Out and about with twins

[littlebearsmama]

Our surprise twins were born about a week ago. Since they were unexpected, I didn't do the research that I would have had I known there were going to be two babies coming.

We are a very active family and I'm feeling intimidated by going out with all three of my children (I also have a two and a half year old boy). How do you go grocery shopping with three children? Where do they all fit, so that everyone is contained? Mostly, I worry about my son running around and getting into things when I'm trying to pick up groceries.

Still looking for the perfect stroller that accommodates a toddler plus twins (ideally a jogger tandem, instead of a side by side)

Does anyone do the double sling carry with their twins?

I need to recover from the birth still, so I have a little time, however, I'm already getting antsy to go out. I'm just not sure how it's going to work out. Thanks for your suggestions!

[ladydodson]

wow. congrats on your surprise twins! i cant imagine the...surprise!

not sure on advice since im still expecting our twins...as for the stroller, i am not certain there is a tandem jogging type stroller that will accommodate three...

[Chamomile Girl]

Here is a stroller that would meet your needs I think.

[lesliesara63]

I read a blog of a woman who had twins when her ds was just about two. This is the stroller she bought and added the toddler seat for the 2 yr old.http://valcobaby.com/products/strollers/model/tri-mode-ex-twin.html  Congratulations on your new babies!

[eatingfor3]

 Baby Jogger and BeBe Love both have tripple joggers, but they are side by side. Overstock has some right now: http://www.overstock.com/Baby/BeBeLove-Aqua-Triple-Jogging-Stroller/5174231/product.html?rcmndsrc=2

There is one that is a tandem that will  hold 3 (or 4) http://www.stroller-advisor.com/runabout-triple-stroller.html I know of a couple of people who have them and like them.

There is the valco twin tri mode w/ toddler seat, as previously posted, but I would not use it as a jogger. It does get harder to push when you have a big kid (~35lb-40 lb-- the limit on the toddler seat is 40lb) but that stroller is a dream and I LOVE it.

We are extremely active too. I had 4 kids in 3 years. I have the valco w/ toddler seat and use it almost every day. It is super easy to push and steer. When the babies were little I'd try to shop alone, late at night, or I'd wear one, put one in the stroller, a toddler in the toddler seat, recline the other seat of the Valco and put my groceries in there. THen my oldest (who was almost 4 at the time) would either stand on the jump board on the back of the stroller (which you purchase separately) or he'd walk next to me and "help". That really only worked for small shoping trips-- for big,  monthly ones, I'd either take someone with me to push the stroller as I pushed the cart, or I'd go alone :)

As they have gotten older I normally put one in the cart (in the seat part) and wear one on my back or chest and then the older 2 are old enough now to walk with me.

The nice thing about the valco w/ toddler seat is there is a lot of room and storage. And if your toddler wants to walk, you can still add the toddler seat and put the diaper bag or wahtever in it, that way you can have your hands free. I would buy that stroller again in a heartbeat, I love it. And I am EXTREMELY picky about them.

Now, all that being said, we are very physically active-- biking, running, walking, hiking, etc... so in addition to our valco I ended up getting a Chariot CX2 and a Chariot Cougar 2. We can take all 4 kids bike riding as a family and run/ hike together too. When it is just me w/ all 4 kids and we want to do something like go to the park (which is too close to justify driving to, but too far for the big kids to walk to) or walk around the neighborhood, I'll pull one stroller w/ the hiking kit and push the other. It looks a little crazy, but it works really well.

Congrats on your babies! I can't even imagine that surprise! I had 7 months to get used to the idea and 2 years later I'm *still* trying to get over the shock :)

Let me know if you have any questions about the strollers, I'm good at strollers, not so good at baby wearing 2 babies.

[hergrace]

Congratulations.

Will your 2 1/2 year old still sit in a stroller?  If so, some of the techniques that I used with my triplets might be useful.  When my eldest was that age, he wouldn't sit in a stroller and he would run off in all directions, so I needed a hand free or a harness to keep him near me.  I'm not sure how I would have handled that plus twins.

I used the Runabout triple that was mentioned in an earlier post and loved it. I gave it away after the trio's 3rd birthday because the kids didn't want to sit, but they still fit in it.

