It’s been a while since I’ve done a Gearing Up For Baby post because, well, I’m not really gearing up anymore! Baby is here and we are in the groove! (P.S. How is he 7 months old already? Oh my…)
I do want to do a quick update on the strollers and car seats that I reviewed before Owen was born. Thought it would be nice to let you know how they’ve been working when used with, you know, an actual baby.
I LOVE the Orbit Baby travel system. Hands down best travel system I’ve ever used, and I’ve used quite a few. Owen and I took a trip to Utah a few months ago and I decided to take the Maxi Cosi travel system on the trip instead since it was smaller. While I had been enjoying using the Orbit system up until that point, it wasn’t until I used another system that I realized just how awesome the Orbit really is.
Here are my follow-up thoughts on both systems.
- The soft handle is even greater than I thought it would be. It makes carrying the car seat sooooo much easier. It’s also super easy to flip up and down – no buttons to push. Love it.
- The rotating base of the car seat is so handy for so many reasons. I could tell it would be, but now that I use it daily, it really is a fabulous feature.
- The paparazzi shield is also really great. Use it all the time.
- The sidekick skateboard for Anna is perfect. Again, use it all the time. She loves it, I love it. And it looks like a real skateboard, which makes it ultra cool.
- The car seat is heavy. For sure. But all the other stuff makes up for it. And, again, the soft handle makes all the difference. I would much rather carry this heavier car seat with the flexible handle than a lighter one with a hard handle…because, let’s face it, car seats feel heavy no matter what.
- Warning: If you use this system, people will talk to you. ALL THE TIME. I am not exaggerating when I say that every single time I use the car seat and stroller base in public, people either ask me about it or I overhear them talking about it. I really truly am not exaggerating. I even did a 10 minute demo for a couple at the mall last week. So, if you are not a natural extrovert, look at the stroller as a way to hone those skills! 😉
- Orbit just came out with a toddler car seat that fits into the infant car seat base so you can continue to have the rotation benefit. Very cool – I’m telling you that rotation feature makes life so much easier. And the Double Helix stroller is coming out this fall. They’ll even have an upgrade kit for people like me who already have the single stroller so you can turn it into a double.
- I love the Mila stroller. I use it now in place of my Maclaren. It folds and unfolds easily, doesn’t take up much space, it has the most user-friendly brake system on a stroller that I’ve ever seen, the storage area is big and easy to access (hasn’t been a problem having the access point in the front, which I had wondered about), and it can stand on its own when folded. It is a great stroller!
- When the car seat is attached to the stroller, it actually feels a little wobbly. I’m not worried about its safety at all, it’s just, well, wobbly.
- The car seat is fine. Pretty standard. It’s nice and light, which is probably my favorite feature. Everything else about the car seat is pretty basic and similar to other brands.
If you are looking at travel systems in the Orbit price range, I highly recommend the Orbit. I have enjoyed using it so much and it really has made life a lot easier in so many ways! The Maxi Cosi is in a lower price range and is a nice system…definitely a good option and I like it MUCH better than the Peg Perego system I had with Anna. That said…I heart Orbit 4ever.
Links to my original posts about these travel systems, which have more information about the various features:
Links to the manufacturer’s websites:
I received both of these travel systems from the respective companies for free to review on the site. I was not compensated monetarily. Even though the systems were given to me, all opinions are my own and I was at liberty to say what I thought about the products, positive or negative.
Hi! My name is Jane Maynard and you've landed yourself on my blog, This Week for Dinner™. Every Sunday I share a weekly menu...and count on you to share yours! You'll also find other deliciousness that I hope you'll enjoy!
So cool! Also wondering if that was a diaper bag in your car?? I am looking for a new one that looks more like a purse and that caught my eye!!
that is a purse from Coach – I got it at the outlet in Carmel and I LOVE it. Three compartments, easy to get into, fits my diaper and wipes case, etc…it’s the best! I just use that or my epiphanie camera bag for my diaper bags and I love both of them.
I don’t see my coach bag on their website – it’s probably an older season since I got it at the outlet, but if you go here http://www.coach.com/online/handbags/-shoulder_bags-10551-10051-5000000000000015034-en?t1Id=62&t2Id=5000000000000015034&tier=2&LOC=CC#108730 it’s the same style bag as all the madison leather shoulder bags you see at the top of that page.
hope that’s helpful! 🙂
A company I just discovered called Timi & Leslie has some beautiful diaper bags that you would NEVER guess are diaper bags. They look like beautiful leather purses.
