What Kind of Stroller Do I Get?

I have a sit and stand, and I LOVE IT! I have a 3yr old, and a 1 month old, and I use it daily! It is nice b/c my 3 yr old can sit and be "contained" when I need it.. very easy to push, and not any heavier than my graco single stroller..I highly reccomend it.

BOB is by far the best stroller I have ever seen, much less used. It's a side by side that is easily pushed with a single finger. It fits through doors which is amazing. Pricey YES but worth ever penny. REI has them and if you sign up for their lifetime membership ($20) you get 20% off.

Hi J.,
My kiddos are 18 months apart - my youngest child was born just this past July. For the first few months I wore the youngest child in a sling while pushing my toddler in the stroller. I only recently purchased a Baby Trend Deluxe sit and stand plus. It supports my Graco carrier, and the back seat is an actual seat that I can strap my toddler in for the time being. As he gets bigger I can take this seat off, and just use it as a sit and stand stroller. Plus, the stroller is super light. I got mine at Right Start, and it was only $159.99 at that time.

A link to the stroller is:
http://www.rightstart.com/global/store/product~item~8826~...

I have a Baby Trend sit-n-stand and my 2 1/2 year old daughter does very well in it- the seat for her is much bigger than I thought and does have a 3 point harness for when she is sitting and another strap that goes kind of around her back when she is standing. I definitely feel better when she is sitting but both feel safe to me. She likes that she can stand and either face me or the baby and I like that I can use it with my car seat carrier. A side by side umbrella will be good when the younger one is big enough to sit up but you are not going to find an infant friendly umbrella stroller. Any double you get is going to be bulky- I don't find that the Baby Trend sit-n-stand is really that bad as far as bulk. It steers well for it's size and was a great value compare to some of the other sit-n-stand strollers.

Good luck and congrats on your upcoming arrival.

I am in the same situation (baby #2 due in Jan w/a 2 1/2 yr.old). I have decided on the double sit and stand stroller (the sit and stand elite). You can have the option of using a seat in the back or removing the seat easily to convert it to a sit-n-stand. You can also use a baby carrier in the front (mine even fits in the back seat), so you can use it right away with your infant. I didn't think it was that heavy for a double stroller (not as light as an umbrella, of course!), but manageable. They sell it at Target, Walmart ($159 there), strollerdepot.com (no shipping costs) or onestepahead.com (about $200 after shipping). I am getting the one from One Step Ahead since it is the only one that has rubber wheels and the seats seem to be a little more padded than the Target one. They are all about the same, otherwise - just different fabric choices. I met a mom in Target who was using the one from there and she told me it was her third & final double stroller. It's the only one she likes. I believe you can purchase a converter kit for umbrella strollers to convert to regular ones to a double for very cheap - so you could always use that option later as your infant gets old enough to sit upright. I hope this helps you!

Hi J. ~

Congrats on your pregnancy! I just went through what you are going through and did A LOT of looking and researching for the *right* stroller. I have a 23 month old and a 1 month old. (and an 8 year old) Whew! That wears me out just typing it! So, I ended up with a Joovy Sit and Stand Stroller. The reasons I picked it were the idea of having the 2 girls behind one another ~ not side by side. I spoke to other Mom's that said the side by side sometimes doesn't fit in the isles in stores. Also, like you said, you want to be able to lay the baby flat and I also wanted to use the car seat with the stroller. Now, the double strollers were too long for me! I wasn't comfortable at all pushing it! The Joovy is more compact and it actually does have a harness to keep the older child sitting down. That was a concern of mine ~ that my older daughter would be sitting one moment and bolt out of the seat the next! She loves to sit in the *back* seat! She also likes to stand.

The only thing I have to share that may be a negative for you is the size of the stroller when folded. I have a midsize SUV and I have to make it fit in the back. However, it folds easily and isn't too heavy. Maybe you can try it in your car before purchasing. The Right Start in The Village is really good about letting customers try the seats and strollers before you purchase...

Hope this helps! Oh! The price was good also! Mid ranged I would say.

Good luck!

S.

I also have the Baby Trend sit n stand for my daughter who will be 3 this month and my 6 month old son. It has worked out really well for us. My daugther loves it! It also comes with a second seat so that you can strap them both in if you want (I haven't used this part yet though) and you can snap the infant carrier into it. It was the most versitile thing I could find for kids this age since it can be a regular seat or the sit n stand. We use this a lot at the zoo so that my daughter can get out and see the animals without me having to strap her in over and over again. I never really looked into any of the other types of strollers, so I can't give you a comparison on that, but I have enjoyed the sit n stand so far. I will say that the seats don't seem as comfy as my single Graco stroller was for my daughter and it is pretty heavy, but it folds up pretty flat for a double.

Congrats on baby #2 and good luck!

In the earliest months I used a single stroller for the infant. Then as he could sit, I got a wagon!! Big brother in the back, help holds baby in the front!! Infant never liked stroller, infant liked wagon!! He was my peculiar child!!

Of course pad the bottom......

I love my sit and stand especially if you are going to travel with them! I have the Baby Trend one.

