Nuna - PIPA Aire

Gotcha! My friends visited NYC a couple times with their infant and their Doona worked well for them. May be worth the purchase for your trip. A “hack” I’ve heard is that if you’re planning on gate checking, go up to gate agent and ask (nicely) if there are any open middle seats and if so if you and your baby could be put in that row. If it works out you’ll get to bring the car seat onboard without buying a seat, if not gate check it as planned and lap carry I personally have the Nuna Triv + Pipa Aire and we’ve flown with it (and the car seat) a few times as a gate check and we love it bc the Triv folds easily. I feel like the Triv is perfect for NYC life but is an expensive purchase so the Doona a much better deal unless you happen upon a used Triv Also another option if you’re renting a car for your upstate journey is a car seat supplied by the car rental company - I think almost all of them have the option!

The Noona is probably the best car seat that turns into a stroller - it’s an all-in-one. So you don’t have to worry about bringing along a separate stroller. It is great for the first year or so. And the Noona is stroller is small so you can easily bring it to wherever you’re going without it being a hassle. The ones like Uppababy Vista are good too, but it requires you to bring a separate stroller that you can click the car seat into. But once the kid outgrows the infant car seat, the stroller is just a large stroller and doesn’t really have any major benefits over any other stroller. I’ll say this - we used the Uppababy system for our first two kids then did the Noona for our third - and I really wish we had gone for the Noona in the first place.

Which seat? The harness height on all of Nuna’s seats is SHORT. If you have a tall kid they will outgrow the seats earlier than expected. For us the infant seat was also short-lived because my kid started hating it by like 5 months and we switched to convertible , so that felt a waste to me. Also Nuna’s textiles stain, discolor and sun bleach super easily and look terrible. I am learning that it’s more common to have to replace a seat due to damage from something like frequent accidents or sickness /body fluids because there are so many dang rules about how to clean and you cant use basically anything, I would say Nuna is not worth the money.

CPST- feel free to PM me for more details or suggestions. Basically some of the more expensive brands are more complicated to install or are outgrown more quickly. For instance the nuna infant seat needs a rolled towel to get it level in most vehicles. Uppababy infant seats are outgrown very quickly. You mentioned Clek but Clek is one brand that is very recommended by techs. I own 3 of them myself. The Clek liing is one of the most highly recommended infant seats on the market. We couldn't use it in our vehicles because we have Ev's but that would have been my top pick otherwise. We own 3 Clek foonfs. The Clek also has adaptors for uppababy strollers if you go that route.

The fact that my Nuna weighs less than 9 lbs is why I own it, every person who’s ever grabbed the seat has complimented how lightweight and easy it is to maneuver. And I’d buy it over and over again!

I have a Nuna Rava forward facing behind the driver seat, and a Nuna Pipa rear facing behind the passenger. Both front seats need to move forward from where we'd normally have them to accommodate the car seats behind. I'm 6'2" and when I drive, I do need to move the seat forward a good amount from my normally position because my 4 year old would other wise have only a couple inches for her feet. There is not room to comfortably fit a third person in the middle seat of the second row I'd say. And no easy way to get to the third row with two car seats installed.

We have one but honestly the price tag just doesn’t make sense unless you’re really sold on it and it fits your stroller needs. We really liked the concept of being able to use it without a base, but the way it functions without the base is pretty annoying (strap across lap). It’s light, but they all get heavy fast, so that’s similarly not something that rises to the price tag, IMO.

