fact that the Uppababy Vista V2 weighs 30 pounds really turned me off. If I opted for this stroller as an everyday stroller, I knew I’d need to buy a smaller, lighter weight stroller when I wanted to venture into the city which, as I mentioned, was not something I am currently interested in doing. I’ve heard it’s really only easy to navigate public transport with it on the bus and, I love the bus, but it is often the slowest form of public transport in London. We also saw it in person and knew it’d take up our entire trunk space when traveling by car somewhere, leaving us no room for any suitcases or the boys’ fold-up kennels. We will likely get a larger vehicle in the next year or so but, regardless, we just kind of realized that, while this one seems to have so much going for it, there are likely better ones out there for us and what we need / are looking for.
UPPABABY CRUZ
Once I ruled out the Vista V2, I started to look at what the next option down in size would be from the Uppababy brand so I considered the Uppababy Cruz.
What We Loved:
I loved knowing that there was an option that was a more pint-sized version of the Vista V2 with a lot of similar bells and whistles to its big brother / sister. When I looked at the specs, I saw that it wasn’t as wide as the Vista V2 [0.9 feet compared to 2.1 feet] so I knew it might be better on public transport. It comes in all the color options that the Vista V2 does, as well! It seemed to be streamlined and compact without really missing out on anything. Last, but not least, it was compatible with the carseat we were looking at, which meant it also had a travel system option.
What Didn’t Work For Us:
I was so close to pulling the trigger on the Uppababy Cruz because it did really impress me BUT after comparing it to the one we ended up going with, it just didn’t make a lot of sense when putting it against what we needed in a stroller. It’s 5-10 pounds heavier than the Nuna Triv [per their official website pages] and 3 inches wider. The weight was the biggest thing as I really want something that’s going to be easy for me to break down. I couldn’t see myself carrying a baby plus a folded 25.5 pound stroller down stairs, that are often narrow, here in London. I likely won’t put myself in those kinds of situations regardless of what we go with but I always think worst-case scenario.
NUNA MIXX
Back in October, we spent a day at the mall looking at baby things and the Nuna Mixx was actually the stroller that I personally gravitated toward the most. I loved the way it looked and it seemed to have so many things that we were looking for.
What We Loved:
I loved the overall look of it but also that it felt less overwhelming, from a size perspective, next to the Uppababy Vista V2, even though they are comparable in many ways. It had a large under basket for storage, large wheels that ensured a smooth ride, an extendable UPF 50+ canopy for sun protection, and an all-season seat that keeps baby warm in the winter and unsnaps to mesh in the Winter. Honestly, there was so much to love!
What Didn’t Work For Us:
When I started looking at the specifications, I quickly realized it just wasn’t that much different than the Uppababy Vista V2 and, therefore, wasn’t going to be the best fit for us. The frame was only a little bit slimmer than the Vista V2 and weighed only about 5 pounds less, if that [depends on what website you look at]. I’m really independent so if a stroller slows me down or makes it difficult to do certain things that should be easy, I know it will drive my crazy so I tried to be really realistic about letting the more popular styles that were recommended, go.
BABYZEN YOYO
This seems to be the ‘it’ stroller in London, although I do feel like the Bugaboo Bee is also a very popular one I’ve seen quite a bit as well as the Doona. There were a lot of people who raved about this one for travel, as well, so I thought it was definitely worth looking into a little more intently!
What We Loved:
This is actually the slimmest and the lightest option that we considered at 17.5 inches wide and 14 pounds. It also accommodates kids up to 50 pounds, like many of the above options, which is something I thought a lighter stroller might not be able to do. I have also heard it’s extremely easy to break down with one hand and that it, overall, just works well for city life. I also love that the car seat I had already decided on [when I was considering this option] was capable with this stroller, so it’d work well for travel.
