Best Stroller and Car Seat Combos

The infant car seats and strollers in these travel systems work seamlessly together, but each can also be bought separately, unless where noted.

There are a few reasons to invest in a stroller and car seat combo rather than purchasing each item individually: First, it can make transferring your baby from car to stroller much easier because you don’t have to take them out of the stroller harness and strap them into a car seat. Instead, you simply click the car seat out of the stroller and click it into the base in the car.

Travel systems are newborn-friendly, too. While many traditional stroller seats don’t recline fully to accommodate an infant under 6 months old, the infant car seat that comes with a travel system lets you use your stroller with the car seat during those early months of your child’s life. 

Finally, and very importantly, bundling the stroller and car seat usually costs less than buying the two items separately. For instance, the Chicco Mini Bravo Plus stroller and the Chicco KeyFit 30 Car Seat retail for about $200 each, but the Chicco Mini Plus travel system, which includes both, costs around $380.

It’s worth noting that a travel system is different from a car seat stroller, which is a car seat with attached wheels and a handle. With a car seat stroller, the whole contraption functions as a stroller when fully expanded and a car seat when collapsed. It’s a handy design, but when your child outgrows the car seat, you’ll need both a new car seat and a new stroller. Travel systems and car seat strollers are also distinct from car seat carrier strollers, which are simply frames on wheels that a compatible car seat can clip into to function as a stroller.

If you already own a car seat, you can buy a compatible traditional stroller and car seat adapter; the stroller and car seat don’t need to be from the same brand. But our testers say you’ll get the most seamless experience when you buy a dedicated car seat and stroller bundle.

You can use both components of a travel system for as long as your baby fits into their infant car seat. After your child outgrows the infant car seat, you can continue to use the stroller without the car seat attachment until your child outgrows the stroller.

Though there’s variation among different models, most infant car seats are designed for babies who weigh up to 30 or 35 pounds and are between 32 or 35 inches long. You’ll have to retire the infant car seat once your little one meets either of these milestones—whichever comes first. Children typically outgrow their infant car seats by height at around 12 months, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Both NHTSA and CR recommend keeping your child in a rear-facing car seat for as long as possible for safety, and CR recommends transitioning from a rear-facing infant car seat to a rear-facing convertible or all-in-one seat by your child’s first birthday.

Shopping for a travel system can sometimes feel a little overwhelming because you’ll have to make sure you love not one but both pieces of gear included in the set. Here are a few questions to ask yourself when filtering through the different options:

What specific stroller features are important to me? This question is arguably the most important because your child will outgrow their infant car seat before the stroller—so you’ll be using the stroller half of the travel system for a lot longer. If you’re partial to certain features (think a roomy storage basket, a telescoping handlebar, snack or parent trays, or a cup holder), you’ll want to prioritize those when making your selection. 

What about car seat features? Though car seat features tend to be a little less flashy, some might stand out to you, such as a lighter weight that makes the seat easier to carry around.

How important are weight and height limits? Infant car seats have a height limit of either 32 or 35 inches and a weight limit of either 30 or 35 pounds. If you want to maximize the amount of time your child can use the infant car seat, choose one with the highest possible height and weight limits.

Do you think you might have more children in the next few years? If so, you’ll want to look for a travel system that includes a stroller that can convert to a double. Otherwise, you might find yourself in the position of having to invest in yet another expensive piece of baby gear down the line.

Infant car seats are compatible with travel systems and are designed to be positioned rear-facing in the car, while convertible car seats can be used either rear- or forward-facing but can’t be clipped into a stroller frame. 

Convertible car seats are bigger and bulkier, and unlike infant car seats, there’s no carry handle, so they’re less portable. But they have much higher weight limits—many can be used rear-facing until your child is 50 pounds, while infant seats typically max out around 30 to 35 pounds. This means convertible car seats can be used for much longer.

If you choose to buy a travel system, you’ll have an infant car seat that you can use for the first year or so of your baby’s life and clip into your stroller frame when you’re on the go. But you’ll still need to invest in a convertible car seat once your child outgrows their infant car seat. So if you’re mindful of cost and don’t feel like you’d need the portability of a travel system, you might choose to just buy a convertible car seat with a separate stroller.

The Overall Score for each travel system in our ratings is based on the performance of the stroller in our dedicated stroller tests, the performance of the car seat in our dedicated car seat tests, and how easily the car seat and stroller attach to each other. 

For every stroller that we test, we assess safety, maneuverability, and (among other things) how easy it is to fold and manage the straps. 

For every car seat we test, we evaluate how easy it is to use, how well its crash protection works, and how easily it fits into a vehicle using the car’s LATCH system or safety belts. 

For more details on our tests, see our articles on the best strollers and the best car seats. To learn more about how to shop for strollers, see our stroller buying guide. Curious about how other strollers compare with travel systems? See our comprehensive stroller ratings, where you can sort by type, price, and more.