Are you a parent-to-be, or the parent of a newborn? You may already know that taking your baby in and out of their infant car seat to put them in a stroller can be a real hassle. The baby may be sleeping or fussing and you really don’t want to bother them. Strollers with travel systems - where the infant car seat clips directly onto the stroller - are handy, but can be bulky and expensive. Before you purchase a stroller for your newborn, you may want to take a look at a great alternative: the universal car seat carrier.

What is a universal car seat carrier? Also called a stroller frame, this device is essentially a metal frame consisting of wheels and a base onto which you clip your baby’s infant car seat quickly and easily.

There are several advantages to using universal car seat carriers. They are compact and lightweight and can accommodate most major brands of infant car seats without the use of tools. Like standard strollers, they can come with useful features such as a removable parent tray with cup holder, a storage basket, and plastic swivel wheels for one-handed steering. They are great for use in shopping malls, on paved sidewalks or paths.

They also come in double and triple models for twins and triplets, although these are harder to find. And best of all, universal car seat carriers are much less expensive than stroller travel systems (from $60-$110) and leave your baby peaceful and undisturbed.

There are a few disadvantages to universal car seat carriers, but they are definitely outweighed by the advantages listed above. So what are they? Car seat carriers have limited features and can only be used until your baby outgrows their infant car seat (at 30 lb, under one year of age usually). They are not suitable for use on rough terrain or for jogging, and great care must be taken to securely clip the infant car seat onto the carrier to avoid accidents.

All in all, a universal car seat carrier is a great choice for transporting your baby during their first year of life. Having one permits you to get out of the house quickly and easily with your newborn during those first few hectic months. And when the fog finally lifts, you can take your time to figure out what type of stroller you’ll need when your baby is older (standard, all-terrain, jogger, umbrella, etc.). Universal car seat carriers are manufactured by companies such as Kolcraft, Baby Trend and Graco and are sold at many baby equipment stores or online.