what's best to buy?

I'm expecting twin boys in October and thought i'd better start buying some equipment. I've been looking at the double strollers available in my area, which isn't much cuz i live in a podunk little town in idaho Anyway, I can't decide whether i'd rather have a stroller w/ side by side seats or a caboose style stroller. I can see the pros and cons to both, the side by side strollers seem easier to steer but I would imagine there are a lot of issues w/ narrow doorways vs. wide strollers.... and the caboose style ones seem so awkward and bulky and hard to fold up and load in the car, plus it seems like u can't really see the babies as well w/ a big ole 4 foot long stroller in front of you. I'd love some input on what u guys found easier

Also, I had planned on keeping them in the same crib initially d/t space and finance issues (i'm single and pretty much doing this on my own) but i can't decide whether i should invest in some bassinets as well? if i were to purchase a combo playpen/bassinet thing would it be safe to keep both babies in one? or do i need to buy 2 separate bassinets?

Thanks in advance for all your wisdom and advice, i probably should sign up for one of those Big Sister type deals, i have soooo many questions.

 

I am also expecting twin boys in Oct (yah!!) and we bought one full size crib for the both of them to share initially. I also plan on keeping them in the same combo pack and play in our room until they are ready for the crib. We went back and forth between strollers and finally decided on a front to back because it fits more places and is easier to load and unload in the car. We have been buying stuff used from a local children's resale shop to save money though. If you don't have one locally you might try Craigs list or something. We did the same with our daughter (who is 9 months now) and were so gald we did considering the amount of stuff she did not use (exersaucer and bumbo chair, she wasn't a swing fan either). I would initially buy one of these items unless people are kind enough to gift them, and if both babies like it then go out and buy another. Good luck. Melanie

 

I bought a Peg Perego Aria Twin and I love, love, love it! It fits through all standard doorways, no problem. It worked great for the boys before they could sit up and it's really light weight. I got mine from Albee Baby and found a phenomenal deal on it. The only issue I've had is that it isn't exactly good for walking through the neighborhood. So, if that's something you do (or think you'll do) regularly, then definitely go with something else. But, as far as a side-by-side stroller goes, I've been thrilled with it.

As for the bassinet, I bought the Graco twin one. It worked okay, but only for a short while. It started to sag in the middle, which caused the boys to roll toward the center and get shoved up against the divider in the middle. I think once they were about 9-10lbs is when it happened. If I could do it over, I'd just put them together in their crib. Honestly though, it's probably about the same amount as you'd spend on two bassinets, so it may be worthwhile if you're on a tight budget.

Hope that helps!

Edited for redundancy.

 

If I had it to do again, i would buy one of those side by sides that is narrow and folds up like an umbrella stroller! I have a duo glider and a Kolcraft Contour - both are large and heavy - not bad strollers just bulky.

 

I would get the double snap n go . It is by far the easiest thing to use until the babies are out of the infant car seats. That will give you more time to decide on the actual stroller that is right for you.

*edited to add that if you have a twins club in your area you may be able to find one second hand.

Congratulations!

 

I love having the double snap n' go for the first year and then my twin aria by peg perego. For cribs/pack n play.. We use the pack n play in our room for as long as it's safe and then it's on to the crib in their room.

 

I have the duoglider, yes it is bulky, but it has been amazing, I love it!!

Sleeping: If I were to be able to start again, I would have done the pack n play with bassinette and have them both sleep in there in my room until I was ready to have them in their own rooms. I did have 2 bassinettes in my room and they were hardly ever used

 

Congrats one the twins! My boys are due in sept, and I've been online looking at product reviews for weeks now! It's so tedious! differently get a TS big sister, mine has been awesome!

The best thing you can do when trying to find a stroller is to try them out. Go to the stores that carry them and push them around, see how they work for you. If you know any other moms that might have double strollers ask to try them out. A lot of women have double strollers if they have two kids, even if they're not twins. I'm leaning towards the snap 'n go. It's the only one that I've seen that will fit in our car along with the baby seats and everything else. I really want a side by side after that because I'm not comfortable with a big long thing that I have to walk allllll the way around if something is up with the baby in front, and there's a few other things that really make me nervous about it. It will come down to what you want, and are comfortable with. The nice thing about the snap n go is by the time your boys have out grown it you'll have a better idea what works for you and what doesn't. When it comes to picking out a stroller you are the only one that knows where you're likely to go with it. I don't go to the mall that often so if it doesn't fit in the cramped mall stores I could care less. Anyway, I found this really helpful: http://www.toysrus.com/shop/index.jsp?categoryId=2964382

Money is tight for us too, but I found some great advice over in the Dads of Twins forum for money saving options. There are places that will give you discounts for Twins, like Babies r Us gives a 10% discount on there big tickets items, but you have to ask. Also, since you're in an area that doesn't sound like it has much in the way of shopping, online shopping may be the way to go to make sure you get what you need.

