How to choose a stroller (video + tips)

Last updated (01/17/2024)

When to buy a stroller: Do I choose a travel system, a duo, or what exactly?

The pregnancy test moment arrives and the result is positive! We feel immense joy, immediately start selecting the first clothes, and dream about the baby's room. But soon after, the need to choose a stroller arises…

Some of us already had a preconceived idea about the stroller, while others had never thought about it. However, almost all of us feel overwhelmed by the various options and selection criteria. With each step, it seems like we are entering a minefield of complicated choices, and everyone seems to have an opinion on what is right.

To find a solution, we call our friends and ask for their opinion, and each one defends a completely different choice and guarantees that theirs is the best. We go to the store and everything looks the same to us: Piles of wheels next to each other and almost everything very unappealing. What to do? How to choose?

 

Here are the answers!

• The car seat is a separate choice from the stroller. It does not need to be compatible or from the same brand as the stroller, because the healthiest option is to leave the infant car seat in the car.

 

• The stroller can include a bassinet or a reducer nest, provided that such an option actually exists for that particular stroller.

 

• The appropriate choice depends on each mother and her lifestyle.

 

Stroller configurations in detail

What is a travel system or a duo?

We arrive at the store and they are already asking us if we want a travel system or a duo, but what is that? A stroller can be composed of 3 parts, namely:

1. The wheels with the seat: This set of wheels with a seat – which is normally used from 6 months of age – is known as a stroller.

   

    

2. Bassinet: When we talk about a travel system, the bassinet is a type of bed that attaches to the stroller wheels. Some may even be approved for the baby to sleep in overnight, but most are only for outdoor strolls with the baby in the stroller.

   

    

3. Infant car seat / baby car seat / child restraint system: This piece will protect our children's lives in case of an accident and is for use in the car. However, we can attach the infant car seat to the stroller – most of the time with the use of car seat adapters.

Note: To see what precautions to take when installing the baby car seat in the car click here

 

Thus, a travel system is the sum of the 3 pieces: stroller + bassinet + infant car seat. A duo, normally, is the sum of 1+3, that is, stroller plus infant car seat, but it can also be 1+2, stroller plus bassinet.

 

Here a question arises, right?

What do you mean the infant car seat is only for use in the car? Does the infant car seat only serve to protect the baby's life? This question is super natural, since every day we see babies in the infant car seat – attached to the stroller – going for a walk.

 

However, let me share with you that this is a very Portuguese experience. In most European countries, babies first go for a walk in the bassinet – attached to the stroller – and only then transition to the stroller. The infant car seat stays in the car.

In fact, if we read the instruction manuals of car seat manufacturers, we discover that most only recommend using the infant car seat for a maximum daily period of 1h30m. And this was not written with the intention of using the baby's car seat every day for 1h30m, this was written with the intention of only using it when it is strictly necessary, that is, in the context of car trips.

 

To reinforce this idea,

a study published in Pediatrics shows that oxygen saturation levels in the infant car seat are 23.9% higher than those found in the crib. The study emphasizes the importance of using these seats in the context of car trips to protect the baby's life in case of an accident, but advises against their use for other purposes. (See link)

Some manufacturers have produced infant car seats that recline to allow their use outside the car. However, this same study shows that oxygen saturation levels occur in both situations and recommends using a crib or bassinet outside the context of the car.

Additionally, we have the construction materials (EPS, plastics, fabrics) that are super hot and rigid, which can lead to the risk of plagiocephaly in cases of excessive use. We also have the very shape of the infant car seat that constricts and restricts movement, because its intention is maximum protection in case of an accident.

Therefore, infant car seats should only be used in the car and not as bassinets or baby beds. And, if we think about it, it's even easy to understand: Isn't it much more pleasant to stroll with room to move than to be squeezed into a sardine can?

 

 

So for a stroller… Is a travel system the best choice? Does that mean I'll have to carry a bassinet?

Not necessarily. Many stroller manufacturers have developed stroller nests or reducers. This can be a very interesting, compact, and viable option, as long as the stroller faces the mother (see image) and reclines completely flat.

 

Bassinets are an interesting choice when we tend to go out a lot with the baby. It ends up functioning as a portable crib and ensures more comfort and health for the baby. However, if we are more home-bound, if our car has a small trunk – it's important to think about this because then we have to store the stroller and the bassinet in the trunk – the choice of a bassinet no longer makes sense, because it has a maximum usage up to 6 months of the baby's life.