Which Stroller to Buy

I would get a double stroller of some sort. I had a three year old when my baby was born, and she still liked to ride in the stroller. And if she wasn't riding, the extra seat is storage for coats, blankets, etc, whatever you need to toss in there.

I have a 3 1/2 year old and an 18 month old and I love the sit and stand stroller. It is so nice because the older one can either sit or stand and front seat will hold a car seat or you can put the little one in it when they can almost sit up. I have the Baby trend brand and I love it. It has cup holders for parents and child and folds very easily and compactly. I also like the underneath basket storage and the fact that it fits into the trunk of the car. The only drawback is you have to take off the sun shade and child cup holder to fold it up. However this is easily done and takes little time. This stroller has been very valuble and I have used it until it is almost worn out.
Hope this helps!
KT

I really recommend the sit n stand. I bought the double stroller when my second was born because my children are only 20 months apart, but I got rid of it after about 5 months and bought the sit and stand. My daughter 3 now usually doesn't want to sit in the stroller, but when she does it is easily accessible for her. It is lighter then the double and easier to maneuver. The only thing with this is you can't buy it as a combo pack so you would have to buy a car seat separate. If you have any more questions for me on the sit n stand let me know. I love it and so do my kids.

Hi C.. First of all- congratulations on your upcoming arrival! I have two girls- one will be 5 in July and the other is 9 months old. I have a sit n stand stroller that I absolutely adore! I would highly recommend this model to you as well. It is sturdy and comfortable for my baby and offers my 4 year old the option to ride (sitting or standing) or she can hop off easily if she feels like walking for a bit. Hope this helps!!

I would absolutely recommend a sit-n-stand. I had twin "almost 3" girls when my last one was born (she's 2 1/2 now) so i've had the single and double stroller experiences. Your older child is not going to want to sit in a double stroller that much, he'll want to get up and move around, but you definitely still are going to want somewhere where he can sit down. plus, the double strollers are typically so cumbersome that you don't really want to get it out much. good luck!

Get the Phil and Ted's "E3" or the" Vibe" from the same company. It has a double's kit you can buy with it, so it doesn't always have to be a double. It can also take a carseat! You will need to research it to make sure it meets all your needs. I have 2 children 12 months apart. (I am now pregnant again with #3) This stroller has been awesome. Its pretty light weight and it is super easy to manuever. It is pricey but well worth the money! You can even exercise with it.

A sit and stand is the way to go. A 3 year old is so into exploring their environment that they want to jump in and out of the stroller all the time - think zoo, park, etc... They want to run along side for awhile and then ride for awhile it works out great. Meanwhile your little one is securely buckled up front. (As sit and stands can be a little bulky, you may want to have a cheap smaller stroller for times when you just have one or the other with you.)

Car seat - if you haven't switched to a booster style seat you can do so now, but make sure it has a 5-point harness system. He is too small to move to the regular seat belt safely. Look for a high back booster with harness for now, you can remove the harness later and use the regular seat belt - this seat will get you through to six or seven years old when you can switch to the small booster that they sit on.

I loved my double stroller. I was very hesitant to buy one, as I was happy with an umbrella stroller and planned to wear my second baby, but I ended up buying a double stroller and it was one of the best purchases I ever made. We even used it a year ago at Disney World when the kids were ages 6 and 8. My stroller was a Graco model. I could put the baby carseat in the back and the older child in the front. The front seat came with a removable snack tray. I am sure that the newer Graco strollers have cup holders and compartments and other bells and whistles. I think I spent around $135. Well worth the investment, in my opinion.

Blessings,
D.

Hello,
Congratulations on the new baby! I'm expecting my second child in August and my son will turn 3 in just a couple of weeks. When we started looking, we were originally going to go w/ a Graco travel system or at least carseat and double stroller. When we went to Babies R Us to try them out, we discovered that our son was WAY to big to use the Graco double. It didn't have near enough leg room. As we were looking we discovered the Kolcraft Contours Options Tandem. http://kolcraft.com/product.aspx?id=149&&shopby=c...
It is a little bit larger (longer, more leg room) than the Graco, but we thought it was well worth it. My son absolutely loves it, whereas w/ his Graco we could barely get him to stay in it. We of course haven't used it with the infant seat on it yet, but we did play w/ them together at the store. (We're getting a Baby Trend infant seat.) I really like the way the seat is secured to this stroller better than the way they just rest in most travel systems. Anyway, I hope this helped. If you have any questions, message me and I'll be glad to answer them.

