So we’re on to baby number FOUR! And we are very excited (and of course a little overwhelmed) but I am halfway through this pregnancy and I STILL haven’t bought a single thing for this new baby. This is quite atypical for me. For contrast, I bought a crib and bedding like the week I found out I was pregnant with Magnus, and picked up things throughout the trimesters when pregnant with Charlie and Clara. We know the sex of this little bug (will share soon) but either way, we’ve kept the majority of our stuff from our boys and girls so we are well stocked with hand-me-downs and most of the major gear. There’s really not that much we need for this little bug.

That being said across three kids I’ve amassed a ton of knowledge about and experience using a variety of baby gear so I thought it might be fun to do a series where I share some of our favorites (and why!) by category and some cute throwback pics of favorite gear in use.

For this first post I thought we’d start with gear for going places, carseats, strollers, and carriers.

Infant Car Seat Combo: Doona - This is easily in my top 5 of most essential baby products. I would repurchase this for every baby if I had to, but thankfully ours is still in great shape. What it lacks in storage baskets and cupholder it makes up by being a magic transformer. It wasn’t around for Magnus and Charlie, but was a game-changer for us with Clara and I recommend it to everyone I know having a baby. If you splurge on nothing else, bite the bullet on this one. Never having to lug around a 15lb baby in a 15lb car seat or unpack a bulky stroller frame because your car seat becomes a stroller in one simple maneuver? Priceless.

Jogger: Double Bob Dualie We have the double Bob and it’s the stroller that still gets the most use, we bought ours second-hand off Facebook marketplace, but it’s impossible to beat in terms of maneuverability and ease of use. The storage basket it shallow and it doesn’t feel as fancy as some of the others we’ve used, but this thing is a workhorse. We hike with it most weekends and it does well on all sorts of terrain.

Travel System: Uppababy Vista We have this one too and we got a lot of use out of it when our brood was just Magnus and Charlie and some once when Clara was teeny. It’s incredibly versatile, can accommodate one, two, or even three (with the ride-along board) kids and can have kids facing out, in or one of each, and has the BEST storage basket of any stroller we’ve ever used, but we’ve gotten out of the habit of using it. It takes more work than the Bob to put up and down. We may go back to using it some with the new baby before they are old enough to have head/neck control because our other infant car seat the Uppababy Mesa snaps right on to the Vista, but then again we may just use the Doona and the Bob like we have been and make Magnus walk?

Travel Stroller: We also have a Recaro travel stroller that I don’t think they make anymore that we loved when Magnus was our only kid and a young toddler. It is SO lightweight and can be collapsed or setup with one hand. This stroller from Baby Jogger looks to be very similar with the added bonus of an included carrying backpack and is amazing for airplane travel.

Convertible Carseat: For carseats we wanted seats with extended rear-facing capability and the possibility of fitting three seats in a row. We have several of these Dionos and they’re high quality. They are too heavy to mess with for travel though (once baby outgrows Doona, until then just travel with that and save yourself so much trouble), so we also got travel seats that are lighter-weight, easier to install, but with fewer features.

Baby Wearing: We have the Ergo 360 and it’s been used and abused over 3 kids and is ready for another baby. It is secure and easy to put on and it fits both Aaron and I. I also have the soft wraps, but if I’m being honest, I never felt secure in them. I was always worried babies would fall out.

What are your favorites for babies and kiddos on the move? Any gear to go questions?

Next up I’ll be sharing gear for sleep