Advice on a Double Stroller - Niles,MI

I would suggest a back board rather than a stroller. I can't imagine 5 and 4 year olds in strollers - hello obesity and laziness! My twins gave up using a stroller around age 3 and if we were going someplace that needed a lot of walking like the zoo we had a wagon which they could decide to get in and out of rather than being strapped in and held captive in a stroller. I remember being shocked when I first got to the US by the size/age of some kids in strollers....

I have a 13 month old and I am due in April with our 2nd. Everyone told me to get a front to back, however, I went to babies r us and tried probably 6-8 different double strollers and HATED the fron to back ones. I could not maneuver them at all and they were SUPER heavy. Frankly, I don't even know if some of them would have fit in my car's trunk.
I ended up purchasing a Peg Perego Twin Aria and I LOVE IT! It is a side by side, fits through a standard door. Each seat individually reclines (and actually goes down enough that you could put an infant in it at a young age with the 5 pt harness). It folds flat and does not take up a lot of room, stands on it's own when folded and I can carry it with one hand!
Good luck!

We have an 8 yr old, 5 yr old, almost 3 yr old, and am expecting in April... We have one of these...
http://www.walmart.com/Baby-Trend-Stand-Double-Skylar/ip/...
Some of the cheaper ones of the same brand are not as big since this one has the teir seating and gives the back kid more leg room...

They LOvE it... While at the mall a few weeks ago the 2 yr old and 5 yr old were in the stroller... It steers easily and was really easy to push.

The side by sides are tiring... Unless the kids weigh the same amount it pulls towards the heavier kid...

The one we have has the option of snapping in 2 infant seats, or none at all... So when I visit my family and my sister who is due in June and I go places we only need one stroller for the babies... And no need to buy new seats... Graco and several others work with them also...

Even if the 3 yr old doesn't want to sit or stand, you can use that area for carrying things...

Good luck and happy looking...

The targets in our area have this type of stroller on display if you want to go look at them and mess around with them...

Edited: The back seat is removeable so you have the option of using the seat or not...

I would look into getting a sit n stand stroller.

We were going to get a double stroller as well, but opted out as my 3 year old would rather run around himself. We had a full sized stroller and already had an umbrella stroller too so I never purchased the double stroller and am glad I didn't. My 3 year old never wanted to get in the stroller when we offered it to him anyways! So for me, that would have been a waste of money as he preferred to walk with us always! We even took two strollers on vacation and he didn't use it once -- even I was suprised because we did a lot of walking.

I have a double stroller for my four year old and 6 month old. I cant tell you how many times that has come in handy. I dont have to try and push a single stroller, and hold my four years olds hand or go chasing after her. I have a graco duo glider (one behind the other). I love it. It has the option of using a infant carseat or not on both front and back. I tried out the side by sides at babies r us and i didn't like them because they are very wide. Its very hard to open a door to a store by yourself and push a stroller through already, but when the stroller wont even fit through the doorway, it becomes alot harder. With the side by sides you have to be able to open two doors to some stores just to get it trough. I tried the sit and stand as well and i didn't think it was safe enough for my four year old. She still gets sleepy on long day trips too, so that option didn't give her a comfortable place to lay her head and sleep. Go on your local craigslist website and see what other moms are selling. I got my double stroller for $40 and it was barely used. That could save you alot of money. Hope this helps you. Good luck finding the right one for you.

I had a great double stroller, but I still hated it. They are so huge (hard to put in the trunk, hard to navigate in stores).

I have a better suggestion than a double stroller. Since my daughter turned 3, we ditched the double stroller and used a regular stroller with a Buggy Board. It is a "board" on wheels that attaches to the back of any stroller (you can even switch between your regular stroller and an umbrella stroller). Your 3 year old can either stand on it or sit sideways on it (while holding the stroller for balance). It's great because 3 year olds don't really want to sit in a stroller for long periods. They usually would rather walk. With the Buggy Board, though, they have the option of riding when they get tired or when you need better control of them. My daughter absolutely loves hers, and everytime we are out, numerous people stop us and say, "Wow. That's great. Where did you get it? I wish I'd had one for my kids."