Good luck with everything! :hug99:

 

I got the graco duo glider you can attach 2 graco snug ride carseat to it instead of just one and then when they are a bit bigger just put them in the regular stroller part...I got mine a babies r us and it was only like $150 and it's nice too.....

here's the one I got

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2899790

 

oh one more thing the reason I didn't get a side by side is I worried about getting it through some doors


and due to space issues I am keeping my babies in one crib for now too....but I have a pack n play for my bedroom to keep them in the kind that has the full bassinett...its the fisher price rainforest one .....I figured that would be better than having a bassinett that they would grow out of then I'd have no use for it the pack and play I can still use til they are quite big.

 

QUOTE(pinky626 @ May 28 2008, 10:56 PM) [snapback]798163[/snapback]
I'm expecting twin boys in October and thought i'd better start buying some equipment. I've been looking at the double strollers available in my area, which isn't much cuz i live in a podunk little town in idaho Anyway, I can't decide whether i'd rather have a stroller w/ side by side seats or a caboose style stroller. I can see the pros and cons to both, the side by side strollers seem easier to steer but I would imagine there are a lot of issues w/ narrow doorways vs. wide strollers.... and the caboose style ones seem so awkward and bulky and hard to fold up and load in the car, plus it seems like u can't really see the babies as well w/ a big ole 4 foot long stroller in front of you. I'd love some input on what u guys found easier

Also, I had planned on keeping them in the same crib initially d/t space and finance issues (i'm single and pretty much doing this on my own) but i can't decide whether i should invest in some bassinets as well? if i were to purchase a combo playpen/bassinet thing would it be safe to keep both babies in one? or do i need to buy 2 separate bassinets?

Thanks in advance for all your wisdom and advice, i probably should sign up for one of those Big Sister type deals, i have soooo many questions.


Addressing your specific concerns:

Almost all side-by-side strollers will fit through a standard doorway. They're about the width of a wheelchair. The only issue I can think of with you is that you live in a small town so all the stores might not be handicapped accessible even if they are supposed to be.

I did find my sbs easier to steer but not by enough to make a difference. Most of the difference was when I'd be going over ramps, like those that lead into driveways over sidewalks. In stores, the tandem was actually easier because it fit everywhere whereas the sbs was sometimes difficult to get down clothing aisles and other tight spaces.

My tandem was easier to fold up and put in the trunk than my sbs because it closed flat instead of umbrella style. I'd just close it, stand it up with one hand, grab the side with the other hand, and lift into the trunk.

Most sbs strollers will not accommodate infant carseats so you'd have to take the babies out of their carseats every time you want to use the stroller. The kids are actually easier to see in a tandem because they aren't blocked by the sunshades all the time. I did like the little windows in top of the sunshades of my sbs but they didn't provide fantastic viewing by any stretch of the imagination.

Finally, if you are tight on finances you should probably go with a tandem because you can get them for much cheaper. Have fun shopping!

 

QUOTE(Vivian @ May 29 2008, 10:29 AM) [snapback]799210[/snapback]
Congrats one the twins! My boys are due in sept, and I've been online looking at product reviews for weeks now! It's so tedious! differently get a TS big sister, mine has been awesome!

The best thing you can do when trying to find a stroller is to try them out. Go to the stores that carry them and push them around, see how they work for you. If you know any other moms that might have double strollers ask to try them out. A lot of women have double strollers if they have two kids, even if they're not twins. I'm leaning towards the snap 'n go. It's the only one that I've seen that will fit in our car along with the baby seats and everything else. I really want a side by side after that because I'm not comfortable with a big long thing that I have to walk allllll the way around if something is up with the baby in front, and there's a few other things that really make me nervous about it. It will come down to what you want, and are comfortable with. The nice thing about the snap n go is by the time your boys have out grown it you'll have a better idea what works for you and what doesn't. When it comes to picking out a stroller you are the only one that knows where you're likely to go with it. I don't go to the mall that often so if it doesn't fit in the cramped mall stores I could care less. Anyway, I found this really helpful: http://www.toysrus.com/shop/index.jsp?categoryId=2964382

Money is tight for us too, but I found some great advice over in the Dads of Twins forum for money saving options. There are places that will give you discounts for Twins, like Babies r Us gives a 10% discount on there big tickets items, but you have to ask. Also, since you're in an area that doesn't sound like it has much in the way of shopping, online shopping may be the way to go to make sure you get what you need.

