Travel systems

When you’re ready to get out the door with your baby, a car seat and a stroller are key. A travel system is an infant car seat that attaches to a stroller, so you can make one purchase and get both essentials. We’ve weighed feedback from thousands of Babylist families, spoken to several experts and tested dozens of car seat stroller systems over the years to select the best travel systems.

Most parents choose a travel system for convenience. All of the car seat stroller systems in our top 10 travel systems guide work seamlessly both together and on their own.

A travel system comes with a compatible infant car seat and stroller. This allows you to stroll with your baby from day one. Typical strollers won’t work for newborns since young babies don’t have head and neck control (baby can usually sit in the stroller seat around six months). An exception is a stroller with a lie-flat pramette mode or bassinet attachment; these can be used from birth.

Your child will likely outgrow the infant car seat that comes with the travel system around 10-14 months, at which point you might consider switching over to convertible car seat that stays installed in the car. But you can use the stroller and stroller seat through toddlerhood (usually up to 50 lbs). Our travel system buying guide helps you pick a travel system that fits your needs.

Buying an infant car seat and stroller set as one purchase typically saves you $60 to $100. Travel systems range from a few hundred dollars to well over a thousand. We factored in cost while selecting top travel systems.

Wondering if the car seat you picked out is a good fit for your favorite stroller? This infant car seat and stroller compatibility list can help.

Absolutely! A travel system is a helpful registry item perfect for group gifting. Travel systems solve the practical challenge of moving newborns between car and stroller, and it ensures your baby gear is compatible.