The brand is Lascal, and you can get it at Buy Buy Baby on Hall Road in Utica or you can order one online. They run about $90 (less than a double stroller!).

If you do get one, make sure you get the right one. There are two models depending on the set-up of the bars on the back of your stroller. I just took my stroller in to the store and had an employee attach it for me there to make sure it was right.

I love my Joovy Sit n Stand. My son was 3 when my 2nd son was born and we use it alot.

My oldest was two when our second was born and after a few months I realized that I really needed to spend the money on a double stroller. We used it a lot for about six months and then I had a problem with it and ended up sending it back to the manufacturer. By the time we got our replacement my two-year old was three and in preschool. I did most of my shopping when he was in preschool and for vacations my husband was along so we could use two strollers or put the baby in a carrier. I never did use the replacement and sold it as a new stroller. My opinion is that if your son will be in preschool you won't need it (although you might wish you had one the first summer). I never did like the big bulky double stroller and when I did have one mainly used it for walks at home.

we have the city mini and i can honestly say that it's great! its so easy to open and fold, doesn't take that much space (compared to my regular full size stroller), the canopy's the best and i can handle it with one hand... we use it with my 3 month old (started to use it when he was 2 months with no problem) and my 2 year old... not as $$$ as the bumbleride...

I never planned on getting a double stroller when my second was born (my first was 2 1/2 at the time). After about 3 months, I went for it. I found a Graco Duo Glide used but in great condition (huge money saver!) and I don't know how I could survive without it. It fits the infant carrier in the front or the back. My daughter loved having her baby brother in front of her so she could talk to and play with him. My second is almost 18 months now and we still use it about once a week.

I agonized over the same question when my kids were younger. Now they are 6 and 3 and my younger son won't even look at a stroller anymore. However, the best double stroller on the market is the Baby Jogger Double City Mini. It is more costly, but it handles like a dream and accomidates up to 100 lbs. combined total weight. It's extremely lightweight and folds very compact. Believe me, it is worth the money. Plus, since they've been out now for a couple of years, you may be able to find a used one on Craigslist or Ebay. And when you're done, you can almost recoop your cost by selling it again. These high-end strollers are well worth the money!!! I had the Graco quatro tour and had to sell it because it was too hard too push with two kids in it and too heavy to haul in and out of the van.

Yes, definitely. I have a one yr. old and about to turn three yr. old, and she is very independent, but trust me they get tired after a while of toddling along beside the baby in the stroller. My husband and I found a great double stroller that is one behind the other. You can put an infant carrier in front or remove the carrier and put baby in a 5 pt. harness. The back seat is for the older child in which he/ she can sit or stand. Sitting they face you, standing they face forward. It's great because they still get a sense of 'walking' by you because they are standing right in front of you. There is a belt that snaps behind them so they cannot fall out if they choose to stand; then they can turn around and sit down without interrupting the walk. There is also a safety belt to keep them strapped in. It is a Baby Trend Sit-N-Stand LX double stroller. Good luck in finding the right stroller for you.

We tried to do a lot of research when we were expecting our daughter. Our kids are 21 months apart, so we had an infant and a toddler.

We got the Graco DuoGlide (around $200) from Babies R Us. It's a good stroller that we've used for almost 2 years. We've traveled through airports with it.

Here are a few complaints. The front seat doesn't recline. It has a good turning radius to maneuver through tight places, but it is hard to turn with just one hand. The cupholders along the handles easily fall off. We've lost 2 of them.

Here are some positives. There's plenty of room for two kids including 1 in a car seat. It's relatively lightweight and easy to open/close. It has lots of storage space.

Our 21 month-old son didn't want a stroller that he stood on the back of.

My advice: go to Babies R Us or another store that has floor models available. Put your older child in the stroller, and test it out. We spent a while making sure we were getting the right one.

With a 3 year old, you may be able to get away without one.