Good luck with everything! :hug99:


How do you get the discount with Babies R Us? I hadn't heard of that before!

 

Ditto the snap and go plan. We are also due in Oct. and plan on using that until they grow out of the infant seats and will then decide on a new stroller. For the sleeping arrangements, we plan on using one bassinet and then two when they are too big to share (the bassinets were hand me downs) otherwise I was just going to do the pack and play route as those are useful later on. Then one crib while they can share then 2 cribs.

 

My experience...

Get a double Snap N Go. That's all you'll need for the first six - eight months while your babies are still in their infant car seats. After that get a side by side stroller. The front to back ones are too big and bulky and once your babies can sit up, they will want to be next to each other rather than in front/back. Besides, on most of the front/back strollers the baby in the back can kick the baby in the front.

As for cribs and bassinets, we never bought bassinets. Our girls slept in the same crib next to each other every day from day one to about five months when they outgrew the one crib and we had to move them to two cribs.

Good luck...!

 

How do you get the discount with Babies R Us? I hadn't heard of that before!

To be honest, I'm not 100% sure how it works. My mom went to check out what they have I told her to ask if they had a discount. They told her they did. When I went in (it was my first trip after being stuck in bed from sever morning sickness) I asked how it worked. I think they said I'd need a note from my dr that I am in fact having twins. And it's only for their "big ticket" items. I don't know how they class those, or if you have to buy two to get the discount. Sorry I don't have more info for you. I haven't been able to get back to Babies R Us since that visit, it's so frustrating! But someone on the dads forum brought it up, so maybe someone else knows more about it.

 

Lots of awesome suggestions. I went out and did some people watching, particularly any time I saw twins. I noticed that most had a hard time with the SBS strollers getting through doorways and aisles whereas the tandem did not. I've even seen people who strap together two umbrellas strollers to make them SBS. That seemed to work in a pinch. I ended up going to the mall and walking around the store with both types to see what worked best for me. I tried several brands and spent a load of time too. I folded them, lifted them with one (sometimes two) hands and got a real feel for how well they were going to work out for me. I even took a girlfriend with a little baby and tried putting them in and out of the two seats to see which would work best while sleeping etc.
I finally settled on the Graco Duo Glider but there are many to choose from for different reasons. I would totally suggest doing some shopping over a period of weeks to really decide which one is best in your family dynamic.

 

yeah when you buy two of the same product you will get a discount for your twin.....at babies R us

 

thanks for all your input everyone! its so nice to have this forum and get advice from ppl who have been thru this already

 

QUOTE(Vivian @ May 29 2008, 02:06 PM) [snapback]799676[/snapback]
How do you get the discount with Babies R Us? I hadn't heard of that before!

To be honest, I'm not 100% sure how it works. My mom went to check out what they have I told her to ask if they had a discount. They told her they did. When I went in (it was my first trip after being stuck in bed from sever morning sickness) I asked how it worked. I think they said I'd need a note from my dr that I am in fact having twins. And it's only for their "big ticket" items. I don't know how they class those, or if you have to buy two to get the discount. Sorry I don't have more info for you. I haven't been able to get back to Babies R Us since that visit, it's so frustrating! But someone on the dads forum brought it up, so maybe someone else knows more about it.


You just have to buy 2 of the same thing to get the discount which is 10%. At a trip to the store about a month earlier they told us they would do it on the carseats but not the stroller even though it was a double stroller, you would still have to buy 2 strollers to get the discount. Just a short while ago they were giving out 15% off one sigle item coupons per purchase and so we decided to use those and do 3 transactions (1 for each car seat and 1 for the stroller) to get the 15% off each item since obviously it was a better deal and we could use it on the stroller too. We thought they wouldn't let us stack the other 10% but to our surprise, they did, and they didn't make us do everything seperate to get it. Plus we signed up for a Babies R Us instant credit CC for an additional 10% off coupon of entire purchase. So they gave us 10, 15 and then another 10% off and we ended up saving about $120 total on the purchase. The nice thing was they did this for all 3 items so it worked great for us.

 

We have different products here and we don't have a stroller were you can snap the car seat into. I have a double umbrella type for everyday shopping($250.00) plus a jogger type (1800.00) Things to consider..

1.. does it fit a normal doorway

2. is it light. When you are putting into the trunk esp after a c/s you want light light light

3. easy to open and close. Don't have the store person do this... you need to try it.

