Best Travel Systems

The Graco Stylus is tops in travel systems

Travel systems that include a stroller, car seat and stay-in-car base are often called the SUVs of strollers. They're big, bulky and loaded with every convenience you can imagine for both parent and child.

With great comfort and welcome features, the Graco Stylus LX travel system (*Est. $220) accepts any Graco infant car seat to take your baby from birth to toddlerhood and beyond. Parents rave about its easy fold and unfold, simple push and maneuverability, and comfort touches for them and their babies. It also has a full recline and an infant enclosure, so babies can stretch out and sleep on longer outings. It will also carry your little one to 50 pounds.

Owners tend to love the Stylus even after their babies outgrow the car seat, but that isn't the case with the Chicco Cortina Travel System (*Est. $300). Experts praise this stroller/car seat combination, especially since the Chicco KeyFit is such a great car seat, but parents say the Cortina stroller doesn't fit their newborns well and doesn't hold up over time. Otherwise, it's very similar to the Graco Stylus, but with a higher price tag.

Graco specializes in travel systems, and its FastAction Fold system (*Est. $230) is a newer model that's popular with reviewers. As with the Chicco Cortina, however, parents are less thrilled with the stroller once a baby outgrows the infant car seat, saying it's flimsy and its convenience features aren't very convenient. If fold is your top priority, though, this is the system for you.

The Safety 1st Aerolite LX travel system (*Est. $200) is another top choice because it comes with the unique OnBoard Air infant car seat, but owners complain that the bulky seat is too large for some cars. The OnBoard Air accommodates larger infants, but the Aerolite LX isn't for newborns; suggested use starts at 4 months and up. All of the other strollers in this category accommodate infants even without the car seat.