Double Snap-N-Go

Hi, I'm visiting from the expecting forum and hoping to get some advice from the mommies that have already been there. From what I can gather, the double Snap-N-Go is a popular item but I was wondering if it was a "must have"? If you went without, how'd you manage?

I have the Graco SafeSeat which we used for my son and was planning to just buy an additional one in the same pattern for when the twins were born. However, I found out that the SafeSeats don't fit in the Snap-N-Go.

Is it worth it for me to buy two new Snugrides so I can use the Snap-N-Go or should I go with my original plan and not use the Snap-N-Go? I'm due in January so I'm wondering if I'll really be out and about with the babies when it's so cold. Also, my son grew out of the infant carrier by the time he was 4 months old (SafeSeat goes up to 32 lbs but I couldn't lift the seat with him in it by the time he weighed 20 something lbs - yes, my son is/was large and I'm on the small side, go figure =) so I'm very hesitant to spend a lot of money on something they use for such a short time. I realize that I may get more use out of the infant carriers this time around since twins tend to be smaller than singletons but considering that my son was a few weeks early and still managed to be 7.5 lbs, I'm not counting on it.

Any opinions/advice/experiences are much appreciated!

 

Hi! Congrats on your pregnancy!!

We decided to not get the snap n go...but we did get the quattro duo stroller...our reasoning was so we would have a stroller once they grew out of their carseats...since we would need one anyway...we didn't want to buy the snap n go, just to have to buy another one in a few months.

Our boys were born in November and we didn't take them out much at all..except for doctors appt, which there many of...and it's a big facility, so we needed a stroller.

In all honesty we don't use our tandem very much, because I am in love with our jogger...so that's something to think about aswell.

Good luck!!

 

I considered it a must have for us -- but we didn't already own one non-compatible carseat. Given that, I think you can probably live without it, though it will make your life a lot easier if you have some kind of stroller that can accommodate both carseats.

We used our SNG a lot for the first 3-4 months. My girls were also born in November, and while we didn't take them for outdoor walks in the SNG very often, we used it for doctor's appts and the mall (including doing laps of the mall to get them to nap!). It's very easy to set up and easy to use.

We had a Maclaren that we did use to take them for outdoor walks (it tends to be dry & sunny here in the winter, though chilly) starting around 6 weeks, but if we hadn't had that, we could have used the SNG. My SIL's twins were also born in Nov. (two years after mine), and they used the SNG as their only stroller until the babies were about 5 months old.

For $100 ($87 on Amazon!), it's well worth the amount of utility it adds to your life, but if you have to factor in the cost of an extra carseat, it's kind of a toss-up.

 

We did not get the double snap n go. Actually, someone got us one for our shower and after getting it home and putting it together it was seriously H U G E! I decided that it wouldn't be right for our family, but a lot of people swear by them. I couldn't see myself pushing that thing through stores and what not it just seemed too big.

From the beginning, we used our combi twin sport sbs. You can put newborns in it as long as they are over 5lbs they just need to be reclined (for obvious reasons). We still use it to this day and love it!

 

We used the SNG and I loved it. However, we only used it for the first 6 weeks because the boys HATED their car seats, but loved the SBS stroller. So, I bought one on craigslist and then resold it once they grew out of it!

Its a must have!

Jenn

 

I have the SNG and I love it. I also have the Graco Safeseats and they fit fine. You have to adjust the bars on the SNG to make it fit. I followed the instructions for the graco seats. The back part of the carseat snaps and then you use the straps to go across the top of the carseats to hold the front part down. I've had no problems with my carseats fitting.

