Finding the Right Double Stroller to Accomodate a Toddler and Infant

You don't need to have a infant carrier for the stroller, i have the same stroller and just put the newborn flat down in the back cause my Chicco car seat was not compatible with the Graco Duo.
The storage is great underneath and that seemed to be the best when i was doing my shopping around also.
Good luck!

My friend just got a side by side peg perego aria, it's great one side is a little wider than the other to accomadate the infant carrier. It is light weight and she is happy with it.
www.DiscoveryToysLink.com/LisaRyan LisaM

I cant really tell you what brand would be good for your needs, but I can tell you that depending on where you will be using it most, a side by side might be better than a front back type. I had the front/back type that the carrier just popped into for a long time (with my twins) and it was easy to fit through doorways and narrow walkways, but it was very bulky. When my kids got a little bigger, I had a Jeep Wrangler side by side stroller, which was really light and easy to push around, but it was so wide that it was hard to get through doorways, or past clothing racks in stores, things like that. So that might be something you should consider.

($179)
My co workers bought me a Joovy Caboose Stand-On Tandem
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2267617 when I had a 3 + 6 yr old and baby on the way and it has been instrumental in keeping the family peace on trips and outings! It's a light weight stroller (I am only 5'0 98 lbs and it's simple for me), folds/unfolds and locks easily with one hand that fits the baby in either the carseat or strapped in the baby seat up front, then there is a seat in the back facing the opposite direction (you) for a toddler and a foot rest that my oldest can even stand on and ride comfortably (all three)as well. Only complaint is that I would like the baby seat to lean back more.

I have a almost 3 1/2 year old and a to be 1 year old Oct. 23 and I used two separate strollers until my youngest was old enough to sit up on his own. I bought the Combi double stroller. It's side by side, and not too wide at all. I LOVE it. If you buy it online, you can get one with cup holders, but the ones sold in the store you can't. There are also more color choices online. They'll do free shipping as well. My boys like being side by side. It's very easy to push and folds flat and is easy to put in your vehicle. Good luck!!

check out this double stroller from rightstart.com its also a great place for other things toddler and baby related. http://www.rightstart.com/global/store/product~item~8826~...

I have a son born Nov 07 and a daughter born November 05, so both of us have kids almost exactly two years apart. I would say that I agree with the mom that posted to make due with what you were given, the Graco. I was given a Graco Duo and it has worked beautifully for us. (Except just recently my almost 1 year old is starting to pull his older sister's hair! LOL)
I rarely made trips out with both, but if I did, I just took my son out of his carseat and put him in the stroller... no need for compatibility... but limiting trips to short jaunts for napping reasons. When he was a tiny baby... a sling or snuggli worked fine and I used the old single stroller.
My DD is very tall, too. In the front of the Graco it isn't a problem as long at the sunshade isn't installed. (It has only been used on zoo, African Lion Safari trips a few times.)
Save your $$$, there are plenty of other things to spend it on these days... like gas!
If you really want to buy another double... check out Craigslist or area consignment shops... I saw a double jogging stroller last week that I may go back and buy this weekend (if it's still there)... I still have 20 lbs of post baby weight to lose and it's almost a year later!

Best wishes on joining the Mommy of 2 Club!!!

My girls are 2 years apart as well and we LOVE our sit n' stand stroller. It comes with an attachment for the car seat and is adjustable to different brands. Gives the older child some independence as well. Good luck!

I have 2 boys that are now 18 months and almost 3. We got the Graco Quattro Duo. I don't know if your car seat will work for it though. It is a little on the heavy side, but I love it and it has lots of storage underneath.

Hi Stac, I have been doing so much research on double strollers myself lately. We have a 15 month old and are due with a baby boy in January so they will be around 18 months apart. I was set on the front/back and was talked out of it. Check out the City Mini by Baby Jogger, very light weight and has some great options. They are coming out with an adapter in Jan 09 to utilize car seats in one seat. Baby Love is a great resource out west and they have one on the floor to test drive. I checked everywhere it and so far $399 is the best price, you can find on line with no shipping as well and may escape tax. Best of luck!

