Stroller: I've traveled with both our super-duper Peg and an umbrella stroller, and both served our needs well in each situation.
For our trip to London we knew there would be a variety of transportation methods that we'd be taking (subway, trains, cars, etc.) so we needed something that would easily fold very compactly and we could carry if needed. Since Keith would be working, I also knew that I would be by myself with Belle occasionally, so I wanted something that I could carry while holding her. The bare-bones umbrella stroller was PERFECT! It served as a perfect place for Belle to nap or hang out while we were eating too. Fortunately, Annabelle had just begun supporting herself enough to sit up in a stroller with just a bit of slumping when she got sleepy, but the umbrella stroller even worked well when she was sleeping and not supporting herself. The only complaint that I have about the umbrella stroller is that the handles were close to the stroller itself and you had to either take super-small steps or lean while walking. Neither was very comfortable, so I ended up walking beside the stroller with one hand on the handle. The umbrella stroller seemed to stay pretty straight, so I didn't have much problem with the stroller going in the wrong direction.
For our trip to Alabama, we took the Peg Perego Pliko P3. We were going to be there for a while and took more small bags than we did for the London trip, so we used the Peg for hanging and holding some of the smaller bags, the car seat, and Belle. Checking the stroller and attachable carrier (that doubles as a car seat) was easy.
Baby Carrier: The carrier that goes with the Peg Perego stroller that I got is SOOO convinent for carrying a small or sleepy baby in and out of places, and it's great that it also doubles as a car seat. It's also great for a place to sit a baby that's too small for a highchair when you go into restaurants, and the same for taking them shopping and putting it in the shopping cart. Many restuarants have high chairs that flip over and you can sit the carrier in it next to the table (but a lot of times I would just get a bigger table and put her on the table so that 1. she could see us and 2. she wouldn't be bumped or knocked over by people passing by). As far as shopping carts go, some have the space/ability to sit the carrier in the baby seat part of the stroller and it will even snap in (like when you put it in the car seat base), but for many places it doesn't fit too well. When it doesn't fit right, you can either put the whole carrier into the main part of the cart (but then you lose most of the space) or hold on tight when wheeling baby around. Hopefully in the near future they'll standardize on the locking mechanism and shopping carts so that the carriers fit safely. Also, once I started to put Annabelle into a shopping cart at Publix that had an infant seat built into it, but then I immediately took her out because she started chewing on the straps right away. I'm not a germ-a-phobe, but with all of the other babies and other things that have probably been on there (including possibly bird poop and stuff from being out in the parking lot), I didn't feel comfortable with that. I guess you could probably buy the strap cover/pad things that they sell in baby stores, but I didn't even discover those infant seats until just recently and Belle was close to sitting up, so I didn't bother. In short, I'm sure most moms would recommend buying a baby carrier that doubles as a car seat because it's so convinent... especially when you have to put a baby into a rear-facing seat in the backseat of a 2 door car!
There are a couple of things to consider when choosing a baby carrier. One thing is to pay attention to the weight. The more light-weight, the better. Those things get heavy FAST! Mine doesn't have the handle that is turned so that you can hold it with your palm facing your body, but it really isn't too bad for me because I usually carry the carrier on my arm (hanging near my elbow). Also, my carrier requires a carseat base to use it as a car seat. I understand that there are some carriers that you can just put in the car with a regular seat belt, which would be nice because I wouldn't have had to buy an extra carseat base (NOT cheap!), but at the same time it's nice to just plop the carrier into a base, hear the *snap*, and know that Belle is locked in safely... especially when you have to put a baby into a rear-facing seat in the backseat of a 2 door car! (Did I already mention that?)
Car Seat: My inital idea for the car seat was to have one with the infant carrier (mentioned above) and use that in the car that Belle would be in most of the time, then use an infant-to-toddler seat in the other car. That might work if you didn't have to put a baby into a rear-facing seat in the backseat of a 2 door car (sensing a pattern???). I tried that for a little while, but then after trying to squeeze my already-oversized body into and out of the backseat of the 2 door car while gently holding a newborn just so I could secure her into the car seat, I decided that we needed another car seat base that fit the carrier instead. Belle is up to 16 lbs now, and it's getting hard to lift the carrier in and out (and she's also nearly too tall for the seat), so we may have to revert to the infant-to-toddler seat again soon.
Baby Bjorn / Sling: We have both a Baby Bjorn and an Ultimate Baby Wrap. They both have their pros and cons. The Baby Bjorn is easy to put on, adjust, and feels secure with a baby in it, but it hurts my back and shoulders if I wear it for even a short time (I have a bad back). Keith enjoys wearing the Bjorn because he can figure out how to put it on. :)
I first learned of the Ultimate Baby Wrap concept when we were visiting friends in Belgium last year. They had one and their 6 month old loved it. I used the UBW to carry Belle belly-to-belly all over for hours at a time in London, and she LOVED it. As soon as we started moving she'd fall asleep, and she didn't normally sleep during the day. It was great because it kept her warm and I could wear Keith's large raincoat around both of us. I also carried her in it with her back to me. When Annabelle was a newborn, I also used it quite a bit in the sling position to carry her around the house. She loved to sleep in it, and I had my hands free. The VERY best thing about the UBW is that it NEVER hurt my back, even carrying her around in it for HOURS at a time in London! It's very wide over the shoulders so it disperses the weight very well. Contrary to what Keith will tell you, it's not too hard to put on. It does come with a video because it looks complicated, but once you try it a couple of times, it's easy. I love that it is machine washable too. Now, the one slightly-major con of the UBW is that it is wraped around you and baby a couple of times so it can get warm. In London, this was a major plus, but in Florida... not so much! So, if you live in a climate where it's cold at all, think you might use this indoors with your newborn, or are planning to visit someplace cold where you'll be walking a lot, this is SOOO worth it... especially if you have a bad back!
Diaper Bag: I have a fairly large diaper bag, which seems to fill up more and more as Belle gets bigger (and I hear that trend is going to continue). In general I like my bag, but one complaint that I have is that the changing pad isn't very easy to get in and out with one hand. In London I didn't want to have to carry a huge over-the-shoulder bag, so I used a backpack and a travel changing pad (The First Years Fold & Go Auto Diapering Station). It worked PERFECTLY! I loved that I could keep diapers and wipes in the changing pad too, so I didn't have to dig for diapers or wipes while trying to change Belle in random places (there aren't always places to change a baby when you're traveling).
That's about all that I can think of for now. If you're a mom, feel free to leave comments about what I've said or about your own favorites. If you're a mother-to-be and have any questions, please post them as well!
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