Hello J.,
My kiddos are 13 months apart and when they were younger I LOVED the sit and stand. I tried a side by side stroller of several types and thought it was way to hard to navigate through doors. It is shocking how many door entries won't fit a double side-by-side stroller. My sit and stand did not lay completely flat, so you might check that first too.
Also, you can probably purchase one at the JBF sale in April 2009. It is the nation's largest children's & maternity consignment sale. I am the new owner of the san angelo sale and I own one in the north DFW area. Check out the website www.sanangelo.jbfsale.com for more info.
Good luck deciding on a stroller.
S. Jameson

We have a Maclaren side-by-side double stroller and have loved it. Each side adjusts independently, and can lay flat for the baby. When our second son was born, our oldest was right at 2.5, and it was perfect. With our third son, our middle son was 3, and I ended up wearing the baby more than using the stroller. However, there were quite a few time where I used the side-by-side for the two BIG boys and wore the baby! I do like the ability to buckle up both of the children in the stroller and know they're not going anywhere. It's quite a bit of peace of mind, especially when you're juggling with more than one.

Maclarens are excellent quality - we now have three different Mac strollers of different styles, for different uses. You may be able to get a good deal on them on Craigslist, too.

Hope this helps,
H. B.

Have you looked at the Kolcraft Tandem Options?
http://www.kolcraft.com/product.aspx?id=149
I have a 4.5yr old a just turned 3yr old and a 4 months old, and I use a Kolcraft Tandem Options.
It's really wonderful, very manueverable, and lighter than most other tandems on the market.
the seats can sit facing each other, facing way from each other, both facing mom or both facing forward.
I took the bar off the front seat that my oldest 2 take turns on , and they can easily get in and out themselves.
What I really love about it are the red child handles on the sides. Such a simple thing - but i couldn't have a stroller without them now! My 2 girls LOVE to hold those handles and walk besides mommy/the stroller.
The seats do not recline to flat, but they do fully recline - which my baby has found to be perfect little nest. You can also attach an infant bucket style car seat if you prefer.
And the basket is huge. Finally a bassket that holds all the stuff I need when I am 1 mom + 3 kids out at the park or zoo or water park all day!

I purhcased a Chicco capri stroller and it works great. My friend who has a 2 year old and a 5 month old has the exact stroller with the stroller connectors and she loves it. It reclines just enough for the baby to rest and it is very light weight. You will have to purchase the connector separately, but from what she says, its worth it.

Hi J..

I have a 7 year old who has multiple disabilities and a 2 year old daughter who is 18 months older than my 1 year old twins. I have owned a lot of strollers. Side by sides are almost impossible to navigate through stores and doors. For the twins I bought a Graco duo stroller and I love it. It is a bit bulky but it's the most comfortable for my children when shopping, traveling, and walking. It folds with one hand and has handles for ease with lifting. It is very durable unlike some of the other strollers I've had. We have traveled on the airlines and it performed wonderfully through the airport as well as letting both children recline and get rest when needed. It's a little pricey but you'll not need to replace it. Your son will travel in it comfortably. As far as an umbrella stroller...they need to stay hanging on the racks in the store. There is no lumbar support and they offer no comfort or stability for children. The ease the umbrella stroller offers does not offset the need for support and comfort. I hope this is helpful. Congratulations in advance on your June arrival.
J.

I got the sit-n-stand elite when I had my second. It is a double tandem stroller that can be converted into a sit-n-stand. My daughters are 23 months apart, so I wasn't ready for a sit-n-stand when right away. Here is the link to the one I got, I really like it. It is light weight, it folds up nicely. The only problem I have had is that three isn't a lot of storage room and if I shove my bag in the basket then my 2 yo doesn't have a lot of leg room. Congratulations on baby number two, and I hope you find a stroller you really like.

http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId...

I have the sit and stand. My children are 4 and 7 months, so mine is a little older. I really like this stroller, but there are some things to consider. It is light and easy to fold and steer (even 1 handed!) but the issues that I have encountered are: there is no place to put the older child if he happens to fall asleep. also you (at least on the babytrend one) can't lay the seat completely flat for the baby in the front. So until he can sit, you really don't have much choice but to use the carseat with the stoller. These were issues that I didn't consider when I bought it. My big guy doesn't ride too much, but the convience is nice when he decides that he wants to. I think in your case though because your big guy is younger you may do better with the other kind of stroller. Good luck

I continued to use my regular stroller for a very long time with my then-2 year old and wore my new baby in a sling. By the time the baby was ready to go in the stroller my son was ready to get out!

We did use my sister's stroller when going to the zoo, though. It was a regular double stroller where both kids can be strapped in (my son could easily get into the stroller himself, though) and the baby can still lie down if needed. It was a single file, not side by side.

I enjoyed my double side by side jogger, but my friend has the sit and stand and I thought it was great. I would say it depends on what you're going to use it for. Zoo and places like that - you would want the sit and stand because your child will get tired and want to ride, but will also be jumping around wanting to see things. If you do a lot of walking and just wanting them to sit, then the side by side.

I had a Graco DuoGlider that I used for my first two and then my 2nd and 3rd. My son was almost 2 1/2 when his sister was born, and he was still happy sitting in the front of the stroller even when #3 arrived when he was 5! (Unfortunately, he got kicked out then, but he and his sister would fight over who was going to ride and who was going to walk.) I would say it depends on how much your son likes to sit in the stroller. If he still rides most of the time, then I would suggest the DuoGlider (or another double stroller). Also, I would suggest test driving the strollers. My sister-in-law had the BabyTrend double stroller (not the sit-n-stand) and it was so much harder to steer than my DuoGlider.