Stroller for Almost 3 Year Old and Newborn

Updated on July 23, 2008
M.O. asks from Des Plaines, IL
16 answers

Hi everyone. By the time our baby will be born my son will be close to 3. I am thinking at that age he probably won't be that interested in riding in a stroller but there will be times that he'll be tired and like a rest. So I've been looking at the Joovy Caboose Ultralight. Does anyone have one and can tell me how they like it? Also, I'm curious if it will fit in my trunk - I have an '03 Corolla. Also, I know that when the baby's carseat is in the front, it's a little cramped for the older one if they're sitting on the back bench. Is this a real problem for anyone's toddler or do they really not mind?

Or if anyone has other suggestions on other double strollers, let me know. Thanks!

Here's a little more about my situation:

Where we live now there are no sidewalks so I'm not going to be using it for just going straight out for walks from home. I have to drive everywhere I want to go so it'll be a stroller kept in the trunk and then used at our final destination whether it be at a park, mall, getting to/from our destination from the car, etc. So it definitely needs to fit in my trunk. Thanks for all your advice and keep it coming :)

What I need is something lightweight and transportable.

1 mom found this helpful

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S.M.

answers from Chicago on

I don't have that one but... I have the One Step Ahead double stroller that converts from a sit and stand to a double stroller. Yes, the back seat is a bit cramped, but, then, again, I have a tall two year old (over 3 feet). The stroller is easy to manage and I can fit into the trunk of my 02 Civic with room to spare.

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A.M.

answers from Chicago on

I have a 3 and 5 year old and had the Joovy sit and stand stroller... loved it- but only used it it for a few months. The only issue is that your older child won't be able to sleep in it. There are 2 other options to getting a whole new stroller- 1) use a sling with your newborn (I used my maya wrap for 2 years with both kids) and 2) get an attachment to your stroller that serves as a back riding area for your older one, it is called a buggy board. Look it up online, the maker is lascal- you can order it from Target. I have this now for my 5 year old and I have since moved to an umbrella stroller (more light weight and transportable)and both kids love it!
That's my 2 cents and good luck!!

1 mom found this helpful
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M.H.

answers from Chicago on

I recently purchased a double stroller and agonized about which one to purchase. I do a lot of walking so that was my main purpose. I also wanted it to hold my infant seat and fit in the trunk of my VW Passat. I went w/ the Zooper Tango double and LOVE it. It is one the of the only side by side stroller that does accomadates a infant car seat. My older daughter is 22 months now but wanted to make sure it was a large enough for her to grow into. The seat if very generous and I don't anticipate any problems in the future (some of the doubles I looked at just fit her now.) It's very easy to manuver and fits through standard door ways. It is also easy to fold and open up. The only draw back I have is it just barely fits in my trunk.

I also bought a older version of the Graco dual glider for my mother in laws house and hate it. I've found the front and back style are so much more difficult to manuver. The Zooper is a little more expensive but for me it is worth every sent.

M.

1 mom found this helpful
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L.B.

answers from Peoria on

BABY TREND SIT AND STAND XL

I have a 3 year old girl and a newborn baby boy...its amazing! and it closes pretty compactly to fit in my trunk which is a sedan, like yours.

I highly highly recomend this and my daughter loves being able to ride along and sit or stand while we go for walks or to the park!

1 mom found this helpful
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J.K.

answers from Chicago on

I have the Baby Trend Sit and Stand Plus which is really nice since there is a back seat for the older child, or you can remove it for him/her to sit or stand; it just snaps on and off. The front seat accomodates a car seat.

It isn't necessarily lightweight, but it does fit straight across in the back of my Subaru. If the width of your car is really narrow, then it might not fit. My only complaint is that the basket is hard to get to when you have the back seat on, but you can pull the basket from the side since it is elastic. On the plus, the basket is huge!!

I have seen this stroller at Target so you can check it out there. Here is a link for Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Baby-Trend-Silverado-Stand-Stroller...

1 mom found this helpful
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R.B.

answers from Springfield on

I have gone with the sit-n-stand twice! First with my 1 and 4 year old for a trip to Disney (lifesaver!!!) and then again with the second "batch" as a newborn and three year old (we have 4 kids 13, 10, 4 and 1). I LOVE this stroller. Sure, it is a little bulky and a bit heavy...but it beats trying to juggle two strollers or a carrier or sling while managing a stroller (tried that, too!). The nice thing about the model I have is that it has an attachment for the car seat when they are newborns. Mine doesn't have the extra seat...just the bench, but my 3rd child absolutely loves this. We go on long walks to preschool, to the mall, and even to Disney. It is really an awesome stroller. We also got ours at Target.

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C.S.

answers from Chicago on

I bought the ultralight Joovy when my son was 2.5 and had a newborn. At first he loved standing on it- he thought he was like a garbage man. But when strolling around the neighborhood on bumps/uphill he kept falling off it! So we had to strap him down and their is not a lot of room w/the baby seat in front. Your child being closer to 3 may not have that issue. But overall, I don't to use it any more & wonder if it was really worth getting. (We take it on the occassional trip to the zoo.) My children are 3 & 1 and now we just use a single stroller for my youngest and my 3 year old walks. I remember looking at every stoller out there before baby #2 came. It's hard to find the perfect stroller for 2. You just don't know if your older child will use it or not.

