Tandem or Twin stroller?

[mommy-on-the-move]

Which would you recommend?

We've resolved that we will take a double stroller with us (as youngest 3 kids will be 18months, just 4 and just 5 when we travel) as even if only one half of it is full it'll be a good place for bags in the spare seat!

We usually babywear so no stroller at present- so which sort would be best for the parks, a side by side twin or a one in front of the other tandem? (or even 2 singles with stroller clips- there are alot of adults in our group so this won't be a problem with one person left with 2 strollers)

What are doorways at the park like width wise? (I'm in the uk and alot of standard doorways can't take the side by side double stroller)

Thanks!

 

[Ariel8676]

I have a Maclaren twin (side by side) and have never had a problem getting in or out of doors in WDW. Sometimes getting through a store might be a bit tricky, but i like the side by sides better. We had a tandem when my older 2 were small..and whoever sits in the back didn't have enough leg room and if the front was reclined at all it was even worse...and i felt like i was driving a truck..lol
Also the side by sides are lighter..in my experience anyway...

 

[Sammi2]

I'm also a fan of the Maclaren side by side. It folds very compactly and automatically locks when you fold it. Ours came with a rain shield which was handy as well (we got one comment from a 'concerned' passerby 'Oh! That's plastic! She can't breath in there!' To which I politely responded that I could tell by the volume of her screaming that she must be getting enough air.)

My old front/back stoller was a beast. It was huge and much harder for the kids to safely get into and out of on their own.

 

[mommy-on-the-move]

thanks both- i suspected side by side would make more sense for buses too?

I shall start looking! (See a cute o'baby apollo one which is half pink, half blue)

 

[tzolkin]

i have a tandem stroller that someone gave me. i think it's the graco duo glider. it is awful! it does not fold up (well, sometimes i can get it to release and fold up, but it's almost the same size folded...), so it would be almost impossible to bring to florida whether flying or driving. and it does not push/steer well. the bigger child usually wants to sit in the front and that makes it almost impossible to turn (i often have to pick up the back). i have only ever used this stroller to walk around my neighborhood, so i can use the extra workout. but that's probably the last thing i would need after a week+ at disney

 

[TJA]

I agree the Mac side-by-side is a great stroller. The only thing I want to mention is to consider the size/weight of the 4 and 5 year old. Hopefully you have a store around you where you can try out the 4 and 5 year old and the baby and see how the stroller maneuvers. My twins are now 4 and we have to use a double jogger in Disney because the jogger handles the weight better. However, you might be just fine with a regular stroller being that one of your children is a baby. I agree the side-by-side double is the way to go, rather than a tandom. Especially considering you'll have a 4 and 5 year old along. We did use a tandom (graco duo glider) when our twins were babies, but as they grew bigger we switched to a jogger side-by-side and noticed a huge difference in maneuverability.

I believe any store will be a bit testy in getting a double stroller through the doors. We normally leave our stroller outside the store (we really don't shop much, though).

Good luck and have fun!

 

[peyjax]

When my second son was born I bought a peg perego tandem and it was nice at first, but soon became very difficult to steer. For our trip to disney we bought a maclaren twin techno and it is the best baby purchase we ever made. My son is a big three year old (size 5 in clothes) and he fits in it great and it is so much easier to steer. There is something about having the heavier kid closer to you that makes the side by side easier. It can take some work to get through the gift shops, but much easier than a tandem. Hope this helps.

 

[mommy-on-the-move]

thanks everyone- 4 year old is teeeeny, she really is a dot, 5 year old however is quite a sturdy lad - v.tall and broad, however the stroller will mostly be used for ds18months and dd4, and if ds5 falls asleep we'll switch him with ds18m and carry the lightest

 

[PeterPanMom]

Another vote for side-by-side - much easier on the buses! We had no problems with any door ways.

 

[Camno's Mama]

I'm a fan of the side by side. I've used my double jogger at Disney (it's the Dreamer Design Duo) and will be using my Mac Twin this time. I'm going with this one because the kids are now older and I don't need all the bells and whistles of the jogger. Plus, it's harder to transport.

I did borrow a tandem when my little one was first born, basically only used it at the mall a couple of times, and was not a fan of the maneuverability.

I found that I did a lot of babywearing at DW, but loved having a stroller to set them down in!

C

 

[DevilDuckie]

Dissenting vote, here. I firmly believe that "side-by-side" strollers, which I call Double Wides are the work of the devil. It is virtually impossible to courteously share space in crowded walkways with something that wide, meaning that you'll spend all your time either trying to find good openings or blocking other people's progress.

 

[bxtx]

3 kids will be 18months, just 4 and just 5 when we travel

Would you consider a single stroller and add a Buggy Board? ~$90 from amazon or one step ahead.

It's working well for me with my 51/2 month old & my 3 year old - he just jumps on and off when he needs a little ride!

Bex

 

[Ariel8676]

Dissenting vote, here. I firmly believe that "side-by-side" strollers, which I call Double Wides are the work of the devil. It is virtually impossible to courteously share space in crowded walkways with something that wide, meaning that you'll spend all your time either trying to find good openings or blocking other people's progress.

True it is hard to share a crowded walkway with a side by side, BUT i have gotten my ankles rammed quite a few times by tandem drivers..LOL you really can't judge how close you are to someone with those monsters..
I also like the fact that with a side by side the kids are closer to you..i saw an older woman get her ankles hit by a tandem stroller last time in WDW and the lady FELL on the kid in the front of the stroller, i felt terrible for the kid...

 

[TJA]

Having steered both a tandom and a side-by-side in WDW with my twins (13 trips so far....!), I do have to say a side-by-side is easier. It was hard to judge the distance with the tandom because it was so long. But it was hilarious to watch DH load the bus with the long tandom LOL! I still have those visions in my head and to this day find them funny. He can finally laugh about it too....3 years later. Anyway, I think Disney is made to fit side-by-side doubles because even their rentals are wide. This is not for everyone, of course, but the side-by-sides work very well for us.

 

[bayportkat]

The last 2 trips we took, dd was 18 mos, then 23 mos and ds was 3 1/2 and 4yrs. We did the 2 singles and it was much easier than the double. We got my favorite stroller of all I have owned- a Maclaren Quest (but any Mac sounds good!). That was basically for ds since he was over the weight limit for other strollers and I got a regular umbrella stroller for dd from BabiesRUs. When dd would nap, I would try to put her in the Mac on the slight recline if ds wasn't napping. It worked really well for us, even if one of us had to push both- didn't use connectors, but moved slowly with one hand on each stroller. Another thing we have done more recently, when I was stuck at the mall with only the 2 umbrella style strollers and dh was running late- I had ds in the mac which I pushed and he pushed dd (from sitting position) in the smaller stroller- not ideal, but it worked when there was only one adult.

I was considering the side by side mac, but it sounds like you are in my position of not usually using a stroller. I couldn't see spending that kind of money on a side by side that wouldn't get used much. Maybe even consider 2 single Macs- last years models have some good deals and will probably be less money than a double- then you have flexibility too!

Good luck!