Do I Need a Stroller for Two? - Page 2

[lach]

Mine are 19 months apart, and we definitely needed the double. We got the Phil & Ted's, because it works so nicely as a single too.

[_betsy_]

My girls are 27 months apart. I wore DD1 for her first year, rarely using her expensive strollers. She has never liked the stroller, and neither do I, really.

DD2 sits in it when we do something like go to the mall, or I (not with DH) take them to a park or playground. Usually I just wear DD2 and DD1 walks. I wouldn't ever use a double stroller.

SIL uses a double with her boys. She doesn't *love* it, though. Too bulky, hard to maneuver, heavy, just seems poorly designed. It's one of those front and back ones , not side by side.

I guess, if you are used to using a stroller with DC1 and they tolerate it well, a double may be helpful to you.

[mamadelbosque]

My boys are 29 months apart. I opted for a nicer single stroller (formerly just had a craptastic $20 umbrella from babies r us), as we rarely use a stroller to begin with (live in the middle of nowhere, so generally can't walk places), and the handful of times we have since DS2 was born we've taken turns wearing/carrying DS2 and pushing/holding DS1's hand. If money weren't an issue I'd totally go for a phil & ted's... and if I ever have an excuse to buy just one more stroller I'll almost certainly get one of them, or something else similar. Good luck!!

[alexsam]

I have to say... Hells YEAH. My babies were both around 30 lbs at a year, so baby wearing for more than a jaunt was too much. Then, anywhere with "stuff" required a bag, etc., so I did (and still sometimes do) babywear, but for actual walks, the zoo, etc. the stroller is really good. And for two tiny kids, you might need to pop them both in and go (with the diaper bag and toys and all).

Fenagling a baby and a toddler for actually getting places is much harder than just scooping a single baby into a sling. Of course, you have to think about your lifestyle, but there are lots of double options.

Personally, I don't know what i would have done without a double sometimes.

[rubidoux]

oops, double post!

[rubidoux]

There are 5.5 years between my two and I was hoping that the baby would love being in a sling and I could go without ever having a stroller for him at all, but in fact, he has always hated being in a sling or mai tai. So, at like 3 wks old I was desperate for a stoller and it was a real pita not to have one. I really really wished I had had one from the day ds2 was born.

One thing I will say is that with a first child, you can always just stay home until you are properly outfitted, but with child number two, you really can't. The last thing I wanted to say to my older child was "we can't do X bc of the baby." I just wanted to make sure that, especially in those first few weeks, I was able to avoid as many of the things that were going to inconvenience my older as possible, bc you know there are gonna be a lot of inconveniences that you can't avoid. And it was nice when we could still go out and do all of the fun things my older was used to being able to do. I think that made my older a little more understanding when I had to be able to nurse ds2 while lying down with ds one instead of having our usual one on one time then.

[Biscuits & Gravy]

Originally Posted by just_lily

I would get something like a Phil and Ted stroller that has a jumpseat attachment for a second kid. Then you can use the stroller for both kids when you need to, and still have a really nice single stroller when you don't. Plus it is way more compact that an actual double stroller.

But I am also jonesing for a Phil and Ted, and am looking for any excuse to get one!

This is what I went for. The baby will be 1 in a few days and he has honestly only ridden in it a handful of times because I wear him, but the extra seat has come in handy for hauling stuff. As he is getting older I'm sure he'll ride more often.

So I guess my answer for you would be that you don't necessarily need a double in my experience. We would have been fine with the umbrella stroller we already had, but I got a "years of service" award at my former job and had to pick something. I picked the stroller and they reimbursed me. How could I turn that down?? In hindsight maybe I should have bought myself a gorgeous wrap or a backup ergo since that is what I use more.

[chi_mama]

I never used a stroller w/ ds1 until I was too pregnant to wear him. I got a great deal on a double but I have yet to use it. Right now I put ds1 in the single and ds2 in the moby anytime we walk. I think by the time I would really put ds2 in the stroller my oldest may be too big (he'll probably be 4 by then). My advice is to wait awhile and make a decision after the new baby can sit up.

[SomedayMom]

I think it depends on your lifestyle. I am kind of lightweight babywearer. I did it but not as frequently as some and I did not do it all day if we were out for a whole day. The Phil and Teds was the best thing I bought for #2.

