Car seat dilemma

My girls are 7m now. They sit up well but don't crawl or walk. This means they have to be carried from point A to B. The particular points in question are my car and their daycare classroom. Soon the day will come when they do not fit into their infant buckets, and we won't be able to use the snap-n-go anymore. We have a maclaren twin techno umbrella stroller, which is nice, but the 5pt harness is more trouble than I want to deal with for the short transport between the car and daycare. I've looked at BRU and found a jeep double stroller with a 3pt harness, but it seemed really cheaply made. I did not want to spend 99$ on a cheap stroller.

For the mothers whose twins are in daycare, how did you get your babies into daycare during the time between when they still fit into the infant buckets (and thus could use the double snap-n-go) and before they could walk independently?

We'll use the stroller if no better option presents, but I was thinking about getting a wagon with high sides. During this theoretically short period, I could stand driving the gas guzzling family truckster into which this wagon would fit.

Makes me wish I could just summon a daycare worker to come carry one of them. However, the daycare teachers are very busy, and I know this is not an option.

 

My girls were small so we were able to use our snap n go for quite a while.

Can you carry both girls? even if it means making a second trip for their stuff?

I have an older twin techno, why can't you just buckle the bottom buckles if need to make it into a 3 point harness for a short trip? I also leave my shoulder buckle buckled to the waist, so I just slip their arms through and do the buckle quickly.

 

My reply didn't post, crap! Let me try to repost.

I can't carry them both. I mean, I can, but someone has to place the 2nd baby on me in order to do it, and therein lies the problem. It's not like a daycare worker can be summoned on a moment's notice. Or they have to both be out of their buckets and placed just so for me to pick them up. Maybe I am just lame. :tomato:

The harness idea was recommended to me by another friend. I could do that in absence of another option. Thanks for your suggestions.

 

do you have the larger carseats?? mine were the SafeSeats and went to 30 pounds... and thus also went to a higher height... I used our DSNG until the twins were 20 months!!!

It was a sad sad day when I finally had to retire those seats.

If you have the 22pounds seats then your girls will out grow them, but still you can hover at the height for a while, and I'd think that they might be able to walk by then. but I cannot imagine trying to get in an out of the car/daycare w/o a stroller. my two wouldn't always behave...

 

To get my son into preschool, I put one baby in an Ergo and carried the other. The Ergo one could be on my front or back. Love the Ergo, used it for years, my DD still likes to be carried in it some.
http://www.ergobabycarrier.com/

 

We have graco double stroller and jeep wrangler doubler side by side stroller (my sis bought it for the twins). its cheap (99 dollars) but let me tell you that. Its super convinience. We have been using it more often than out expensive graco one. its super light and easy to use. I have no problem to take it out put them twins on all by myself in 7 mins (maybe 5 lol). And its super compact. We use it alot for grocery shopping.

Your dilenma is mine as well. My son is growing out of his infant carseat. And we are moving to convertables. But I am trying to think how we carry them into doctor office and what would we put them when we fill out paper work? they crawl, sit, but dont walk yet. And I definitely dont want them to crawl every where in the waiting room. And I love their infant car seats now to keep them warm and cozy in this winter time.Its going to be tough We cant put thick jacket on them. And we have to carry them in/out to the car, take them out of the carseats and put jackets on them, blah blah blah

here is our jeep compact. Its actually very good. If you decide to get one, check the door side. this stroller is side by side. It fit all shopping store doors.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001CSO1FO/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B001IYOAQM&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=05521WTKH741T2AT81PW

 

Actually I bought that Jeep stroller used from a member of my twins club and it has been great. Meaning, good for short in and out trips - lightweight and functional. It definitely seems cheaper than many strollers, but for the price I felt that all the SBS's (incl. the combis and mclaren's) were less sturdy than my tandem anyway and for the short trips I didn't want to spend the money those others cost. It would be a different story if they were my primary stroller. But I have often seen that stroller in older colors for only 75.00 here at BRU and with a 20% coupon it is a great deal. When mine were that age though, if I needed to be really quick I would put one in a bjorn on me and carry the other or more frequently put one in a bjorn and push the other in a $15 cosco brand umbrella stroller. Sooo lightweight...yes cheap, but definitely sturdy enough for an in and out to daycare. The nice thing about that is you can take your time getting the bjorned one back in the carseat because the other has the stroller to sit in. Good luck!

