Thing is, you can tell a first-time p/g woman till you are blue in the face that travel systems are a waste of time and what you need is a safe car seat plus a buggy but generally they will go out and buy a travel system anyway. It's some kind of hold advertisers have over people who are confused by making 1001 decisions about stuff they have never had to think about before.
ABQ, just in case you are prepared to go against the grain, I endorse the advice to choose a car seat that does well on Which? safety tests and buy a buggy suitable from birth. (W? crash test more rigorously than manufacturers, do side impact as well as front-impact and at 40mph - companies only do 30.)
And here are the most recent W? best buys for newborns:
Best Buys
Maxi Cosi Cabriofix with Easyfix base
Price: £200
Score: 82%
Our testing has become even tougher since we made this a Best Buy in 2006, but it still passed with flying colours ? achieving our first 'Excellent' child seat result.
Crash protection is excellent, and the instructions are clear.
Britax Cosytot Isofix
Price: £200
Score: 79%
The Best Buy Britax Cosytot Isofix was the first seat for newborns to use Isofix mounting system. It's easy to install and offers excellent stability ? protecting children well in front and side crashes.
Designed for babies from birth to about a year (13kg), this rearward-facing seat uses a support leg that rests on the car floor rather than a strap for the third mounting point. The support leg needs a flat, solid floor, so it won't suit all cars ? always refer to the manufacturer's guidelines before buying.
Recaro Young Profi Plus with base
Price: £170
Score: 78%
This Recaro seat is designed for babies from birth to about a year (13kg) in rear-facing modes. It offers great protection in Isofix mode, although it's not as safe when used with the adult seat belt.
It comes with a base which is secured using the Isofix mounts, and has a support leg that rests on the car floor rather than a strap for the third mounting point. The support leg needs a flat, solid floor, so it won't suit all cars ? always refer to the manufacturer's guidelines before buying.
Britax Evolva 2/3 ISOFIT
Price: £130
Score: 77%
This Best Buy seat from Britax did well in our tests, with a 'Good' overall crash safety rating. It's very similar to the Ultra model, but unusually for a seat in this group, the Evolva 2/3 uses Isofix.
Although the Isofix mounting for the base doesn't actually improve safety, it's more convenient to use than the Ultra version, which isn't held to the car except when the belted child sits in it.