let's talk strollers

[IncaMama]

my dreamy vision of ava in a sling and rowan walking happily beside me holding my hand is a crock of stinky poo. LOL so...i need a double stroller. rowan's a big kid (40+lbs, 40+inches) so that will have to factor in. i don't wanna drop lots of $$ but also don't wanna be cheap and end up with something i hate.

advice??

[birthjunkie27]

Do you already have a stroller (a single)?

Here is what I used when I had my second baby. There was a 2 yr age difference, so Dd was a bit big for a double stroller, yet too little to be expected to walk long distances.

http://www.burlingtoncoatfactory.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Section_Id=9557&pcount=&pn=1&Product_Id=401984&sku1=k_s1_73659200&is_baby_depot=1

It hooks up to pretty much any stroller and the older kid can stand up and look over the handle of the stroller, or sit down and face your knees. It pops on and off the stroller pretty easily after getting the connector pieces hooked up to the stroller (but you only have to do that one time). I LOVED it and always had people asking me where I got it.

I'd only recommend using it indoors like at a mall. Not sure how it'd do over curbs if walking outside.

[IncaMama]

wouldn't you be constantly kicking your kid? LOL i mean...i'd have to lean way over to reach the handle of my stroller, wouldn't i? i can't envision how it works/looks with a kid actually in it. do you by any chance have pics of your child in it?? LOL

[Panthira]

My husband bought this one for us:

Joovy (http://www.joovy.com/pages/pd_caboose.php)

It only holds kids up to 45 lbs though. I think we'll only use it for longer walks as it's a bit heavier than I like, but our 2 yr old loves it.

[hunnybumm]

I am in the process of getting a double stroller as well. However, I will definitly need a double stroller. DS is only 2 and he loves to ride in the stroller, he wouldn't want to stand on the back or sit on the back. He likes to see where we are going. I want to get a side by side stroller so as #2 gets older they can interact with each other. If you do a search you will find a crap load of double strollers both tandum and side by side. My head is just spinning reading all of the reviews, some people love a certain brand while other people say it is crap and falls apart. I wish there was a stroller store near here where they had all of them so I could try them out, YK? The Babies R Us I went to in CA (it was rather big) only had one side by side double, and it was the Jeep brand one and so far it has a lot of bad reviews. I honestly wouldn't mind spending $300 on one if I knew it would last through multiple sets of kids. I plan on having 2 more kids a few years from now so it would get good use. But I would be so mad if I spent that kind of money and it was a POS and I couldn't return it.

And with the amount of traveling I will be doing in the next year I am going to need one, not to mention the walks with friends that will start up once the wheather gets nice. Trips to the mall. Going to the park. Like the OP I wish I could sling #1 while #2 walks hand in hand... right. More like I am slinging #2 while my back is killing me and dragging #1 by the arm with the diaper back on the other arm, which of course slips off my shoulder because of the sling. Good times. ;)

[IncaMama]

yeah...exactly. LOL i think my ds would prefer to sit too...and be front-facing. i've read good things about the graco duoglider (tandem style though).

do they make side by sides that let you plop the infant seat in there too?

[iris0110]

Honestly I bought a tandem double stroller from a garage sale. I just couldn't afford to drop a ton of money on a stroller, plus Kearnan won't be needing to ride for much longer. Right now he is 4, but with his special needs and small size it doesn't work for him to walk for very long. He either gets over stimulated and out of control or his short little legs get too tired. So far we haven't used it though. We have just used the regular stroller, but then we haven't been out very much yet. On walks I put Tharen in the Mei Tai and Kearnan walks some and rides some in the single stroller. We have only been to the mall twice, and only for very breif trips so then Tharen went in the stroller in his car seat, and Kearnan walked along with us. When we start going out more I figure we will need the double. Also when we go to Scarborough faire in a few months we will either need the double stroller or we will have to rent a wagon. I think there will be at least a few times during the day when both boys need to ride.

[allnaturalmama]

Michele,

I have the Graco DuoGlider. I'm pretty happy with it. It actually steers pretty well, considering that it is so long. You have to have a really big trunk, or a minivan or SUV to fit it in the back, though, b/c it's really, really long.

Honestly, though, I didn't do a ton of research b/f buying, so I don't know how valuable my input is. I bought it b/c it was a floor sample that was already assembled, looked to be in good shape, and CHEAP! LOL!

No problems or annoying discoveries about it for us, though. We bought it almost 3 yrs ago w/DD, and have walked outside with it 1/2 to 1 hour just about every day since then.

