seeking parking advice...

I live in a townhome with detached garages and parking is a walk and I have to park on the street (still a walk). I usually just pull up, drop the girls off in their infant carriers and then park on the street and sprint back to the house (no joke). Takes anywhere between 1-3 mintues depending on if neighbors are around/in the way, etc... I have been ok with this because they are still straped in their car seats, but now that they are on the verge of growing out of the infant carriers, I am wondering what is the most efficient and safe method for getting the girls in and out of the house. I should also mention I am driving a sedan and we only have a bob stroller, so I have to take the wheels off if I bring it in the car. I have been practicing, but I still haven't master not getting dirt on me (fine when I am coming home, but going...not going to work when I have to dress professionally for work.)... oh, and the street that I park on is sort of a busy street....

Alright, so after this long winded explanation, how or what would you do in this situation?


I ask because I have had two neighbors sarcasically say they will call CPS...(One of the neighbors, I hear his ONE kid cry ALL the time, more than my two combined..) This comment is irritating to say the least because of who it is coming from, and they don't have experience with twins, and one of the other neighbors actually has his backyard against the parking area, so he doesn't have this issue.

 

Is there a way you can or borrow a double snap and go? That would be easy and quick to fold/unfold in the car just for getting to/from the parking. I also didn't see how old they are, but would they do ok in a double umbrella stoller and leave the carriers in the car? Are you putting them inside the house or on the porch or other area outside? I'm not sure how far away the parking is and if you have a view of them at all times, but that would kinda worry me. I've been known to just carry the two infant carriers when in a pinch. Hopefully you can figure something out that works. Sounds like a big pain.

 

I don't think I would be very comfortable dropping them off in front of the house & leaving them while I park. I know I would be worried about someone just walking by and picking one up & walking away (unlikely I know, but it would still concern me). Or I would worry about anything else that could happen in that few minutes when they were left unattended. ardon: I would probably get a stroller that I could use if I couldn't carry them. Maybe a double umbrella stroller that you can just keep in the trunk for just that purpose? They are really cheap & if the girls are outgrowing their infant seats, they should be big enough to sit in there I would think.

 

I think the umbrella stroller is a good idea. You could probably find one cheap on craigslist.

 

This is probably what I would do too if I was in your situation. Unless your LOs are walking, could they just walk back with you?

 

Yep, put one in the umbrella stroller and carry the other. I did this alot when I had to pick up DD from school.

 

They are almost 8 months old. I put them inside the house. This period of being too heavy to carry and not walking yet is sort of tricky (of course when they can walk, that will bring on a more and different challenges!) I will be picking up one of those umbrella strollers tomorrow- hopefully really cheap.

 

ours are almost 19 mo. old... and we STILL use the DSNG... I have a detached garage, but thankfully can at least park in it and not worry about finding a parking spot... Our carseats are the ones that go to 32 pounds, and ours are just now getting to where they might outgrow the height restriction, otherwise they will last us a while. I mainly use the DSNG so that we can load them in their carseats in the house and go to the car. and then back to the house.

If you won't be using the car carriers much longer, then I think the umbrella stroller is a good option. I don't see anything wrong with leaving them in the house for a few minutes while you go get your car parked. We have a gated area that we can leave ours so that they are secure... yours will start to get into things if they aren't already... so you need to think about the safety inside your house while you are parking soon too. (at first I was worried you were leaving them on the side of the road too... phew... that would scare me like the pp said!)

I worry about the whole getting to the car thing once ours switch to the convertible carseats... and I like the idea of a cheapy umbrella stroller... you can have one strapped in it while you get the other strapped in the car etc. oh, logistics! lovely!

 

I would also do a double umbrella stroller. As they get bigger, it will be tougher for you to carry one and push a stroller, especially if you have other things to carry. Depending on how far the parking is, I would probably put them inside the front door (and lock it!) for just a minute or two as well, but once they aren't buckled in the seats anymore, trouble will follow them everywhere! Even in a pnp or exersaucer they won't be safe to be out of earshot for too long. Good luck! And I hope your nosey neighbor butts out!

 

OK, at first I thought you were setting them in front of the house, but inside, in their carriers? And someone has an issue with that? Umm... whatever! Once mine got heavy, I would carry them one at a time out to the car, it was better than being afraid I was going to drop one. When we moved, I used to use the stroller frequently to get them to/from the house. I also vote for getting a cheap double umbrella stroller.

 

They have out grown the snap n go stroller, part of the reason I just carry them inside (and it is not safe to load them in and out on the street-only two spots where it is safe, and they are not always available). So, I still will have that issue when they switch to the convertible seats.

Yes, inside still buckled in their carriers, door locked!

My husband and I are will be going to toys r us/babies r us today- so we will check out the cheapy strollers.

 

You can get a single, cheapie umbrella stroller for 10-15 at a store like Meijer or Target - the cheapest double I've ever seen is much more than $20-$30. Of course, that leaves you with carrying one and any other stuff you have...