We also have a Baby Jogger City Mini (SBS stroller). My girls are 3 months and this stroller has been at my MIL's. I am going to ask her to bring it to my house for when I want to take them for walks around the neighborhood but I love my SNG for having in the car to take with us. It's folds so easy and I didn't feel it was big. I have a mid-size SUV. I'll probably continue to use this in the car until after the new year when my girls are around 7 months or i can't lift them in their carseats to the SNG anymore. Good Luck.

hopefully this will work but here's a link to a picture of my safeseats in the SNG

picture of SNG with Safeseats

 

I have a Double Snap n Go (SNG) and the Kolcraft contours tandem stroller. I still use my SNG and never use the Kolcraft. I LOVE my sng and will use it until my twins outgrow their infant seats and I have to use the Kolcraft. The SNG is so light and folds nicely, so easy to take the seats out of the car and snap them into it. Don't have to mess with taking them out of their carseats. It is a godsend when you have to newborns sleeping away in the seats and your don't want to disturb them. I highly recommend it. Stock up on coupons. I was able to get mine for only $60 at babies r us. Originally $99. I will prob cry when I can no longer use my SNG. Getting my Kolcraft out is such a hassle. It is so heavy!

 

I have a double snap and go, loaned to me, a BOB jogger and a bumble ride indie twin. So far, I use the second two for more outings than the snap and go. I think it depends on what you want to do and how you live your life. When I go to the store, I put the carseats in the cart. For walking around the neighborhood, I put the kids in the stroller, recline the seat and take a walk. For me, it seems to be a pain to put them in their carseat just to go to the park. I've used the snap and go 3 times. Usually when I am on my own and need to take the babies somewhere with my older son. It comes in handy when you don't have a place to put the car seats but I don't think it is a necessity.

 

I managed to get by just fine without the Snap N Go. I had a sbs (Perego Aria Twin) and I just used that. The difference is, of course, I had to take the babies out of their carseats, put them in the stroller, out of the stroller, back into carseats. But, honestly, I didn't go out tons when they were really little and, when I did, I tried not to take them with me. So, it worked out fine for me. I just couldn't justify the expense for two strollers & I knew the Snap N Go couldn't be used forever.

 

I have the graco safe seat and it fit in my snap and go. It was adjustable for different car seats. It was a great thing in the beginning but now that my boys are 9 months old I can't use the snap and go anymore because there is not enough room between the car seats and their feet get really squished. If you have to do lots of travelling or appointments I would recommend it but if not they will grow out of it sooner than you think.

 

We had safe seats as well and after the fact i realize that the SNG wasn't compatible. We did buy 2 single SNG for the carseats, so that we had them for when I was with DH. There was times that I really wish that i had the SNG, I probably would have gotten out more if I had it. My girls are still in the infant seat and it would be nice to just through them in the stroller.

I found ways around it tho, i did avoid stores that didn't have automatic doors, and when i would go to the grocery store i would throw them both in the cart in the seats, one in the basket and one in the top part. I couldn't get very much stuff that way but i could get around.

Would i do it differently if I could? Probably... Can you work around it? Yes but I didn't get out as much as i would have like.

Oh an mine were born Jan 26th

ETA: At 3 months i was dying to get out of the house more so i pulled out my SBS stroller (it said for 6 months old) but it worked fine for the girls reclined, but yea as pp said you did have to pull them both out

 

This pic makes me sigh a little sigh of sadness because those are the exact carseats that we have.... I take it back i wish i did have the SNG.....

 

I loved my DSNG!! I have to drive everywhere we go (we live in the country), and it was so nice to be able to take the babies out in their carseats, snap them in the stroller, do my grocery shopping, hope they fall asleep, put them back in the vehicle...all with very little fuss. It's lightweight, WAY smaller than a big tandem stroller and way more manueverable!

That being said, I only used it for 3 months. My twins were big, born at 36 wks they were 7.2 and 6.4 lbs, very large for twins at 36 wks. (Born in feb) By 3 months they were just too heavy for me to carry comfortably in their infant seats, so we switched to convertible seats and bought the combi twin SBS stroller to use.

My recommendation is look for a used DSNG. They are generally in great shape, I paid half price for mine ($50) and resold it on craigslist again for the same amt, so I wasn't out any money whatsoever. The SBS would not have been practical for me in the middle of winter, it would have been a huge pain in the butt to take them in and out of their seats for dr appts, grocery trips, my son had t-ball in the spring...etc.