Good luck!

I think it really depends on your older child's personality. My daughter turned 3 a couple weeks after my son was born this past summer. I ended up getting a double stroller and am very happy I did. SHe doesn't always want to sit in it but every once in a while, she prefers to use the stroller (in the mall or at the zoo - we go to the zoo often in the summer as we live close by). I ended up getting a Baby Trend Sit & Stand. This sit and stand version allows for the bigger child's seat to be either a full stroller seat or you can remove that seat to have the "sit and stand" option. We've used both. I also love the stroller because it's VERY easy to steer. A good friend of mine has kids almost the same exact ages and she opted for the Graco DuoGlide. It's a very nice stroller but much harder to navigate than my Baby Trend. The only downside of a sit and stand is that the basket underneath is difficult to access. It's a bit easier on the Graco DuoGlide. So I suggest looking at your child's temperment - does he happily sit in a stroller right now? Also think about whether or not you'll think he'll be jealous if he sees the baby in a stroller and he can't sit in one - your child may be fine but some aren't. The second thing to look at is whether or not a sit and stand would make most sense or if you really want an easily accessible basket...

Had the same issue when our second was born. Friends gave us a double, but we actually only used it once because it was WAY more convenient to use separate strollers. We just put the older one in a umbrella stroller when he needed one. It was easy for him to get in and out...easy to steer...etc. However my sister-in-law opted for the sit and stand with pretty much the same results...sometimes the older one would ride and it was easy for him to get in and out of...

I agonized over the same thing. Our son is almost 2 and daughter is 3 months. I wanted the sit and stand, but knew it wouldn't hold up with the amount of walking we do. Plus, I was worried that he wouldn't stay in it because he is a busy boy.

What drove me to purchase was trying to get in and out of places with both of them. I would end up carrying a carseat, a toddler and a diaper bag if we were in a parking lot or pushing and overloaded bulky stroller with the carseat in it, holding his hand, and then the baby would get fussy so I would be pushing an empty stroller, have the baby in the Moby wrap, and holding my toddlers hand. I felt like it wasn't safe sometimes!

I finally landed on the Bumbleride Indie Twin. It comes with a carseat adapter and I also bought two snack packs which hold sippy cups and snacks when they are in the stroller. This was a huge purchase for us, I cannot believe how expensive these things are! BUT, after three months of trying to juggle both kids when we were walking in and out of places like the mall or the children's museum, I just really felt like we needed it.

I am so in love with the stroller. It is really easy to push and it fits through doors and aisles easily. It is really versatile.

I have to laugh because the only complaints that I have heard are that it is big and heavy. Well, it is. But it's a double stroller. And with two kids under two I'm not exactly light on my feet these days anyway! LOL. I feel like I pack up the house when we go out. =) So to me that is not a problem.

Anyway, that's what I landed on and believe me I would not have forked out that kind of money unless I really felt we needed it.

Good luck on your decision! Having two is so wonderful, you will really enjoy life with two!

We just had our second baby in July, when my son was three months shy of three. Ben is quite tall and almost 40 pounds, so a number of double strollers would not work for us. I wasreally interested in a Joovy Sit and Stand . . . until we went to Buy Buy Baby (which seems to have the best selection of double strollers)and tested our son plus baby carrier (which was a necessity in my mind) in all the different double strollers. We ended up choosing the Graco Quattro Tour Duo because my son didn't have to scrunch or slouch to fit into it when the baby carrier is in it, and it has a front-seat capacity of 50 pounds (so it will hold him FAR longer than he'll need to be in a stroller). We found a QTD gently used on Craigslist for a fraction of the price of a new one.

I like that the Quattro Tour is easy to fold, fits both children well, is decently attractive (I'm not a huge fan of juvenile prints, etc.), and has a decent amount of storage space. The drawbacks are its weight and the fact that it is a little like steering a spaceship.

My son sits in the front and usually goes in and out as he pleases. More often than not , he walks with us (or "helps" push Ella's stroller), but I really like having the option of corraling them both.