Seeking Advice on Double Stroller

I had a double jogger, side by side. I loved it. It is bulky, though. It goes anywhere a wheelchair can go (like spacewise), but goes over any terrain wonderfully. The kids get a smooth ride and my babies weren't bounced all around like they would have been in a regular stroller. To move around, you tilt it back a bit on the back wheels. Otherwise, you lean it where you want it to go. Both kids can see everything and each other. I've outgrown it now and will replace it with a single jogger for awhile. I guess there are advantages to both, just depends on how you're going to use it. My friend has one that is a normal stroller but with a place in the back that the older child can stand or sit. They can hop off easily too, which is nice for the older child. It was pretty neat. If I had seen that one, I might have bought it instead!

I have a 3 yr old and a 6 mo old. I have the Phil and Ted E3/Sport with the additional seat. This stroller rocks - I only add the seat when I need it, since my toddler is often in preschool or is in a place he can walk without getting into too much trouble. Very easy to manuever and it doesn't take up much room. It's smaller than my 2 other strollers (Jeep jogger and a Graco travel). Highly recommended.

I have the graco duo glider and it has worked out fine and is affordable. It has a big enough storage basket underneath but folds up small enough to fit in the trunk of a toyota camry. The side by side are very difficult to fit into wider spaces, such as restroom doors. HTH

I've had both the side-by-side and the front-back kind. The traditional front/back kind are super hard to maneuver. The Graco Quatro Tour Double is easier for that kind of stroller but it still takes up a lot of space in the trunk and is heavy. I would recomend this specific type of stroller if you are positive you need the front/back type of stroller.

If you are interested in the side-by-side type, I would HIGHLY recomend the Peg Perego Aria Twin! Yes, it is pricey...but SO worth it! When I was researching them, I tried out many brands. Some didn't feel solid enough, some made you really feel the weight difference between the children as you were pushing and others just did not work. When I put my 2 yr old and my 6 month old in the Aria Twin, it scooted like there was virtually no weight in it at all. It turns on a dime and has a huge basket underneath. The true bonus is that it only weighs 14lbs. and can be carried with one hand. It is easier to fit in the trunk when you already have things in there because it just lays on top. You can find the stroller much cheaper on ebay, by over $100 or more. Babies R Us wants $340 and I got mine off of ebay for $225.

Hey there,

I have the Quattro tour DuoGlider from Graco. I originally bought the Duoglider but had problems with it and they replaced it with the Quattro and I LOVE IT! It is easy to use and I love the storage. It is more expensive, but worth it.

Jen I

I was recently in the same situation. I have had a sit'n'stand and thought it was awful because it was so big and heavy. I looked into Joovy's sit'n'stand, the Quatro, and schwinn/In step to name a few. All of them had issues so I bit the bullet and ordered a Bob Duallie (side by side) from REI (got 20%= $117 when I paid $20 for a lifetime membership) which is the ONLY stroller I did not read any bad reviews. It is expensive but it is touted not to pull when you only have one kiddo in it or when the weight is uneven (ie. infant and preschooler). It also has a welded frame and can be used as a jogger and a regular stroller. There is also a 50 # weight limit to each seat, so the total of 100#s out does almost all the rest! And it fits through doors. Check out Amazon for the reviews, I think it was worth it.

I have had 3 double strollers, (my little ones are 1 yr and 8 days apart). The side by side is too bulky and does not fit thur doors. The Jeep double stroller is very heavy and hard to push.

I love the Graco DuroGlider. It costs about $120, but is well worth it. It is very easy to push, (you can do it with one hand) and the kiddo's have plenty of room so they don't terrorize each other, lol!!!

I hope I helped, have a great day!!!

D. Mattern-Muck
Mom's Helping Mom's Work From Home!
http://www.formyrugrats.com

I always used the Graco double stroller and it worked GREAT for me. My first 3 kids are spaced at 18 mos intervals so I needed to put my infant carrier on the stroller. But your son is already 2 1/2 and I might try the sit and stand like someone else suggested. I have a 2 yr old and from watching his 4 older siblings wants to be a BIG boy like them and won't stay in the stroller w/o screaming! That's why I am thinking it may be a better match for your family.

Blessings,
M.
Mom to 5 Wonderful Kids
www.4MyChildrenSake.com

My son was 2 1/2 when we had my second son. We got the Baby Trend Sit-n-Stand stroller. They will outgrow the double stroller so much quicker. My oldest is 5 1/2 and I still use the sit n stand.

We had purchased a double stroller many years ago. The one we choose was one seat behind the other. I do not remember the brand name, if I come across it I will reply again. Anyway, that is the only kind of stroller you can shop in stores with because the clothing racks, aisle are so nearer I just do not know how you could maneuver with a double wide. Our stroller also had great features as we could easily turn the seats to face each other or back to back or both facing to the front. The down side was you need a mini van or a car with a hatch back, because it does not fold down very small. I am very short under 5' tall and I was able to put it in and take it out with no problem. Now my son just purchased a double wide stroller from Academy and likes it, but they have not been shopping with it, I do not think they will like it once the shopping starts and the mom or dad can not get in to look at the items. I would never leave my stroller with baby in it to go over to look it stayed with me because it would be so easy for someone to take you kid.

