Double Stroller

Hi, I was wondering if you all can provide your opinion/ suggestions for a double stroller. My twin girls are now 25 lbs and the stroller that I have (Graco duoglider) it is making weird noises and is hard to maneuver. I think I need a new stroller. I would appreciate if you can share your experiences.

On the other note, how old were your kids till you used your stroller.

Thanks everyone.

 

Whatever you decide to get, I'd suggest trying to find a used one My duo are 2.5 yrs and I do use the stroller when I go grocery shopping, only because I am by myself with my 3 youngest kids and need to keep them contained. We use it going to the zoo as well. But for the most part, short trips or going in and out of places, they walk holding my hands now

I like my jogging stroller, it fits through most doors and is wonderful at the zoo and such. The extra storage underneath and cup holders were essential at disney last month!

 

Thanks. Can you please share the brand name of your stroller. I want to get a used one but DH is totally against it. His point is that the used may lived up to its life.

I don't want to spend much cause I know that I won't be using it after a certain point.

 

I got mine used as well so I second that, especially since they are older now and will start using it less and less. I got a double Baby Jogger City Elite. I paid half the price it would have been worth new and it's still working great almost 2 years later.

I don't know how much longer I will be using it but I think it will be a while yet. I have managed to do some quick stops with them just holding hands but when I have the 3 of them this gets a little hairy! Also, when we go to the park or on walks now they prefer the wagon as DS rides his bike but I will still need to use it in the winter to get to and from DS's school bus stop as the wagon won't work in snow. DS stopped want ing to be in the stroller around 2.5 years old but since there was only one of him he was (a little) easier to control. I think with the girls I might use it longer as it keeps them safe.

 

Sure I got a Baby Trend Expedition...similar to this one at Walmart. I found mine online for $189 and free shipping. I bought it when my twins were about a year old and they are 2.5 and I still love it It stays in the back of my truck for whenever I need it.

 

I'm the queen of strollers. I've had a lot over the past six years. Currently I own five. :FIFblush: I LOVE the jogging strollers and feel their worth the $$. They're so much easier to push for older kids. I want to sell some of my strollers and buy one. Only thing...the most important thing...is make sure it has a SWIVEL wheel!!! It's so important. Otherwise it's a pain in the rear to move around. You have to tip it back and move. If you actually use it to jog then make sure the swivel wheel has a lock.

 

We have 2 different kinds of jeep double strollers. Honestly, we only used the compact side by side one alot in first year. We stopped using strollers months ago. We have a step 2 wagon though. And they like it and accept to sit in for a long time. But we still don't use it much. They like walking with us. It requires lot of practice of taking 2 toddlers out by myself. But since I mastered it, without a stroller is way easier.

I agree on buying a used one. I don't think u will use it Much anymore. But it really depends on you though.

 

I have an used combi sport - which is very light , fit thru the doors and takes less space in the trunk than the nice, newer twin city mini jogger one.
I like the twin city mini jogger that:
- if we go out on the weekend, and one kid falls asleep, we can lower the back of the chair down for a good nap (look less stressful on the neck for the kid).
- really good sun shade with top windows to peak on how they do in the chair.
- it's studier
The 3 yr old used combi sport it's more flimsy so it's just for quick trips (in/out day care , Dr office etc...) but I think we can still use it for a while.

 

A quality stroller will live for 20 years or more! When I sold my dreamer designs duo it was like new and I used it every day for the first two years of their lives and often in the third year as well. We hauled it around on the roof of our car (A VW Beatle--the classic kind) pushed it around archealogical sites, they ate in in and everything so we were not gentle on it. It cleaned up to be "like new".

Also a good stroller with a fixed front wheel is not a pain to turn at all. My stoller turned on a dime. It literally would turn completely in place--not something a swivel wheel stroller will do. But that thing was awesome--so perfectly weighted that it wasn't even hard to push with two 30 pounders inside up a hill.

(Can you tell I miss the days when I could strap my kids in and know exactly where they were?)

