When I was first looking into stroller systems, I absolutely fell for the UPPAbaby Vista. It checked all my boxes: high quality, bassinet and toddler seat options, a car seat that clicks in as well, the ability to expand for a second child, and even a ride-on board option for a third. We went for it and it’s an absolute luxury to push around our walkable neighborhood. I do not regret buying it. But if I didn’t live somewhere that I could just push the stroller out the door, I would invest the money elsewhere. What I’ve learned since is that the Vista is a pain to fold up and store. It’s a two-handed process that’s awkward and never quite results in my feeling that it’s stable enough to stand up on it’s own. The handle needs to be extended for the stroller to stand up, and even then it’s never quite sturdy, but is quite heavy and can take itself down. We never fold it up for this reason, and instead tuck it into a corner fully set up. And because of this awkward fold setup, it’s an absolute hassle to bring in the car. There’s no easy way

When we were preparing to bring our first baby home, I spent a lot of time worrying about his safety with our three cats. All of which were used to sleeping in our bedroom, and would be more than happy to climb in a cozy bassinet to snuggle a warm new human (adorable but not safe!!). Initially I tried using one of those bohemian tent like curtains on a ring above the bassinet (like a bug net but pretty), which was set up weeks ahead of time. My cats pretty quickly showed me that they were happy to forge through the fabric and make their way in. With just a week to spare, I found this bassinet with a zip-top canopy. The top folds down for the bassinet to be fully open and accessible, but when baby is inside you can pull them up and zip the whole thing closed. The top and sides are all breathable, but it prevents the fur babies from climbing in too. Bonus that it’s super affordable (less expensive than your usual crib!).