double stroller advice

[verycozy]

Does anybody have any recommendations for a double stroller?

I'd like one that I can take to the beach but which also fits through doors. I wonder if I'll need to get two separate strollers.

I have twin babies and a two year old, and I'd like to put the toddler and a baby in the stroller (once the baby can sit up) and wear the other baby in a sling.

I had initially balked at the $500 price tag on the BOB and the Phil and Ted, but since a functioning stroller is the only way I'm going to get out of the house any time in the next four years I'll fork over the money if I have to.

[lach]

I have the Phil and Ted and thought that the way a newborn can lie down while the toddler sits on top of him (basically) was ingenious. DS loved it: it gently rocks as you walk and it always put him right to sleep.

[obxbound]

I have a Bumbleride and love it. I hmmmed and hahhed over the price tag, size, and etc, but it is my everyday stroller. I use it for the mall and for the beach, to exercise and Target runs.

My oldest was 3.5 when the twins were born so he had outgrown the stroller stage but the the Bumbleride Indie Twin can easily handle an infant and a older child. The stroller I just use for the twins, but I occassionaly need to sling one and put the other in the stroller. Totally worked.

Good luck.

[someonenamedleah]

I just bought the double BOB over the weekend. I looked at the Baby Jogger City Elite and the Select, Valco, and Bumbleride and I just thought the BOB was the easiest to push and maneuver. We didn't look at the Phil and Ted at all though.

[Dov'sMom]

If you're only planning to use it when the babies can sit up, query whether you need a double at all.

My DSs are 14 months apart. I was home DS2's first six months, and wore him all the time. When I went back to work, we bought a double for our babysitter, but she found it much easier and the kids liked it a lot when she just sat DS2 in front of DS1 in our single. To this day (2 and 3 yo, 30+ lbs each) they share a plain old Graco that we got from freecycle. Much easier to manuever around stores and such. And it's not that we don't get out much -- we regularly walked them to the shopping center (1.1 mile away), shopped, and walked back. (Not so much now that I'm 9 months pregnant...)

[dividedsky]

i have a valco, and i love it. i think it would be great for the beach (i grew up a bike ride away, miss it so much!). you can also get the toddler ride-on attachment for it which might be a nice option for you. it's not inexpensive, but it's totally solid and has nice big wheels. it fits through doors that are handicap-accessible. it's heavy though, like all the nice jogging-type strollers, so you may want a lighter one also. i have an esprit sun-something (it's a rebranded maclaren, same construction) that i keep in the car because it's lighter and easier to open up.

[Hilarigh]

I was going to also suggest the valco trimode. It's a side by side double that can accommodate a toddler seat. I think you can lay the seats down to almost flat so you could use it for the babies before they're sitting. It's not cheap either, closer to 700 but I know moms with one already and two on the way love that they can add the toddler seat.

[at-home]

Our girls are 3. I love our Baby Jogger City Mini Double stroller (you can see it on Amazon). It folds in half SO easily and fits in the back of my SUV (none of the other double strollers did except for the umbrella type). It's really easy to maneuver, even with one hand, and fits through all the doorways.

[Red Pajama]

I have a tyke tech 360 that was significantly less than the BOB strollers. I love it. Individual reclining seats, individual canopies, big inflated tires. It fits through doors. The handle is tall enough for my tall husband to use comfortably.

My only complaint is there is no spot for the grownups drink or anything else-- it's just a push handle.

Look up joggingstroller.com. It helps one to narrow the search using desired features of a stroller, including price.

[WindyCityMom]

My best advice is to never.ever.ever get the Kolcraft Contours stroller. It is huge. Maneuvers and fits through doors fine but is seriously as long as Santa's sleigh

Maybe my mind will change when weather gets nice and I use it outside.. but for now it is not on my nice list (am I Christmas-y today, or what!?)

I'll be stalking this thread

[verycozy]

Wow, I'm really coveting that Valco TriMode right now. I had no idea it existed before it was mentioned in this thread.

[eatingfor3]

Originally Posted by verycozy

Wow, I'm really coveting that Valco TriMode right now. I had no idea it existed before it was mentioned in this thread.

I've said it before on different threads that the Valco is the best money I have EVER spent, hands down. It was so hard to stomach the cost at first, but it is honestly worth every single penny and then some. I've been through tons of other strollers (just bought stroller #10 actually-- a jogger/ bike trailer combo) but the valco is my favorite.

I can take all 4 of my kids out with it, which is essential. My 3 y/o sits in the toddler seat and my 4 y/o rides on the kick board in the back. The twins (7 months) love it. I've been using it since birth, never used a snap n go or anything else. even with all of the kids on it, I can push and turn it one handed. It can be bulky in tighter spaces but it still fits through all doorways and in every major store I've been to.

What I often do when we go to the store is wear one baby and then recline the empty seat all the way and throw the groceries or whatever I'm buying in that seat. It works perfectly.

Now, if you are really looking for something durable and heavyduty for the beach, look into the Chariot Cougar. That thing is amazing for the beach and you can use it as a bike trailer and jogger too. It is expensive, but if you are active it might be worth the cost. We just bought the Chariot cx2, which is the upgraded model from the Cougar and I'm pretty much in love with it. In fact, I feel like I'm cheating on my valco with it, lol! You would have to buy the infant slings to use it when the twins are babies though.

Let me know if you want to see pictures of the valco in action w/ 3 or 4 kids on it. I'll go take some and post them.

[verycozy]

Do you think the Valco would handle the sand at the beach?

[eatingfor3]

Originally Posted by verycozy

Do you think the Valco would handle the sand at the beach?

You know, I'm not quite sure. I've never taken mine on the sand. It works great on snow though lol! I have a BOB SUS Duallie that I've taken to the beach numerous times and it was not easy to push through the sand. My friends and I ended up carrying it most of the time. That stroller is built for rougher trails and more "off roading" running/ hiking but I think the wheels were too thick and small to go through sand easily, and they are bigger than the Valco wheels. I think something with thinner, larger wheels would be easier to cut through the thick sand.

I looked at the Valco website and in their "club valco" section there's a picture of a twin trimode at the beach and the owners say they use it on the sand and it works great so I could be totally wrong and i hope others will chime in with first hand experience!

THere's a stroller shop in seaside california (right next to monterey/ carmel) that sells the trimode. why don't you try calling them and asking what they think as their shop is like 1/2 a mile from the beach. http://www.babystrollershop.com/

[verycozy]

That's a great idea. I will post back tomorrow what they say