We have three children . . . our first two (girls) are two days less than a year apart and we got a double when the second was born. They can be convenient if they are close in age; however my youngest is now 8 months and my second is three . . . my girls now just hold onto the sides and walk very orderly . . . the double we bought initially actually ended up losing the wheels because of how much we used it (was supposed to be top of the line), so this time we bought a BOB stroller that goes up to 70 lbs that way all of the kids can use it if they get terribly tired . . . it has huge wheels that are rubber like tires, incredible shocks, easy to break down for vehicles, and is compatible for birth to 70 lbs. It is also a normal about town stroller as well as being able to lock the front wheel for a jogger stroller. It has a strong metal frame . . . overall awesome! Sometimes I have one of the elder girls sit on the front and the baby is in the seat so there is still plenty of room for two without having a double, with that being said there are doubles in the BOB strollers if you really feel that is what you need. This is our fourth stroller and is holding up beautifully; O' the shocks work sooo well that I had to go off roading in the beginning to make the baby happy . . . of course you can just bounce it too :) Hope this helps! Here is a link to one of the websites that carry them http://www.bobgear.com/strollers/index.php

O' we got the Revolution . . . note they are a "tad" pricey but like I said this is our fourth stroller (not including umbrellas) and this has been the best by far!

Good luck with the new baby!

I am a grandmother of a 3 year old and a 10 month old. The 3 year old still loves the stroller and of course the 18 month old does too. I borrowed a side by side stroller that I believe is a Graco. I love it!! The handle folds backwards and collapses so easy to transport. I have seen these at consignment shops and that is what I would recommend. Hope this helps!! If you are in the Bham area I have several stores to recommend.
J. Fisher

I am raising my 4 yr. old granddaughter and my 18 mo. grandson. When J was just a newborn my husband and I talked about what stroller to buy. I really wanted a doulbe but he thought it would be a waste of money because K was 3 and would outgrow it soon. We found a double for just over $125.00 that I really likes and we ended up getting it. Well, K is 4 1/2 now and J is 18 mo. and we still use it nearly every day. Now that my daughter has another new baby, 7 mo's and I have heard she is preg. again I know the double stroller will be in use for many more years. Just this morning we went to Wal-Mart for milk and I put K in the front and J in the back because it was raining. It is a life saver to me.

I had the same dilemma. My 3 yr old (he was 2.5 at the time) didn't like to ride much anyway. So we went with the single stroller and then I wore the baby the first few months with a mei tai. As he got bigger, and heavier, he moved to the stroller and my older son got to walk.

My oldest is 2 1/2 and our little guy is 4 months today and we have a double stroller. It is good because if the oldest gets tired they can both nap in it, but I am thinking of getting a sit and stand stroller since the "big boy" wants to be more mobile that a double stroller allows.

Hi C.! My 3 year old still likes to ride in the stroller. have you thought about using a sling for your newborn? I tried the back packs and the front packs and nothing really seemed to work. I invested in a sling and it was a lifesaver. Now my baby is carried which gives me extra hands. When there are times that my 3 year old wants to walk, he uses the little harnesses. Yes, people do look at you weird, but if he was to run or someone grab him, there is no way I could catch him towing my other children along. Good luck

With my youngest son whom is very Hyper, I used a leash for when I was in parking lots, stores and malls. It attaches to your arm and his waist or arm. That was before they actually started selling them. (I could have been rich, haha) Yes, people looked at me funny, but I didn't care, it kept him safe.
Or you can train him to put your hand in your back pocket, thats what I did with my oldest son. You don't need the added weight to be pushing around and he is 3 and able to walk on his own. He's the big brother now, not the baby, who needs a baby stroller! haha P.

