Double stroller comparison

[goofy4wdw2]

DH and I are looking to buy a double stroller since we are expecting our second child in November. We're leaning toward side by side so they can see each other, but I welcome any thoughts you have on either type. DD is 2 yrs old (next month) and is a lightweight at 22 pounds.

If you've had a double strollers, can you share your experience about it in regard to:
-ease of use: maneuvering, folding
-use with infant: can you use from birth? if so, do you transfer infant or can you use infant carseat in the stroller?
-size: fitting through doorways, etc. and size when folded/stored in car
-sunshade: size, how well they block the sun
-storage: basket space; does it tip over when you hang a diaper bag on handles?
-cup holders: included or can you attach them?
-anything else you think we should know

Thank you!

 

[goofiecrazy]

We have a double stroller.Ours is a Jeep double one in the front and back.The storage goes the whole length of the seats. It has a zipper on the side of the storage so we can add our things into plus the back comes down.It has a little storage bag on each side to hold keys ect.The back seat goes back and has a unbrella cover as does the front seat. Both have a tray with a cup holder the tray for the front seat came with a steering wheel that beeps and makes noises.The back seat has a strap that will go through the bottom of a infant seat so it will stay in place then have little pockets to hold the straps.My son was 25 months when my daughter was born and the stroller was a gift from my friend.He would sit in the front and the baby in the back.As he got bigger it was a little harder to push it then he moved to the back and when she was able to sit she moved up front and it moved a lot better.

 

[peyjax]

We had the Peg Perego Tender Xl (tandem-front and back). It was extremely difficult to push decided to trade in for a Mac Techno Twin. Absolutly love it!!!!!!!! Folds up so nice and compact and fits great in the car or van. The dissadvantage it does not hold a car seat, but to be honest the peg really did not either. We just rigged it so that it would. The reality is we did not use a stroller enough in the beginning for it to be a concern about the car seat adaptor. We stayed in a lot the first few months and when my second was ready for the side by side he could sit up on his own. Do your homework to see what works best for you. For us it definatly was the mac side by side. One of best baby purchases.

 

[momgjgc]

I have the Peg perego Aria twin, this is a great light weight stroller, about 17 lbs. It has been to Disney 3 times and works great. The sunshade is small and we have an additional sunshade that can completely cover the kids. It is a pain in stores with lots of racks as it is difficult to steer in close quarters.

I also have the Evenflo take me too. It is a front and back and heavy! This is my mall stroller as it is easier to steer in smaller spaces. The kids fight alot more in it. My son likes to pull my daughter's bows out of her hair if we stop to long . Also you can put a car seat in the back.

There is no perfect stroller believe me i"ve tried them all!

 

[belle&beast]

I'm on our second double stroller. My kids are 2.5 years apart and the first one was an Evenflo tandem so we could use the infant carrier. It was fine for awhile, but as the kids got bigger it was much harder to push and even when folded was very large. We took it to WDW with a 4yo and 2yo and DH managed fine on the buses, but we went during value season and buses were rarely full.

Now my kids are 3.5 and 6 and we still feel like we need a stroller for our WDW trip in December. They will both probably walk most of the time, but we want to have seats for both in cse they are needed (especially at the end of the day.) I found a Combi side by side at a consignment sale and LOVE it. Each seat reclined independently and the sunshades are great. I used it at the mall and DD likes to walk most of the time, but even when she was in it was easy to push and maneuver. It folds smaller than my original single travel system stroller and has a shoulder strap. It is also very light which is great since my kids total about 80 pounds. I probably won't be able to use it much after our trip because they are getting so big, but I am glad that I found it for this trip!

 

[Ariel8676]

We had a Jeep tandem stroller when my 1st 2 DD's were small (they are 14 months apart)..it does have a ton of storage, but is just so big and heavy.
We ended up buying a Maclaren twin (side by side) the seats recline independantly and recline flat, so you can use it from birth. We love i and have had it for about 2 1/2 yrs now...my 4 1/2 yo still rides in it(at times) along with my 20 month old dd...(my 5 1/2 yo rides when she is REALLY tired of walking, but she is just getting a bit too big now..lol

 

[TinkerValkyrie]

We have a sit and stand, so it's not exactly a double stroller, but it can sort of work like one. Our boys are 4.5 and 1.5 and we have one unknown little one due in February when they are 5 and 2.

We looked at double strollers for our upcoming trip, but they just seemed bulky and heavy. We looked at the Take me Too and when folded down it was still HUGE. We opted for a Joovy Caboose Sit and Stand. When folded down, it's about the same size as the single Graco stroller that came with our travel system. It's a bit heavier, but it can hold 2 kids. There is a more expensive ultralight model, but we were able to manage with the weight of the regular one so we went with the regular one.

There is a seat in the front that can hold a carseat with an adapter that's included. It has a 5 point harness. We obviously haven't tried it with the carseat yet, but I'm sure it will work out. The back seat is more like a jumpseat with a 3 point harness. It's meant for children 2.5 and up. There's also a platform and little handles so if the older child wants to just stand and ride they can safely.

It doesn't have cup holders for the adult, but the front tray has 2 cup holders. You can buy a parent organizer that slides on the handle that has a cup holder. The ultralight model comes with this. We're just going to buy the stroller cupholders that clamp on.

It doesn't tip when we strap our diaper bag on the back, and there is some basket space. The shade covers the front child very well and does a pretty good job covering the upper body of the child in the back.

It's not as roomy as a full double stroller, but in my opinion it's a lot easier to maneuver. The things that would be negatives for some really don't have an affect on us. Since both of my boys hate to stay strapped in a stroller the option of the child in the back being able to hop and off the back as they get tired is a good one for us. The one main fault is that the front seat only partially reclines, and the back seat doesn't at all. When the front seat is reclines there is less room for the child in the back. We haven't found this to be a problem though and the 1.5 year old was easily able to nap while partially reclined. Since our kids don't like being fully reclined in the stroller, this again wasn't a problem for us.