I would grocery shop pushing the stroller and pulling the grocery cart behind me.  Or, I would wear a baby on my back and one on my front and put one in the shopping cart.  As they got bigger, I would only shop at places with two seats in the shopping cart and would wear one on my back or use two carts. 

I did, and still do, a lot of sending DH on a quick shopping trip to get things that I was used to shopping for with one kid.

HTH

[anik26]

Congratulations on the birth of your twins! I had a friend who used to take her twins and toddler out for walks in a Runabout Triple Stroller. She loved it, but couldn't use it for shopping. You might want to check out the website StrollerAdvisor.com. It has lists of the best triple strollers on the market today and I think it also mentions a sit and stand stroller for three kids. Good luck!

[~Adorkable~]

the Baby Jogger City select is a amazing stadium seated tandem, a bit pricey but there are some great deals for last years model around right now that make it way way better.

the company has a toddle ride alone board thing for it and you could set it up to hold one toddler and one infant and carry the other infant in a sling. it has lot of flexibility and is built super great. i have one and have been completely loving it!

i found mine for a great deal on amazon

the only change from last year to this year is a additional color, the seat is one inch deeper and the stitching changed style, the frame is the same

[Spring Lily]

My twins and oldest child have about the same age difference as yours.

At first I liked the idea of the Joovy Big Caboose that someone posted, but there were a few reasons it wouldn't work for us. First of all, if you put the infant car seats on it, the seats had to be tilted back. When the 2nd seat is reclined, the toddler cannot sit on the toddler board in the back. So even after they are newborns and can sit directly in the stroller, you can't have them both in the stroller and reclining (say for napping) AND have the toddler seated. The other big problem was that when you fold that stroller down it is enormous, something like 55 inches long. Even if you have an SUV or minivan, it is really hard to find a way to fit a 5 1/2 foot long stroller in your car and also your family!

I did a lot of research and I ended up thinking the Valco double with a toddler seat would be the best option. A friend of mine has a Valco single with a toddler seat, and that thing was awesome. Great for walks, the mall, or jogging on trails.

In the end, my toddler never wanted to sit in the stroller so I ended up with a double Snap N Go for shorter walks and grocery trips, and a regular double stroller for longer trips. I would put one baby and the toddler in the stroller and wear the other baby. That part was actually nice, to be able to have that individual bonding time with one as I pushed the other two.

I think you need to ask yourself how much your toddler likes to walk right now, if you plan to do any baby wearing, and how much you are going to be going on long walks?

The thing about the double SNG is that it is a great starting stroller, because you can find them cheap on craigslist or in your local twin club, and it can buy you time to figure out what you are really going to need when they're bigger. They are also really great for the store because you can keep two babies contained, put the groceries in the huge basket underneath, and then have a hand free for the toddler. Or wear the toddler in a back or hip carry, if you want to be hands free. It gets much more complicated when they are too big for the SNG and you have to take all 3 shopping, so it's actually much easier when they're little!

[Ellen R]

Congratulation and best wishes for many happy years with your family.

More than 35 years ago as the new mother of twins and an 18 month old I needed to find answers to this question.  If you remember this was before the days of infant car seats and the newer strollers/joggers.  My solution for the shopping trips (I mainly did grocery shopping in those days!)  at that time was to put kids in one cart, reclining, seated, or standing, and groceries in the second cart that I pulled behind me.  When the oldest was old enough to push a cart I had a child seated in each cart and involved them in placing items in the cart as they got older. 

Admittedly these shopping trips were attention getting but often that worked to my advantage both as entertainment and distraction as I went about the business of shopping.  It became more difficult or at least interesting when they got older and refused to ride in the cart! 

[meggiejean]

I currently have 3 month old twins and a 2 year old. For the times that we have gone out I carry the twins in a moby and put my 2 year old in the cart. the girls are getting a little big for the moby so i think i'm moving on to a ring sling on each side, I can;t imagine having to push a stroller and a cart :) congratulations!!! 

