Side by Side or Front to Back Stoller

[Mom2JoeyandBen]

We are thinking of getting a double stroller for our next trip. I can't decide if a side by side stroller is better or the front and back type stroller. It is for my 3 year old son and 8 month old son. My 3 year old is tall so if I went the front and back then I guess he will have to stay in the front. I'm worried about the side by side strollers being to big to fit through the doors and the monorail. My DH really likes the chico double stroller which is side by side. I just saw a new graco that was front and back that looked very nice. What do you suggest?

Thanks

 

[SharkyGoddess]

My oldest two were just 14 months apart and I had both. I HATED the front to back because it was more difficult to maneuver and my kids didn't seem to be happy in it. The side-by-side I had was more of an umbrella type, lightweight and VERY easy to steer. Have you thought about the ones with the toddler step/seat on the back? I don't know how big your 3 yo is but it might be something worth looking in to.

 

[princesssfws]

I have always had a front and back double, simply because the side by side width is too great. I can barely fit thru aisles with a single stroller but double that and that's causing some serious headache. I have the Graco front to back and haven't had any problems with it. I've even been able to fit 3 kids in it in a crunch by reclining the back seat and having 2 sit back there.

 

[tanyaandallie]

I have both and I like both for different reasons. I started out with the Graco Duoglider. It's huge but it works well. Also, don't assume that your larger/older child will want to sit in the front. When my ds was a baby, my dd (only 2 at the time) always sat in front. However, the older she got, the more she wanted to sit in the back. There is actually more room in the back. The front is smaller and better for a smaller kid.

We bought our side by side (Maclaren Ralley Twin) for our trip to Disney. It's a great stroller and perfect for Disney. It is not too wide. It is made so that it is narrow enough to fit through a doorway. You just need to check whatever double you get to make sure it is small enough. I know that the Peg, Macs, and Combi do. Not sure about the Chico. I think (but am not sure) that it might be wider. I prefer the sbs stroller for travel b/c it folds down way smaller and is way easier to deal with than the moster sized tandem strollers. That said, my kids love the tandem stroller and I think are more comfy in it. If it were not such a pain to travel with, we might actually bring it to Disney.

 

[Texasmomof3]

We have had both the side by side and the front and back. Both are hard to manuever. The side by side was really hard when shopping and in crowds. The aisles aren't big enough. We finally bought 2 combi savvy z single strollers and use those. When at home we keep 1 in each car but our kids are 4 years apart so the older one rarely use's it at home only on long Disney trips and vacations wetake the second one.I love the Combi cause it's light weight and sturdy. We travel all the time and after lugging a Peg Perego winebago stroller with my 1st I still wonder what was I thinking?

 

[mom2boys]

When my boys were younger, we used two individual umbrella strollers. We bought an gizmo that would connect the two umbrella strollers so that they could be used as a double wide. This allowed one of us to push both boys or DH & I could each take one of the boys and go in different directions. The gizmo was basically two thick vinyl straps with very strong velcro. One strap was attached down near the wheels and the other was attached up near the handles. We used our front/back stroller at home and wouldn't have traded it for anything.

 

[1Princess1Prince2006]

I feel like I have tried and bought all the double strollers out there. LOL We have a Graco Duoglider, Baby Trend Sit-n-Stand and then a Jeep umbrella one. And while I like my Graco front to back one a lot more than the Baby Trend and the Jeep I could not see taking the Graco (nor the Baby Trend) one to Disney.

We just got back and used the Jeep umbrella side by side one and while it did it's job it was too wide at times to get on the boats or monorails or even aisles. I felt I was constantly appologizing to people for my huge double wide stroller. But it was nice that it folded compactly and fast, so it really did do it's job.

We're going back in Dec 08 and I think I'll be getting a Peg Pilko P3. It has a footrest type thing on the back that my DD can hop on to while my DS sits in the seat. My DD will be almost 6 and I know will want to walk most of the time but will also be tired by the end of the day. I'm hoping this stroller will kind of work for us.

 

[Dawn414]

we also have the graco front/back and the jeep side/side...we never pack the graco just because of the amount of room it takes in the car. the jeep version folds much flatter and can even be put behind the front seat in the car if need be (if you rent a car). It isn't that cumbersome other than the monorail, but we found that the conductor types put you in the handicap car to make it easier for you to get it.

Dawn McG

 

[Cruz91]

Do you want a child with the lumps on the back of their head, or on the side?

 

[CarolinesMom]

I ordered a Maclaren twin stroller. It was the only one that will hold up to 55lbs in each seat. Perfect for us since I have a 3.5yr old and a 3 mo old. It is designed to fit through doorways and folds up nicely. HTH

 

[myAAbatteries&aTD]

Love our Maclaren Twin Rally, which is a sbs - soooo easy to unfold/fold (I used to do it w/ one hand while holding baby), easy to carry (again w/ 1 hand while holding baby), takes up the space of an umbrella stroller, has large baskets, reclining seats, big pockets on the shades. We bought it specifically for our DL trip 2 years ago and it has definitely been our stroller of choice ever since. My 6 year-old can still ride in it comfortably..... It's also very easy to steer/maneuver and we've never had any problems getting through doorways.

We also have a Peg Pliko that someone mentioned and the little step is nice. We've had both at Disney at the same time before and never once got stroller frustration!

I tried letting my friend borrow my Mac sbs for their trip to Disney and her kids didn't like it at all b/c they were so used to her Graco Duoglider...... I just hate the bulkiness of the front-backs!

 

[Dawn414]

with all the positives I've seen on the Maclaren, I went and looked it up. I was STUNNED to see how much the twin versions cost. Not sure I'm ready to make that commitment...