 

Thank you so much for the quick responses! I guess you can use the SNG with the SafeSeats and Baby Trend customer service doesn't really know their own product! They said the SafeSeat is too long. Maybe I'll just buy it around the time the babies are due and then return it if it turns out I don't need it. I really wanted the BOB for the twins. I fell in love with it when my husband wanted to get it to take our son jogging but couldn't justify the expense when we had a Maclaren and Graco stroller already. That's another reason why I really want to minimize the baby gear expense.

jhart923 - Thanks for the picture and your babies are adorable!

 

Sorry, didn't read the other posts (got 2 mobile twins here :babyflips: :babyflips: ) but I wanted to reply. If you get it, get it used! Scope out the local MOM group sales or church sales and you can get it for 1/8 of the price. We have outgrown ours and I'm in search of a SBS now. You may want to buy the seats new so you know their history, but don't waste the money on a new stroller that you'll use less than a year, IMO.

Congratulations and good luck!

 

We received the DSNG as a gift from coworkers, and I do really like it. Although to be honest we've only used it 2 or 3 times in the past 8 weeks since our twins came home from NICU. That's just because we rarely take them out except to doctor visits because we don't want to expose them to germs. But I can see using it more this winter for Christmas shopping and such, and I love not having to pull the boys out of their carriers while they are sleeping (and they almost always are asleep in their carriers). Once the boys are older (8-10 months) we plan to sell the DSNG and buy a Maclaren SBS.

BTW, we have the regular Graco Snugride car seats (that hold up to 22 lbs not 32) and we HATE them!!! They do not have a quick release for the straps, so it is a complete PITA to manually loosen the straps from the back of the carrier after every outting. If you do get new car seats...don't get those!! The DSNG fits many different carriers, not just Graco.

 

We got ours used for $25 or $30 on Craigslist. We used it a few times, mainly because the babies hated their car seats so much in the beginning. We were mostly at home for the first few months. The stroller was handy when I used it. I'd say to get it used. I plan on reselling mine for the same price I paid for it, so I don't regret buying it. We have the SnugRide car seats and they were fine for the few months my LOs were in them. We recently moved them to convertible seats, which they like better. Congrats on your twin pregnancy!!

 

We got the graco duo glider and couldn't be happier. It fit their carseats when they where smaller and now they just sit in it. It's pretty easy to move around and I love taking it on walks with them.

 

I didn't think I'd need it from what others had said. I live in NYC and people seemed to think they were better suited to non-city life. But after a few months of wanting to get out and about, I could see how much better it would be to have that system than a huge UMDB. So I picked up a DSNG from my local twins group. Someone sold it to me for $25 (including two barely used car seats). And I love it! It's so convenient and fits easily in any trunk. Not nearly as maneuverable as the UMDB, but it's way more convenient.

 

We have the DSNG with Graco Safe Seats and I love it! Try looking on Craigslist for a used one...we got ours for $55 and I know that there where multiple to choose from.

 

For us, it definitely wasn't a necessity. I did have one, a friend gave me her used one, and so I did use it when the girls were tiny... but even when they hit 2 months, the stroller felt long and clunky. Also, I hated having to cart the carseats in and out of the car each time to use it, and they didn't look very comfy in their carseats in the stroller anyway.

At 3 months, I bought a Maclaren Twin Triumph off Craigslist and I have loved it each second I have used it! It is smaller, reclines for infants, both girls can sit in the front, and best of all it folds down small enough to leave room in the trunk of my car!

So, I'd say if you can find a cheap on on Craigslist or a hand-me-down go for it, but otherwise I'd just buy a long-term stroller that you really like.

 

it is DEFINITELY a must have!!!!
its great when they fall asleep and you dont have to wake them!

 

Just to add something else to this, you mention having an older son. If you need to take him places where it's a guick pick up/drop off, then the DSNG makes life so much easier. I have two older daughters and I can't imagine having to take the boys in and out of their carseats every time I need to bring one into school. Also, in the winter, it makes it so much easier to not have to take the babies out of their seats when it's freezing out.

I got my double off of craigslist for $20.00. Even if you don't like the idea of used baby stuff, the DSNG is just a metal frame and the babies never even touch it.