[marybright1]

I have twins that are 5 and a 6 year old (14 months apart). I did as much as I could when they were little, they always went to the grocery store with me. I did things differently at different ages, so you may need to see what works for you then change it up in a couple months. I only had a double stroller because I didn't want to spend the money on a triple stroller. Plus they are pretty impossible to find in my rural area, and I was scared of buying something so expensive online with out actually seeing it and testing it out first. Looking back, though, I used that stroller so much and I wish I had invested a bit in a better one.

When they were little babies, I usually had one  baby in a sling, and the other two in a stroller if I wasn't buying too much. I would just put the groceries in the bottom basket of the stroller.  If I was buying a lot of groceries, I would always have two carts or one cart and the stroller. Usually one cart was for the groceries and one was for the kids. After they could sit up I would put one kid in each seat of the carts  and the older one had to sit in the basket section of one of the carts. Eventually he got big enough to walk and help me. (I made a "grocery list" for him with pictures cut out of the ad to keep him busy.) Quite honestly, when they were babies it was easy because they stayed where I put them. Now they are too big for the carts (I live in a small town with one grocery store and none of those "fancy" carts with the front section to hold multiple kids.) and it is a real challenge to keep everyone together. When they were little, I didn't ever take them to stores that were too small to get my long stroller through.  Way to challenging. I saved those trips for times when DH was home with the kids.

[Julia'sMom]

When they were little, I would use the buckets and put one on the seat area and the other in the cart.  Groceries woudl go around them.  My 3-yo had to walk.  Otherwise, I could double carry them in my moby-wrap.  For the mall, I would use a double stroller.  It woudl start out with the two babies in teh stroller adn the 3-yo walking, then end up with the fussier twin being worn and my 2-yo in teh stroller.  I also learned that Walmart is open until midnight and we have a 24 hour grocery store.  So, when dh was home at night adn everyone was asleep, I could shop.  Regardless, if you can have one be watched, it is much easier with two, doesn't matter which two.  :)

Once they could sit up, I did find that I could use a regular cart as a double.  I would put both in the top seat, each one would get one leg hole and the other leg would be tucked under (like sitting indian style).  Older dd could ride in the cart, if I really needed her to, but woudl usually walk.

[Tigerchild]

My DD is 17 months older than my twins.  We bought a Peg Perego triplette (don't know if they're still made, this was almost 8 years ago).  I loved it because it was skinny (but long) and i could negotiate aisles very easily.  It took up a crapload of space in the trunk though, fair warning.  the basket under the seating area was good for most shopping needs except for grocery.

For grocery shopping, I did the 2 cart method.  Buckled the toddler in one of the seats, let her chuck the groceries into the basket.  Got a second cart, put one baby bucket in it, the other one on the seat.  I pushed the toddler/grocery cart in front of me, pulled the baby cart behind.  wasn't pretty but it did the job.  In our area, there were carts that could accomodate multiple kids, but generally not two buckets and a kid.  Plus I got tired of people with one child literally sprinting to snag them when they saw me coming.  *eyeroll*

[Smurfette2]

My problem is my 3wk old twins HATE their infant carriers. So I can't just lug them around like I imagined. We don't do much grocery shopping but with a busy teen, I sometimes need to jet into a store really quick and if I don't leave TeenBaby in the car with one or both of the newbies, then I stash them both in this nameless swapmeet stroller I got at my shower. They actually fit fine side by side but it won't last. :(

I stupidly bought a Leebruss stroller. The thing is gorgeous and cost me a pretty penny but it's so huge. I don't understand. It's a Euro stroller and very stuck up. We took it to Disneyland today and just got denied on all accounts as far as access thru a crowd. Naturally people step aside because they want to peek at the twins but getting on and off the tram was a hassle. It's actually a multi-use pram that will grow with our kids but I felt like the elephant in the room because it's so big!

On the tram ride back to our cars, we parked ourselves in the handicapped seating and left the stroller up. Our stroller came with two carrycots (bassinets) which is AWESOME for newborns but dang it, the stroller will not fold unless you take them off. That got old quick. The stroller also weighs about 30 lbs. And it looked so fancy compared to all the other strollers parked around Disneyland, we never left it unattended. The stroller glides effortlessly and has a little "bounce" to it that my girls love but it's not really practical for me. I do like having them face me and there's a huge basket underneath that helps out tremendously. Another thing is my husband is over 6 feet, I didn't want him to have to stoop to push the stroller and the Leebruss has adjustable handle heights. Oh and I really love the way it looks. I always wanted a pram/buggy.

