I am wondering what type of double stroller to get for my baby (due Aug 27) and my son, who will be 3 next week. We travel quite a bit, so it needs to be something good for all-day riding, as well as quick trips. I think I am leaning toward a side-by-side as opposed to front/back seating. I would love for it to fit the infant carrier as well in the beginning. I've looked into the sit-n-stand kind - but don't think that would work for all-day for my 3 year old. I LOVE my single stroller/travel system but can't seem to find the perfect option for an infant and 3 year old. The trunk of my car is not very big so I can't do anything that doesn't fold pretty compactly (some doubles I've seen are just huge!) I am looking for something that's not too heavy (I will be having a c-section so can't lift for a while anyway), drives smoothly, has good features (cupholders for both parents and kids, storage space, easy folding, etc...), and worth the money. We are planning a trip to Disney World in the spring and I'm hoping this stroller will suit all of our needs there especially. I am ok to spend a little more if it will suit all my needs. If you have any tips I would greatly appreciate it!!! Thanks in advance for your help!
Any Sit and Stand works great. I got mine at target for 120. Joovee makes one and I think so does fisher price.
Good luck w/ the new baby.
D.
I have the Graco duoglide. I also looked at the sit n' stands and the side by sides. To me, the side by side seems to be quite cumbersome in terms of navigating through a busy store, crowds, etc. and I'm not sure that the carrier would attach to it. While the duoglide is big, it is still manageable in terms of packing into the trunk and it even navigates pretty smoothly. I am happy with the purchase. I use/used it with a newborn and 2 year old and then 1 year and 3 year old..
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2827351
I have a daycare and just bought this Joovy caboose tandem stroller! I LOVE IT! your 3 yr. old can either stand between you and the baby-or she can sit! It has a belt with a seat that sits right behind the infant! Also has an attachment for the infant car seat! I also had the double jogging stroller I liked that too but not as much as the tandem. It`s a little hard to make turns in that one.
I'm not sure you can have it all - lightweight, compact, side-by-side, cup holders, sturdy, storage, fits car seat. That said, I've got the MacClaren Twin Techno and I love it. It has okay storage, it is just that it is hard to get to if the seats are fully reclined. It has two drink holders in the back so you can put an adult drink and kid drink there, but the kid can't reach it. It does not fit an infant car seat but fully reclines for a newborn. I got it for my twins but have used it with one of the twins and their older brother (twins are now 15 months and older child is 4 1/2). It is easy to steer and drive even with the weight difference and can pretty much turn on a dime. It can fit through standard sized doorways. If you are mainly thinking of Disney, why not see if you can rent something there instead of focusing on finding a stroller for all day comfort. How many other times will you be using a stroller for things like that? When my son was 3 he rarely used the stroller unless we went to the zoo or were going on a trip and we had a lot of walking to do quickly in an airport.
I have a sit-n-stand that I purchased through One Step Ahead but I got the double stroller so I have the option of having a regular double stroller or one in the stroller and one standing. My girls are now almost 11 months and 21 months and I have never used it as anything other than a double stroller and I love it. I was amazed how easy it is to turn considering its size but it does take up a lot of my trunk. Still, I would buy it again if I had the choice.
M.,
My kids are 17 months apart (currently 18 months and almost 3), so I definitely needed a double stroller! We bought a baby trend sit n stand, and frankly we hated it, especially when the infant car seat was in it. It was very difficult to steer--my forearms were always sore. If you are only using it indoors (on flat surfaces), then it could be useful, but otherwise I hated it.
We recently bought a Maclaren twin triumph stroller, and it is awesome. It folds up very small (umbrella style), and is easy to maneuver. They are designed to be the same width as wheelchairs, so anywhere that is handicapped accessible is stroller accessible. The only drawbacks are that it is expensive, and that you couldn't use it for your infant.
A suggestion for when your baby is still too small is to take your current stroller, and a baby carrier (we had the baby bjorn). I would "wear" the baby for trips to the grocery store, mall, walks, zoo, and let my son sit in the stroller or grocery cart. If my son wanted to walk, I'd take a break from holding my daughter, and put her in the stroller. We didn't have the carseat with us, but with the head support that comes as an attachment with most strollers, our baby was fine.
One last thing. We just went to Disney in June, and the stroller worked out perfectly. There was plenty of storage space, although this stroller does not come with cup holders, we just made sure that our beverages came in bottles or sippy cups.
Good luck!