[Mizelenius]

I only got a double stroller when my 3rd was 1 yr old and, at that point, would cry to be IN the stroller instead of being worn. My then 3 yo was a runner (ran away) so a stroller was needed for her, too.

I hate double strollers generally, though.

[WC_hapamama]

Originally Posted by SomedayMom

I think it depends on your lifestyle. I am kind of lightweight babywearer. I did it but not as frequently as some and I did not do it all day if we were out for a whole day. The Phil and Teds was the best thing I bought for #2.

Ditto this, although I didn't get my Phil and Teds until after my 4th was born.

Babywearing for me is for short trips, or for longer trips where DH is along and I can trade of with him. I never quite mastered being able to use the restroom while babywearing.

[sept15lija]

No BTDT experience yet, but #2 is due in a month and #1 will be just turned two. I got a second hand double stroller - I like to use the stroller to go for long walks or to the grocery store or whatever, and it's too far for #1 to walk. Plus he is a runner, so I need to be able to keep him contained. I am kind of a lightweight babywearer too, I do it sometimes and a lot around the house but not as much when we go out. It really does depend on your lifestyle.

[mystiquesmom]

DS#1 flat out refused to get into a stroller, until DS#2 was born then he wanted to be in the stroller all of the time. I was hoping to just bw DS#2, but he was 20 pounds at 4 months and I have a bad back. I got the Phil and Teds, which I love. But I walk at least 30 minutes a day, often up to 3 hours, so a stroller I like is very important

[karkli]

When it was just DD#1, we used the sling or the stroller depending on circumstances.

DD#1 was about 28 months old when DD#2 was born. We debated getting a double stroller when we were expecting #2 and ultimately decided against it (thinking we could always pick one up later, if needed).

There has never really been a time when I wished we had one. (The only exception: I often wish we had a double jogging stroller because I occasionally get the jogging-bug when DH isn't around to watch the girls and I can't tote them both along with me since I only have a single jogger.) We wore DD#2 until she was about a year old. By the time she was at a point where she preferred the stroller over the sling, DD#1 was old enough to walk cooperatively alongside her sister in the stroller.

In our case, a single stroller was a great convenience for use for both DD#1 and DD#2. A double, however, has never been necessary for or desired by us.

[Peppermint Poppies]

I'd say YES, absolutely, but it does really depend on your lifestyle as other PP's have said.

In our case, we walk as our main mode of transportation - we walk to the shops, to playgroup, to church, to the library, to get groceries, to run errands, to playdates, to any of the 5 or 6 parks nearby - so a double stroller was, for us, like a car is for other people. We had a single Phil & Ted's from when DS was a babe, so we only needed to buy the doubles kit to transform it for the 2 babies. It gets used every single day, without fail. There isn't always 2 children in it ... sometimes I'm babywearing, or sometimes I ask DS to walk so that I can load up all of our groceries into his seat

[Bellabaz]

We don't have one. We walk alot to town or school but we have a car for things like grocery shopping and what not. I wear dd2 and dd1 walks (or if dh is there he might wear her). For me, given that we live a a rather small apartment, a stroller would be a hinderance. We have very little storage and taking on pulic transport here would be a pain. Plus lugging it up and down in the elevator all the time would annoy me.

Dd1 however stopped using a stroller very early (like befre she turned 2) on her own. We either rode bikes with her in a seta/trailer or she walked or we wore her. SHe walks everywhere now and she is still not 3. It depends on your lifestyle and your kids. I would personally wait and see when the new one comes. Then maybe even borrow one if you can for a little while to see if you prefer it or if it just gets int he way.

[~Katie~]

I purchased one shortly after DD was born, the main reason being we couldn't stay locked up in the house and I needed something to contain DS and all of our stuff and occasionally hold DD when I couldn't wear her. I have a DuoGlider and a BOB Revolution Dualie for walking/running. The DuoGlider works better for social gatherings and places where a jogger just isn't practical. DS doesn't walk with me or hold my hand for extended periods of time without running away, so having a stroller that could contain him and our stuff while I tend to an infant was a necessity. I'd say wait and see how it will fit with your lifestyle.