Stroller for new twins + toddler - WWYD?

[diana_of_the_dunes]

DH and I are expecting twins this December, and we already have a DS who is currently 21 months old.  He loves his stroller as well as being worn.  I don't anticipate going out much alone with all of the kids, especially in the beginning, but I'm sure I will as they get a bit older.  I can't decide whether to get a double or triple stroller.  Ideally, I'd like a double with jumpseat in the back, like the Joovy Big Caboose.  But at $320... Ouch.  I've been finding lots of decent doubles on Craigslist for $50-100.  I figure I could make it work by always wearing one of the kids.  Or if I was with DH or my mom, one of us could push DS in the single stroller.

I just don't know what to do.  I never, ever used a stroller with DS when we went out; I just wore him in a carrier.  I don't have a lot of experience taking a stroller everywhere I go, but it's looking more and more like a necessity.

What would you/did you do?

[dsb76]

I'm interested in responses to this as well. 

My daughter is 23mo now and I too am due in Dec.  We have a phil and ted that converts to a double but won't work for 2 infants.  I'm thinking I will wear one twin if I use that stroller.  I'm also thinking I will get a double snap n go for when I have to take babies somewhere in the infant seats.  The triple strollers seem ridiculously big and I can't imagine taking them anywhere - especially up and down the patio steps.

Have people had success with the moby twin hold?

[Katie063008]

I found that buying a double stroller worked well.  I bought a baby jogger city mini (expensive but you can probably make due with a cheaper one or the phil and ted that the other poster has).  I put one baby in the stroller, toddler in the other side of the stroller and wore the other baby.  As they have gotten older my dd (3 years today!) walks more.  We tend to use the bike trailer with walking attachment since the two babies can ride in it and dd1 can kind of scrunch her self into sitting in front of their legs if she get tired of walking. 

It was really hard to get out at first.  The problem I had with the city mini was that it would NOT push through snow.  The wheels jammed up.  We live in Canada and I was stuck indoors for a long while until we bought the trailer.  Using the jogging attachment I could get all three kids out the door even in snow.

I managed to wear both twins in a woven wrap (same as moby twin hold) but it was tough getting them comfy and soon tough on my back.  I much preferred wearing one baby and using the stroller for the other two.

[JanineRivera]

We too were in the same boat with the stroller dilemma.  We have a dd who will be 3 in August and twins due in September.  What we decided on was the Valco Double Tri Mode, which is basically a double jogger-style stroller with the ability to attach a toddler seat to the front. This stroller is very expensive, like $700 new, but we found it on Craigslist for $280.  We still need the toddler attachment but might wait a bit on this.  I just liked the idea of being able to push all 3 if need be but basically thought a double stroller would be enough ... this is the perfect solution:)  Here is a link to the stroller: http://valcobaby.com/products/strollers/model/tri-mode-ex-twin.html

Best of luck

[Smurfette2]

Well I think I scored an Inglesina quad pram. Oh how I love the pram buggies. I hate to sell my LeeBruss but this Inglesina will do the trick for us should I ever have to travel solo with the babies. I hope this guy I bought it from in the UK is legit. We'll see.

Then I found this little gem but it's $1600 USD. That's a bit much. And I'm pretty small so I'm not sure I'd be able to see over the babies at the top.

[diana_of_the_dunes]

Our craigslist is active, but since we're not in a large metro area, things like triple (or more) strollers are sort of hard to find.  I think we'll just look for a double.  From a financial standpoint, if nothing else, it seems to make much more sense.  If we find later on that we need a triple, we can always invest in one.  I'm also going to try wearing both twins simultaneously.  I'm not sure how well it will work as they get older; if DS is any indication, we seem to make big babies that grow FAST.  But for the itty-bitty stage, I think I can manage it.

[ladydodson]

you can always get a ride board for your toddler since she will be a bit older once the twins are born...plus they're going to be born in wintertime so you might be ok for a few months w/o a stroller...

i have two toddler and almost 5mo twins.

im buying a mountain buggy urban triple this week for our younger toddler and the twins...i dont think it would be great from newborn, but its a pretty neat stroller. i have the city select double and the city mini double as well, and i think i like the city mini better since you can just fold it and go...the select takes a lot of building...but it was great for newborn stage...now im thinking of selling it...but i know im going to get heck from the hubs for that since we've only had it a few months...haha. just dont see it being a good stroller once they get a bit bigger...but i do love the basket and the sun hoods...

i find that now that the babies are a bit bigger and can frog their legs i wear one in the ergo and put a toddler and baby in the city select...that way i can nurse a twin and when the other one gets hungry, i can switch...i need a ride board and then all the kids will be set once i get the triple...

i realize this was disjointed...

