Which Stroller for a Second Child

Hi Melanie. When I had my first daughter I bought a high quality stroller. My second daughter was born 3 years later and used the same stroller. When going on walks and my oldest daughter would get tired, I would lay the seat back, sit her first and then sit my youngest one on front. The canopy would work as back support. It worked perfect and it was safe.

I used the stroller with the stand-up sit down option for older child in the back and the smaller child gets to use the sitting spot in front! I LOVED IT! Hope it helps...Denise

I love my Joovy Caboose. It takes a infant seat for when the baby is very young and when they can sit up you can put them in the regular seat. The toddler can sit or stand on the back. It has been a livesaver for me and I use it regularly with my three children.

My daughters were 18 months apart, and we went with a double stroller. We have a Graco Single stroller that we loved, and that was our preference for a double (the infant carrier would attach). My Grandma found a really nice one on a garage sale and we love it. It's definately harder to manuver in larger crowds, but I feel safer with both girls in the stroller than one walking. At the time I didn't think the oldest was ready for a sit n stand, but had she been older that would have also been an option - my cousin had one and loved it.

Hi! My daughters were 22 months apart. I started off with a single stroller when my first girl was born and when the 2nd came, after much research, I purchased a Graco (i think) double stoller- 1 in front of the other, not side by side. That way the baby could be in the back, under the canopy, and her big sister was in front with a good view of everything and (most importantly) could not bother her sister. The front seat was set lower than the back so that when the baby was older, she could see over her sister's head. I LOVED that stoller! I tried a friend's stroller with the clip on toddler seat- what a pain!- having to take it on and off and it didn't seem like a comfy seat.
Hope this helps!
-T.

I have 2 daughters that are 19 months apart. I opted to wait until after my 2nd child was born before buying a second and/or double stroller. I didn't like my first stroller much either, but ended up just using it for the first 6 months while the baby was still in her infant carrier seat (saves $$$), and then switched to the umbrella stroller. My older daughter, who is now 3 1/2 hardly ever uses a stroller (and hasn't for a while). By the time you have another baby, your older child might very well be out of a stroller for good, so I don't recommend buying a double stroller (even if it has a toddler seat).

Hi Melanie!
Just thought I would weigh in on your question... my husband and I just recently purchased the Joovy Caboose Ultralight and we love it!! We have two boys (both big for their ages) Logan who will be 3 in May and Tyler who is almost 17 months. We previously had an Eddie Bauer double stroller and hated it - it always pulled to one side and was a monster for me to try and push. The Joovy Ultralight (the newest Joovy model) is so easy for me to push now - it has ball-bearing wheels (like on roller skates) and only weighs around 21 pounds I believe. It is a sit-n-stand which is really wonderful because it allows my older son to stand and have a really good view of everything and then sit when he's tired. The only downside to this stroller is the expense - around $230 - but the ease of use makes it well worth it! Hope this helps in your decision :)

K.

I have had many strollers. We had a sit and stand for awhile. My older 2 are 19 months apart and that one worked well when the older one was still little.

check out onestepahead.com. they have some cool strollers and attachments for toddlers to ride on the stroller. hope this helps....

I have kids that are two years apart and we started with a double stroller, but I hated it. It was heavy, hard to turn and really too small for my older child to sit in comfortably. So I looked and bought a seat that attaches to the back of my nice single stroller with two brackets. It de-taches when I want to store it or only have one child (just push one button on each side). The best part is that it consists of a step and a seat, so they can stand and hang onto the stroller handle or sit and face me (looking at me about mid-thigh), which is great for eating a snack or even looking at books. My son just recently outgrew the weight limit (40lbs), and if you are interested, I'd sell it to you- $25.00. I purchased it a year and a half ago for $65.00. Best of luck with your new baby! ____@____.com

Hi Melanie, I just wanted to chime in on the Jovee Caboose Stoller. It is the BEST!! I bought one a few years ago from Babies R Us for about $140.00. (the other two seater strollers are either too wide for tight areas in stores or too long and heavy UGGGHHH!!) After a year of using it, the rear wheel was faulty. I called the company to inquire about ordering a new wheel. They said they would be happy to send me a new stroller, as they wanted to check out why this was happening. They wanted to have their quality control department check into thoroughly. I was shocked!! I again stated all I want to do is buy a wheel and that I wasn't looking for anything free from them, as I have used the heck out of it almost everyday, and it isn't new anymore, she insisted on sending me the new one. I have NEVER had a company stand behind their product like Jovee. I highly, highly recommend this stroller, as the company cares about the customer!!! Can't say it will help anyone else with ordering parts, but it may. Hope this has helped you with narrowing your choices. All the best. Lisa

I have a "Caboose" by Joovy. Older one can sit or stand (and it has a belt for them. New one can ride in infant seat or in stroller. $149 at Babies r us and I love it. You can purchase optional drink holder, takes up only as much room as a single and sturdy but lightweight with decent wheels and easy to push. Like a knife through butter.
Girlfriend bought a boogie board or something through One Step ahead and hated it.
Here's a link to one like mine-
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=5739772

I definately would buy it again and always get people asking me about it.
C.