I got the basic Skip Hop backpack style that you see everywhere. Works great so far, holds a lot. Infant car seat and stroller was also really hard for us to decide. We live in a suburban area, no plans to go running or off roading with our stroller haha. We got the Nuna TRVL LX and Nuna Pipa Air car seat. You can snap the car seat into the stroller, and the stroller goes almost flat so we used it for walks starting around 1 month old. Both stroller and car seat are incredibly light weight and easy to manage, 10/10 recommend. Unfortunately not at the point of convertible car seat yet but looking into Evenflo revolve and Cybex Callisto

We have the Nuna Pipa URBN and LOVE it!! This is our first baby though so we don’t have much experience with any other car seat. We initially bought the regular Pipa that uses a base and it made our passenger seats virtually unusable (2016 BMW X5 and 2019 Volvo XC-90). The URBN sits lower on the seat due to not using a base and fits much better. It is a breeze to get in and out of our cars, easy and stress free to use in others’ cars, and I love that when I don’t have his car seat in my car all the seats are usable (none taken up by a base). I will say we’ve put it in a couple cars where the seat latches are covered with fabric held in place by Velcro and it has to be undone to install, which is less convenient, but hasn’t been a huge deal for us and in those cases we just use the included latch guides. We also heard people say the base is easier to get in and out every day but for us it’s been super easy, but again we only have experience with the baseless! I’ve also heard critiques about the size/weight limit, but my son was 16 lbs (25th percentile) at 6 months and it’s already pretty heavy. I can’t imagine wanting to carry a baby in a bucket seat around past the 22lb URBN limit personally.

We have a new defender and used a Nuna infant car seat. Newer cars have latch bars that the car seats click into hut they also have ways to secure them using a seatbelt. So long as your seatbelts function properly you shouldn’t have an issue fitting most brands. Our kiddo outgrew the infant car seat so we just got Chicco brand convertible & reversible seat and base.

It’s hard to get true reviews on things like this because everyone’s is so anecdotal. I have and love the Nuna car seat but it’s also the only one I’ve had. It’s light and was easy to install but is it worth the money i don’t know. I do know baby is very comfortable in it and sleeps almost immediately. I also have nuna swiv. The swivel has not come in super handy yet and I’m having a hard time believing it was worth the money we spent for it. But it’s also very light and my petite wife is actually able to pick it up and carry it with not much issue which is nice.

I've done it with 3 the same ages you mentioned and it was perfect. The oldest went in a high-back booster in the middle of the second row. I bought the Volvo booster since it's a bit more narrow than others and leaves more room to buckle. The other two carseats were a Nuna Pipa with base and a Diono Radian 3R.

The lighter Nuna car seat was absolutely worth it for me as a petite woman. Also getting the matching Nuna TRVL stroller with the one handed open/close that doesn’t require any additional pieces for that car seat to click into it was a game changer for travel when kiddo was an infant. We also have the Nuna Rava now which is extraordinarily comfy. Feel bad when we travel and we put the kid in a cheaper car seat that’s more portable. The difference is incredibly noticeable. The Tripp Trapp we also love with the various attachments for each stage of life. If my next kid is not a good sleeper, I’ll rent the snoo. Didn’t need it with my first. ETA: Again for travel, the Guava Lotus and Slumperpod are also amazing to have. Plus the No Reception Club carry-on and diaper bags.

I am down this deep dark rabbit hole currently. I was leaning uppa, but then I read their infant car seats have a bad “chin to chest” issue. You can get a nuna infant seat to fit the vista v2/v3 but then I’m like, why not just go all nuna at that point. So now I’m looking at the nuna Demi next stroller with the pipa aire infant seat and then when they grow out of that we’ll switch to a convertible car seats. I want the bassinet attachment also not just for walks but for traveling naps and if the bay falls asleep on our walks they can just keep sleeping in the bassinet but with the infant seat they can’t.

I have two car seats in the back - Nuna Rava and Pipa. There is still some space but the middle seat is purely a cup holder. We use a travel stroller (Yoyo) and it fits in the trunk easily. Not the best family car but a great daily driver with or without the kids.

Nuna is about the parent conveniences. I had a Nuna infant car seat and it was super simple to strip and wash, intuitive to use the buckles, had simple but critical things like a hook to place car seat belts, and was a breeze to adjust and tighten. I curse my current car seat every time I have to use it and miss the nuna luxuries lol. I would just compare for features. Of the joie has all the similar features just maybe less cushy fabrics. I’d say that’s a good bargain version.