HTH!
Jen

[Slightlycrunchymama]

The stroller ive been coveting is the Phil and Teds one, you can add the 2nd seat and use it for the smaller baby but then when your ds gets older, you can convert the stroller back to a single. Its pricy but cheaper than buying 2 strollers ykwim? Ive tried them out IRL and they rock!
We just bought a chariot and im loving that, we got the extra smaller wheels for indoor or sidewalk use and the baby hammock thingy. The kids love it and its surprisingly easy to push. I did buy a cheapey side by side unbrella type stroller form walmart for mall/small space useage but most of our walking is outdoors and in some rugged terrain so the chariot fills our needs.
Hope you find something quickly.

[Emmy142]

I highly recommend going out and test driving any of the strollers and make sure to take them out into the store and between the clothing racks and stuff. There were a couple of strollers we really liked but were horrible in the store.

We are going to get the Graco Dual Glider soon. It test drove the best for us and I loved how HUGE the basket was underneath and had easy access.


my dreamy vision of ava in a sling and rowan walking happily beside me holding my hand is a crock of stinky poo.

LMAO!! I had this image of my pushing Teagan in the grocery cart, while Alex pushed his little yellow child one happily along side me. HA!! We tried it, with DH in tow, thank goodness and Alex was a running every where. Mind you he was pretty good overall but there is no way we are going to do this on our own. So lucky DH is stuck going grocery shopping with me every week. My bill has doubled!

[kris10s]

I have the inglesina twin swift and I really like it -- it folds down REALLY small which was important to me and is very high quality for an umbrella style.

[selazenby]

I have the InStep Safari TT Double and I love love love it! It is so easy to push, steer, etc. I have to say though - I wouldn't want to be folding it up, putting it in and out of the car, etc. I leave it set up all the time and just use it for walking the neighborhood. But it's fabulous. For popping in and out of the car, I got a Maclaren Vogue single - and I like that too.

[IncaMama]

ok i think it's between the joovy and the duo glider at this point...hm...what to do what to do...

[MistyB]

phil and ted E3 hands down!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i got mine 15% off from baby center and it was so worth it. i sold my umbrella and jogging stroller cause this stroller fits in my trunk so easily and works for everthing. it is really compact. you can check one out in person at a right start store.

[IncaMama]

ok i just found out that i CAN put the bucket seat in the E3!! OMG! ok that makes me really want one now. :lol

will the kid who's sitting in the bottom part get annoyed, though??

ack - one more question: can you have the baby in the bucket seat AND the toddler in the back part at the same time? i'm learning that's the combination i need the most. on the site it doesn't look like you can do that. :(

[MistyB]

From other reviewers...kids seem to fight to be in the BACK seat because they think it is more enjoyable although when the add on seat is int he back, the kid that weighs less needs to be in the back. Heavier kid always sits in front. The add on seat can clip to the back frame or front frame.

?? to you question. Hmm...I lay the original stroller seat all of the way flat. baby lays down flat and you can see them when you are pushing the stroller. The big kid goes on the add on/snap on seat on the front. When the baby is old enough, you unrecline the seat...sit it totally back up and put the add on seat on the back.

It is confusing until you see it. I just leave the bucket seat in the car.

[afishwithabike]

my two are only 14 mo apart. I use a single stroller. I wear DS and stroll with DD. I am currently trying to master the art of wearing two.

[IncaMama]

yeah, see, i'd love to use just the single stroller but she's not usually a happy camper being worn. :( that was my utopian vision though. :lol
and the reason i wanted to be able to keep her in the car seat is that she HATES it but always falls asleep after several minutes of screaming her head off and then stays asleep for a while. i don't want to have to take her out and then put her back again bc then she'll be miserable again...especially if it's just to run a quick errand (like the aforementioned post office).

AAAGH!!

[hottmama]

Thankfully, the baby in the sling/walking kid thing is working great for us. Julian's only 2 or so months older than most of your toddlers who aren't willing to walk yet, and he's only transitioned from the sling to walking over the past few months (I quit slinging him around 6 mos. pregnant) so maybe it will work out sooner than you think.

[IncaMama]

well that would be great.

i think i'll probably do the joovy. i'm gonna take the kids to the store this weekend and try it out. see if rowan will even be willing to stand on the bar!

[DesireeH]

I want the diva pink combi. LOL Ya think ds would like riding in a pink stroller? LOL They should make them half and half (color). LOL

[amygoforth]

So how do these two-seaters work? Does the newborn carseat snap into the stroller (like mine does in my single) or does the baby sit in one of the stroller seats? Is the babe secure enough, and is there enough head support? I can't quite get my head around this...

[IncaMama]

which two seaters? you mean a regular double or something like the joovy?

[amygoforth]

I guess I mean the regular double. I was looking at the graco duogliders on babycenter...

[marisa]

I think new double strollers are a good investment if you're planning on getting pregnant again in another couple years - if not, I'd go used. I bought a double jogger cheap out of the paper that I use if I go somewhere without DH or somewhere that doesn't have shopping carts. Really, I thought I'd end up using it more than I do; but my girl loves her frankenkozy so I can usually hold both of the boys' hands.