One Step Ahead is the catalog or website to look at. They have a double stroller with options and also it has a platform for the older child if they just want to stand and ride if they get tired on long walks. You can also just buy the platform seperate and add it on a stroller you have. It is in the Spring 2008 catalog. Good luck!

We have the Baby Trend Sit-n-Stand Plus and love it. We use our single stroller for samll outings and the Sit-n-stand for trips when our toddler might not want to walk so much. The Plus version looks like an ordinary double stroller, but you can remove the rear seat when you oldest is too big for it and it has an area where the older child can either stand and ride, or a bench to sit and ride - both complete with belts/harness for safety. Like I said, we don't use it for every outing, but when we do use it we love it. You can get the standard version for less than the Plus - the difference is the standard version doesn't have the actual rear seat, just the bench and platform for the older child. We purchased ours online from Target when they had a free shipping deal. Check it out for yourself and see if it's what you're looking for... If you have any questions, I'd be happy to help you out!

Plus...
http://chickenlittlekids.com/store/shop_product.php?UPC=1...

Standard...
http://chickenlittlekids.com/store/shop_product.php?UPC=1...

Wagon! I got a new single stroller for my 2nd baby who is now 5 mos. We wore out the first one. I have a Chico and LOVE it. We also got a Wagon from Santa this year. My son is 4. I plan to use the wagon for trips to the Zoo, etc.

I'd recommend the Phil & Ted's E3. It is a great single stroller, and you can add a toddler seat on down the road. The reviews are wonderful and you won't be stuck pushing a double stroller with one kiddo right now.

My daughters are less than a year in age and when the second was born the first wasn't walking so a double stroller was a must for us. We also have the Baby Trend Sit n Stand and think it is fabulous for a double stroller. Believe me, I dreaded getting one because everyone said they were hard to take anywhere, heavy and awkward to turn. It is no big deal. I am surprised how well it turns and I can take it pretty much anywhere I would a single stroller. The only thing I don't like is that when folded, it doesn't stand upright; you have to lay it on its side. We haven't used the toddler stand in the back, yet, but I am sure it will come in handy later this summer. As far as single strollers go, I second the previous post... Chicco. We have one from my first daughter and I think it is the greatest stroller ever made! I really do love it and love, love, love the matching keyfit car seat. I would have bought a Chicco double stroller but I don't like that they only offer they side by side option. Good luck!

Hi Melanie,

I have kids that are only 21 months apart (son is 2 1/2 yrs old and daughter is 12 months). We got a double stroller (you have to get one if you ever are out alone with both kids) from the catalog "One Step Ahead". Erik can either sit in his seat and/or stand. They have another model as well, so you might want to check out their website. Maybe that will be helpful. *C.

Hi
We have used a single stroller where the car seat connected right to it when we had our son and loved it. We researched when we found out our son would be 16 months old when his sister arrived. We ended up getting a safety first twin stroller which allowed for the little ones car seat to connect and the front seat where the eldest would sit could face out or face in towards his sibling. We loved to use it but sometimes found it like driving a semi because it was so long. My husband found a really nice twin jogger at a community yard sale for less than half price and that purchase has proven to be the best investment for us. Our son (now 30 months old) does not last long on the long walks we go on so he still needs to have that stroller to fall back on and whats even better is that both kids sit next to eachother so they can communicate and we can all interact with eachother. So basically you need to sit down and figure out what you would want out of a stroller and if you would walk with both kids on your own what you would do if you had a single stroller and your older child was too tired to walk. You will be the one who can answer what will work best for you. Go to stores and look at all of your options, go online and check things out, most places will have descriptions by people who have bought the item and if they were or were not satisfied, what they thought the positives and negatives of the item were, etc... That is what I did before we bought a double stroller to see which were easier to put up/down alone, etc.. helped a lot.
Good luck

I have a graco double stroller. I didn't even think about a toddler seat attatchment. My 3 sons are 12 and 15 months apart and a double stroller worked fine. My two year hardly ever wants to ride in it because he wants to walk like his big brother; and in those times, I just place the diaper bag in the empty seat to make sure its weighted properly. I think my 3 year old feels cheated sometimes because he has to walk now, but the graco double stroller essentially does the trick. You can buy it new, or you may want ot try the resale shops or craigslist.