Finding a Good Double Stroller

You definitely need a stroller! I would recmmend the one that holds the infant, but lets the older one either stand or sit. I believe it is by Graco!

I would have to agree with those who suggested the Sit-N-Stand by baby Trend. One Step Ahead also has one. The older children like to feel like a big person so the option of sitting on a reg. seat (one that does not look like the one the baby is sitting in) or standing up is a good compromise. Graco is nice too, but it does not have as many options as the Sit-N- Stand.

I will be getting one in a couple of months.

J.,

I've used a Graco double stroller and it is well made and works well. The only down side is that it takes up a considerable amount of trunk space. Several friends of mine with a new born and a 4 year old have bought a stroller with an infant carrier system that has a place for the older child to sit and be strapped in or stand. They found this at Target for about $120. I think this system converts to a regular stroller without the infant carrier and will take up less trunk space.

V. J.
Mother of 4
10, 8, 3 & 1 month

J., My daughter had just turned four and we bought a double stroller. We never used it! I actually just gave it to my brother. I think if I had of gotten the sit to stand model, I would have used it more. That gives the older child the option to sit or stand while Mommy pushes the children.

Hi J.. We received the Sit 'n Stand Elite Stroller from onestepahead.com as a gift when our daughter was born. This is a wonderful double stroller as it allows your older child the option of sitting or standing. Plus it makes them feel SO big! The nice thing about this double is that it can fit most infant car seats. We use this one a lot when traveling as well as normal daily activities. It is pricey, but a really nice stroller. Hope this helps.
M.

Babytrend Sit-n-stand not onlly is a double stroller, but it has an attachment to carry a carseat on front. Your older son can sit or stand on the back, and it is not too restraining. I love this stroller. The only down side is it is a bit big and heavy. That being said, it is not nearly as heavy and awkward as most double strollers. You can view it at Target or walmart online.

We have used the sit 'n stand from One Step Ahead for over two years now and LOVE it!!! My oldest will be 4 in April and still rides on it, he likes the fact that he can stand. My biggest problem now is that my 2 year old no longer wants to sit, she wants to stand like her big brother!

I have a 2 yr old and a 7 mo old. We recently bought a Baby Trend Sit-n-stand deluxe, and we are all loving it. You can use it in so many different ways. It can be a double stroller, or you can take the back seat off and your older child can stand on it (or sit there too). We did a lot of research before we bought a stroller. This stroller got a lot of great reviews. Also, I work at a zoo, and I have seen several families using this particular stroller.

Mine are 3 years, 3 months and 1 day apart. My older son thought he was a 'big boy' and I think would have cried if I put him in a stroller, so I bought a Sit and Stand. It worked GREAT! The baby is in the stroller part, but the older child either stands up on a platform just behind the baby or can sit facing the person pushing the baby. I used it at the zoo and other places where there was a lot of walking and he needed a break from time to time, but I had to keep in motion.

I continued to have a carriage system for times when there was no need for my older son to be a rider and I wanted the plush ride for my younger son. Thankfully the Perego carriages have a VERY sturdy undercarriage and one time my older son begged to sit criss-cross-applesauce in that section due to being tired. But I'd not suggest that as a regular solution. :)

Good luck!

Hi J.--

I would recommend a stroller that allows the larger child to stand in the back (or sit). It accomodates a baby car seat and can later be adjusted for the baby to use the regular stroller seat. You can find an example here:
http://tinyurl.com/2k8nek

Ours was the Babytrend Sit and Stand--we absolutely wore it out! We took it to Hawaii (airports, etc) and it worked extremely well because the kids are in a row instead of side-by-side, which makes it difficult to go in/out doorways. Also, it gives a little extra distance between the kids to keep them from doing the "he's touching me/she's touching me" mantra (just wait, your day will come...). Further, the larger child will feel like a "big boy" when he can stand and have the ease of sitting down or getting out in situations like going to the zoo.

I just can't say enough about how great this type of stroller is. My daughters are 2 years apart and it was one of the best pieces of baby equipment I ever owned.

Congratulations on your pregnancy, and good luck!

M. M :)

I liked my Graco double stroller. It worked really well. I would not buy a new travel system stroller for the baby. With two little ones you want to leave car seats in the car and transfer children to the double stroller. When you are by yourself the children outnumber you now. You don't want to have to fiddle with two seats that you take out of the car and attach to the stroller. Parking lots are a potential danger spot. Toddlers can dart in front of a car, strangers abduct children from parking lots, purses are stolen, etc. For safety reasons, you want your children out of the car and into the stroller. It may be cold or raining. You don't want anything that slows you down.