I was able to get two of the Diono Radian seats forward facing and a rear facing Nuna with the base in the back seat of our CRV. It was TIGHT but it worked

We chose our stroller first and that decided on what car seats we looked into. We went with a nuna stroller, so our only option was to get a nuna car seat since their system doesn’t support any other infant car seats. We do like the seat. I feel like she is really supportive in it. She was 5lbs 5oz when we left the hospital and her head was really supportive. It’s also super easy to install. Don’t have experience with anything else. We’re still unsure if we are going to get the RAVA when she outgrows the infant seat and am open to other seats of different price points.

I have a Nina pipa and a 360 seat in my husbands car and I Love the 360 so much more. The Nuna is technically “nicer” but it’s so much more work.

We went from Pipa to Revv and Rava. I know the weight and height limitation on the Revv is lower than on the Rava, but let me tell you, the Revv has a way better build quality than the Rava. Also much easier to take cover off to wash, clean, etc

Don’t splurge on the infant car seat, there’s no need to spend 500 dollars on something they’ll use for a year at max. The Graco infant seats are well regarded, and many strollers will have adapters for it. I bought a nuna seat and somewhat regret the money spent but it is what it is. For a winter baby I definitely recommend an infant seat, we live in a cold climate and it was so convenient to pop our seat into the stroller. Strollers are so personal and honestly you won’t find one that really checks all the boxes if you want to do things like travel. We have a nuna demi grow because I originally wanted kids closer but that didn’t happen, and I’ve barely used that stroller with baby #2. I have the uppababy minu that’s been our go to because it’s light and we bought car seat adapters for it, but the basket isn’t very roomy at all. My friend has a Thule jogger which is great for slushy and snowy weather, and she got adapters for her car seat. I would have picked the uppababy Cruz for my daily stroller if I could go back!

I think personal preference, personality, first time parents, and overconsumption is a huge part of this. As a FTM, husband and I wanted to splurge specifically on a nuna system (mainly because you didn’t need a base in every car to use and I see resale ones on FB marketplace), but were lucky as heck a grandparent wanted to gift us the funds for it… Aside from that initial planned investment, I asked for pre-loved clothes at my shower. Registered for a microwave sterilizer vs a machine. Couldn’t decide on a carrier bc they are overwhelming to pick and so expensive, so I settled for a boba wrap at least for the newborn phase. Even though they were gifts I wasn’t paying for, I didn’t want to contribute to overconsumption. Curious if there are specific items you are looking for? You got this!

We decided on nuna when I was around 14 weeks pregnant. Its lightweight and quick to pop in and out of the trunk. It's my one baby purchase I bought during pregnancy that I didn't regret or ended up having to buy another brand. I'd recommend going to a Nordstrom or similar department store that carries them to try them out. We did this and it helped us pick which one fit our needs best.

We also have this stroller. Along with a mixx next because where we live some of the roads are cobblestone. Plus the bassinet attachment We wanted a heavy duty stroller that could be taken on grass/cobblestone, one that could be used for travel that was easy to fold and the safety of the pipa aire was very nice.

Nuna has one of the highest ratings for ease of installing/latch/use!

I believe it scored the highest in crash safety ratings. It also scored the best in other factors like comfortability, ease of install/use/latch, etc. It’s very expensive, but it’s protecting life. To me, that’s worth everything. If you’re saving money, don’t save on this. Allocate the extra $250 (or whatever difference) into this and cut that amount elsewhere (like the stroller).

We love our nuna and so did our baby. He screamed when he was in the Uppababy car seat but was happy as a clam in the nuna.

Vista car seat is too large and bulky. Get the Nuna travel system. I HATE my uppa baby vista. It’s so large and bulky. I ended up buying the Nuna Triv. I originally bought the Nuna Trvl LX, but returned it

My baby hated her pipa infant car seat ??. We ended up switching to the convertible car seat at 3-4 months because of this. It looked like she was sliding down and I had to use a rolled up cloth to keep her in place, she was uncomfortable. Felt that was pretty annoying especially given the expensive price.

The Nuna is soooo easy to install and that makes it my #1 just for that lol