You can see them at Babiesrus to see what they're like. My DH was set on a Take Me Too until he saw the difference in size when folded. He was instantly sold on the Joovy Caboose(as it will be him lugging the folded stroller on and off the bus at Disney)

 

[cheerbop]

We have a 3yo and a 7.5 month old.
We did not want a front to back, because to us, they feel like an SUV. We opted for a narrower (29") side by side that fits through most doorways (all we have tried but there are probably doors it wouldn't fit through). We love that it doesn't really feel like there is a heavier child and lighter child in the seats. Some strolers, you really feel the weight difference.

We chose a Maclaren Twin Techno and we absolutely LOVE it. It glides easily and it folds up like an umbrella stroller (the "SUV" strollers don't really do this--fold compactly). LOVE that it folds smaller than most double strollers. It honestly takes up less space than my single Graco Quattro!
It doesn't take an infant seat, but our infant fit in it fine, for the seat reclines basically flat and has a pretty fluffy infant head support. The shades are very lare and have a sun shade/filter thing that comes down even more to provide UV coverage also. There is a skinny water bottle holder (or thin baby bottle) inthe middle of the back of the stroller. There are 2 individual baskets under the stroller-one under each seat.

We got last year's model a few months ago at a discount. Many stores still carry them.

Highly recommend this stroller!

ETA: OH! and no this stroller doesn't tip witha diaper bag on it!

 

[flipflop]

We have a Mac double. It is lightweight, folds easily, has swivel wheels (that you can lock to stay straight if you wish) which makes it easy to maneuver, each seat reclines separately and easily, has good underneath storage and fits through a standard doorway. I love it and wouldn't trade it for any other. I have a triple back to back and it causes issues with who can see what and kicking, etc. I prefer side by side. I love that it is lightweight!!!! It can hold an infant once they reach 10 lbs (might want to check website to be sure - I feel confident but not 100%). The hoods push up and down separately and it has nice rain cover.

 

[cheerbop]

OH yeah! I forgot that my Maclaren Twin Techno also has a nice rain cover that attches to it and also has foot muffs if you are out in chilly weather.
Just nice little extras, esp the rain cover for Disney!

 

[write2caro]

I know you mentioned side-by-side, but I LOVE my front-back one so much I thought I'd throw in my 2 cents. Phil & Ted's e3

Used it with my son (now 2.5 yrs), added the infant carrier (into a section that folds down in the back) and a second seat when my daughter was born (now 10 months). We used it on our last WDW trip and LOVED it, and plan to take it on our next trip in a couple of months. I tried answering all your questions below...

If you've had a double strollers, can you share your experience about it in regard to:
-ease of use: maneuvering, folding
SO EASY!! Others with kids who have pushed our stroller comment on how easy it is to maneuver compared to what they have.
-use with infant: can you use from birth? YES if so, do you transfer infant or can you use infant carseat in the stroller?
We transfered, although there is a car seat attachment that you can buy with it.
-size: fitting through doorways, etc. (GREAT for this - I maneuver it in and out of fairly narrow doorways around the city w/o a problem) and size when folded/stored in car (probably not the most compact out there, but we don't have a very big trunk and haven't had an issue with the space it takes)
-sunshade: size, how well they block the sun (not bad for the average day out, but we also have one that we attach to the stroller for WDW days)
-storage: basket space; does it tip over when you hang a diaper bag on handles? (you do lose storage space once you have 2 toddlers - that's my ONLY issue with this model - yet there are saddle bag-like attachments you can buy for more storage)
-cup holders: included or can you attach them?
-anything else you think we should know (It's pricey, but considering we have only had this one stroller and will only ever need this one stroller, it seemed worth it to us. I think they recently released a new model, so you might find the e3 at a discount if you're interested. Attachable rain covers are great, too.)

Thank you!

 

[workinmomof2]

Front to backs are extremely hard to push. My husband even dislikes it. It is also had to turn. I am looking for a side by side to take to Disney.

 

[write2caro]

Front to backs are extremely hard to push. My husband even dislikes it. It is also had to turn. I am looking for a side by side to take to Disney.

Not the one I have - it is VERY easy to push/turn/maneuver. Have you used Phil & Ted's e3 before?

Everyone from me to my husband to my mom push it - all different heights and strength levels - and have a VERY easy time with it. I have neck/back problems and really need something that glides/turns well without needing to be pushed too hard, and mine really fits the bill perfectly. Better than the side-by-sides I ever tried out while shopping around.

 

[thepeach80]

http://www.barebabies.com/contours-double-tandem-stroller.html

We have this one, it's great. I can write more tomorrow.

 

[nuttylawprofessor]

The Phil & Teds is an AMAZING stroller. You can use it as a single or a double. When in double mode, it takes up no more space than a single. I can steer this double with one hand. I challenge anyone else to name a double that can be driven with one hand.

The macs are also a great choice for a double.

Yet another double that nobody has mentioned is the Jane Powertwin. Again, this is a very maneuverable double that is easy to push. It has a small footprint, taking up just a bit more space than a single. The two major drawbacks of this stroller are the price and the size. It would be uncomfortable for any larger child.

Please feel free to PM if you have any other questions, I love to talk strollers.

 

[goofy4wdw2]

Thank you everyone...any other suggestions?

thepeach80...can you tell me more about the countours double stroller? how compact or bulky is it when folded? i'm intrigued by this due to all of the seating arrangement options...facing each other, both facing forward, both facing parent...but i'm a little concerned about how bulky it might be iwhen stored n the car.