[ladydodson]

hey smurfette...let me know when you sell your leebruss! :)

[Smurfette2]

Originally Posted by ladydodson 

hey smurfette...let me know when you sell your leebruss! :)

I'm selling it! LOL. Actually my mom wants to keep it at her place because she's on the beach and it rolls easily over sand. She also says she'll never have more than 2 Smurfs with her at one time. We'll see.

I bought two Britax B-Ready strollers on Amazon a few minutes ago. I got $200 off the order, no sales tax and free shipping and handling. I really did my homework on this stroller. The thing that sold me the most is... it can accommodate two newborns! Or a toddler/newborn or a single or two tots. Whatever! I figure we'll pair a newbie and a tot on each stroller. The quad strollers just weren't the vehicle for our family. They're too clunky and wide and very heavy. I can't imagine with 4 babies in it how heavy it'd be to push. I wanted a City Select but a friend of mines showed up with one today and it was kinda complicated with all the attachments. And pricey!

My stroller criteria is very firm. The stroller must:

A) Sit upright. I really dislike how joggers are so reclined even in the "upright" position. I get carsick if I'm not sitting straight up and I'd hate to put my kids thru that.

B) Roll over sand. We're beach people. And camping people and walking people.

C) Compact as small as possible. We camp a lot and our RV gets packed to the brim with all of our adult toys (skiis, snowboards, surf boards) so I need a stroller that breaks down without a lot of fuss.

D) Accommodate newborns! Most strollers don't recline flat so that newborns can be in "bassinet" mode.The Britax B-Ready is newborn ready. The twins will be nearly a year old when their siblings arrive, I need practical baby space. And it holds two carseats so if necessary, I can sit the tots together on one stroller and DH can handle the newborns.

E) Have seat configurations where I can face my children. I love love love this about the Britax. I was going to go with the Phil and Ted's but they don't seat newborns in the 2nd seat and you lose a lot of legroom.

I'm not big on wearing the babies. I just don't care for it so that's out of the question. DH doesn't yet know I purchased 2 more strollers, we're supposed to be pinching pennies here.. He feels like a Costco cart would solve our stroller dilemma and it would be low cost once he removed it from the lot. No comment. I don't like the idea of a black stroller attracting heat in SoCal and white will get dirty so I bought a pink one and a green one and depending on what this next batch ends up being, we'll mix and match.

NEWBORNS FACING ME

TWO TOTS / TWO NEWBORNS / TOT & NEWBORN

NEWBORN FACES ME / TOT FACES WORLD

NEWBORN FACES ME / TOT FACES NEWBORN / TWO NEWBS OR TWO TOTS

[ladydodson]

well message me privately and link me to some pics or what not...

the city select is a lot like the b ready...the coolest part is that they can be single strollers too....:) i havent tried the britax, but it was a consideration...i just really loved the color of the selects...

im curious to see if they roll on sand tho...the front wheels look kinda tiny...

[eyeamviolet]

I love my Joovy Big Caboose!  My kids are 2,3,4yo and I don't know how I would survive without it.  We have a Toyota Sienna and as long as I take the tray and hood off the front seat I can fold it down and stick it in the back of the van easily by myself.  It was well worth the money.  We also have a Peg Perego Triplette but, I can't break it down easily so it is not portable and it is harder to push.  We have found the Joovy to be worth the money.  

Good luck!

[Smurfette2]

Originally Posted by ladydodson 

well message me privately and link me to some pics or what not...

the city select is a lot like the b ready...the coolest part is that they can be single strollers too....:) i havent tried the britax, but it was a consideration...i just really loved the color of the selects...

im curious to see if they roll on sand tho...the front wheels look kinda tiny...

The front wheels do look tiny now that you mention it. Darn it! I totally forgot about the sand - I got so excited by all the different configurations. Well if anything, when we travel to the beach we'll take the LeeBruss and use the carrycots so all of the kids can fit in it. I don't expect to hit the beach with all 5 kids until at least May 2012 and the twins should be walking by then.

