Baby Jogger City Select - at home and WDW

[Imagineer5]

Hi all! We are expecting our first and plan to take our first trip as a family when baby is about 8 months old. We hope to have a 2nd child within 2-2.5 years afterwards, so we have been looking at strollers with the option to add a 2nd seat.

First we were looking at the UPPAbaby Vista, but we have come to love the Baby Jogger City Select due to the many options for seat/bassinet/car seat placement for 2 children.

We are also hoping to bring this stroller to WDW with the 8-month old. Any reviews for the stroller itself or bringing it to WDW?

Thanks!

EDIT: Also, FYI, we'll have a car and will be staying offside (boo) so will not need to worry as much about folding the stroller for bus transportation

 

[grad_dis_nut]

Hey there,

Congratuations on your impending arrival! We got a City Select when our second baby arrived last year. I have a love/hate relationship with it. I use it daily to commute to/from work with my two kiddos (ages 3.5 and 13 months) on a city metrorail, and for that purpose, it works quite well. It is a smooth ride, I love the hand brake (our former stroller was a graco metrolite, which I love for many other reasons, but hated the cheap foot brake which never held up on the train). If you configure two seats a certain way (back to back), you have TONS of storage underneath in a huge basket. I have the parent console attachment and the child tray (both sold separately but generally worth it). I like to have it in the car with the option to set it up as a single if I just want to put my son in, but also have the double option for if we're doing long walks like at the zoo where inevitably my daughter may decide she wants to ride. it's great for outdoor treks because it has a really good sun canopy. My DD3, who is nearly 40lbs, rides pretty comfortably in it with some room to grow still.

Having said that...the thing is SUPER heavy. I think the frame alone, without seats, weighs over 20lbs. I wasn't willing to lift it into and out of our SUV when pregnant. It *can* fold with one seat still attached, but it's very bulky that way and IIRC, can only be done with the seat in a certain position. With two seats, at least one has to come off before it can fold up. I routinely take both seats off. I'll be honest, I know that the stroller claims to have a multitude of different two-seat configurations, but in reality, I find that there are only a couple of actual workable options. (that leave any ability to put items in the basket below, allow the seats to recline, don't lead to the kids kicking each other in the head, etc. etc....) And, here's the biggie....never in a million years would I take it to WDW. Not only is it heavy and difficult to fold with a seat on (I can't fathom doing the buses with it) but once you put two seats and two kids in it, it does not turn on a dime by any stretch of the imagination. It would be tough to navigate through crowds. When we did Disney in January, we took an umbrella stroller for DD3 and the metrolite for our DS7months. Likely we'll do the same next May.

You mention being offsite with a car, so also make sure you rent a car with a trunk big enough to fit your luggage AND the big stroller!!!

FWIW, if you get the city select, there are definitely a lot of nice features, but to start out with I would just get the carseat attachment bracket (assuming you'll be using an infant bucket carseat initially) and skip the bassinette. It's an expensive feature and often times....babies don't like to lay flat. See what your baby likes before you shell out the extra money for a bassinette when he/she may be totally happy in the carseat, and/or may insist on being held/worn by you! I can't tell you how many times I see parents with uber pricey strollers walking around the mall with the stroller empty and holding their babies in arms

 

[Imagineer5]

Thanks for the reply and review...honestly I didn't find it too heavy, I thought more like 20 lbs with the seat? But I guess it'll feel a lot heavier while carrying an infant in your other arm...if we had to deal with buses (which we don't do even while staying onsite) I wouldn't bring it, but with a car (SUV) it shouldn't be an issue.

I'm surprised to hear about maneuverability for 2 kids though. That's a bit disappointing considering that is one of the features we like it for.

Any suggestions for a stroller similar to this one but that might fold up better/maneuver better? I still really like the UPPAbaby but really dislike the 2nd seat placement - same issue with the Britax B-Ready.

 

[tms295psu]

Check out the Britax B-ready... It folds with both seats attached!!!

Just a thought that with future use and 2 kids. the last thing you will want to do (especially at Disney) is remove and carry a 2nd seat when you need to fold the stroller.

