stroller advice please

should i buy a side by side or a front to back one?????? is anyone else a little weird about buying something that is mainly for twins? i feel like i am jinxing myself even though my only complication has been a hernia i got. i just feel weird and worried if i buy something the next u/s there will only be one heartbeat even though i am 18 weeks now =/

 

I am almost 16 weeks now and already know which stroller we are going after. We looked at the front to back and noticed that the seats didn't recline as far back as the ones that are side by side, and we didn't want to have to get more than one stroller if at all possible. We are looking strongly at the Baby Trend Navigator. It is a jogging stroller that accepts 2 infant seats and my DD plays select softball so we spend a lot of time out at ballparks. This stroller has the huge bicycle type tires for maneuvering through the ballparks. Babies 'R Us carries them and I just found out they offer layaway, which will help tremendously since the infant carriers are a separate purchase from the stroller itself. Altogether the whole set will run roughly $450.

 

I am 17 weeks 3days with twins and they are my first but I used to have a daycare and I have had LOTS of strollers in the past Personally I do not like front to back at all. I have had a hard time steering them and it always seems the baby in the back has little to no leg room as they get older. My biggest thing when looking for a double side to side was they fold up small enough to go into a trunk.

I am looking at the http://www.bizrate.com/strollers-joggers/baby-jogger-city-mini-double-stroller-green%2Fgrey--pid713659212/

I tried it in the store and it folds up so nice and easy and steers awesome. They also sell accessories like a tray across the front for snacks and stuff for the babies. Its kind of pricey but I know its the one item I will use for the next 3-4 years so I am sure I will get my money's worth

Good Luck!

 

You need a Snap N Go to start- it's so much nicer to get out with them when you don't have to take them out of their carriers (especially if they are sleeping!) After that, I'm undecided myself.

 

I also am doing the Snap and Go at first (it is a front and back stroller). I only plan to use it until maybe 3 months or so.

I looked up the Baby Trend Navigator that was mentioned earlier and it seems like a pretty nice stroller (the reviews are eh...not so good, but you have to try things out for yourself sometimes). There really are NOT many side by sides that accept TWO car seats. Otherwise, I would have bought the Bumbleride, but it only takes ONE seat. I am still debating what to get after the Snap and Go (which I can sell on Craigslist for the same price I bought it for in a few months anyways, so no loss to me). Good luck!

 

I wasn't crazy about the reviews on the Baby Trend Navigator either but I know several people personally who have similar strollers, most in different models and most single strollers but still the same brand, and all have loved them so that spoke volumes for us. Good luck though! Our decision was really fueled by the fact that we did not want to have to change out strollers later on. This one would grow with us as the babies moved out of the infant carriers.

 

We got the Chicco Cortina Together. Haven't used it yet obviously since they aren't here yet- but it has had excellent reviews. We were highly encouraged to get the Chicco Keyfit 30 seats- apparently something in their design is particularly good for lower birth weight (smaller) babies (according to the class we took through the hospital). Whether that is true or the hospital has some connection with the company- I don't know. But they are highly rated. The seats aren't that much more than the Graco, but the stroller runs $300 (same as the City Micro side by side we first bought before seeing the size range on it). Biggest thing was having a stroller that takes car seats because I don't want to be taking them in and out if they are asleep. I thought about the snap and go but decided once they are out of the car seats I would have to buy another stroller anyway so why bother? I have heard a lot of people dislike the side by sides not so much because of doorways but narrow aisles in stores.

 

It's such a crapshoot! I have a SBS, which I dislike for that reason, but with a limo/extra long one, you can't turn very well to maneuver into isles in the first place. (This is why I'm undecided on my next stroller! :laughing: )

 

I have gone through a gazillion strollers.

The Tandem Graco Duo stroller will take Graco car seats we used that until they were out of the infant carriers at 6 months and still used it afterwards (depending on what the stop was). I personally like SBS umbrella strollers, like the Jeep one to toss in my car just in case I need to stop somewhere with the kids after they got out of their infant carriers. It takes up very little room and it's cheap. (Less than $100). I also had an old (SBS, built in 1996!!) jogging stroller which I would use when we would go to the beach or to an amusement park, or anywhere there was uneven ground.