We just added a baby to our family and went through the search for a double stroller. I too was leaning for the side by side and looked at the sit-n-stand also, having most of the thoughts you shared. We bought a double side by side combi at Babies R Us although before we opened the box, we ended up looking into Craigslist and finding out that we could buy two gently used ones for the price of one brand new. We ended up returning the unused Combi and buying a duo-glide double stroller from Graco for $40 --basically in brand new condition. Even though it is a front and back, which i didn't think i wanted, I have to say that we have loved it! The car seat can go on either the front or back, there is plenty of storage, shades for the sun/rain, and our three year old likes to sit in both the back and the front. What is really shocking to us is that our 3 year old never liked the stroller for the first three years of her life, so we are surprised that she loves it now. The baby really enjoys being strolled around and at 5 1/2 months, we now strap her in without the car seat most of the time so she can see out. We have used this stroller more in 3 months than we used our single in three years! It also is very easy to open & close, it moves around very easily and i swear it is lighter than our one seater (graco travel system). It also fits into a Dodge Neon trunk! I would also recommend a carrier for the baby--a real must for child number 2 (or any baby for that matter) and a nice change from the stroller when baby wants to reconnect. While the baby bjorn works for newborns and short periods of time, i must recommend the Ergo carrier which is absolutely wonderful. After a few uses, your baby will love it and so will you. It can carry front, back and hip and there is an insert for newborn although i didn't own the Ergo till my baby was 4 months. Also, it is so easy to use, not complicated at all! There are so many baby carriers out there and in the past few years alone, they have gotten so much better. It is extremely comfortable and so worth it! Hope i offered something helpful! Have fun in Disney World!
Hi M.
My husband and I purchased our double srtoller a couple of years ago and we absolutely love it. It is a Combi stroller, it's extremely light to be a double stroller and has removable parts that allows for easy clean up. It's a great stroller to take on trips and we can even take it on a plan as carry on. It has a strap on the bag that allows us to carry as if we were carrying a golf bag. I loved it so much my best friend went a purchased the single stroller version. It even folds up extremely easy and fast. We purchased it at Babies R' Us for around 200.00. Below is the link to the Babies R' Us website there are a couple of different Combi strollers to choose from.
Good Luck!
http://www.toysrus.com/search/index.jsp?sr=1&f=Taxono...
i love our sit n stand (found it used on craigslist b/c i wasn't sure if we would like it). it's the Baby Trend, and it's great. My toddler hates sitting for long periods in the stroller, so the stand on feature is great! I can get her to hop on when i'm on the move with the baby.
Hi there.
My husband and I just recently moved back to the state from Europe where they use the Bugaboo side by side ALL the time. It is PERFECT for 2 kids of different ages. It has a kids seat and a bassinet (2 of each with the double). So, one side can be the bassinett and the other the kid seat. It isn't too wide like some I've seen. It is VERY sturdy. Where we lived in Germany people walk ALL the time all over the city and these strollers can stand up to that kind of daily rigorous activity. It will be a little more pricey...but in my opinion, if you are going to use a stroller often then it is worth the extra money. The bugaboo looks great, is perfectly functional, seems easy to manueuver and can withstand lots of daily use.
I'm pretty sure you could find a more comprehensive product review on www.letsgostrolling.com In addition, that site will have other double stroller options. It's a great site to research strollers. You can order from there as well, and from what I've seen they have really good online prices.
Good luck and congrats on your new baby! (by the way... Aug 27th... great day! That's my daughters birthday...she'll be 1)
We bought one from Burlington for around $200, and moms are always asking about it. I have a huge 2-year-old (she's as big as most four-year-olds), and a 5 1/2-month-od. The seats can both face forward or backward, towards each other, or away from each other. Plus, it came with the thingy you use for an infant car seat. It's called the Ultimate Stroller from Kolcraft. Also, I have a friend looking to get rid of hers (I'm not sure what kind it is, though).
just an FYI - side by side doesnt fit through some doors :(
I loved everything else about my side by side though :)
Hi M.,
My daughter was born when my other daughter was almost 3. We got this stroller from Target online (http://www.target.com/Baby-Trend-Deluxe-Stand-Silverado/d...) and we absolutely love it. The infant goes in the front and the toddler goes in the back. The back can be a regular seat, where they can lie back or you can take out the seat and they can stand/sit. It's a great stroller for my oldest who can hop off and run around, but easily come and sit when she needs a break. The only downside, the basket is difficult to access as it's under the toddlers feet. I bought some hooks to attach to the handle of the stroller and put my diaper bag there.
Good luck!
We have the Peg Perego side by side and we love it! It fits through most doors...I actually have not really had any problems with the width. It is light weight. The two big minuses are that the infant seat does not fit in it and it is not good "off Roading" SIde walks are the best. Over all I do love love it.
Do you just want it for Disney or long term. Your 3 year old might not to ride in a stroller much, and they are kind of expensive. A friend of mine has triplets and they used umbrella strollers withs these clip things to hold the strollers together when they went to Disney.
I have the Baby Trend Deluxe Sit-n-stand from Target, also. My son will be three in September and my daughter is 6 months. The Graco Snug Ride car seat fits into the front seat with no trouble. It's a little long with the car seat in it and tricky to maneuver, but it's fairly lightweight (for a double stroller) and it folds easily and fits in the trunk of my 2003 Saturn Ion. I'd buy it again.
M.,
Good luck to you momma. Strollers end up being such a personal choice. I started with the Maclaren double and then after trying out my girlfriend Phil and Ted's I ended up selling my Maclaren on Craigslist to fund the purchase of my Phil and Ted. It is not a traditional double stroller, but rather a jogger set up with a trundle seat. Maneuverability of a single stroller, and oh so light. 3 years and another kid later and I still love this stroller. Here is a link to their company website. http://www.philandteds.com/nz/index.htm