Good luck to you!
C.

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K.W.

answers from Chicago on

Hi Frances,
I have the Joovy stroller with the bench in the back (I don't have the ultralight though). Overall I like it and it works for me, but it does has its positives and negatives. First off, my daughter is now four so half of the time she wants to push the stroller instead of ride, but her little legs tire quickly so she will hop on the back. It is a faily large stroller so it may be hard to manuver it in your trunk, especially if you have other stuff in it. I drive a Suburban, so I don't have that problem. It is also a heavy stroller. There is not much storage available, especially for a fairly large diaper bag (like I own). There is one little basket underneath, but it can not hold large items at all, so for instance when I'm shopping at the mall, I really can't store my purchases underneath with say my purse and diaper bag...it just won't hold that stuff. Its a long stroller so it is hard to manuver in a clothing store around the racks. The positives are that its easy for me to sit the car sear right in the front and have my daughter jump on in the back and now we're rolling. My daughter is at the age where she wants to jump on and off all the time, so it beats picking her up out of a seat, then strapping her back in a seat, and so on and so forth....she just hops on the back and stand and ride or she'll sit and ride. I love that option. There is just enough room for her to sit with the car seat positioned in the front, but she definitely can't lean back, she has to sit upright. So overall it was a good investment for me, but I would by the kit that offers addtional storage (they sell that at Babies R Us). What I would suggest is go to Babies R Us and use the display model with the baby and your toddler....push it around the store and see how you like it. I did that (noone cared) and that helped me make my decision. Good luck!

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M.R.

answers from Chicago on

My only response would be to decide what type of stroller person you are. Are you an everyday "walker" that likes to take walks around the block? or just in need of an occaisional ride for your toddler? I bought the sit and stand for my newborn and 3 year old and wish now that I hadn't. It is huge and heavy and not worth it for the occaisonal times. I am a walker and would never again take a walk around the block with that thing b/c it is so big and heavy! and it barely fits in my SUV, it would never fit in a corolla trunk. I know that you are asking about the Joovy though... I just wish I had asked before I bought it like you are!

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P.D.

answers from Chicago on

We had been using the Valco double stroller, which is excellent, especially for rugged terrain, but we wanted something light-weight to take to Disney and on short outings. We purchased the Joovy Ultralight and LOVE it! I have a 4 and 1 year old, and my 4 year old thinks that when he stands he is actually riding a skateboard, so he loves it and doesn't see it as riding in a stroller at all. It is extremely light, fits easily in the trunk, and comes with a nice cup holder/organizer that the older model did not have. You can't go wrong with this stroller!

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K.S.

answers from Chicago on

Try a sling for the newborn at first, like a Maya wrap or an Ergo or Bjorn. May make things easier and more cost effective in the long run.

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J.A.

answers from Chicago on

I have the regular Joovy Caboose (weighs a ton), my older son wasn't too happy when I had the carseat in the front, but now that the little one is 1 and can sit upright, there isn't a problem. I only use this stroller when we have alot of walking to do, otherwise it is just too heavy and somewhat cumbersome. But, it is more compact and sturdy than most of the double strollers that I researched over a year ago, now there may be more to choose from. (Think about aisles in stores, they are pretty narrow, even at Target, and this one is typical stroller width)
Good luck, and If you can, test drive as many as possible to get one you feel most comfortable with.

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J.S.

answers from Chicago on

We LOVE our Phil & Ted's. The nice thing is that it is actually a single stroller with a double attachment so when your older child doesn't want to be in it, you have a single! It is an SUV type so it's a bit heavy but it folds down.

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J.S.

answers from Chicago on

hello! i recently bought the joovy caboose ultralight and love it and my kids love it! i have a 2 yr old a 4 yr old and one on the way. so far, it's been great for us, and when the baby comes i think it will be great, too. i haven't "used" it with the baby seat in it, but, the night i got it home, i did put the attachment on and put our car seat in it and had each of my kids sit in it and it worked fine. don't know how it will fit in your car, i have a big suv, but you could probably to put it in at the store. i got mine at the right start in highland park. good luck!

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K.D.

answers from Chicago on

My daughter was 4 1/2 when my son was born and we LOVE our stroller. I don't have the ultralight but we've managed with the regular Joovy caboose. Now that she's 5 1/2 she still uses it, but not as much. It has a pretty decent size tray underneath to carry stuff and you can always hang a bag over the handle. I would recommend buying the acessory pouch/drink holder if it doesn't come with your model.
My daughter never minded being my son in the carseat and didn't really seem to be cramped (and we're all tall).
As far as fitting in the trunk, you should measure if you can. I have a CRV so I don't have an issue. It is a big stroller. Hope this helps!

After reading other responses I wanted to add that yes it is really heavy- but as soon as spring hit this year I lost a ton of weight just by walking the kids around the neighborhood. I would ask my daughter to ride so I could have the extra weight.

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H.C.

answers from Chicago on

Just got the sit-n-stand, which I chose because you can have it be a double stroller (with a second seat) OR take out the second seat and have it be a bench seat or standing platform. My son is tall, and the back foot area is a little cramped for his shoes, but he loves it. It's heavy, but I think they all are, and seems to fold pretty compactly. Also -- cheaper! Available at Target.

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