Sit-n-Stands: Joovy vs. BabyTrend????

[MeLaNie9]

Can anyone tell me about these Sit-n-Stand strollers? We have an almost 3 year old DS and a 6 month old DS and have decided that a sit-n-stand is the way to go. However, we cannot find any in stores around us to look at/try out. I have seen a few Baby Trends around but not the Joovy caboose or ultralight caboose. If anyone can give me info about any of these models, I would really appreciate it! Thanks!

 

[happypooh]

I have the sit n stand plus...love it. It has a seat which u can remove and the sit/stand option so my 2y old can sleep in the back while my baby is in front (car seat still). Got it online at target. The joovy's seat kept moving and was not fixed...didn't like it at all....no idea abt the ultralite. Good luck on your search.

 

[Princess Roo]

I was all set on the Joovy after reading the great reviews, but when I went to look at it in the store, the seats looked a LOT less comfortable than the Baby Trend. (The seat for the younger child seemed very hard and the older child isn't able to sit up completely straight due to the incline of the younger seat, even when fully up.) Now, I don't own either stroller yet, so take my advice for what it's worth, but we're going to buy the Baby Trend.

 

[brergnat]

Think twice about the sit and stand strollers, and then think a third time.

I thought they were the best thing since sliced bread when I got one for my 2 year old and new baby (we used the carseat attachment for the first few months).

As time went on, the GLARING disadvantages of this stroller hit home hard. I had a Baby Trend (purchased from One Step Ahead) We used it MOSTLY at Disneyland, so my experience should be relevant to you.

Here's what I ended up HATING:
-SUPER heavy and awkward to handle when folded, and took up my entire cargo area in my Honda CR-V. The thing is 30lbs...
-HARD to fold. Wheels had to be aligned JUST right, sun visor had to be in a certain position...front seat had to be upright, etc.
-Front seat is hard
-Front seat has about a 2 inch incline...not enough at all
-Front seat has a very LOW back. My six month old's head was taller than the back of the seat
-Jump seat worked out great...UNTIL 2 year old who NEVER fell asleep in his stroller, decided to fall asleep at Disneyland in the front seat...then, NOWHERE to put 6 month old baby!
-Very difficult to push when "baby" gets bigger. By the time I sold it, I was pushing 30lbs of stroller + 27lbs of 2 yr old + 20 lbs of baby = 77 pounds! It was not the smoothest ride, since the tires were hard plastic
-No shade for the "jump seat". The sunshade would bump his head if I tried to cover him in it, and then there was no shade for the front seat.
-Very long...especially with the carseat attachment bar. My DH and I referred to it as "the bus". It was hard to make a quick turn, avoid an obstacle, etc. Forget about taking it inside shops or stores. Too many tight corners.


I ended up selling it and buying a side by side Combi Twin Sport instead. I should have done that from the beginning. Now my biggest problem with that stroller is the brothers invading each other's personal space, but that's something they'll have to figure out on their own.

 

[Rob R]

i have the Joovy and love it. i'm a stay at home dad and we used at disney this past christmas.

it folds to about the same size as our old evenflo travel system did. i have a town and country van, and it's fine for space. we had a pt cruiser rental while our van was being fixed and i'm not sure there was much room in there for anything + groceries or anything + stroller, so any stroller may impact your vehicle choice and vise versa.

as far as reclining, i'm willing to give that up. i want my kids taking naps in their beds, so i can get things done around the house, not 20 min in the stroller and then calling it good.

i took the sun shade off the thing, the reality is that we are often indoors with it (mall, shopping etc) and if outside the kids have sunscreen/hats etc on anyway. i like the feature that it comes off, now i can see both kids from the driving position.

as far as it pushing, we did fine at MK during holiday, and i have no problem pushing it. it worked much better than another dual stroller we had with 2 large reclining seats, but granted it doesn't push as well as a travel system with a 10 pound baby in it. our boys are 2 and 3 and both are pushing 35-40lbs.

it's been great for me. i'm not sure how a side by side would be easier at stores or in crowds but maybe i'm weird.

FWIW
rob

 

[ApolloSaturnV]

Of the two choices the Baby Trend is much nicer. Removable/washable pads and more comfort are the two top things.

 

[disneymoon0606]

I have a friend who has a three year old and a five month old. She SWEARS by her ultralite Joovy - she says it was absolutley worth every penny. She loves how lightweight it is and her older son loves being able to sit or stand or get up and walk by himself.

 

[CaliGirlB]

I love, love, love my BabyTrend. I have a 5 year old and a 7 month old. The 5 year old thinks that she is too big for a stroller but does get tired of walking. This was the perfect solution. She loves to ride sitting on her knees or just standing. I love it because when we are in crowded place I feel I have more control of both kids ( I am often alone). It is a little heavy but I haven't noticed it being any heavier than a double stroller. I can easily get it into my Durango even with my third seat, I have single strollers That won't fit in that small space. I actually have been debating taking mine to disney in June. I was planning on just taking my Chicco and letting my oldest walk. I felt this would be easier since we are flying but my oldest is begging for me to take it. My daughter weighs 45 pounds and the baby only 15 and going up hill with both takes some effort but I think the stroller still rolls and steers great for that much weight, I have never had a problem.