I have a 3 1/2 year old and an 8 month old and the best solution for us was the Sit & Stand stroller. My older son likes to have the freedom to get off and walk around, but if he is tired he can hop on and ride. There are a couple of brands out there-Baby Trend and Joovy. We have the baby trend and I know people with the Joovy and we are all happy with them. You will have to look and decide which works best for you. I am so glad we did not buy the double stroller. This is a much better solution for our needs.

I have a two and half year old and a 7 month old. I recently purchased a sit n stand stroller from Target. It's made by Baby Trend. They actually have one that's a double stroller, but you can remove the second (back) seat and just use it for the older child to sit on or stand. I really like the sit n stand--my toddler doesn't feel retrained or crowded. It's not restrictive, you can fasten the older child in, but if you don't they can get up or sit down on their own. I didn't get the double sit n stand because I knew my two year old wouldn't go for the traditional restrictive seat. The baby carrier (car seat) fits on the stroller with an attachment that is included with the stroller. When you aren't putting your carrier on the stroller, you can put the drink tray on the stroller. Babies R Us sells a sit n stand by Joovy, which I tried out, but I didn't really care for it. The Baby Trend model has a parent tray for cups, etc... which the Joovy doesn't have. I was a little concerned that my toddler would hit her head on the tray, but so far that hasn't been an issue. Hope this is helpful.

I have twins, followed by an eight year old. I have had many strollers. I got the in line stroller with the recliner/shade for the little one in the rear, putting the older of the two in the front. The stroller that goes side by side does not have the added support for the baby.

But another option is the single seated stroller that comes with the baby carrier with bonnet which can be placed facing you or away on top by the stroller pushing handle. By the time your little one hits 2, your 4 year old will no longer have to be in a stroller.

Hope this helps, good luck shopping.

I would suggest a sit and stand stroller. I have one and I have a 2 and a 3 1/2 year old. It give my 3 1/2 year the option of sitting or standing on the back. It also has a piece that connects on the front to attach an infant seat. I'm not sure if you can use any infant seat or theirs (I got mine when my kids were older). Hope this helps!

SIT and STAND is the only "double stroller" I will swear by. It the one where the baby is in the front and your son can sit or stand in the back!! Baby Trend makes ours but I see them in the stores as well. The other strollers are either too heavy or the kids are just too big for them. I had a front to back and had to get rid of it because my oldest was too tall for it at 2/3.

I just got a Baby Trend Sit and Stand at Target for $119 and I like it a lot. I have a 1 year old and 3 year old, and the 3 year old is almost 4, so she also doesn't always need to ride, but at the zoo or on long walks she always ends up asking to be carried. This stroller has a little platform on the back for her to hop onto when she needs to. I drive a Saturn Ion and have to pop the tray and the sunshade off to fit it in my trunk, but it only takes 3 seconds to do that. It turns well, folds easily and has a basket underneath. I've been really happy with it so far. My 3 year old loves having her own space to ride, too. Though we don't need it, it came with a bar to attach a baby carseat in the front, so you wouldn't need another stroller at all. I don't know what kind of seats will attach to, but you can probably find out at target.com

I use the Baby Trend Sit N Stand. I believe that is the name of it. The older child can sit or stand in the back and you can put the infant car seat on the front. Then when the baby is out of the car seat then it turns into a regular seat. I love this stroller. Hope this helps you.

J., I love my Jeep double umbrella stroller. It fold and unfolds really easy, and I can set it up with one hand. I got it just for shopping trips, etc. It works great for a newborn too, with head supports and everything. I used it all the time instead of a travel system, even if I just had the baby. It's great for holding the stuff you buy in the other side if you don't have the 2nd one with you. Good luck!

I used a Graco Duo-glider for YEARS and loved it! It holds a bunch of stuff, too, for trips to the park, etc. I like the front-back ones because they fit through doors.

I have twins and 2 double strollers - a Peg Perego (fairly expensive - $300, but extremely light weight - 14lbs....) It will hold a total of 90 lbs. I also have an Expediton brand. It's more affordable ($179), not as light weight and doesn't travel as well - However, it will also hold up to 90 lbs. It's more of a jog stroller with 3 wheels and very sturdy. We use it outside around the house, etc. And for vacations, we do take the larger (Expedition) stroller - it's better for the beach, etc.

And the new Expedtion model (which I don't have) looks to be a bit more managable. The 3rd wheel moves so the stroller can be steered. I saw it at Babies R Us last week.

I can't provide good advice on whether you should get another stroller system for baby on the way. I will say that both of the double strollers didn't work well until my twins were about 3 months old.

