Registering for Baby - Car Seat, Strollers & Accessories

This is part 2 in my series for registering for baby (last week's post can be found here).  Now the Baby Gear is where you are going to spend the most money, and is probably the most important as well. You really need to do your research and figure out which products work for you. When looking at car seats it is important to obviously look at safety, but also how heavy is the carseat. Or for the stroller how easy does it move, where are you going to use the stroller, etc. Here are some of the things I registered for or things I learned along the way.

I registered at Buy Buy Baby and Pottery Barn, but ended up completing all my registry items on Amazon. Looking back I should have gone with Amazon over Buy Buy Baby. If you haven't started your registry yet I would check out Amazon to Create an Amazon Baby Registry.

• Infant Car Seat - Uppa Baby Mesa is what we have. Great and snaps into the base easily. Also goes great with the stroller. Has feature to use with a seat belt for cab rides as well. We didn't order an extra car seat base because we always just take my car. With the latch system it is easy to transfer from car to car if we need to. 
  
• Car Seat Head and Body Support - These are illegal in some states. Plus with the new carseats you don't need them and they don't fit. However, we used ours in the Mamaroo spring for the first 6 weeks since we didn't register for the infant insert. At the end of the day I probably wouldn't register for one. 
• Seat Protector Mat - We bought the summer infant one off of Amazon and I highly recommend if you have leather seats. I also registered for the Summer Infant piddle pad but need to buy it. It will be good for the big kid car seat. 
• Car Mirror - Britax car mirror. I also bought the Brica car mirror that had lights and music but returned it because I really didn't need it and it didn't work right. However I can't tell you how many times I glance into my rearview mirror and check on the baby. 
• Car Window Shade - We bought the Uppa Baby and it works great. Reviews weren't great but we haven't had one problem. 
• Car Seat Bunting and Cover - We love our JJ Cole Bunting for visiting NYC and the mountains. I also use it in my Bob stroller when we are walking around the neighborhood. HOWEVER I recently discovered 7AM buntings and if you live in an area where it is cold I would get this in a heartbeat. 
  
• Stroller Mittens - 7AM also have great mittens that attach to your stroller so you won't lose them. Very important since you are always taking them off to fuss with the bambino. 
  
• Carseat Canopy - Never used the carseat cover. I just used one of my Aden + Anais swaddles if I had to cover the car seat in public. But it was also summer. I would definitely suggest a carseat cover if your baby is born during cold & flu season. I also bought a arm cushion for the carseat that I opened and never used once. 
• Stroller - Uppa Baby Vista. Love the bassinet feature, fits perfect with the carseat, comes with a rain cover and then also has the big kid seat. Very easy to maneuver and breakdown. Great for the city and narrow aisles. UPPA Baby also travels and does tune ups for your stroller too. We went a few weeks ago and they oiled all the wheels, gave us cleaning tips, and we left with a stroller that looked like new! 
• Stroller Accessories - When you buy the Uppa Baby travel bag the stroller is under warranty for 2 years if it gets damaged by the airline. Make sure to register both the stroller and travel bag with Uppa Baby before you travel. My lock broke off on our flight home from NYC and since I had the travel bag it was replaced. I sent pictures and they sent me a whole new frame. We also have the parent organizer for the stroller as well. I bought the cup holder but knocked it off twice in Target so now I only use it if Paul and I are traveling together. Also has great storage under the seat. And if you have a 2nd you can make it a double stroller by purchasing the rumble seat. The newest stroller can also support two infant seats which is great for twins! And last but not least the snack tray! Must have for shopping trips with your toddler!
  
• Umbrella Stroller - Uppa Baby G-Lite but get the one the GLuxe reclines. I was cheap and the extra money is totally worth it. We will use this for travel and to have a 2nd stroller. What is great about this stroller is that it is smaller and more manageable for airports. Not to mention it is a great second stroller for Dad's car too! Don't forget to get the travel bag. And the travel bag has straps so you can wear it as a backpack too! And depending on how much you are planning to use it buy the rain cover. We went on vacation and I had to buy the rain cover since it rained everyday of our vacation! So sad!
  
• Jogging Stroller - BOB which I plan to use for Stroller Strides (my Mom & Baby exercise class) and everyone swears by it for the beach too.  But the good thing is that you can be a little rougher with it and go off terraining with it. I find it really large so I only plan on using it for exercise and not taking it into stores. Not to mention doesn't have much storage. This is definitely a nice to have. My recommendation is to buy one on Craigs List used! If you do get one then I also suggest the snack tray and the parent organizer. That way the baby can snack on your walks and you have some place to put your iced coffee and cell phone!
• Stroller Hooks - I have the Mommy Hook and used it around Christmas when I had a ton of bags. Normally I just store everything under the stroller. 

So far I have been so happy with my stroller and carseat. I can't say enough good things about Uppa Baby and their products. Would love to hear what car seat and strollers you love! Let me know!

Happy Pinning!