 

I used our Combi Twin Sport SBS for transporting our LOs into daycare. I also tried putting one in a cheapy single umbrella stroller and carrying the other, which was a HUGE pain because cheapy umbrellas do not steer well one handed, never mind the fact it was SO hard to also open a big door with one hand, while pushing the single stroller through and holding the other. UGGH. So one day I decided to use the single umbrella and put the other baby in the Ergo. It was raining that day, and was a pain for me to jump out of the van and get the Ergo on, then tuck the baby in it, then get the other baby in the umbrella, all while it was raining. I decided then that the Combi SBS was the quickest and easiest way to to get the boys into daycare!! If it was raining I would just park the Combi SBS under the open van hatch and quickly put each boy in it, and the umbrellas on the stroller also helped to keep them mostly dry. If it was bad I threw a blanket over them and ran towards the daycare doors. I just thought the Combi SBS stroller (which had simple harnesses) was quicker and easier to fool with.

I always thought the Combi Twin Sport SBS seemed kinda cheap feeling due to its plastic, but we have got sooooo much mileage out of that $169 stroller compared to our $400 Baby Jogger City Classic double stroller (that has sat in our garage since Sept or Oct unused).

 

we have the combi stroller and it has a 5 point harness, but the shoulder straps hook on to the bottom straps and I was able to take the shoulder straps off, so now it's just a 3 point harness... not sure if that is an option with your stroller or not...

good luck.

 

Leanne: I also do the Ergo to get inside. You put one baby in the Ergo and now you have two hands free to get the other baby out, throw a shoulder bag over your shoulder, and head in. It worked really well for us, until the past month or so.

However, now that they are older, they are just getting too heavy for me to do this. I can't have mine walking in through the snow and slush (we tried and they are not quite ready) and I cannot use my Combi SBS because of the way the daycare entrance is situated. So I am very intrigued by the wagon idea.

And getting new bucket seats might be an option for you. They now make buckets that go up to 35(!) pounds. I think they are made by Graco.

w: I take mine in the SBS stroller to the doctor. It has worked out quite well, actually, since I always have a place to put a squirmy kid.

 

I could never use the SNG because our daycare has an "airlock" security area that the stroller was too long for. I carried both bucket seats for the first several months (and had constant bruises on my shins to show for it!).

Around 9 months I bought a single umbrella stroller ($12 at Target). I would unfold the stroller, strap Amy into it, then put Sarah in the Baby Bjorn and carry her. After a month or so of that, I decided it was easier to just carry Sarah on my hip and push the stroller one-handed. (It's true that it didn't steer well that way, but I sort of steered/pushed with my stomach as well. It wasn't THAT bad, and IMO much easier than trying to get a SBS stroller, even a compact one, through the airlock and down the hall.)

Amy was a good enough walker by 14 months that I could put Sarah in the stroller instead, and either hold Amy by the hand or carry her.

For the doctor, library, etc., I used a Maclaren SBS.

 

I might be a mean Mama bc I carried mine in at the same time. I would unhook 1 and then sit them on the floor of the car in front of the other carseat while I unbuckled. I then just pulled him from under his arm to get him in my arms and "smashed" the 2 of them together to make sure I had a good hold and off we went---by "smashing" them together I could carry them with 1 arm until they were close to 9 months old and VERY wiggly! I also have a backpack diaper bag or I came back out for the things to go in daycare.

As for the strollers...Hannah is 7 months and can sit up/crawl and we went to a museum the other day and I didn't put the shoulder straps on her and she did fine...so maybe just give it a try without the harness, they might surprise you

 

Our doctor office isn't really stroller friendly. I don't think I can push our double stroller in there.I thought about getting a single light weight stroller and wear one.but these days, the twins always get upset at their doc visit.I guess because of all the shots. So I don't know if they would be happy to take turn sitting in the stroller. Headache!!!

 

I also used my combi SBS all the time, including to the dr office, until mine could walk better. It fits through any doorway that's wheel chair accessible. Barring that, I'd go with the cheapie umbrella stroller, and either a carrier for baby #2 or just carry them in your arms. I used to do the "smashing" thing from our truck to our house quite often, it works for really short trips! :lol:

Oh and I only used the 3 pt harness on our combi quite often, if I had to I just leaned their seats back a little so they didn't slide sideways

 

Thanks everyone for all of the great ideas! I am feeling much better about the problem. We have the chicco keyfit 30s, and the weight is not a problem, and they're supposed to go to 30", but they already seem too long for them. Their feet already extend past the bottom. This is a newbie talking; it may be that we have several more months to go in those carseats. I'm not jumping the gun here; I am not about to bring complication to my life by introducing convertibles before they are absolutely necessary.