L.

My first was 18 months old when my second was born. We have a side-by-side Jeep umbrella stroller that was given to us. It's easy to fold and light enough for me to get in and out of the trunk by myself. Also, it is easy to steer and doesn't take up much room. You cannot attach a baby seat to it, so you can't use it until the younger one is old enough to sit in it. When he was really little, I would "wear" my little one in the sling and push the older one in the single umbrella stroller and that seemed to work well for me, but I tended not to leave the house by myslef with the both of them much during the first three months anyway.

Now that my older is three, he never wants to be strapped in for very long, so I really want to get a sit-n-stand. Sounds like that may be the way to go for you to get the most longevity out of a stroller. I knwo other moms that have them and love them for the infant/toddler combo. Double stroller needs for moms of twins are different than for moms of toddlers with newborns.

http://www.strollerqueen.com/

my friends have had great success w/ this site!
reviews, information AND you can even get her own personal recommendation- seems like a lot of money but in the end you don't have to make yourself crazy...

My first word of advice is that unless you are made of $$$$ DO NOT invest in the stoller mentioned below for like $800 (no offense to the poster) but you will not utilize a stoller enough to offset that kind of cost-especially when you will know be splitting your cash between 2 little ones. the best place to find stroller like this if you want to save cash is craigslist. We found ours there for half the price and it was in amazing shape. If you do want to buy it new see below for where to find them.

I have the Baby Trend Sit and Stand Stroller that they sell at target- I had the baby seat that matched it but it has adapters for most infant carriers. I think it will tell you online if it is compatible. It is a little long compared to others of this style though. my oldest who is 4 loves the fact that he has more control over his own movement and my youngest is 18m and loves the front seat.

a good friend invested in the Joovy Caboose Ultralight Stand-On Tandem Stroller that they sell on babiesrus.com and loves it(i think it is on sale actually) she test drove my brand before buying b/c it was cheaper but found this one to be better. i think it is more compact so you don't feel like you are pushing around a bus. She said it is also really light weight for the type. In hindsight I would have gotten that one too but mine is great too.

good luck - making this decision is crazy for something that should be so simple, right?!

Hi S.,

I had this same question about a month ago and this was the best advice I received. Go to the stores (Target, babies R us etc.) and try them out with your older one. Lots of moms recommended the sit and stand stroller and taking their advice, I went to target and put my 15 month old in the sit and stand part and pushed him around the store and he loved it! It is very easy to push and turn and get in between the aisles. I am due with my second in a couple weeks, and I have been using this stroller to stroll him around the neighborhood and he loves it. I found it to be lighter and easier to fold down and up then the bigger ones with two seats. It is perfect for things like going to the mall, the park, zoo, or where ever. The only down side is that if you are going to be out all day and the older one will need a nap, it wouldn't work with this stroller. Other than that, I am very excited about this stroller. Also, almost any car seat will fit in the front for the infant. Take your car seat with you when you go to try it out and see if it fits. They cost $129 at target

hope this helps!
T.

I have a sit-n-stand stroller I use for my 18 month old and 2 month old. The front seat accomodates a rear facing carseat and is a regular seat when the child gets older. The back seat can be taken out and there's a bench for a toddler to sit on or you can take the bench out and the toddler can stand while you push.

Here's a link to the model and brand that I use:
http://www.babytrend.com/products_detail.php?CategoryID=0...

S.,
I'm not sure if your car seat will fit the Sit n' Stand, but I really love it for my two year old and my infant. Even if it doesn't lock exactly in the right place the car seat will probably still fit snug in there and the stroller has a strap that fits around the car seat that you can strap tightly too. Hope this helps! L.
PS: I'm sure you could take your car seat to the store and try it out in the display stroller. :)

Strollers are often a matter of taste. We have a Graco Duo like yours which we almost never use, since both our 3 and 5 year old prefer to be unfettered, but... we still have it.

With the tray off of the front seat the 5 year old doesn't mind it when he wants to rest for a few minutes up in Orlando or during long excursions and the 3 year old has no problems dozing off in the back under the cover.

