Get Rolling With the Cortina SE Infant Travel System

Whether you’re having your first baby or you 3^rd, choosing a stroller isn’t an easy task. Because my kids were spaced far apart, I ended up buying a completely new travel system 3 times over. Why? To start, the technology behind infant car seats really improved over a few years, and I wanted to transport my baby as safely as possible. I also found that after a few years and one child, my strollers were beat up beyond recognition. We really put the km on those wheels!

Because I’ve had so many travel systems and I’ve tried so many different infant seats, when I was sent the Cortina SE Infant Travel System to review, I was prepared to give it a good once over. What I wasn’t prepared for was how much infant travel systems had changed from the last time I bought one, and it wasn’t even that long ago!

Here’s my review of the Cortina SE Infant Travel System.

Putting the Cortina SE Infant Travel System together

No one wants to stress and struggle with a new stroller or car seat, so I really appreciated how quickly the Cortina SE Travel System came together. Once it was out of the box, I managed to work through the instructions very quickly. I’d say putting it together took just under 10 minutes from start to finish.

Appearance

I love a good looking stroller, and the Cortina SE Infant Travel System looks great when it’s all set up. When I think of a stroller appearance I always wonder how it’s going to look lined up with other strollers at Disneyland (yes, I know I have a problem). Will it fade into a sea of black or will I be able to pick it out easily? I love the bright lime green of the Cortina SE Infant Travel System, and not only is it easy to spot, it’s built for comfort too.

On the infant seat, the padding around where baby’s head will go feels very thick, and although it’s lined for stain protection, it’s also very comfy and soft when you put your hand down on it. Some infant seats focus too much on stain protection and not enough on comfort, but I didn’t get that feeling from the Cortina SE Infant Travel System. After all, babies are smart: if your baby isn’t comfortable, he or she is going to scream every single time you put them in their car seat.

The KeyFit Infant Car Seat

For us, car seat safety was #1 in importance when we were bringing a new baby home. I can’t tell you how much I stressed over straps and the proper leveling for a car seat, but if I would have had the KeyFit Infant Car Seat that’s part of the Cortina SE Infant Travel System, I wouldn’t have stressed so much.

The KeyFit is the #1 rated 22 lb infant car seat. That’s reassuring in itself, but the features are what make it so appealing. It has a one-pull harness, so you can literally tighten or loosen the car seat with one quick pull. When your baby is screaming to be picked up or you’re worried about whether or not he or she is snugly secured, you’ll really appreciate that feature.

Placing the base securely in a vehicle was a snap. Unlike older infant car seats, the base has a spring-loaded leveling foot so there’s no second-guessing on whether or not it’s level. One of my neighbor’s is a firefighter, and I asked him to come over and take a look after I had installed the car seat. Even he was impressed at how quickly it snapped into its base and it passed his personal safety inspection.

But how well does it roll?

I love trying out new strollers. I love it when they roll smoothly and I always buy the strollers that I can turn easily with one hand. The Cortina SE Stroller did all that and more.

Let’s start with the brakes – brakes should be able to easily be flicked off and on with you toe, and I loved how easy it was to do that with the Cortina SE Stroller. The brake is sturdy too, so I don’t feel as though it will easily snap off (this has happened to me).

When you need to recline your baby, the Cortina SE Stroller features a fully reclining seat. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been out with an umbrella stroller and wished I had a fully reclining seat when my son fell asleep. You can relax and let them sleep, and they get a more restful sleep than they would if they were scrunched over sitting up. The Cortina SE Stroller features ‘Memory Recline’ too—that means it will remember the last position you left it in, and that position will be ready for you when you unfold it and use it again.

I’ll admit to being a bit fixated on having a big, roomy basket underneath my strollers, and I loved the basket on the Cortina SE Infant Travel System. You can fit so much stuff under there! From sippy cups, extra diapers, to an entire diaper bag, it all fits well.

I can’t forget to mention the cup holder on the Cortina SE Infant Travel System. It’s designed to fit your cup and has a snap shut compartment for your keys too. It started raining when we were out for a walk, so I quickly threw my husband’s iPhone in the container and it fit perfectly! Although it’s too small to fit my iPhone 6, I could put it in the cup holder if I needed to.

For a new mom or a mom who’s been around the block a few times, a good stroller is a lifesaver. After testing out the Cortina SE Infant Travel System, I can honestly say this is one I would have had no problem picking up myself. It glides over the pavement, is easy to turn, and has safety features designed to give you peace of mind when you’re out and about.

The Cortina SE Infant Travel System is available at Walmart right now, and you also check out Chicco online and on Facebook.

Happy strolling!