Travel system strollers come with a car seat, a frame and a stroller seat, letting you take a sleeping baby from the car to the stroller without waking them up. There’s also a separate stroller seat for when you’re not transferring the child. The Safety First Monument 2 Smooth Ride is a stellar budget travel system stroller.
The travel system stroller works by letting you attach the car seat to the stroller’s frame. The car seat is the first thing to consider because it will keep your child safe in a crash. It should have side-impact protection, which protects your child in the case of a side collision. And it should feature some padding for both comfort and protection.
It should be simple and quick to change between the stroller seat and the car seat on the frame of the stroller. If it’s not quick and convenient, you might as well just buy a standard stroller.
Does it comply with safety standards? All travel system strollers should go through third-party testing to comply with the law.
Look at the stroller seat, since your child will lie in or sit in it for long periods of time. Make sure it comes with features such as a detachable tray, padding and adjustable recline.
Make sure the stroller includes helpful components such as safety harnesses and a canopy to keep the sun from shining on your infant.
Your travel system stroller should be foldable and have storage somewhere in the frame.
Budget travel system strollers range in price from about $150 to $250. These budget-friendly strollers will last through one child.
A. It’s typically suggested that your child not stay in their car seat for longer than two hours at a time. There are exceptions to this rule, such as long car trips, but your child should not spend hours on end in the car seat every day.
This means that you have to transfer your child to their stroller seat if they’ve been in their car seat for a long car ride and need to be out and about for a couple of hours.
A. It depends on your child’s temperament. If they have been fussy in general and have just fallen asleep during a car ride, you will appreciate the convenience of a travel system, since you won’t need to wake them up to place them in the stroller once you arrive.
A. Yes, but they’re not the best choice unless you drive regularly to the place where you jog. Most people begin jogging from their home, so the car seat portion won’t be very useful.
Safety First Monument 2 Smooth Ride
What you need to know: This stroller is affordable, reliable and comes at a low price, compared to other systems with similar quality and features.
What you’ll love: It features an easy-to-fold frame, inserts, an adjustable harness and side-impact protection for additional newborn support. It is well built, especially for the low price.
What you should consider: The car seat is difficult and awkward to move off and on the base of the stroller.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Graco FastAction SE Travel System
What you need to know: This system includes an infant car seat and a FastAction SE stroller.
What you’ll love: It comes with a Graco SnugRide 30 LX infant car seat that supports kids riding rear-facing from 4 to 30 pounds and directly attaches to the seat of the stroller. The system also includes a parents’ tray with cup holders and storage.
What you should consider: It doesn't offer the best support for a newborn baby’s head.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Graco Modes Pramette Travel System
What you need to know: This comes with a baby stroller with a true bassinet mode, a child tray, extra storage and a reversible seat.
What you’ll love: It can accommodate babies from 4 to 35 pounds and up to 32 inches tall when they’re rear-facing for a simple transition from the car to the stroller. You can fold the stroller with one hand for simple transportation and storage.
What you should consider: Some parents say this is not the simplest to fold from carriage to stroller.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Sign up here to receive the BestReviews weekly newsletter for useful advice on new products and noteworthy deals.
Alex Kilpatrick writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