I love the fact that it can haul a lot besides the kids and has no trouble getting through department store racks or narrow passages.

That said, my wife doesn't like using it if I'm not there. It *is* pretty bulky for her to get in and out of the car.

-Scott (S.'s Hubby)

If you can work with what was given to you, DO NOT buy another....they are just not worth it!!!! When I purchased a double stroller my daughter was 2 and VERY tall it truly did not "work for us" after 4 months, I was selling it online and getting half of what I paid................the only other suggestion would be a sit stand stroller where your 2 year old can sit on the jump seat in the back and even that don't spend too much money because you will only be using it for a few months.........................work with what was given you and save your money!! Or at the very least look on Craigs List for a used sit stand................good luck!

Dear S. C,

I had the BEST stroller for twins.....SEE below.

G. H.

Inglesina Domino Twin

2008 Inglesina Domino Twin SKU: 1217
Inglesina

$730.00 FREE SHIPPING!
MSRP: $899.99 save $169.99 (19%)

-Select Color-Marina (Navy)Rubino (Red)

Shipping information for individual colors ...
Marina (Navy):
Should ship on or before: 10/04/2008
(view transit time map)
Rubino (Red):
Should ship on or before: 10/04/2008
(view transit time map)

Hi S.,

I am also the proud mom of two under two!! Congratulations. My oldest is almost two and my youngest is 13 months younger, so I know all the issues with doubles. With my fist son, we used the Bob Revolution, which I loved, so I looked long and hard at the dualie. However, I felt that their double lost a lot of its everyday functionality (i.e., its ability to maneuver in tight spaces) that I so loved about the single. So, I looked and looked, until I found the greatest double stroller of all time: The Phil and Ted's E3 Explorer, with the doubles kit.

Check out baby gaga for reviews: http://strollers.baby-gaga.com/phil-and-teds-e3-explorer.php

My take is that this thing is just so darned adaptable. When my youngest was a newborn, he could lie flat while my oldest sat in the front on the removable seat. Once my youngest could hold up his head and wanted to sit up during a walk, we just moved the removable seat to the back and he is now the "goose" to my oldest's "maverick." You can fit through any doorway and you can still lock the front wheel if you want. Everywhere we go people comment on how cool this stroller is, and they often miss seeing my youngest in the back! We had a Peg Perego infant seat (which was so great, despite being a little heavy) and both the Bob Revolution (double or no) and the E3 accommodate this seat.

The other thing to consider is a stroller platform. I know that my almost two year old still wants to sit in the stroller sometimes, but I clearly see the day where he will not want to sit strapped in at all. But, we all know they still get tired and can't walk as far as they may want to, so voila! the stroller platform:

http://www.babyearth.com/lascal-kiddyboard-maxi-stroller-...

Just make sure it fits your stroller! Good luck!

I have what is called a tandem stroller, where the infant sits in the front, and the toddler can either sit or stand in the back. I have the Graco car seat carrier and it fits fine. My 2 1/2 year old is tall and stocky as well and he likes to stand in the back and ride. I bought it at Babier R Us.

We had this same problem due too our 2 year old being tall. We have researched and purchased a Tike Tech Track 360. It is a double jogging stroller. I have a friend that purchased this stroller and she has no problems fitting it through the mall, aisles, hotels, etc. The weight limit is 100 pounds. Our 8 month old weighs almost 13 pounds so we figure between our daughter and son we should be able to use this stroller for years. It has dual swivel front wheels and even though a little pricey...$319.00...you get free shipping, it has a huge storage underneath and it should be the only one you have to buy. Hope this helps. We went to joggingstroller.com...One more thing is that you can purchase the insert for newborns and there are two to choose from...

We went with the graco duo. We tried the side be side zooper for a few weeks and returned it. You can't fit through any isles at the mall with that mammoth of a stroller. I have three boys and we've been using our graco for almost three years. They are rough on it and it holds up great. It even fit into the trunk of our old VW jetta. I would buy one again if I needed to.
R.