I found out yesterday the LeeBruss twin premier is retired and a very hot commodity in the UK. I really love the stroller so much, I wish I could find a 2nd. The Britax strollers were the last item I intend to buy for the new babies. Seriously, I'm not buying anymore furniture. We already have unused infant carriers (buckets) and cheapy single strollers, all these kids will need is clothes, diapers and love.
 

[Smurfette2]

 I canceled my Britax order with Amazon. Sure am glad it was a holiday weekend and the order hadn't been processed yet. DH caught wind of my previous post and ripped me a new one for buying yet another stroller. Geez, good thing he didn't know I bought two.

He thinks the Leebruss will be stroller enough for us and if not, tough. I'm so mad.  I want need another stroller. I know I will.

I found a place in the UK that has a few more LeeBruss strollers.  I should just buy one and get it over with. They don't ship to the US but I can figure that out later.

SO MAD!!! 

[diana_of_the_dunes]

Maybe I will spring for the Joovy Big Caboose.  I don't see regretting it, it's just a lot of money to spend when we also have to buy ALL new carseats.  If we don't get the Sunshine Kids Radian seats, we'll need a new car, since our CR-V is too narrow for more than two of the seats we already have.  Figures.  But it's cheaper than a new car.

I wonder if Amazon will give me a discount if I get all the carseats and stroller at the same time?

[lindsay t]

i too love our valco twin. i got a great deal on a brand new one on ebay, $380 i think is what i paid. at first i thought it was too much but now that the girls are 9 mo and my 3yo still likes to ride i think it is great! i can drive it one handed and get the toddler attachment to accommodate all 3. it folds up big but still easy to get in and out of the car. i heard some not so great things about the joovy but nothing first hand.

[lindsay t]

thought i would add that i also got a double snap and go to use with the infant car seats. i was going out with all 3 kiddos at 2wk pp on a regular basis (multiple times/wk). i HAD to get out of the house. we still use that a lot. got it for $20 from another twin mom. but once the girls outgrow the infant seats it will be our valco all the way. biggest complaint, the basket underneath the seats is divided in 2 by a large metal bar making it almost useless.

[Shuli]

Are boys are almost four (when the heck did that happen!!) and when they were first born we didn't have a car and lived in a neighbourhood with very narrow streets and sometimes no sidewalks so I asked our mothers (who offered to) for a graco duo glider with the two car seats. At the time we were quite social butterflies and the little ones just came with. It was easy to negotiate down the narrow streets and in restaurants and what not. I loved it and we walked everywhere. When they grew out of the car seats and we moved to a more hilly area I bought an easy baby which I didn't really like (didn't do my research) but served it's purpose for what it was. I still have the duo glider and used it when we had our Little Princess. It is very light and folds up nicely and fits it the back of our Privea.

Smurfette, I love that stroller that posted, wish we had money for another one!

[diana_of_the_dunes]

I'm definitely leaning towards something I can use with the "baby buckets".  Except that I don't know if two Graco seats and a Sunshine Kids Radian will fit into the back of our CR-V.  I might have to invest in all Radians from the get-go, which would make any snap-and-go type stroller useless.

I'm probably thinking about it too much, but I don't feel equipped to make these decisions.  

[newmommy7-08]

For us, the best solution was a good for us double. We bought the Graco double that holds two infant seats. Graco strollers are complained about a lot... but I've loved mine. Our single is a Graco too. They turn great, push well and I don't think they're all that difficult to put in and out of our vehicle. That way if our toddler (who was 25 months when the twins were born) needed a ride he could and I could wear one of the twins. This was ideal for us because at 25 months old DS decided he was too big for strollers and refused to ride in one. He's great about walking next to the stroller and hold is and has only actually ridden in it once in the 11 months since the girls were born. I'm really glad we didn't waste money on a triple. This was  by the way a kid who LOVED his stroller.

[diana_of_the_dunes]

After measuring the back of our car, it seems we'll have to go with a double.  There's no way a triple tandem would fit, and we can't afford the fancier options where the toddler seat is up front above the other seats.  So...  Now I just have to figure out if a tandem or side-by-side would suit us better.  It would be nice for the babies to be able to interact as they get older, but maneuverability is important too.  I really can't spend more than $150, so again, some of the fancier options, like the strollers with seats that are reversible, aren't really an option unless I find one on craigslist.