That was up until we found the Chicco Cortina Travel System. The Cortina system is by far my favorite option out there. It does come with a price though… Nearly 300 bucks. For this price, you get a stroller, car seat with infant pad, and a quick release base. The base is ESSENTIAL to a good car seat experience, and a stroller that accepts your car seat with an actual quick release latch is a must too.

The Cortina uses the same buckles to latch into the base as it does to hook into the stroller. This allows you to get the seat in and out with very little effort. Just my style……

The system is one of the heavier options out there–that being said, it has one of the highest safety ratings and I figure that part of that comes from the weight of the quality materials. Many seats feel like toys, and this one certainly does not.

The stroller is a great all around system. It is convertible so it works with both the car seat and as a stand alone stroller. It has a large basket to hold a diaper bag under the seat, as well as a cup holder and tray for the parents. It has a removable tray with cupholders for baby too. The removable feature hasn’t been used by us yet… But I already know how vital it will be! The stroller has shocks on all four wheels with about 1.5 inches of travel–enough to stop the bouncing heads. My only complaint here is that the storage under the seat isn’t very accessible when the seat is in the down position so that you can use the car seat in the stroller. You have to put the bag in FIRST, then the seat.

The base can be fastened into the car using car seat clips or the seat belt. I love the clips. You can put it in the car in 2 minutes, with a quick pull strap to get it tight.

The seat uses a quick pull strap to get the straps tight. You feel like you’re going to squish the kid, but it does get it snug! My only complaint about the car seat is the visor, which could be a little bigger as in the car it often lets a lot of sun in the boy’s face.

All in all I think this system was well worth the bling. It offers me peace of mind when it comes to safety and is easy enough to set up that you don’t have to worry about the poor ‘ling screaming out too long…

The pros:

• Ease of use

1. easy to put in/take out of car
2. easy to put in stroller
3. easy to adjust straps for the ‘ling
4. easy to set base in car

• construction
• storage
• easy clean

Cons:

• price
• weight
• stroller does not fold down as small a I’d like
• poor storage when using car seat in stroller

Luckily when I work weekend shifts I get to have them come to the station and hang out while I’m here. They come during the week, but our schedules usually makes that last only an hour or so. Being away from my wife was hard enough… being away from Asher is a whole different ball of wax…

I never realized just how much I’d love that little guy… I miss you guys…