I've also had another Kolcraft SBS that was a piece of crap. It didn't fold up very well, and didn't drive any better than the umbrella stroller.

 

I had the Graco duoglider and used it until my twins were almost 3.5 years old. :good: It was great when they were infants and I could just pop their infant carrier in and out very easily, it folded up very easily, and fit through doorways and aisles easily. I needed something I could get in my oldest DD's school and a SBS would not fit. I did have a SBS umbrella stroller we used as they got older, but I hated how wide it was.

 

I had a duo glidder, and hated it. Sold it and bought a SDS jogging. It's a baby trend expedition. I LOVE it. I also have a snap and go that I use for shopping trips.

 

We registered for the Baby Trend Navigator. We actually tried it out in the store as well as several other twin strollers, and it seemed like the most durable and easy to steer for a side-by-side that takes care seats. It is a little heavy and wide, but I think it will work for us. We also have a hand-me-down Snap N Go that I got from a friend.

 

Does anyone that has the Baby Trend Navigator know if it accepts other car seats? Not just Baby Trend Brand? I tried looking it up online with no luck (as far as compatibility goes). I have two new Chicco's. This may be the way to go considering the price and all.

 

This is the one we got!! It just came in and is NICE! It is a little wide and not sure how it would do in a cramped store in the mall or something, but I am sure that we will not be doing a whole lot of shopping!!LOL!! I LOVE to walk and my plan is to walk of baby weight I may also look into getting a snap n go off of craigslist or ebay (they go for about 40 bucks used vs 100 new)

 

I am not sure... I know the snap n go does not adapt to Chicco's. We have Graco snug rides and they fit ok

 

I have a Snap N Go with our Chicco car seats. Here is a video I found a while back about it: Video

 

Actually the snap and go does adapt to Chicco's. Mine fit fine. There is a video on YouTube that shows you how to do it. You have to remove all the skinny middle bars and the seat closest to the handlebars sets on the black plastic pieces for stability and you have to kind of tuck the back one under the back of the other one then snap it down on the front bar. Works great!

I was definitely looking to do a side by side though so am wondering about the Navigator, I keep searching for SBS's that accept two seats with very little luck.

Edited to say...thanks to the above poster...that is the exact video I watched

 

Oh, ok...my bad! Seems like some mommas a while back were irritated with the snap n go because the manual stated that it adapted to Chicco's, but they never felt like they were in there very secure. Something about they don't "click in", but you have to use some sort of strap. Maybe I am thinking of another stroller...

 

I don't have the stroller yet but the sales assistant in the store tried out a Graco car seat with us in the display stroller and it fit fine. We didn't try out any other brands.

 

We got the Double Snap N Go to use in the beginning.

We have Chicco Keyfit 30s to go into the snap n go and I am confident it will work fine.

We also have a Maclaren twin techno umbrella stroller. I got the tip about this stroller from this very community in the Stroller Sticky thread.
:wavey:

 

We also got the Double Snap and Go to use with the Graco Snugride 35 seats. I'm hoping that will get us through for a while and then I can decide if we need another tandem stroller or not.

We also got a Valco SBS jogging stroller. We found it at an outlet store for over half price. We got it for $350 when they cost over $700. It was brand new, but had a little dent in the footrest. It was too good of a deal to pass up, so we bought it!

 

Really helpful - we're planning to get two Chicco KeyFit 30s and the Snap N Go, so it's great to see this in action before buying. Thanks for posting!

 

@JoannaD You may want to check about using the Double Snap and Go with the Graco Snugride 35 as I receive the below message from Baby Trend directly in regards to using the snugride 35 with the Double Snap and Go!

> Thank you for contacting us, the Graco 35 is not a compatible car seat.
> Please let me know if you have any further questions.
>
> Lindsey,Customer Service
> 1607 S Campus Ave
> Ontario,CA 91761
> Toll Free1-800-328-7363
> 909-773-0018 Ext 2020
> Fax- 909-923-6733
> [email protected]

 

I opted for the double snap n go and then a valco twin trimode. I really wanted a nice SBS.