 

Someone gave us a used double SNG while I was pregnant and I was convinced I would use it all the time. It was an older model than the picture that was posted and everything I could find online told me the safeseats would not fit in the older model so I never even attempted using it. It was helpful for us to have a single SNG though since I used that when I only needed to take one baby to the doctor etc.

The key for us was having a stroller that their seats snapped into. We used the Graco Quattro Duo with the safeseats and it worked just fine for us. I liked that I had a nice big basket and a place for me to keep my water bottle and keys on the handle. We probably used that stroller 5 times a week during the first 6 months of the boys lives. I also liked that I could continue to use it once they were out of their infant seats and not have to get another stroller. I still use it when we are shopping, especially in stores where a sbs doesn't fit as well. I will say though that we use our jogger much more than anything.

You just need to think about how you will use it and if it will fit your lifestyle. For me, it wasn't worth it.

 

I got mine on Craigslist for $40 (with TWO baby trend carseats included, however we aren't using those. We bought Chicco Keyfit 30s for their carseats).

I haven't gotten the chance to use it though cause my babies are still in Nicu

 

We've only had two strollers... The double snap'n go (bought off Craigslist for $30) and the mini jogger city mini double. Both have large wheels than most strollers and we never felt the need for another one.

 

I know you have gotten like a million replies....
But, here is one more PRO Snap and go reply.
I LOVE it. It really isn't that much money, and you can often find them used on craigslist. I had a graco stroller from my daughter, with the snugride car seat. So we just bought another snugride for the second twin. I didn't want the Graco double stroller, as I liked the McClaren SBS better. So, we opted for the SNG first and then they will transition to the SBS.

I like the Snap n go, because it is SO easy moving them from the car to the stroller in their carseats. I didn't realize, when I was pregnant, how difficult managing twins and a toddler would be. I think if I had to take them out of their carseats (especially when asleep) and put them in a stroller EVERY stop we had to make (store, post office, bank, etc....) I would go crazy. The SNG just keeps things running smoothly for me. I plan to sell it on craigslist once they are holding their heads up more and are awake more of the day, because then I feel they would enjoy the SBS and be able to check out the world.

All a personal preference I think! Good luck to you!

 

We didn't get the snap-n-go... we had a used Graco duo Glider that we used with the 2 carseats (new Snugride 32). Then at 3 months or so, I started putting them in without the carseats but with the head bumper thingys so they wouldn't topple over. It worked for us. If they are sleeping, we can still put the carseats on the stroller and just go. Seemed silly to us to get two things when one would work.

 

We got our DSNG with 2 infant carriers for $150. The lady that I bought everything from had a set of twins that weighed 7lbs each and were quickly too heavy to carry around. I have a double jogging stroller that I have put them in once or twice to run up to the bus stop or when they are already out of their seats. We also live in the country so by the time we get where we want to go the twins are usually sleeping, so I'm glad for the DSNG so I don't have to wake them.

 

I didn't read all the other posts. but for us the DSNG is a must have! We are STILL using it. We have the SafeSeat carseats from Graco and it fits fine. Our twins are 16 1/2 months old and I do not want to give up the ability to just snap & go from car to stroller... its SO handy.

Getting into Gymboree, going from the car to house when they are asleep etc. There are times when now that they are so old I will just take them out of their carseats to get into a double shopping cart but for us we still love it.

One other thing... at about 5 months old my dh put the seat closest to you in backwards... what a miracle!!! we put them feet together and there is PLENTY of room!! the seat closest to you isn't quite as snug, and when they are little it seems precarious, but you can strap the seat on and its fine. A friend has the new snugride32 and it didn't seem to be as snug sitting in backwards as our SafeSeat. Anyway, once we figured that out, we just kept using the stroller b/c now there is plenty of room even if their feet overhang into the other twin's side...

b/c its so dang hot here I haven't been on a walk, but if I do, we have a jogging sbs and our Combi Twin Savvy that I use. But for being out and about, for us I still love the DSNG. hope all the comments help your decision.

one more thing... I've heard many many twin moms say that in the end they like the sbs strollers when the babies get older, so for me the full tandem stroller didn't seem to be an option when I knew I wanted the sbs, so for travelling we love the DSNG frame stroller.