I have been keeping my eye out for a double stroller. I am not sure I have ever met someone who has a double stroller they absolutely love. The side by sides are easier to push (so I hear), but they often have very small baskets, no snack tray, are too wide for many aisles and aren't suitable for newborns. The sit and stands are nice if one of the kids is older and prefers to walk most of the time. But it's not ideal for long periods of sitting since there is nothing for them to look at (besides the person pushing the stroller) and the seat is less than comfortable. So that leads me to the standard front and back stroller. The common complaint here is that they are difficult to maneuver because the heavier child sits in the front.
I found this Graco DuoGlider at Babies R Us. I put Owen in it and pushed it around for a while. It seemed fairly easy to push, all things considered. I like that both kids get a snack tray and a canopy, the basket is large, the parent has a compartment and cup holder and the back seat lays almost completely flat. This is the stroller I've been leaning toward until I read the reviews on it. While some parents LOVE it, those that don't, HATE it. So I've come to realize that I can't really push a stroller around the store for 10 minutes and really know what I'm getting. The best way, I figure, to find a good stroller is to ask the moms who have done it before me. Do you have a double stroller? Would you recommend it? What should I look for? What should I avoid? I need your help!
Friday, June 19, 2009
Calling all mothers of 2 or more
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13 comments:
I have the Graco duo glider and have been happy with it for the most part. We've had it just over 4 years now and it shows signs of wear, but still works fine. My biggest complaint is the basket underneath. Mine doesn't "fold" down- so if the child in back is reclining, you can't really get to anything underneath. I like that it is relatively lightweight. Mine pushes fine- we use it both at the mall and outside. Neither seat reclines very well either. The front only reclines a little bit. However, the seat back is too short for a child to really recline anyway. The back seat is either up or flat down- that is annoying too. The flat back is nice when they are little, but more options would've been nice. I think every stroller has issues and you just have to find the one with the fewest that fits your budget. Personally, I just prefer a sling for the baby when they are little and a single stroller.
Hi. I found your blog through Rachel Neal's (a friend from Holland who now works at Camp Barakel) We have two boys, 19 months apart...so we needed a double stroller...actually 2. A regular stroller doesn't work on the camp's sandy roads. We have a double jogger that is wonderful, just a hand me down kind of deal. We need the big tires for the sand. I have been able to use it since our youngest was little tiny.
We also have a double umbrella, a Chicco...bought used for about $50. On a recent trip, the airline broke it, and so they bought us the newer version. It's wonderful! Love the reclining seats (recline independently) The baskets (there are two) are big enough to carry a long. It even has separate buntings for the babies' legs. It's pricey, but I would say worth it, especially if you can get one used. And the fact that it's an umbrella means I can keep it in the back of my van and still have space. It's very easy to open and close, even with a baby in arm. Oh, and you can use it for newborns too. Here is the link to the one the airline bought us. We got the first one off of ebay or craigslist...can't remember which.
http://www.chiccousa.com/gear/strollers/trevi-twin/trevi-twin-adventure.aspx
Hope that helps. It is a hard decision.
I love love LOVE our double stroller. We have had it about 2 months. It is a sit n stand plus, which means it converts back and forth between a tandem double and a sit n stand. I have not used it as a sit n stand yet. Bonus is that the baby seat can go in the front or the back if you have one that is compatible. It's available at Target for around $180 including tax.
http://www.target.com/Baby-Trend-Double-Stand-Mesa/dp/B001FA9TI8/qid=1239208571/ref=br_1_6/188-0605732-9577743?ie=UTF8&node=3580041&frombrowse=1&pricerange=&index=tgt-mf-mv&field-browse=3580041&rank=pmrank&rh=&page=1
Good luck - I know it's hard to pick one! It's good to test drive, for sure. :-)
Oh, I agree with Jeanna too about the sling and single when the baby is little. It was way easier for me to put Evan in the sling and push Aaron in our fantastic single stroller. It was also nice to be able to wear Evan in a sling and stick Aaron in a grocery cart.