I would like a double, side-by-side that isn't as wide as a bus. I hate the jogger wheel because they protude so far in front and the stadium seating thing is cool but newborns can't ride in them. I'm going to give the stroller another try but I probably need to find something smaller quick.

Leebruss stroller shown with one seat and one bassinet.

Sending it back is not an option. I waited about 5 weeks for this thing to arrive. It would cost me like $200 just to return it. My MIL bought it (she lives part-time in Italy) and had it shipped to us but she made it clear that it wasn't a gift. My husband and I have made so many silly mistakes with the twins. He actually ordered a round crib with canopy for the girls. It was only like $400 but I showed him how pricey round sheets are and he grudgingly returned it. Playing the fool, I returned all the travel systems I received at my baby shower because I was so sure the girls would love their Gracos. I was wrong. They hate those damn things. We use the convertible car seats that are not suitable for carrying. *sigh*  Bottom line - do not buy this stroller.

[~Adorkable~]

The city select has two bassinets as well but stacks then in a stadium style tandem set up. It's still big but I have had no problem with stores and busy places

http://www.jusonne.co.uk/ekmps/shops/jusonneuk/images/prod-000000-baby-jogger-city-select-combinations-3.jpg

[Smurfette2]

Originally Posted by ~Adorkable~ 

The city select has two bassinets as well but stacks then in a stadium style tandem set up. It's still big but I have had no problem with stores and busy places


 

Yes! I looked at that stroller too. So you have one? Is it weird having two bassinets stacked? I love how light that stroller looks and the big wheels. I also am after big wheels because we're beach people. I know the bassinet stage doesn't last long - hopefully 3-4 months right? Does your City Select come with the different attachments/units?

[~Adorkable~]

I love this stroller, I have the bassinets and regular seats. The stacking works really well. They now have started using the seats laid pretty far back since they like to look around, both set ups are fun. I have great bunting inserts, kinda like a sleeping bag in the seats right now and they are so snuggly.
I turn both seats towards each other and park it next to our table and we enjoy eating out, dh and I double date with the twins every Friday like this.

They came out with a new 2011 model, so the 2010 is on huge sales on amazon.com. The only thing that changed is the seat is one inch deeper and stitched vertical instead of horizontal and they offer a new color. But I got the old one and saves hundreds.

I'll be selling my two basninrts here any day. I'm very glad I had them at first, a big benefit was how well they sleep all steeched out in them. We even used them as a travel bed while visiting family


My only regret was I wish I had gotten red, if anyone is thinking of buying black seats, I'll trade them mine if they get red for me!



ETA: my insert is this they are wonderful, I was given two of them, had no idea how spendy they were till I went to find a link, yowch. But they great and very multi use. We will use them for years. I have carried the babies in them as well as now I took the back board out and put them my stroller seats
Edited by ~Adorkable~ - 4/4/11 at 10:31am

[TheGirls]

I also had a 2.5yo when my twins were born.  I walk almost every day, but I haven't found a triple stroller that meets our needs & budget, so I usually wear one child and push two in the double.  The 2.5yo is happy to ride in the stroller with one of the boys and the other boy rode in the moby for awhile, but now rides on my back (they are almost 5months now).  We have a sit 'n stand deluxe, which can convert from two regular seats to one seat & one sit & stand platform.  Usually we use it with two seats. 

I rarely grocery shop with all three, mostly because I'd end up constantly tending to the kids and not tending to the groceries (it's pretty rare for 5-10 mins to go by without someone needing something).  If I do need to go to the store, I wear one baby, put one baby in the bucket seat in the main part of the cart, and put the 2yo in the seat in the cart.  These leaves limited room for groceries, of course (around the baby) but then, that arrangement won't last more than 20-30 mins before someone  needs something (boys need feeding, toddler melts down, lunch time, snack time, etc).  I do my real grocery shopping on the weekends while  my DP watches the kids.