QUOTE(Not a Folsom Snob @ May 1 2008, 09:51 AM) 
I bought the biggest bulkest stroller which had a bassinet attachment and then converted into a stroller with a large storage area under it and loved it. Sure it took me a second more to get it out of the car but I loved my carriage and wouldn't have traded it for anything else. I never used an umbrella stroller because they don't recline. Buy your dream stroller, you won't regret it!!
Depends on what you consider an "umbrella" stroller. I use the term loosely and the one that CW linked to on craigslist just slides in under the wire, in my book.
And hey, that stroller was only $15.00 on craigslist (was gone, btw), but I'm willing to pay the extra $25.00 to get it new in store. It's only $40! We saw it in person at BRU and it is only 11 pounds, can carry the babes until they're 40 pounds and is super easy to fold and folds small. The seat reclines and it has storage and cup holders. We didn't get it yet, because I still want to check out craigslist for another couple weeks (we don't have a desperate need for it right now) to see if I can find another one for less than $20.
So, we had the infant seat (90.00) and the Snugrider (60.00) and extra base (40.00) and are now switching to a convertible car seat (80.00 x2 because of two cars and these are a pain in the arse to move) and will get the Baby Trend (40.00).
So, $190 at birth and now $200. We will likely need to put out another $30.00 for booster seats when Jocelyn turns 4.
$420 in all for all of the carseats and strollers that we anticipate Jocelyn needing in her lifetime. You never know what might happen, but for now, that seems to be the extent of what we will have to (have had to) pay.
The car seat and the snugrider were gifts, so out cash outlay, in the end, will only be $270. That's pretty close to the cost of some of the bigger travelsystems. I know that there are some out there that are cheaper, but go with something cheaper and you will still have to get different seats and strollers later, so your cash outlay will be more.
(Oh, and this doesn't count the $400 jogging stroller that we received as a gift, as well.)
So, it really does depend on what you really want and what you're willing to spend, what you anticipate you will get as gifts, etc, etc.
Good luck!!