 

[MoeFam]

We have the Joovy and for us it was a perfect choice. We tried both the Joovy and the Baby Trend and really felt that the construction on the Joovy was a 1000 times better. We knew this stroller would have to last us a long time and we are thrilled with our choice. We did Disney with our Joovy in April and it was great. Love it for the airport, mall, walks around town you name it. We have the orange one and get comments and questions on it all the time. We did end up purchasing the neoprene cup holder to go along with it. LOVE this stroller!

 

[MeLaNie9]

Thanks to everyone for their input! I finally found both of these strollers at different stores, but it took alot of driving. DH is a stay at home dad so will probably use this more than I will, but I just took both kids to the zoo with only one stroller and it was a nightmare! He is going to look at the options as well, but again it will take a bit of traveling around!
Can anyone with the Joovy give me their input about the toddler seat - about how it slides back and forth? How do you get it to stop sliding? Does is just slide like that while the kid is sitting on it?

 

[MoeFam]

I think their weight stabalizes it a bit- we have never had any problems with it. Def. test drive them both- fold them down too. We were amazed at how small the Joovy folds up- the Baby Trend to me seemed just as long and as big as any other double stroller ( something we were looking to avoid).

 

[eddierover]

Baby trend car seats are the best in the market at present. It has many safety features like a belt system, impact pressure, better roll support, as well as an effective refrain system. Convertible Car Seats help in protecting the abdominal and other body parts of the baby in the event of an accident.

 

[dizneechic]

We have the Joovy and our toddler seat has never been an issue movement wise. Like one of the dad's mentioned above, we took our shade canopy off it and it folds up nice and small. One of the issues we had with it was the lack of cup holders, but we purchased 2 of the instep parent consoles and attach them to the side bars (think how you pack a camel) and those worked out perfectly - holding 4 large drinks.

As for pushing weight, with any double there will be some weight to the stroller. We found the joovy easier to push than our graco double, but not as easy as our jogger. We've also put all 3 of ours in the Joovy (one up front, one sitting in back knees together, one standing in back straddling the others knees) and been able to quickly travel if needed.

 

[jana616]

I just got the Joovy for my 4 year old and 22 month old. I bought mine used, and so far I love it. I could see where with younger kids (esp. infants) it could cause problems, as once that front seat reclines, the back is pretty much gone. But for us it's perfect. I just wanted something that my ODS can sit/stand in when we're at the zoo and he starts complaining his legs hurt (this is so much better than giving him the stroller and carrying or chasing my YDS!). I have not had any problems so far with the seat sliding-he can make it do it if he tries, but it doesn't move around on its own. Mine is a couple years old, but it has some mesh pockets on the back of the front seat that can hold a bottle of water, keys, cell.

As far as weight and ease of folding, I think it's pretty good. With just one of the kids in there it doesn't seem heavy at all. When they're both in there it is, but that's almost 60 pounds of kids alone! It folds smaller than my single Graco Metrolite, and is very easy to fold and pop back up.

I love it!

 

[jjason]

I completely agree with everything in this post!

 

[heather13]

Can anyone with the Joovy give me their input about the toddler seat - about how it slides back and forth? How do you get it to stop sliding? Does is just slide like that while the kid is sitting on it?

First, there are straps that snap together to hold the seat in place, so I've never had an issue with sliding. If the straps aren't snapped, then yes it will slide and can be a pain. It's very easy to unsnap and slide closer to the infant part of the seat.

The purpose of the sliding is to give the child more head room if it's being used with the infant carrier. Also works well if the regular seat in front is used and it's in the recline position. We just keep it in this position now because it's easier to access the basket, plus DD1 rarely rides. The drawback though is there isn't much legroom for the toddler (the seat and footrest are almost on top of each other).

There is also a seatbelt for the toddler, which I had to use the first few months. DD loved the "jumpseat" so much that she wanted me to stop every few feet so she could get on and off the stroller. After feeling like a city bus, I finally had to strap her so we could actually get somewhere. I would not have been able to lift the regular Joovy into the car - it is definitely heavy. But the ultralight is 20 lbs or something like that, which means it's much lighter than any other sit/stand stroller that I could find.

 

[quagmire0]

We have the Baby Trend and I agree with previous posters - it's pretty clumsy. We're going to DW in June and I'm actually thinking we'll bring two umbrella strollers if anything - or maybe a regular stroller for storage and an umbrella stroller. Our DD will be 4 by then and will probably only need it for the occasional rest. DS will be 16mo. I just can't imagine getting the Baby Trend on buses and trams very easily.

 

[PJR]

My kids are 3 years apart. I got the Joovy 2+ years ago when the younger one was born. LOVE it, except the fact that the seat doesn't recline, although that's RARELY an issue for us. It's heavy, but I'm strong. And I never thought that it was difficult to maneuver.

However, with all that said, I recently bought an "inexpensive" ($100) Jeep side-by-side to take to Disney for my now 5 and 2 year old kids.

 

[MamaCoog]

We have the Joovy Ultralight and we love it. Like a pp stated, the seat has a strap underneath that snaps to secure it so that it does not slide back and forth. It reclines easily and has a great shade. We also have a single Joovy Groove and this isn't much heavier when folded. It folds and unfolds really easily which I love!

 

[FamPam81]

any one have any thoughts on how the Joovy compares to the Graco RoomFor2?