Hi Moms! I am expecting my 2nd in February, when my first child will be nearly 3. I expect there will be times that I will need to have them both confined to a stroller (walking the dogs, stores with breakable things, etc.). Can anyone recommend a good double stroller for a 3-year old and an infant? Also, advice about pros/cons of side-by-side, tandem, etc. would also be helpful. Thanks!!
I loved the one I got from One Step Ahead:
http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId...
I had my two kids three years apart too. Good luck!
at that age id get a sit and stand. with cup holders....i love cup holders. make sure infant seat will fit in the seat and 3 year old still has room too. there are many brands with this sit and stand option.
I have the Baby Trend sit-n-stand Lx and we love it. My daughter is 5 so she is technically too big for it but we still put her in it (just a little harder to push). We got it when my son (now 1) was born. Have used with infant carrier and no without. Works great for us.
I have the Sit-n-stand and LOVE it!!! My son had just turned 4 when my daughter was born, and I wanted to have some way of containing him without strappinghim down. He loves the stroller as well- makes him feel like a big boy because he can sit, or stand. It is adapatable for all infant car seats, and has a seat in front for the little one when out of the infant seat. Very lightweight, manageable, etc!
My son was 2-12/ when my second was born. We have the Joovy Ultralight Caboose. It is only 21 lbs., folds up very easily, and pushes like a dream. Comes with a fantastic parent cup holder. It is a sit & stand style and I love it! You can get an infant carseat attachment for the front. It is a bit long, but I could fit in the trunk of my sedan. Not all sit & stands are alike, many of them weigh over 30 lbs! Definitely get the Ultralight, it is well worth the money!
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My son was 2-12/ when my second was born. We have the Joovy Ultralight Caboose. It is only 21 lbs., folds up very easily, and pushes like a dream. Comes with a fantastic parent cup holder. It is a sit & stand style and I love it! You can get an infant carseat attachment for the front. It is a bit long, but I could fit in the trunk of my sedan. Not all sit & stands are alike, many of them weigh over 30 lbs! Definitely get the Ultralight, it is well worth the money!
I actually have a side by side and a tandem stroller. My kids are 2 years apart. I also have a sit and stand that was great on smooth surfaces (stores/sidewalks), but does not off-road well (over curbs, on the grass). It fits through a standard door. I love my side by side (it is a jogging stroller). It goes over smooth surfaces and off-roads well. It also has seperate canopies. However, it does not fit through a standard door. With the tandem, my daughter (the older one) could play with my son's feet. sometimes good, sometimes bad. With the side by side, they can now hit each other (2 and 4 years old), but it is easier for me to determine who started it - and put an end to it, because I can access them equally.
Due to expense, my side by side I bought used and the tandem was new. I love them both.
Combi twin side by side is my favorite...too bad I didn't get it until my last two. Tried Graco and sit/stand and they are so heavy and hard to push. And the front seat does not recline well and a toddler cannot sleep in it because the back is not tall enough to support their heads. The side by side Combi fits through all doors, both seats recline well and it is so easy to manuver and folds up so small!
I have this one
http://www.amazon.com/Baby-Trend-Double-Stroller-Skylar/d...
I researched for months before purchasing aaanndd...
I never use it. It's too heavy and hard to push. I'm pretty strong and active, but the stroller weighs 40 pounds, with my 2 1/2 yr old and 10 month old, about 95. I weigh 103, so that doesn't work out too well.
I really wish I had a side by side jogging stroller. I'd recommend just a regular travel system so you could use it for either child and then a sling or carrier for the little one. That's what we ended up doing most of the time. or we just put them both in a shopping cart (if we were shopping that it is lol).
I LOVE my Kolcraft Contours!! The seats are great for newborns, and my 3 y.o also fits in it very comfortably. The seats can face multiple directions, and there's also an attachment for an infant carrier. It has a large basket, also. The seats recline very well. My biggest con is that it is bigger and bulky when folded up, but I love it so much that that doesn't bother me. I've found it's easier to push with my baby in the front seat facing me, and my ODS in the back, facing the front (so they're facing each other, but it's more a weight thing, not which direction they're facing).
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3572947
I also have a sit and stand from Target (I think the babytrend brand?). It's great for babies who can sit up, since the seat doesn't recline very well. It was perfect for Disneyland, and we use it at festivals, or any place that my ODS might be up and down a lot (the zoo is another good place!). The basket is hard to access, and I can't even put my diaper bag in it, so I hang it on hooks on the handle. It does fold up smaller than my Contours, and is easier to push since it's shorter.
I wish I had a stoller that combined my favorite features of each of these strollers, that was still affordable! My favorite of the 2 is the Contours, but for certain things I prefer the sit n stand.
I also second the carrier!! I have a Kozy carrier (a Mei Tai), and also a woven wrap (a Girasol). I used a stretchy wrap when LO was younger, but he hit 20 lbs at 4 months so he quickly outgrew it (they're only recommended for up to about 18 lbs). These have made my life soooo much easier with a baby and a toddler!! Here's a great blog post that explains some AWESOME, safe carriers. Half the time I push the stroller with my toddler, and carry my LO. Also a life saver for grocery shopping!
http://betterbabywearing.blogspot.com/2010/03/babyweaing-...