I'm going to say it depends on how much you plan to use it and what purpose-if you're going for long walks, I'd go with a double, if your going for shorter trips to dept stores and fewer short walks go with the single and teach your son to hold onto the stroller or your beltloop or something. The big Wal-Mart trips are the hardest one or the other of my girls was surrounded by groceries until my youngest could sit up well, now we use the big cart with the double seat in front. I have a double (my oldest is 3 1/2) and don't use it often, but when we do-it's great!

My son will be 3 this month and he doesn't like to ride in the stroller very often. He wants to walk everywhere so he can touch and explore. Some friends of mine with 2 little ones suggested to get a cheaper stroller with a back seat/standing spot for the older child and still keep with the bigger stroller/travel system for the baby. You can't really maneuver the big strollers in stores anyways and at Wal-Mart there are the big carts with sitting spots for bigger kids.

Hey C.!
I have a 20 month old and am expecting the first of September!
Boy, do we have a lot ahead of us! lol

I would go online to www.consumerreports.com !
I think Chicco is rated the best right now, right under Brittax of course.
We used a Chicco for my daughter & will use it again for our next daughter! Brittax is the best but $100 more usually, which is a lot when you need to buy a stroller.

We just bought a Ted & Phil double stroller (singles stroller than converts to a double) because my toddler would not be good w/ the sit and stand and honestly, I feel more comfortable knowing I have one less things to worry about! lol
Ted & Phil are pricey, but when your toddler has outgrown it, you can convert it back to a single stroller! And you can use it for joggging also! You can also have fun and add a lot of accessories! Phil & Ted are based out of New Zealand where some of the best child products are produced

I hope I have helped!

R. Wells
Mama to Hayli, Sonora & Blu (in Sept!)
www.athomecareermom.org

We have the same age gap with our kids- my daughter was 2 months shy of 3 when our son was born. The VERY BEST piece of advice I got was from a friend of mine: while you're pregnant, take the time to train your son how to behave in the store. In other words, hold onto the cart, not walk in front of people/carts, not touching things, etc. You have BY FAR more energy now than you will after the baby is born. Plus, you will most likely be dealing with sibling jealousy when your baby is born. Top that off with sleep deprivation, and a lot of things are put into perspective. Train him now and you will reap the benefits of your hard work when you really do need the break.

Good luck and congrats!!!!
Jenn

When I gave birth to my daughter this past August my older daughter was 3 years and 10 months old. I knew that she would not be interested in being in a stroller so I did not get a double stroller. I think double strollers are good for people who have kids very close together in age. But really around 3 kids aren't interested in strollers anymore. So I opted for a light weight stroller/carseat combo. I got the Combi DX stroller and I love it. The only thing I can complain about is that there are no cupholders but you can buy those at babies-r-us if you have to have them. It is so lightweight and easy to break down and manuever when you're keeping track of an older child as well. Here is a link to the website

http://www.combistrollers.com/ProductDetails.aspx?Categor...

Just some advice from a mother of a now 9 month old and 4.5 year old in Tulsa :)

My kids are only 2 years apart and I did get a double stroller. In a very short time, my older child was really too large for the double stroller, plus didn't want to ride anymore. There were times I wish I had invested in the sit/stand version, since the double stroller was also very hard to navigate in the clothing racks at the stores.

Here's another option: the Peg Perego Pliko P3. This particular stroller is great for a baby because it can hold a car seat or recline, but the real selling point for me is its integrated rear footboard. Your older child can stand on the back of the stroller and ride if he wants to, but if he doesn't you're not pushing a large, half-empty double stroller. The Pliko looks like a single stroller and folds in umbrella style. I got mine on sale at albeebaby.com, and a friend just got one on eBay; we both paid around $160. My kids are 19 months & 4 and we really like this stroller; I went through a double stroller and a sit-and-stand, but found them to be too bulky for traveling (we live in Europe). I hope this helps. Good luck!

My SIL has a 2 year old and a new baby and she bought a sit-n-stand deluxe, it has a seat on the rear, but you can remove it to make the "stand" part like on the traditional sit-n-stand stroller. It's even great if one of us is holding the baby and my 6 year old is on the back and her 2 year old is in the front...It's a great stroller that I know can be found at Burlington Coat.

M.