4. does it fit into the trunk of your car

5. it might be cheaper to buy car seats that dont' snap into the stroller. No biggie you just take them out of the car seat and into the stroller. You don't get out much with twins anyway. (I know one hospital that gave you a car seat with each baby born)

6. can the babies lie back fully. They are unable to sit up until 3 months.


Heather

 

I forgot to say my sleeping arrangements.. I loved a Moses basket I got from " Good Home" for $30.00 it was great for when they both could sleep in it together. I purchased a $100.00 portacot and it had a bassinet and change table on it. I have a two level house so it worked great for a nap center and the Moses for the other baby.

I have heard of people considering a portacot as the baby's bed. Most would work for the first 5- 6 months to give you some time to look around for cheaper crib options. If you have an Ikea store near you they have great high chairs that are cheap and so easy to clean and not an eye sore. IKea isn't everywhere though.

I purchased cribs that transform into toddler beds and I purchased a bit better mattress for that reason.

Heather

 

I would go with the Snap N Go too. Check out consignment shops first and Craigslist. I had a jogging version of the snap n go, but the boys didn't face me. I was so jealous when I would see others out. I also have the Graco Duoglider, but was given slightly used Evenflo seats so I didn't use it until the boys could sit up a little better. We do a lot of stuff outside and I recently bought a jogging stroller (sbs) and love it. It fits through handicap accessible doors, but I have found a LOT of doors that are not big enough for a wheel chair. If you are really on a tight budget, go with the Duoglider and the car seats that fit it. Otherwise, get the snap n go, knowing that you will get a sbs when the kids grow out of their infant seats. Does that make any sense??

Edited to add:

Just get one big crib for now. We used our pack n play downstairs for diaper changes and I slept down there most of the time when they first came home. I did night shifts and my mom helped while I napped during the day. I think a regular pnp would be fine instead of a bassinet. FYI my boys slept in their car seats from 3-4 months and then in their cribs. Oh yeah, whatever you do, don't get the mini cribs...we're going to have to convert ours to toddler beds before the boys are one!

 

Just another vote for the double snap n go. Mine would often go to sleep in their car seats and I could do a whole grocery trip while they slept if I planned well. If I had had to get them out of their seats, I never would have left the house! Once they hit about 7-8 months or so and start to outgrow it, you can then get a SBS. I love my BOB - it's very manueverable (I push it and pull a grocery cart), but it is very expensive. (I wouldn't have gotten it if I had known we'd have 3 kids so soon!)


Let them sleep in the same crib for awhile. We kept ours together for 6 or 7 months, so you have awhile. We haven't gotten as much use out of our PNP as I expected.


Good luck!

Suzanne

 

The discount at Babies 'r' Us is called the "Multiples" discount...

All you have to do when you check out is ask for the Multiples discount---however, it only applies when you buy two (2) of certain items, such as two mobiles, two umbrella strollers, two bassinets, car seats, etc. Also, you have to be purchasing the two items at the same time.

Doesn't work on clothes, formula, diapers, etc. Bummer!

BTW, I have NOT ONCE walked out of Babies 'r' Us without having spent at least $350! Especially when formula is $150 in bulk for six canisters! Gosh!


QUOTE(angelf @ May 29 2008, 09:51 AM) [snapback]799489[/snapback]
How do you get the discount with Babies R Us? I hadn't heard of that before!

 

Get a double snap n go!! It is easy, light, and compact. For later, I have the Maclaren Twin Techno. I love it because it is light and folds up small. I tried the duoglider, but it was SO heavy and big, no way I could have used it.

We have a cosleeper that attaches to our bed for them to sleep in right now. I love it. Later, they will be sharing a crib for awhile until they move to their own cribs.

 

We just got our duoglider and so far we love it. We have a single Graco stroller from when Kylie was little and so we are going to use that one for austin. Kylie loves riding in the front of the duoglider so we will put her in the front of that one and put Alyssa in the back. She feels like such a big girl riding in it.

 

The most important stroller at this point for getting around to Dr's appointments, etc. is one you can put the infant car seats in--I recommend the double snap n go! It's lightweight and easy to use, super practical. And it costs around 99, I think. You won't need a stroller they can sit up in for a while, maybe 6 months or so. I have to say the stroller I love most for walking around the neighborhood is one that's like a pram, where the babies can actually lie on their backs in it. It's not fun putting them in carseats when they're so little, plus you can swaddle them or whatever to keep them comfy when they're lying down. I don't have a particular brand recommendation, my mom bought me a fancy one on craigslist that's double wide for twins and then later you can change out the pram bed for seats.