There may be times other than arriving and going home (in your own vehicle) that you may want to fold it... jumping on the train at Magic Kingdom... using the buses to park hop, etc.

 

[MisKaren1]

Everything grad_dis_nut said!

I am also SUPER mad I bought mine about a week before the 2010's went on clearance. GRRR!

I think it's a great stroller if you have twins/kids close in size. Mine has almost tipped over a few times on a rather easy turn.

Half the combinations they show or IMPOSSIBLE to use if you actually put kids in the stroller.

The bassinet isn't worth it. If you are able to recline the seats they go back pretty far.

If you live near Philly contact me- I have one CHEAP! lol

And def. not going to be fun stroller to use at Disney.

 

[grad_dis_nut]

OP, I know what you mean about the second seat placement on the Uppa baby and B-Ready...they're more like jump seats! We liked the City Select for the second seat locations too. You just can't realistically use a whole lot of different combinations. As for maneuverability, it's much easier to maneuver if you have the heavier child over the chassis (i.e, in the upper seat). Unfortunately, most of us would prefer to have the new baby closer to us and many older children prefer the "Front seat"/facing outward view. So...you end up with the heavier child over the front, which is bad for maneuverability. It actually turns quite nicely when set up as a single, even a single heavier/older child.

I would strongly recommend visiting Amazon and reading the reviews if you haven't already. It will give you plenty of real-life pros and cons. In the end, unfortunately, I have come to believe there is no perfect double stroller. The side-by-side umbrella styles are lighter, fold flatter, and are easier to maneuver. But...they often don't fit through doorways, may be rough in crowds, and the storage tends to be less. The front-to-back ("tandem") models don't maneuver as well and are heavier and bulkier to fold, but you tend to get better storage and they fit through narrow spaces better.

FYI, there's definitely NO folding/carrying the City Select while you have a baby on your other arm! It takes both hands to fold it and both arms to lift it (it's apparently 28lbs when set up as a single, 34lbs as a double...that's w/o the kids!), so you don't have to even think about that aspect!

 

[deegack]

Thanks for the review. I have an Uppa Baby right now and DH and I are in the process of becoming foster parents. I don't want a full time double stroller but one may be helpful at times. I'm not in love with the jump seat on the UB and am thinking of selling that and buying a city select.

 

[LaurenLC]

I have a City Select and I couldn't be happier with it! It is a heavy stroller, but that's part of what I love about it... The thing is a TANK! We only have one child now, but I have used a friends with the second seat attachment and it isn't bad. It's not as easy to push as when it is a single, but none of them are. I LOVE our stroller and would happily purchase it again!

 

[justwinnie]

I have a City Select and I also have a love/hate relationship with it. I have twin boys and bought it when they were 2 years old.

I truly believe if it were the first double stroller I bought, I would have been thoroughly satisfied with it and not purchased another. However it wasn't available yet.

I used to have the BJCM double, and sold it... I liked that stroller a lot but it was too wide for me to take shopping or out-- my boys were constantly pulling at things!

I had a graco double stroller too and HATED it.

The City Select has a lot of great features!
- big wheels
- big basket
- good canopy coverage
- comfortable seats
- comfortable handle
- easy fold
- easy to remove seats (I can always shake out crumbs before putting in my car!)
- stadium seating when used as a double- both boys can see out! My favorite feature and it gave it the edge over the uppa baby, britax b-ready, and phil&teds. I always felt bad for the kid staring at the back of the stroller seat!
- Seating arrangements keeps boys from fighting as much.

Cons:
- heavy
- can't recline seats if both are used facing forward-- only one double configuration can recline
- must remove a seat to fold it

Truthfully, I don't find it much heavier than other double strollers I have.

It's great as a single and it's nice to have the option to add a double seat. You won't have to buy a dedicated double stroller if you later have a second child.

Later on, you can buy the glider board for your child to stand on too. So the younger one rides in the stroller and the older one can stand if they get tired of walking.

I normally bring a combi double stroller to WDW, but was considering bringing the City Select this trip b/c we are staying off site and renting a car. However, we will still have to bring this on the airplane and parking tram so we're debating...

Overall, I am happy with the City Select.

There are a lot of youtube video reviews of the stroller too. Be sure to watch them!