What Didn’t Work For Us:
I was so close to going with this option. The fact that quite a few of you city dwellers, particularly in London, reached out and said how much you love it seriously almost convinced me. Ultimately, what deterred us was the wheels. I had quite a few of y’all defend the wheels and say they’re totally fine on uneven sidewalks but, I just thought maybe a stroller with slightly bigger wheels would be better on travels throughout Europe over the next couple of years. But, I may find myself regretting not going with it, so we will just have to wait and see! Ha!
DOONA TRAVEL STROLLER + CARSEAT
Doona is similar to the Uppababy Vista V2 in that EVERYONE is raving about it and thinks it the best thing ever. As I looked into it, I totally get the hype around it and it was a strong contender for quite a large part of the search. It was actually the only other car seat we considered outside of the one we went with.
What We Loved:
The most obvious thing I loved is that it works as your carseat and stroller in one. I mean, from a storage perspective, that is absolutely amazing! It also has simplicity, safety and comfortability are built into its design! From videos I’ve seen on the Doona website, it looks super easy to breakdown and open up. It’s lightweight at only 16.5 pounds and really slim, as well, at 17.3 inches wide. Moreover, I wanted a carseat that doesn’t need a base to safely lock into a seat in a taxi or an Uber as well as a seat on an airplane. So, the Doona ticks that box, as well!
What Didn’t Work For Us:
Ultimately, it was longevity that steered me away from this one. As much as I knew it’d be amazing and was everything I was looking for in many ways, I just didn’t like that after a year — I’d be starting my search for a stroller and a car seat all over again and paying the price for something I could potentially just go ahead and buy now. I just felt like my money would go so much farther if I went ahead and put a little more in to a car seat and a stroller up front than buying this one for $500 then, in a years’ time, buying a stroller I could have already invested in and gotten use out of. Does that make sense?
Stroller and Car Seat We Went With
NUNA PIPA NEXT
I’m going to tackle the carseat we went with first because it ultimately helped guide my stroller decision. So, I decided on the Nuna Pipa but I quickly realized that that style is actually NOT available in the UK. The UK version of the Nuna Pipa is called the Nuna Pipa Next, so that is the one we have and will be using as it is very, very similar.
When it comes to specifications and how long this carseat will be able to be used, it honestly was not a far cry from the Doona but, again, it came down to opting for what is going to give me the least headache down the line. I didn’t want to pay for the Doona then, in a year or so when he reaches 13kg / 28 pounds, have to go through researching car seats and strollers again. He will grow out of the Nuna Pipa Next around the same time [they have the same weight requirements] but at least I only have to find a new car seat when he’s grown out of that because he will be able to use his stroller until he’s 50 pounds / 22.7 kg. I also felt like this was the decision that would save me money, as well. With the Doona, you’re getting a car seat and a stroller in one so I get why the price is a bit justified but, then you’re buying a new stroller and a new car seat when you could continue to just use the stroller they’ve been using since birth and bring down that cost per use of that investment you made. You also have to go through the hassle of rehoming the Doona if you’re not wanting to store it or keep it for your next baby. Again, these are all just what I thought as I was making our decision but you could totally see it differently and that’s okay!
In addition to the above, the biggest reason why I chose the Nuna Pipa was because of its superior Consumer Reports’ Crash Protection Rating [more information here]. The ISOFIX base [sold together with the car seat here and here | sold separately from the Pipa Next in the UK here] has a “load leg”, a steel stability leg that reduces the risk of head injury to baby [in the case of a crash] by 46%. It has side protection panels that provide peace of mind in case of collision. I also love that it’s free of flame retardant chemicals and that it’s slightly lighter than the Uppababy models I quickly looked at and considered. The UK version that we have, the Pipa Next, is actually even lighter than the US version [the Pipa] at 6.2 pounds so that made me SO happy to find out when I was comparing the two. That was one of the only differences outside of some small stylistic differences. [The Pipa is 9 pounds]
Last but not least, this car seat loads into our car on the base, making it super easy, but it also can be safely connected to the seats of taxi’s, Uber’s and airplanes, which was ideal and something we were definitely looking for! I didn’t want to feel limited when in the city with baby on how I need / want to get around. I also know that travel with a baby is a lot more work and much more exhausting than just traveling by yourself or with your partner so, we wanted a travel system that we felt really good about. The weight and specifications of everything really did that for us, so we’re really happy with our choice!
