a stroller expert answers:

A god stroller frame compactible with a seat, carrycot, and also the Cybex Cloud Z2 or the Joie i-Level car seat

Deni • 27 Mar 2023

Hi Eli,

I’m so sorry for the long post.

We’re first time parents for a baby girl due at end of July and we’ve been looking for a few days at strollers and we just don’t know which one to get.

There’s so many options and we have made a “criteria” of what we would like it to have but we just can’t seem to be able to find the right one to fit for us and I feel like we never will. Could we please get some advice?

So our criteria that we were looking after are as follows:
-Lie-back reversible and fully upright position
-Lightweight
-Easy to fold
-Good for air travel (optional)
-Comfortable and well padded (good for ocassional overnight sleep)
-Forward and rear-facing
-Canopy comes all the way down
-360 front wheels
-A stroller with no bar at the bottom of feet
-Good suspension
-Can use Cybex Cloud Z car seat or Joie i-level reclinable car seat on chassis/frame
-Good wheels

I think at this point we are more looking for a brand chassis frame with a stroller and a carry cot and also one that would be able to adapt to fit the car seat from Cybex Cloud Z or Joie i-level recline on the frame. We really liked these 2 car seats and the way they recline so now we are more look into for a chassis frame brand that would fit these.

We’ve heard great things about Joie so we looked at Joie Mytrax, Versatrax, Litetrax, Chrome DLX but we also liked the Joolz Aer+, Uppababy Vista V2.

But then we are also thinking that after our baby outgrows her car seat (Cloud Z2 or Joie i-level), we will then need to change both the car seat and the base because nothing else is compatible with either of those.

I hope there is some hope to find one that would fit for us if you can please give us some advice please.

Thank you very much in advance!

Eli • 27 Mar 2023

Hey, Deni,

I personally do like the Joie strollers, but can't say all are that high quality nor that I would recommend all to first-time parents. Especially, I believe, you'll miss the reversible seat feature after the first 4-6 months from my experience. If you do want to go for a Joie, maybe the Versatrax could work, however the plane-friendly size is very far from this stroller, it is a larger model. I personally would also not go for an ultra-compact like the Aer, just not really meant for full.time everyday use from baby, I believe you'll shake your little one too much, and around those 6 months of age when she would pass to a seat, the seat doesn't recline fully on the Aer. Lastly, The Vista is incredibly large when folded, so also not the best urban option.

I personally would look at strollers like the Cybex Mios which is small (notplane-travel-small but small nonetheless), and it is nice to push, sturdy frame, and although small-wheeled, it is better on bumps than any ultra-comapct stroller.

I would also look at the Valco Snap Ultra Trend which is light and can face the parent, too. The Quinny Zapp Flex Plus could be fun for its small size but spacious reversible seat, however the wheels are not crazy all-terrain. The Joolz Hub is also a comfy option I believe, just the seat doesn't last that long, usually a bit less than 3 years.

I personally wouldn't focus on the carrycot with overnight sleep feature as that minimizes the options for you, and you can always get a travel cot which takes care of that. It just is a bit overrated thing from my experience, and children grow out of the bassinet too quickly anyway. Also, the bar in the back - I know it can be annoying but you should know it very much helps with the stroller not getting loose too soon. The key is to have the handle at the right height. Just food for thought!

Your -very berry- Eli.

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