Hope this helps!
A. R

I have the Joovy Caboose Stand-On Tandem Stroller. It's great for my 2 1/2 year old and 4 month old. At first I just wore the baby in a sling everywhere so we didn't use the stroller much but now that we're back at the gym we use it every day. You would need the accessory kit for storage and a cupholder at the handle. There is a small basket behind where your oldest would sit/stand. That storage is not very easily accessible but works well for coats and purses on mall trips. I bought a couple of stroller hooks for the handle to hang shopping bags from and my messenger diaper bag hangs nicely over the handle. I really like this stroller. It maneuvers so well in tight spaces and is not nearly as heavy as most other doubles. It'll be especially short once the baby is sitting and out of the carseat. Now, as far as a travel system goes, I already had one from my first. I lent the stroller to a friend and still use the carseat. On occassion we borrow the stroller back but for the most part we have survived well without it. Good luck to you and God Bless.
T.

i had the same issue as you. my children are four years apart. be sure that you try out all of the strollers in the store with your four year old. i wanted a side by side double, so that i would not have to lift my four year old in and out of a tandem, but she is too tall for every side by side on the market. she is about 43 inches. also in a tandem(one seat behind the other) they are nearly impossible to steer unless you put your bigger child in the back. so you have to lift them in and out constantly. we even tried a sit and stand, but you cant use the rear seat or platform when the baby seat in in the front because the back of the front seat reclines over the rear area. also my daughter is over the hight limit to stand on the platform. the only solution we found was to carry the baby in a front carrier (i love the moby wrap. i used it from the week i had my son and i still use it on occasion) almost all of the time so that my daughter could use the stroller. very hard to find a solution when you have your babies this age apart. if you have more questions, message me. i hope you find a solution that works for you.

You could always try a Sit n Stand stroller by babytrend. I have 3 children and have used it with them. The babysits in the front which is a normal stroller and the older child sits in the back that looks like a bench and there is a place for them to stand if they want to. You can also buy the infant carseat to match. It takes some practice getting used to opening and closing by yourself.

I just purchased the baby trend expedition for 179.00 from Target online. It is a jogging stroller and holds up to 100 lbs. I really like it so far!

Target has a double one on sale right now for $129 that the back part can be taken out for a toddler to stand. im looking into it b/c my dd will be 2 a few days after this one arrives in 3 weeks and doesn't really like the stroller that well but at times it is needed

I found double strollers to be very awkward to use in crowded places like a mall. May I suggest, a baby carrier for the new baby and a single stroller for the toddler, or even one baby carrier on your back for the toddler, and one on your front for the baby, or you wear one, hubby wears the other. I rarely used a stroller, carriers are so much easier to use, they go anywhere, without the bulk of a stroller. Ever try pushing a stroller through gravel? Or up an escalator? Maneuver through crowded narrow aisles? Of course a stroller is easier on your back, and great for walks around the neighborhood, but never in crowds. Also, there are some places, like mueseums, & restaurants, animal houses at the Zoo that don't allow strollers inside. I have a Snugli & a Napsack that I like a lot. Slings seem to be the rage right now, but I like Hands-free carriers better.
M.

There are some new stand and ride strollers out now. Since your son is 4 and active it might be great for you. The front is a stroller for a smaller child (and most of these strollers are adaptable with a carrier so you can just snap the carrier in like you would a regular stroller.) On the back is a standing platform w/ a fold away seat. That way if your 4 year old is tired of walking he can sit. And if you need to keep him close but he doesn't want to sit, he can stand on the platform. I saw one for the first time at an amusement park. Then I started noticing them in stores and on-line. My husband and I are trying for a baby. We have a 4 1/2 year old daughter. I've already said that I'm getting the sit and stand type stroller when we need one.

M. A

We have a Graco DuoGlider double stroller and absolutely love it!! We looked at several double strollers and decided on Graco so we could use our infant carrier with it and because of the HUGE storage area underneath. This stroller looks exactly like ours except our pattern is different.

http://www.babyage.com/products/6l00dai3_graco_graco_duog...

Don't know about double strollers as my boys are 6 years apart, but with my 2nd I did get a Combi....they are great little things. Can go almost anywhere and fold up nice and small, not one of the huge ones that I had to lug around with my 1st. I do know that they make the double though.
Good luck!
R. A.

Hi-I have 4 kids and the oldest is 5 with another on the way. I have always had a double stroller of some type. But I hardly use it. I do like the side-by-side better than the front-back. If I was you, I would buy a double for the just in case but with your oldest being 4, I wouldn't spend much on it because it probably won't get used much. Maybe look at the set & stand. Also I believe One Step Ahead has a stand attachment that can go on almost any single stroller. Good luck!!

I have the graco duo glider stroller and i love it! its easy to use. it has 2 trays that can be removes 2 umbrella hoods that can come off and both seats recline... it fold as well as and double stroller can! also try looking at places like once upon a child or and used childs store for a cheaper ride!