 

Jumping in a little late here, but just wanted to add that when my girls were that age, I also put one in a carrier/wrap on me and then had both hands free to unbuckle the other and carry them in. My diaper bag is a backpack, so that worked out too. I did this for AGES, and it worked great! Now that they are bigger, I use a wagon...we take it everywhere! It is a wooden Classic Radio Flyer wagon with removable sides, so it fits into my car perfectly with only one side removed. My husband screwed in lap belts to use when needed too (when they were too young to understand not to stand up). Its quick, easy, and the girls love riding in it. They can sit in there forever, whereas when they're in a stroller or jogger, their patience is limited. Whereever we go, we get compliments on it!

Good Luck!
Melissa

 

it's not the legs you are worried about... its the 1" below the top of the carrier. I bet you have a long ways to go... the "30 inches" tall is an estimate b/c if your kids have long legs then their torso might be shorter and if they are 30" they could still have a few inches to grow until they hit the 1" below. Make sure to read your manual, but I bet that's the case. Like I said, we used ours until 20 months. Our kids are about 50% for height... so if yours are more on the chart they might not last as long etc.

good luck!

 

I second PPs' idea of using a wrap or carrier for one baby which leaves you with boths hands free for the other baby, or opening doors etc. I did this for a long time, basically until they were both walking well. I actually miss it now, so much safer in traffic, parking lots etc. than two walking toddlers. GL!
BTW: You will probably be able to use the infant buckets much longer than you realize, my pedi said to leave them in there until their heads reach the limit and not to worry about weight or legs sticking out. Head and neck support is the main safety issue.

 

I am blessed to stay at home right now but when I have to run into the store or something like that I still just leave them in their seats. However I have a friend who didn't have twins but she babysat a little boy who was a couple of months younger than her dd and she used the hip carrier and then carried the other one. Worked well for her.

 

I call the daycare and they send someone out to carry one and I carry the other.

 

I don't have to do daycare, MIL watches them at the house, but we love our wagon. It has buckles so the boys get strapped. The only problem so far is that I have to watch them pretty close so that they don't try to grab the wheels. Their legs are too short so I put blankets in the bottom wheel well for now. We use the wagon more than the stroller. (Not that we use either very often right now)

Here is a link

 

I wondered myself how I'm going to handle doctor appts once the girls aren't in their seats anymore. Even if they can walk they will be new at it and sitting all over the dirty doctor's office floor. YUCK! I would use what you have or get the cheap Wrangler stroller. I used to have one when I just had two kids and it was nice until it broke. But let me tell you I used the thing heavily and I still blame DH for it breaking. He used to stack groceries and stuff on top of it. It's very lightweight and being crushed down by 6pk 20z cokes or 24 packs of water isn't good for it or any stroller for that matter. If you get it I would baby it a bit and only use it for daycare or running quick errands. There are some 20% off coupons for BRU floating around. I would try to get a hold of one of those and use it for the stroller. Oh and buy the insurance so if anything does happen you can get your money back. Just remember to save the box.

 

How do you know that is not an option. Are there not adults working in the building who are not teachers? My daycare center has someone stationed at the door in the mornings. Sometime one of the cleaning staff, or sometimes an administrator. That person would see me pull up and come out and help me. I never had infant snap out car seats.

Oh I just remembered that my MILs house is only accessible from an alley. I used to park on the street and phone her to come out and help me get them inside when I went there alone. Gotta love the age of the cell phone.

 

One of mine was bigger, so for awhile I would get out the one in the infant seat and then sit them on the ground while I got the one not in the infant seat. Then I'd carry them both.

Then for awhile someone in the Daycare would come out and help me. Sometimes I would use the big double stroller, which would reinforce their desire to help me. Sometimes I would sit one on the car floor while getting out the other and then carry them both. When one could walk, and still, I'd stand that one between me and the car while getting out the other.

 

Beginning to feel like I'm not a very inventive twin mother. You guys are awesome with your ideas!

They are not that close to outgrowing the infant buckets. We have at least 2" to go. We will keep them a while longer. :yahoo:

 

This was something that stressed me out too. When the time comes though, you just figure it out!