We used this method until Evan was too big for me to carry around super comfortably - he was about 7-8 months before I really felt the "need" for a double stroller.
I would definitely try to put this off until you have the baby to test the strollers out with. But that is just my 2 cents. :-)
I have been carrying Myla in the baby carrier and pushing Gracelyn in the single stroller for now, I think this will work for a couple more months.
When we do get a double stroller I have narrowed it down to a Double Jogging Stroller or a Sit n Stand Plus that has two regular seats and then converts to a sit n stand when needed. Both have gotten good reviews.
We have used are single jogger way more than my regular stroller so I think I am leaning towards the Double Jogger, the only place I wouldn't use the jogger would be the mall and I don't even know the last time I was at one of those so I don't think it will be a problem!! Well that's my thoughts on strollers! Let me know what you decide.
I went to the Babies R Us webpage to read the complaints about the Graco and I just want to say a couple things:
1. I do not find it to be that heavy. You're a strong girl. I think you'd be okay.
2. As you probably saw in the store, the newer models allow the basket to fold down so you can still access it when the back seat is reclined.
3. I have never had any problems with the cup holders.
4. You do have to remove the front canopy to collapse the stroller, but contrary to what some said, you do not have to remove the front tray. However, I'm guessing that it wouldn't fit into your car trunk if you left it on.
5. It would be nice if the front seat reclined a little more.
6. The kid in the back does sometimes kick the one in the front, but consider it a teachable moment! :)
7. I would make sure it fits okay in your trunk before buying it. Also, like I said in my email, make sure your infant carseat is compatible.
8. I'm sure it is a little harder to steer than a single stroller but since I've never used one, I wouldn't know for sure.
We have this stroller in brown and green (our church-Midland Baptist bought it for us when we had Ava :)) and realllllly like it! It took us forever to decide also but were happy with our decision! We have gotten a lot of use out of it this past year. Good Luck on your decision!
Thankfully, my other three will be PUSHING the stroller for Elijah - actually, scratch that, that could be a really bad idea!
Hi, I am a friend of Kara's. We have a Graco Double Stroller and we like it. We put our oldest in front while the baby was little, but then once she could sit up on her own - she liked the front (in the back the she couldn't see over the front seat). Once she could sit up, having the youngest in front did make it easier to push. I liked the storage baskets. The lack of options for seat reclying isn’t great but never a big issue. It folds down fairly flat and easy. One of our cup holders broke off. We thought it had the most leg room for the child who sits up front. We basically only used it about a year though. On walks, my son prefers to ride his bike now.
OKay so I saw an add in O magazine about how bed bath and beyond owns buy buy baby and how you can use your 20% off coupons with them too. just an fyi I don't know what or where you will buy. Happy hunting.
and you have to use the coupon by it exp. date.
Kelly,
I had a double stroller like the one you are looking at (but way back then - almost 20 years ago - it was called something else I believe. Anyway, I LOVED it!!! We had several couples at our church that had the side by side double and they were just too wide for many situations. Our stroller was no wider than a single. I did not find it difficult to push. It is a little heavier, of course, but still easy to manage.
Enjoy!!!
Kelly,
I hope I'm not too late to add my two cents to your stroller discussion. I was on vacation in WI for almost 3 weeks and didn't keep up on any blogging!
Anyways, we have the babytrend sit-n-stand and I really like it. The bench seat is great for Chloe as she can easily get in and sit down while I'm strapping Clive in. There's a large basket in the bottom for carting things and it is pretty roomy. I can fit a diaper bag and lunch bag/cooler in it easily (and sometimes even a pile of library books too). Also has drink holders which is a plus. My only complaint with the sit-n-stand is that it is sometimes hard to push/steer around corners. It took me awhile to learn the secret to fold it up but now I'm a pro at it. It's available at Target online and in the store.
Hope you find something you like!
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