OT - Expecting another baby, will I need a double stroller? Recommendations?

[SDFgirl]

Moms and Dads, I'm so sorry to ask yet another stroller question, but I feel totally clueless here!

This is NOT for Disney sad: ), just for life in general...

My DD will be 21 months when our second DD will be born. DD is a good walker but doesn't mind riding in her stroller. I would love to hear from other moms/dads...

Will I need a double stroller, or will DD be old enough to walk most places? If so, does anyone have any recommendations? Our car is a compact, so we'd need something that can fold up pretty well.

Ideally, I'd LOVE a stroller that we could latch the baby's car seat/carrier into, while having a regular seat for big sister. Then, after the baby grows out of her car seat/carrier, would have a regular seat for little sister too. Does such a stroller exist? I've checked out amazon.com and Babies R Us, and I don't see anything like that...

I'm not even sure we NEED a double stroller, but would love advice from those who've BT/DT. Thanks a million!!

 

[mlynn]

IMO look into a sit and stand. I loved mine!!

 

[mjkacmom]

I think a stroller like that exists, and YES, you will need a double stroller! I always had 2 - a jogger for neighborhood walks, and a fold up (combi twin savy) for the van.

 

[DopeysMommy]

My DS1 was 24 months when DS2 was born. I had a Graco double stroller, DS1 rode in front, car seat latched to the back. it was a necessity for a little over a year, esp when DS2 was out of the infant carrier.

Check your Craigslist and garage sales, since you may not use it too long until your older child can walk longer distances

 

[nicki.momof3]

I second a sit and stand - perfect for those ages. Your older one will love the freedom it allows.

 

[justhat]

Yes, you'll need a stroller, but not sure I would get the sit and stand for a 21month old. The problem is, 21 month olds nap, run away, etc. I would want a seat that they can nap in and be buckled, but the sit and stand doesn't have a spot for that. The 2nd 'seat' does not accomodate a napper.

The Peg Perego Aria Twin has a new 60/40 split seat, which has reclining seats with canopies, 5 point harnesses, snack trays, and you can snap in the infant carrier to the '60' side. When your kids are older you can put the older one on the '60' side so she has more space.



FWIW, my kids are 29 months apart and I did NOT want a double stroller at all. Hated the idea of pushing all that weight around, my daughter never wanted to ride in a stroller before my son was born, walked well with us (as in holding hands, or staying right by our side), etc. Plus my daughter didn't use a stroller for the first, hmm, 6 months or so of her life, we just carried her in a Bjorn. So we figured, by that point, our daughter would be 3yo and capable of walking so we didn't get a double stroller.

Well then my son was born and my daughter was NOT happy at all when we put him in "her" stroller. We never expected that as she never used strollers at that point, but she was not letting him in there. And though we could have stuck him in it anyway, that probably wouldn't have been the best way to start out her new role in the family.

We did get a Peg Perego with the standing board on the back for our daughter to ride on, which worked for short trips, but in the event she fell asleep in the car or got tired when we were out, we were stuck holding her or our son. Not ideal. We had to buy a 2nd umbrella stroller and take 2 strollers with us anytime we went anywhere for a long period of time, to Disney, etc. Even at 3yo when our daughter was done napping at home, she'd get tired when we were out and then need a place to sit and rest/nap.

Last June I took the kids to WDW by myself and finally broke down and bought a double stroller. I got a Maclaren Twin Triumph, but strongly considered the Peg I mentioned for you. The only reason I went with the Mac was that it had a higher weight limit and by the time I bought the stroller my kids were nearly 2yo and 4.5yo. What I loved about the Peg, however, was that you could snap in an infant carseat. I plan on having a 3rd kid so I thought that would be a great option.

Anyway, it makes a huge difference in our lives. We rarely use it at home now since my daughter is almost 5yo, but in WDW it was great cause my daughter definitely needed a break and it was so nice to be able to contain my son.

 

[storybookmum]

I refused to get a double stroller. They're all just too bulky and depressing, was my thought.

I turned into a sling mama and carried the younger one. It was a piece of cake.

 

[summermac]

2 under 2? Yes I'd say you'll need a double. When will #2 be born though? If not till late fall, you could theoretically try to wing it until the following spring without (b/c you probably won't be going out a whole lot anyway) and see how you feel then.

My son was almost 3 when DD was born. I originally thought we'd be stuck with a double but then I discovered the Ergo. I love it. That might be an option too. It's great.

You need to determine your needs for any stroller before you go buying. What's your family like? What's your oldest child like? My son really wasn't a big stroller rider even at almost 2. He did b/c I made him but many times camping, he wound up walking the trails with his dad and I was stuck pushing the stroller anyway.

But.......I know quite a few moms (I run a mom board) and they all love the Phil & Ted's double.

 

[brockash]

Moms and Dads, I'm so sorry to ask yet another stroller question, but I feel totally clueless here!

This is NOT for Disney sad: ), just for life in general...

My DD will be 21 months when our second DD will be born. DD is a good walker but doesn't mind riding in her stroller. I would love to hear from other moms/dads...

Will I need a double stroller, or will DD be old enough to walk most places? If so, does anyone have any recommendations? Our car is a compact, so we'd need something that can fold up pretty well.

Ideally, I'd LOVE a stroller that we could latch the baby's car seat/carrier into, while having a regular seat for big sister. Then, after the baby grows out of her car seat/carrier, would have a regular seat for little sister too. Does such a stroller exist? I've checked out amazon.com and Babies R Us, and I don't see anything like that...

I'm not even sure we NEED a double stroller, but would love advice from those who've BT/DT. Thanks a million!!