 

Get rid of the Graco after the first year. It's too heavy and hard to manuver. That said, I think the type of stroller you get depends on what you want to use it for. I love my Jeep Wrangler Twin Sport All-Weather for getting my almost 1.5 year old girls around town (grocery store, library, playgroups, airport). It's compact, cheap, and very manuverable... provided where you are going is on a hard, relatively smooth surface. It won't get you around parks, gravel drive ways, etc. For my off-road adventures, I picked up a three-wheeled (bike-style wheels) jogging stroller at a yard sale. I don't love it, but the price was right and it does get me places that the umbrella stroller won't. It's also not that much lighter or more manuverable than the Graco was. So, I use the jeep whenever I can and resort somewhat grudgingly to the jogging stroller.

 

It would be helpful if you could give more details on your lifestyle, where you live, etc.

Mine rarely have used the stroller since about 18 months, but that's because we drive everywhere. So we use the parking lot at the pool, park, school, store and then they walk.

However, when we visit my parents in NYC, we do use strollers all the time.

 

You are right maneuvering the Graco is so difficult. I will be using it for grocery, park and for almost everything. The girls do not like to hold my hand and walk and they are running in opposite directions. It becomes near to impossible to take them anywhere if they are not in stroller.

 

I live on the 8th floor in an apartment building so I have to always use the elevator. I notice everyone has a side by side double stroller and our building elevator is kind of narrow that is the reason I have to stick with the tandem double stroller. When both DH and I are taking them out we let them walk. DD1 is good she will hold her daddy's hand but DD2 is the difficult one. When I am alone with them nobody listens to me and they run in all directions. I even tried the harness strap hoping that they will hate it and then learn to walk holding my hand but no luck and people stare at you like I can't even describe it in words. At this point I really don't know how long I'll be using a stroller but I am sure I HAVE to get a double stroller.

 

The Combi SBS is really narrow....I've never met a doorway that kept us out It has terrible storage, though. There are also several recently released tandem strollers that look nifty and quite compact. One is made by Chicco and another by Kinderwagon. The Kinderwagon one is tiny.

 

LOL...we used these too for a few months when the girls started walking. My oldest would usually be holding the leash for one of them too so imagine the looks I got for THAT :laughing:. I got over it pretty quickly...no one giving me disapproving looks was carting around more than one child/adult so they obviously had no idea what it's like to have 2 toddlers running in opposite directions!

Is it possible to try out a couple of different strollers? We have a store here that is incredibly knowledgeable about what's available...they will even let you take the stroller out of the store to see how it fits in your trunk, etc. When we were looking for the girls I went in and did all my research there...then I found the one I wanted second hand.

 

Unless you are using your stroller all the time (in and out of the car etc) I would go for a jogging stroller. Yes, they take up more room in your trunk, but oh my gosh they are so much easier to maneuver and push. I didn't want to spring for a BOB, so I went for the BabyTrend Expedition and I love it so much. I have an expensive umbrella type folding stroller that I never use. You can push the baby trend with one hand easily, and I haven't had many issues with its size.

 

My husband's cousin lives in NYC and she uses the Phil and Ted's with the second seat for her twins. She said it looks awful but the kids love riding in it. It is also narrow enough for her building's elevator. We are 25 months and we use the stroller a lot still. We take it on walks around the neighborhood (they walk when I want to tire them out and have a billion hours to get where i am going) and we still take it to the mall/zoo/etc because even though they can walk, they often like to ride also.

 

We bought a used Mountain Buggy Urban Double when my twins were 5 months old ($350, it was about 3 years old at the time) and LOVED it. We still have it and actually still use it occasionally (my girls are almost 6!) though our circumstances are a little unusual because we live about 2 miles from downtown and walk there often. It's still too far for them to walk/bike but I hate to drive, so we stroller. My girls are unusually stroller-friendly, though.

Anyway -- definitely recommend the MB. They cost an arm and a leg, but see if you can find one used. It's worth its weight in gold.

If the MB is not within your budget, even used, then I recommend some other type of swivel-wheel jogging stroller, unless you are literally never going to use it outdoors.

 

Thank you all for the great suggestions. When I told DH that 15 people have suggested to get a old one he is now finally convinced that we can buy an old stroller.
Thanks.

 

I have a baby trend Expedition, jogger. It is rated for 50lbs per seat, so a max of 100lbs. I find it very easy to push. My oldest is 3 and sometimes rides with one of the twins while I carry one in my wrap. I paid just under 250 for mine on sale at BRU. Good Luck.