Does the cute baby come with? 🙂
unfortunately he does not. he’s all mine! 🙂
The swivel feature does look nice. I bumped my head, or the little guy’s, more than once trying to get him in his rear-facing seat. Too bad we’ve outgrown the infant seat and are already set for toddler seats so I can’t really justify getting a new one.
I bought the Orbit for our 2 month old little boy after reading your post and playing with it at Day One. So first off, thank you for reviewing it- we love the system SOOO much and never would have considered it without seeing your review. I’m very sad that my older daughter is a touch too old to justify buying the double helix add-on because that thing looks amazing. I can’t agree with you more about the number of people who want to talk about the stroller! Every single time I go out I have a conversation about it. I think the skateboard actually gets the most attention but I’ve also had people ask to come to my car to see how the stroller breaks down and the seat snaps in. It’s a conversation starter for sure!
yay! I’m so glad you love it!!!!!
that skateboard is seriously an eye catcher, isn’t it? cracks me up!
thanks for commenting!
Hi Jane,
Just curious if you received the Orbit stroller free from the company to review? Just wondering how unbiased your opinion is… as I’m currently researching strollers for my little one.
I’m so glad you asked because, while I mentioned that these travel systems were given to me in the original posts, I didn’t touch on that in this post, which I should have! (I actually added a sentence at the end of this post to clarify.)
So, yes, both Maxi Cosi and Orbit provided me with these systems for review. I received the product but no monetary compensation.
That said, I am being 100% unbiased and truthful in everything I say. I’ve used Eddie Bauer, Graco, Peg Perego and now Maxi Cosi and Orbit. Orbit is definitely my most favorite travel system by a long shot. There are just so many small features that make it so much easier to use, and it feels sturdy and high quality. And the skateboard on the side is awesome for my 4-year-old. Like I mentioned, the car seat is heavy and pretty big…and the stroller base can only be used with the different Orbit seats, which is kind of annoying…BUT…I love the system. It’s fantastic. (And, if you’re wondering, Peg Perego was by far my LEAST favorite system…it just always caused me frustration.)
Hope that’s helpful! And I think other people’s comments are good for you to read, too!
Good luck with the research! If there’s one thing I hate researching, it’s strollers – it’s so overwhelming!
Awesome write up! I can say that I didn’t receive my Orbit g2 for free and it really *is* as great as Jane says it is…maybe even better! We have the entire G2 line (bassinet and all) EXCEPT the toddler car seat. I went with another highly reputable brand, but honestly, I wish I had bought the Orbit. We currently only have a car seat in my car and I am praying that my husband decides that we have a need for one in his car too…then its straight to Orbit. I still use the stroller frame with the stroller seat attached since we no longer use the infant car seat. I ALWAYS have someone compliment or inquire about my stroller. It’s also convenient because when we eat out I can pull the stroller up to one side of the table, and just rotate her seat so that she faces us. If you are thinking of buying this system…don’t hesitate!
thanks for your comment, Monica!
and I also love the turning seat in restaurants – good point! 🙂
We love our Orbit and we did not receive it to review. We got all the parts from my parents as a present. We love the base, bassinet, seat base, toddler seat, infant seat, stroller seat, and side kick board!! Can’t say enough good things about it. We live in NYC so a lot of people have them here but once I go out of the city, we get stopped by EVERY one (she wasn’t exaggerating).
I highly recommend the Orbit. I love it. We travel alot and it has been wonderful. We have had a few problems with gate checking the travel bag. Other than that I have no complaints. And yes we get stopped everywhere we go. I would not buy anything else.
hi jane!
christina from orbit baby here! just wanted to stop by & say thanks for the love!! we posted your awesome reviews on our Facebook page. what a thoughtful & thorough review…
thanks so much!
christina from orbit baby
you’re most welcome! all the love is very sincere! 🙂
baby stroller hi jane!
christina from orbit baby here! just wanted to stop by & say thanks for the love!! we posted your awesome reviews on our Facebook page. what a thoughtful & thorough review”¦
thanks so much!
christina from orbit baby
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