Hi Ladies,
My second child is due in the fall and I know it is time to consider a new stroller. My son will be 18 months when the baby arrives, so I will need a stroller to accomodate a toddler and newborn. I would like to use the carseat/bucket on the stroller when the baby is small. As the baby grows, it would be perfect if the stroller could accomodate both of them in the seats comfortably & happily. Ideally, I would like a stroller that collapses easily and can be put in the car trunk without too much trouble. From other moms, I have heard complaints that side-by-side strollers are difficult to manuever through doorways and store aisles, have others heard this concern? The strollers with one child in front & up top and the other child behind & below look good, but I wonder if the child in the back is bothered that he/she has no view of the outside world. Any and all your thoughts are greatly appreciated!
I have Sit and Stand and while it's great for my toddler and newborn, I wouldn't recommend it for an 18 month old.
I can't say enough about the Mountain Buggy Urban Double stroller. Yes, it is pricey, but it was the ONLY way to go when I had my kids fifteen months apart. With an adaptor, it will fit the newborn bucket and has a thousand attachments that you can use to make it even better. It fits through ANY door way, I drag my kids around the outlets all the time, and it does a decent job with getting through aisles. We even brought it with us on a trip to Spain. It is super easy to turn and is very smooth. Yes, it is also bulky. It folds somewhat flat and can be difficult to lift into an SUV, but all of this is worth it. It is the only stroller that we use. My kids are now 3 and almost 2 and they still love their stroller... especially when I let them keep the rain tent on... its their top secret hide out!
I second the recommendation for Phil & Ted. Technically, it's a jogger and it handles incredibly well (sidewalks, stores, grass). We ended up with this because the sit-and-stand model we were looking at wouldn't fit in our trunk.
When our baby was teeny, we put her in the drop-back hammock thing. It was great if she was asleep. She hated it if she was awake. After that, she goes on front and our toddler goes on the attachment below/behind. He's fine with it, except he starts playing with the wheels and slowing us down.
We found it totally worth the whopping price, $399 base stroller plus $85 second seat attachment. Fits really well in our hatchback with room left for groceries. Not particularly heavy, but would you really want something flimsy to carry your two little kids? Folds up fine. And we can get it in neon green. Two friends of ours have the same model, in orange and red. It's awesome!!
Good luck! Christy Y
I struggled with the double stroller issue for a long time when I was expecting my 2nd child. I liked the side-by-side ones because both children would be closer to me, but it was not practical for the newborn as I have the Graco infant seat system, and Graco does not do side-by-side double strollers. Also, there were some really nice doubles out there, but also very expensive. In the end, I could not justify the cost of the higher end strollers, and did not want to compromise on being able to move my infant daughter out of the car and into the stroller without unbuckling her from the infant carrier, so I went with the Graco Quattro Tour. It's a tandem style (toddler in front, baby in back). I have to say that I like it a lot more than I thought I would. It's not light, and it pretty much takes up all my trunk space, but the price was right ($230). And, my toddler loves it. She really likes being way up front...I think it makes her feel more independent and a big girl. My baby is still in her carrier, so it remains to be seen how she would feel about riding in back once I sit her up in it!! I know someone who has the double with toddler up high, baby down and back, and she loves it. Personally, I did not feel comfortable with having baby so low to the ground, and so close to the wheels. Good luck! This was probably my toughest purchase decision with baby #2!
Phil & Ted Phil & Ted Phil & Ted!!!! You have to "learn" how to fold it/put it away, but it's the best!
So, I didn't have much time the other day, but let me go on. I researched A LOT during my pregnancy and after and ended up with a Graco DuoGlider b/c the carseat fit in there, but I ended up giving up on it and just using the P&T. Technically, the infant carseat isn't supposed to go in there (depending on which one you have, you can check their website), but if you shove it in you can do it. -Although not while the other child is in the stroller. I found that annoying, but I still really recommend it. -If you want to use my Duo Glider for the first few months, let me know and we can try to work something out. I was going to sell it, but haven't got around to it yet. :)
I am really happy with our Phil and Ted's E3. My younger son doesn't seem bothered by being in the back. It seems to bother other people more than it bothers him. Easy to steer, can still be used as a single stroller, good wheels for bad roads. I don't have a problem lifting it into our van (as a mom your upper body is stronger from lifting your first child). Our neighbor had kids closer in age and also seemed happy with it. Tandems are too hard to steer, and side by sides are too wide unless you are only going to use it in the wide open outdoors.
