Chicco Cortina Travel System Stroller...?

[AKL_Megs]

... Does anyone here HAVE one, and can you give me a review?

(I never realized that picking out a darn STROLLER would be harder than buying a CAR. )

I'd ask over on the Family Board, but the CB has a quicker draw!

 

[*JoGo*]

my SIL has this for her baby. in the "miro" pattern.

it is nice. it's easy to move around the mall. the stroller is big. she had a dodge caliber and it was a tight fit. the only "issues" we have had with it, is that when you have the infant carrier in the stroller, you really cannot access anything in the bottom basket. so to put bags in/out, we would have to lift up the carrier and pull the seat up. but that's minor.

smooth pushing/ride
very easy to open/fold.
the handle is adjustable which is very nice.

my niece is now 6mos old and too long for the carrier so she's in a rear-facing convertible carseat. she's in the 75% for height and weight (basically the size of a 9mo old). so even though the carrier can be used up to 30lbs, that is very unlikely as the baby would be too long to be safe in it (head 2 inches from top).

but up until now, we've had no problems using it. i had a base in my car b/c i babysit her. it is pricey for a second base, but much easier, and imo, safer, snapping her seat into that rather than messing w/ the seatbelt every time i put her in/out.

no complaints here.

have fun shopping!

 

[LaurenLC]

We had this travel system, and it was decent, but I had one major issue with the car seat. The sunshade has to be the MOST PATHETIC thing I've ever seen.... I know that sounds silly, but you don't realize how much you would use it till you have the baby. The stroller was nice too, but we live in a major city and the sidewalks here were KILLING the wheels and I was worried it was going to break. It also took up A TON of space in the trunk. We ended up getting a 'heavier duty' stroller and using the car seat with an adaptor. Consumer reports does rate the Chicco KeyFit 30 as it's 'best car seat' and although I liked it, when we have a second, I'll be getting something else.
Hope that helps and congratulations.

 

[dis-happy]

I had one and it was really nice. The carseat is rated the safest out there (at least it was 3 yrs. ago when my baby was born), I liked the integrated travel system (the 2 sunshades--stroller and carseat--would meet in the middle giving full coverage), the stroller had nice accessories and big basket, the incline was flat and you could push up the footrest part so was like a carriage (great when we took our newborn to WDW).

My complaints: both the car seat and stroller were heavy. Most babies are only in the infant car seat for 6-9 mos. and then you are left with the heavy stroller. I'd consider getting an infant car seat and a portable frame (like the Graco one) and a different stroller like the P3 (which also has a nearly flat incline plus cupholders and food tray, but more portable).

Whatever you decide, have fun planning for your baby!!!

 

[Wendy31]

We used it for our youngest, & I loved it!

However, that being said, I was comparing it to the travel system we had for our older two! Compared to that, the Chicco was so much nicer, easier to steer, & lightweight. It's amazing how much better they make things than even 10 years ago - when we had our 1st travel system!

Our younger DS was a small baby, & we were able to keep him in the Chicco carseat/carrier until he was about 14 months.

I really liked the safety ratings & reviews for the Chicco carrier/carseat.

I thought it was fairly easy lifting the carrier out of its base & onto the stroller. I'm sorta "small", & I never had any problems. I suppose it's heavy but no heavier really than any of the other carriers out there. And the stroller does take up room, but, again, not really any more room (& less room than some) than any of the other travel system strollers.

I never had any problem w/ it anywhere we strolled, but we really didn't do a lot of "offroad" strolling. I could see how it wouldn't be the best in lots of gravel, etc.

Now, we have a Britax convertible carseat, & I like it too. However, I miss my Chicco!

I really wish Chicco would make regular carseats! We use the Chicco umbrella-type strollers too, & I really like them as well.

 

[Maridw]

My DD received the Cortina 30 system in Adventure. She really likes it. It was great while my GDd was small, but now that she is almost a year, she uses a smaller stroller for quick trips. She calls the Chico stroller the Cadillac.
It does push easy with one hand. Hers was a gift, but it was something she really looked at. Plus it is rated very good on Consumer Reports.

 

[FormrCastMbr]

I have that strolller system and still use the stroller for my 2 year old. I do not have any complaints. It steers easily, folds easily (I use one hand at times), the height is great for tall people. I never thought it was too heavy...I have carried it up and down stairs with my son in my arms.

ETA: See my son in it in my avatar...we have brought it to Disney twice!

 

[mjkacmom]

Haven't had a stroller for quite some time, but I found that it is best to get a good infant carseat, a stroller base (snap & go for us - had the double with the twins), a good compact stroller to keep in the van (our last was a combi), and a good stroller for walks (I preferred a jogger). My only stroller mistake was trying to find one stroller to do it all. Stroller systems tend to have strollers that aren't compact, and yet aren't great for walks.

 

[laughinplace199]

OP, there's a book called "Baby Bargains" that you might find helpful. Every year, they rate all of the baby gear and list all of the pros and cons. I found it to be a great resource when I was looking for a crib, car seat, stroller, high chair, etc.

 

[FigmentFinder]

I looked into it. It was cheaper for me to buy a Graco Snug Ride 35 and matching carseat separately. I'm happy with the Graco seat. The Snug Ride 35 goes to 32 inches in length, the Chico 30 only to 30 inches. Avery is already 26 inches at her 4 month checkup and 90% percentile in height the extra length will be nice. I plan on using the carseat until she's at least 12 months. Both the Graco 35 and Chico 30 have nice soft seats with a good head rest. Some of the cheaper feel hard and uncomfortable for the baby. All the carseats that go to 30 or 35 pounds are super heavy to carry with an infant in them.

Funny thing is I rarely put the carseat in the stroller frame. It's bad for their back and head to be in a carseat for too long. Only if Avery is asleep and I'm running a quick errand do I leave her in the seat. So I'm wondering why I worried about the two pieces matching.

If you're happy with the carseat (which is the more important safety-wise of the two pieces), then buy the Chico. If you're looking to spend a little less, buying two Graco pieces separately can work out better.

 

[justhat]

My SIL had this system with her 3rd kid and while she liked it, my niece grew out of the seat around 5 months old. She had the Chicco 22 though, not the 30. She was also a large baby, but you can't really control or predict that.

I have a Britax Chaperone carseat and a Peg Perego Pliko Switch stroller for my 3rd and like it a lot better than any of the travel systems I had with my older 2. Like someone else said, 1 stroller will NOT do it all, so don't get one with that in mind. Also, we rarely kept our kids in the carseats out of the car, so the amount of time we actually needed to snap the carseat into a stroller was minimal, so a snap 'n go frame would have been much easier for that purpose than a big, heavy stroller.

The Pliko Switch is nice because it reclines flat and can face you or out, so as a newborn/young infant, you can have the baby facing you, but not cramped into the carseat position if you're out for a long walk. Additionally, when the carseats are snapped into those travel systems, you can't readily use the basket, so that is something to keep in mind too.

Oh, and at 15 months, 31" and 18.5lbs, my daughter still fits in her Britax Chaperone with plenty of room to grow, so we have definitely gotten our money's worth out of this seat! It also has side impact head protection and an anti-rebound bar on the base, both features I like having compared to our old Graco SnugRides.

 

[AKL_Megs]

Thanks everyone! Going to look at one again in person and then will probably purchase!