Double Umbrella Stoller suggestions needed

[never_enough_pooh]

Hi All-

For the past couple years we have been using a City mini double for our 2 year and 3 year old. Although I love the stroller we would LOVE to downsize to a more lightweight stroller for our next trip. The problem I am finding is most umbrella strollers have weight limits of 35 lbs max per child.

Does anyone know of a double umbrella stroller (or lightweight) that can handle higher weight limits per child, say 45-50 lbs per child?


Thanks for any ideas!

 

[Rippleglrl]

Try the Maclaren twin techno - they are not cheap but go to 110lbs and are very durable- you might even be able to try a used one and save some money- I have the double city mini and the Maclaren, and you can beat how quick light and easy these are.... Another suggestion would be the joovy... Happy hunting !

 

[Lilliputian]

You can get a lighter double stroller, but a double umbrella stroller is never going to be a good choice for in the parks, especially with older children. The true double umbrella strollers are really hard to push and will drive you crazy. They only get harder to push and especially steer as the children get heavier.

I have a City Mini double and like it. However, the stroller I had before it was a Peg Perego Twin Aria. The one that's out now is a little different than the one I had (mine didn't have the 60/40 split), but I imagine it's still a nice stroller. What I loved was that it was very light, and it folded very flat and small. It's not much harder to fold than the City Mini double once you get the hang of it, but the basket needs to be completely empty, and it's more particular about things like if the sun shade is in the way. The basket is easier to access, and it's big but not quite as deep. My basket did end up ripping because the fabric wasn't super sturdy. The stroller itself doesn't seem as sturdy, but that's probably due to the fact that it's so lightweight and that you have to bounce it a lot to collapse it.

When I needed a new double stroller, I did compare everything to my Twin Aria. The reason I ended up going with the City Mini was because I decided that the weight wasn't critical most of the time. It's only a factor when you're putting it in or taking it out of the car. The City Mini is so easy to push that it "feels" lighter to me. I also like the fact that it's sturdy because I'm hoping we'll need it for several more years. If you know you're on your last one, that won't be a factor.

 

[tourguide81]

At their ages I'd probably just take my city mini, we are taking ours for a 6, 3 & 6 month old.

If I was going to get a umbrella style, the only one I'd consider is the Maclaren Twin Techno. Most of them are cheap, junky and too short to use for more than an hour.

 

[cruisingtwins]

We have twins and use a couple of single umbrella strollers. So far all the twin strollers I've met are a giant pain in the butt.

 

[Ravenne]

I've used both side by sides and tandems and for me personally, I hated the side by sides, especially in crowded areas like WDW. Plus side by sides are hard to maneuver in malls and shops because the aisles are so narrow. The last time we went to WDW, we had 2 umbrella strollers that we connected together using connectors. OMG I HATED IT. It was so impossible to maneuver through the crowds. I was so happy to get rid of the connectors and just have me push one and DH push the other. I had a double umbrella stroller once and quickly sold it. I hated it. We just went with the single umbrella strollers and tag team push them. We have The First Years Jet which goes up to 50 lbs and inexpensive. I love it. I also have a Sit n Stand which I really liked.

 

[JediBonas]

I have a Maclaren twin techno for my twins, it's good for over 100 lbs. That's the stroller we bring to Disney as it's so easy to fold and light.

 

[tourguide81]

I've used both side by sides and tandems and for me personally, I hated the side by sides, especially in crowded areas like WDW. Plus side by sides are hard to maneuver in malls and shops because the aisles are so narrow. The last time we went to WDW, we had 2 umbrella strollers that we connected together using connectors. OMG I HATED IT. It was so impossible to maneuver through the crowds. I was so happy to get rid of the connectors and just have me push one and DH push the other. I had a double umbrella stroller once and quickly sold it. I hated it. We just went with the single umbrella strollers and tag team push them. We have The First Years Jet which goes up to 50 lbs and inexpensive. I love it. I also have a Sit n Stand which I really liked.

It's funny, it must depend on the specific stroller. I actually hate sit n stands and think they are horrible to push/steer. My city mini double is a dream to push, fits through all standard doorways, turns on a dime, etc. I also think that a sit n stand doesn't afford the same degree of resting/sleeping as a side by side. But everyone's needs are different. I can have 2 kids sleeping in the city mini for several hours, I couldn't do that w/ a sit in stand.

 

[Ravenne]

It's funny, it must depend on the specific stroller. I actually hate sit n stands and think they are horrible to push/steer. My city mini double is a dream to push, fits through all standard doorways, turns on a dime, etc. I also think that a sit n stand doesn't afford the same degree of resting/sleeping as a side by side. But everyone's needs are different. I can have 2 kids sleeping in the city mini for several hours, I couldn't do that w/ a sit in stand.

True in that everyone's needs are different. I don't have twins so I didn't need my kids to nap at the same time so the luxury of having the older kid be able to hop out of the stroller was nice. I attribute pushing side by side doubles around as driving a tank, vs tandems as driving a limo. Truth be told, I'm not a fan of double strollers but it's a necessary evil at times. While I never loved the maneuverability of the sit n stand (no more than a single travel system stroller) I liked dealing with a side by side even less. I could always get my side by side through doorways, that wasn't the problem. The problem lies when I try to push one through stores like say in between clothing racks. That's a sisyphean task. Throw in a couple of kids yanking clothes off the rack from both sides of the "kiddie double wide," and I'm ready be a hermit, never going out with kids and stroller. But that's just me. I really thought I'd love the side by side but ended up feeling like I couldn't get rid of it fast enough. I do know a lot of people who love theirs, especially their behemoth BOB Duallies.

 

[Lilliputian]

I'm also in the camp that can't stand sit-and-stands. I bought a good one and wanted to love it, but they're too hard to push. The front child is just so far away. If that child isn't tiny, then it just takes too much leverage. I barely even tried out the one I bought in the store because I knew I'd love it, and then I hardly ever used it. It was a regular Joovey, and they came out with the light version a few months later, so that was frustrating, but I think I still would have hated it.

Yes, a double stroller is wide. But I find it better than the alternatives.