tandem stroller vs side by side?

[nicholas 25]

Looking to purchase a double stroller for my 2 month old and very large 2 year old. While it will only get occasional use at home, its real purpose will be for our trips to the world. Since we often visit at the busy/holiday times, is a side by side going to be harder to manuever thru the crowds and stores? I would like the tandem but the two year old is too big for most of them so I am leaning the other way based on his comfort. Any experiences/opinions?

 

[FreshTressa]

If he is that large, would he be more comfortable in a rental? Those are really easy to push.

It totally depends on your preference. I much prefer the front/back ones, but I have heard others swear that the side by sides are the way to go. I think you can move faster with a front/back one and they manuever better in tight places, like shops.

 

[TiffJ]

The 2 mo old would not be able to sit in the rental strollers. Those are made for toddlers. We have the Graco duo glider and it worked well until my oldest was 5. It is heavy to carry off the trains, but you can get thru skinnier spots with it & it is perfect for little ones. I just let my older one sit in front & he got on & off as he wanted too. It also as good storage.

 

[beattyfamily]

I'm a big fan of side-by-sides and have used them 3 trips to WDW now and I had NO problems manuevering thru the crowds and stores. Sometimes, but not often, if the store was small, we'd leave it out front or leave daddy with the kids and run in the store but that only happened maybe once.

 

[DisneyKidds]

A tandem family here. While they can often be heavier than the side-by-sides, I have never had any trouble navigating one around the parks. The one place the tandem is a real advantage is on the monorail. You can roll a tandem right onto any car of the monorail. To roll a side-by-side on you's have to use a handicapped car. Either that or yo have to get the kids out and fold it up. We love our tandem and it provides a wonderful ride for a baby.

I'm with you on the size of most tandems. We got ours when our second was born and our DD was almost 3. She is tall and just couldn't sit comfortably in most tandems. Then we found the Peg Perego Tender Twin. While expensive, this is an incredible stroller. Our DD is now 5, still tall, and still fits comfortable in both the front and back. The back seat can be laid flat and provides a wonderful, comfortable, carriage like environment for a young baby. I can't say enough good things about this stroller. We are headed down in a couple of weeks and we will have our newest 3 month old addition with us and will make good use of that stroller.

PS - we got a good deal on our Peg Perego on-line.

 

[Familymoon]

Check weights when deciding...

For a toddler your son's age, I'd get a side by side - he's going to have his view obstructed in the back - and he's too heavy to put in the front seat with a newborn in the back (per safety standards put out by the manufacturers of front-to-backs).

The best side by sides are super lightweight and fold compactly - but are quite pricey (in the $200-$300 range). If it is within your budget, I'd opt for the Combi or the MacLaren side by side. They are narrow enough to fit through almost any doorway, weigh very little (less than 20lbs) and fold compactly.

That said - do you have a Baby Bjorn? (Or a consignment/resale shop nearby that you can get one for a reasonable price?)

We used ours all-the-time! with DD - until she was a good 8-9 months and then we only used it at Church. It made life SOOOO much easier than getting a baby in and out of a stroller - worrying about the sun beating down on her - getting in her eyes - her slipping down - and basically just being in my constant line of vision. The other front carriers are *not* good - they kill your back and are not comfortable to wear all day. My DH wore the Bjorn all the time - as did I - and we both loved it. Plus - the best part is - you can hold your other son's hand while the baby is snuggled up tight next to you! That way he still has Mom and Dad's undivided attention.

If it were me - with that age children - (and it has been!) I'd bring an umbrella stroller or rent one for the older boy and carry the tiny one in the Bjorn. I also feel better in crowds having my babies that close to me.

 

[riggins]

We went last month with our 6 month old and 2 year old and took our side-by-side and it worked great. When I was shopping for a double, I looked at both tandems and SBS. I decided I wanted a SBS b/c the tandem reminded me of pushing those giant supermarket race-car carts- it was just too hard. They were also REALLY heavy and bulky when folded. I originally bought a Graco DuoRider SBS. I liked the big baskets and its size when open, but it was too bulky when closed. It was better than the tandems, but still so big that it took up too much trunk space. So, I now have a Maclaren Twin Traveller. It is MUCH smaller than the Graco when folded. This is the stroller we took to WDW.

We stayed at the CR and spent most of our time at the MK. So, we typically were walking or on the monorail. The SBS was great for this. We never had trouble getting on the handicap car of the monorail. When we did take the bus, our stroller was fairly compact and not too much of a "beast" to carry around. I saw a lot of people on the busses with single strollers that were bulkier than our double. However, since we really didn't ride the bus too much, we would have been fine with something that folded bigger. If we rode the bus everywhere, this would have been a bigger issue. On the other hand, if we drove to all the parks, this would not have been an issue at all. So, you may want to consider where you are staying. Lugging a huge, heavy stroller, along with 2 kids and the associated gear onto a bus several times a day can be a nightmare.

I have trouble navigating our double around racks in stores at home that are tightly packed (this is getting worse with the holidays approaching!), but we didn't have any trouble at WDW. I think that Disney does a good job accomodating the needs of wheelchair guests, and in doing so, makes it easy for those of us with SBS strollers.

HTH . . . enjoy your trip.

 

[swilphil]

If you are going to be at the WDW during busy times, you definitely need the tandem stroller so you can get around easier. The side-by-side strollers are good when one kid won't want to sit in the back, but your 2 mo will probably like the "privacy" back there during naps.

We also have a Peg Perego tandem, and never had any trouble with it tipping when a heavier child was in front. My LARGE 5 yo niece sat in it on our last trip to WDW, and there were no problems. I also haven't heard about any problems with other tandem strollers tipping. You can always weight the back of the stroller down with diaper bag, etc., to balance the weight a little. I know the Graco Duo Glider, and probably other brands, allows you to take the front tray off. That may be more comfy for your oldest. Some sort of Baby Bjorn or sling would be great for the 2 mo, too.