Why not Uppababy or other Nuna models?
Uppababy carseats are generally heavier although, of course, they do have their perks but that’s what turned me off from those. Being that I’m petite, I needed something light and easy for me to handle on my own. The other Nuna models are great and often lighter than the one we went with BUT you can’t travel with them without also bringing your base along with you. If that doesn’t matter to you, take a look at the Nuna Lite Series.
NUNA TRIV
We ended up going with the Nuna Triv and couldn’t be happier about our decision! We took it out for a test drive a couple of weekends ago and it got us even more excited to have baby boy here! It’s so smooth and we know he’s going to be so comfortable riding around in it! Here’s ultimately what drew me to it:
When I was considering the Uppababy Cruz, one step down from the Vista V2, I decided to see what the Nuna equivalent is being that I was really drawn to the Nuna Pipa as a car seat … and that ended up being the Nuna Triv ! While the Cruz was adaptable to the Nuna Pipa car seat that I had decided on, I figured if the Nuna stroller equivalent was lighter or had better features, it would make more sense to just stay within the Nuna family.
They both have some similar features but, it turns out … the Nuna Triv is five-to-ten pounds lighter [19.4 pounds with the seat & only 14.5 with the bassinet compared to 25.5 pounds!] and folds up slimmer than the Uppababy Cruz, giving us more trunk space when traveling by car. I also liked that it can be folded up with the seat facing either direction and with one hand, leaving us with the ability to carry baby, groceries or a bag. The wheels aren’t as big as the Cruz but they still have all-wheel suspension so I’m confident that they’re a happy medium and a level up from the Babyzen Yoyo wheels I was nervous about. I also love that the adaptor ring folds up WITH the stroller frame so you don’t have to carry it separately.
Overall, both are great options to consider if you don’t want something that is a bit more of a beast like the Vista V2 and Mixx. While it isn’t the most lightweight option out there, I feel like we found a really good happy medium that I needed instill the most confidence possible in myself when I’m out with him on my own.
To buy the bassinet or not?
I personally was not going to purchase the bassinet. Since their carseat clicks in to the frame with the adaptor, I figured we’d just use that for our short walks around the neighborhood or to any outings we go on in the first six months. In my mind, it was another way to save a little money and convenience as you’ll likely have to re-home it after 6 months anyway.
However, you will see us using the bassinet on our Nuna Triv frame. Reasoning being is that, after speaking about this big stroller debate on IG stories, the UK team at Nuna kindly reached out and offered to gift us a stroller and car seat if we did, in fact, end up deciding Nuna products made the most sense for us. It did not influence my decision whatsoever [as I hope you can tell from the amount of research I did on all of the above options] but it IS why you will see a bassinet being used once baby boy is here. I did not personally ask them to send it. They kindly sent it anyway. I do not say any of this to brag but, ultimately, to be honest. While the bassinet is lovely, I DO want to be honest about my line of thinking prior to being offered the gift. Having a baby is expensive and getting ready for them is expensive, as well. So, don’t feel like you need the bassinet if it’d help you financially to cut that expense out.
One more thing! If you’re in the UK & if you’re wanting our same choices … I’d definitely recommend going with this bundle from John Lewis! You’ll save money by buying it all together!
Alright, I think that FINALLY does it!
Who knew buying a stroller could involve so many options and different specifications, right?! Ha! Even though it was such a time-intensive task, I’m so happy with what we landed on and I can’t wait to stroll around London with baby boy and show him all my favorite spots! Again, I hope this was helpful for any of y’all on the hunt for a stroller that suits your lifestyle! xo.