I would definetly get a double, but that's just me, and I'm kinda a control freak and like to know I have everything Have you thought about a sit-n-stand. It's not as bulky as most doubles, but still does the job. I think the 21 month old may be a little young for it at first, but if it's just every now and then maybe you could hold the baby while the 21 month old sits in the seat part I bought a sit-n-stand only for our last WDW trip for my then 17 month old and 6 year old. It worked great. I'm thinking more in long term for you, because really I think 21 months is too young to sit in the back of a sit-n-stand, but either way I think I'd definetley get something for the 2 of them. Good luck, and congrats!

 

[mlynn]

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=5621871

This one starts as a double and then remove the back seat for a sit and stand option.

 

[eventamy]

Phil & Ted all the way! It's a 3 wheel stroller with rubber tires that turns on a dime (don't go with the Graco pieces of junk, I got one with my first baby and it fell apart!). It can take a baby "bucket" with adaptor and it can also have an extra seat for other child. It's very lightweight and wonderful.

Here's a picture of mine at Disney.

 

[3goofyboys]

Phil & Ted all the way! It's a 3 wheel stroller with rubber tires that turns on a dime (don't go with the Graco pieces of junk, I got one with my first baby and it fell apart!). It can take a baby "bucket" with adaptor and it can also have an extra seat for other child. It's very lightweight and wonderful.

Here's a picture of mine at Disney.

Yes, yes, yes get the Phil & Ted! My boys are 19 months apart and I originally didn't buy a double because I thought I would sling the baby until he was about 6 months old and by then my already very mobile older son would be walking exclusively. WRONG! I love to baby wear, but it was a challenge to sling a newborn and chase a 19 month old. The constant bending and lifting made me nervous (I'm sure it was fine, but it just didn't feel safe to me). Finally after one disasterous trip to the zoo by myself with two kiddos and no double stroller I bought the Phil & Ted. It has been a lifesaver! Both boys love it, it keeps them contained when I'm shopping by myself and only have so many hands, and it makes moving with them much faster. At this point, my DS3 very rarely uses the stroller, but I still think it was well worth the investment, probably the best baby purchase I've ever made!

 

[two-foxes]

OP -

Thanks for posting this question, as I have been wondering it myself. I have to say I am leaning towards the Phil and Ted...not the cheapest one out there, but the best thing I can see about it is that you are NOT stuck with a double stroller once the older child is no longer wanting/needing a stroller. So it will last until your youngest is done!

We have also been researching the Bumbleride Indie Twin and the Zooper Tango, but those are side by sides... BUT they seem to be able to accomodate most brands of infant seats. (We have a Chicco Key Fit, which don't fit most of the major brands of strollers.)

Whatever you decide, Good luck!

 

[ilandrazdsw]

We have a sit n stand (that we bought for WDW). Our DD is 3 and DS is 5 and it accommodated them great. It has the attachment for the carrier for babies. It isn't not the most compact thing I have ever seen but want not worse than a full size singel stroller (maybe a tad longer). For the price is was the perfect buy (so much cheaper than a double)!
This sit n stand had a lap belt strap to secure the child sitting or standing in the back.

 

[VeroBeachGirl]

Anyone have the Zooper Tango? It seems nice but haven't heard much about it here.

 

[justwinnie]

The Sit and Stand Deluxe may work out for you. It has two traditional seats but the rear seat can come out and you can use it as a Sit and Stand. A car seat can also be snapped into one of the seats and the older child can sit in the other. It seems pretty versatile.

A PP mentioned it-- the walmart link.

I was at my Target today and it was on clearance for less than 1/2 price-- abt $70. Maybe you can check it out!

 

[DRS_Are_Best]

DS was 21 months old when the twins were born. He rarely used a stroller once they were born -- however, he is (and always has been) VERY INDEPENDENT!!!!!

I have heard a LOT of negatives about sit-n-stands, so I wouldn't recommend them (never tried it so I can't say from personal experience). If you are looking into double strollers and one is an infant, I would look into a tandem stroller (front/back) rather than a side by side. If you purchase smartly, you should be able to pop the carseat into the stroller (just like a travel system single stroller) and big sib can sit in the front. And you will almost NEVER have a problem with the width of a door.

However, if you want to do a lot of walking around, jogging strollers are definitely the easiest strollers I know of for pushing.

Now, understand that we used our double strollers for twins so my situation is different than yours. But to date we have been through a tandem stroller until they turned 1 (worked great for the carseats but the twin in the back would kick the one in the front once they could reach). Then we moved to the side-by-side (see above for reason). That worked well, but we went cheap and they tore it apart. About 2 months ago we bought a double jogger, specifically with our Disney trip in mind, and it's extremely easy to maneuver. However, it doesn't sit upright fully which means I'll want to take them out at mealtimes.

Just my personal experience. Congrats on your upcoming arrival and good luck with everything!!!!!!

 

[brymolmom]

My ds was 17 mos when dd was born, I tell all moms who are going to have two in that age-range that a double stroller is a necessity (ok, not really, but for me it was) for the first year. I do not like staying home a lot - would do lots of errands, would just go walk the mall in the winter, etc. And I lived with the double for the first year. And even tho ds did not LIKE to stay in it during that 'fidgety toddler' stage - it wasn't a choice many times. When I was alone with them it was a safety thing a lot of the time - I knew where they both were and they were right in front of me. So he got used to staying in it when it was 'the rule' to do so. A couple points I learned:

I got a CHEAP front/back stroller from Kmart for about $80 or so...the infant car seat sat nicely in the back - although it didn't 'lock' - it was secure. The f/b get very hard to maneuver when the oldest starts getting pretty big. We got an old, used Graco side-by-side that we've used for Disney and the zoo since both have been bigger and love it. Easy to maneuver and they can get out and walk now if the openings aren't big enough to move it through.

With Craigslist these days...I would buy a couple - for different situations - for half price if I were doing it all again.

Good luck.