It has been a few years since I had to endure double strollers. We actually had both. The front to back one is great in stores and tighter spaces, but the side-by-side is better for all the rest since both kids can see and aren't kicking each other. We bought a double jogging stroller and took it every where! Look at your life style and see what works better. I do know that we needed to wait to put the girls in the side-by-side due to their size (I believe it wasn't until they were about 6 months.) That could have changed with today's strollers. Good luck!:)

Hi P.,

I have a semi-double stroller, the front holds a car seat or a seated child and the back is a standing/seating ( hard to explain). I have a 2 1/2 year old son and a 2 1/2 month old daughter and it works perfectly because my son is past the age of being strapped into a stroller so he can get in and out as he wants / I allow =) We love it! I found it at babies-r-us, it's called "Baby Trend Single Sit and Stand" here's the link http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3096361
It's a bit long when you place the carseat in the front, but once my daughter can sit up it will seem less bulky. Good luck!
-esme

I use a side by side jogging stroller outside, like at Sea World or to the park. It is really wide and would be hard to manuver in the mall or shopping. I use a front to back indoors and to get through things. I was lucky enough to have them both given to me. If I had to chose one, I would have to chose the front and back over the side by side, because it gets through more places. Good luck!

My daughter just bought a "BOB" double stroller from REI for her 3 year old and 7 month old. It is a side by side and it's great-especially if you take long walks or jog.

We love our Jeep, one in front of the other stroller. The seat in front is perfect for a toddler, the seat in back can recline and is great for an infant. Both have a canopy to shade the sun. There is enough room that they aren't kicking each other. There is a lot of storage underneath. Personally I didn't like the side by side as it is hard to maneuver in stores and tight spaces. Test out the stroller, its a lot of weight to move two children, so be sure the wheels are sturdy.

I have a Graco double, front/back, that has many miles on it and a rain cover and if you want it-you are welcome to it.

I really like my jeep side by side stroller. It is light weight and easy to use. I have a 3.5 year old and a 2 year old. We have been using this stroller since the youngest was about 8 months. I found the front to back strollers to take up too much room.

We have the side by side because the front and back seat ones are really hard to drive. But have found that the side by side does not always fit through doors or through stores when shopping. So you sort of have to decide which is more convenient for you!

I found that the front to back was easier to maneuver..........the side by side won't fit through certain doorways.

I love my side-by-side. It is a combi twin savvy. It is great!

There is a stroller on strollers.com made by Contours. The seats are behind each other. The seats move you can remove them or turn them what ever way you want. I have 4 weeks left before i have my baby and i have a 18 month old. This is the stroller I want for my kids. The only con on the reviews i have read is that it is a little heavy, but i like the idea of turning the seats how you want them. It is $198.00 also. The name of it on strollers.com is Contours - Options Tandem Stroller. it is red and black.

The BOB REvolution Duallie stroller is the way to go!!!!! Especially if you are an active family that likes to get out and get some exercise. It's got excellent manuverability, sunshades and oen child can go in it without the other and it works just fine!!! I have a BOB revolution single with my first and invested in the duallie wtih my second and have enjoyed it everyday since@

I have had both a tandem and a side by side. For me, the side by side stroller works much better. My 13 month old realized quickly that there's not much he can see being in the backseat of the tandem one and would scream the entire time. I have a Kelty jogging stroller (side by side) and it's actually narrow enough to fit through a standard doorway, and it's very light weight.

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my combi side by side double stroller. I bought it new on ebay for about half the price. It weights practically nothing and I can fold and unfold in with one hand. It also tri folds so it fits nicely in the car and closet without taking up the entire thing. Hope this helps!

I have a 2-1/2 year old and an 8 month old and I love my Phil and Teds double stroller....I can use it anywere even on the hike and bike trail and it works great.

I had the same problem and started doing reviews. My daughter will just be turning 2 when my baby is born in 2 months.

I have found great reviews on the Baby Trend Double Sit N Stand Stroller. It has the stadium seating front/back, but you can take the back seat off and it becomes a sit n stand for the older child. They have it in a green pattern and a red pattern.

This one is the green pattern from Babies R Us:
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3012699

The red is from Target:
http://www.target.com/Baby-Trend-Deluxe-Stand-Silverado/d...

They run for $159.99

Let me know what you decide and try out! :)

Go on a test-drive!!!

Although it sounds like half and half on the advice, I have heard really bad things about the maneuverability of the side-by-side stroller. I myself had a Graco Duo Glider. My first two kids are 20 months apart and my second two are 22 months apart. I had that stroller through both sets and it held up like a dream. We once had a wheel fall off (it had been damaged by an airline) and graco sent us a new one at no charge...I have often found their customer service to be terrific. I LOVED the maneuverability of the duo glider, it could turn on a dime and was thin enough to go through clothing racks at department stores. I got mine at Babies R' Us. I also loved the fact that there was one handed collapsability and that the whole thing wasn't really that heavy. My friend had an Eddie Bower that was impossible to lift. The duo glider doesn't even take up very much more space in a trunk/cargo area than a regular full sized stroller. I can't imagine not having had one. Good luck.

i used to have the behind seats and one would turn around to where the other child could face the other it was a eddie bauer and it was a good stroler

Ok - The front to back one is great for several reasons.....one because if you only have one of the "babies" with you, this gives you extra cargo room. I personally never had a side by side stroller, but I am a twin and my mom did. She said they were a nightmare to take shopping because you couldn't fit them between the clothing racks and things like that....and, if you think about it, sometimes even your shopping cart doesn't fit, so a stroller that's wider than the shopping cart isn't all that practical. And, they are harder to get through the doorways. Yes, the front to back ones are sometimes difficult to maneuver, but I honestly think that if you invest in a really nice one, the maneuverability gets a little better. Hope this helps....

Both the side by side and the front to back strollers are hard to maneuver. I spent 150 on my double stroller and hardly used it because of the difficulty. I would either reccomend getting the sit and stand stroller. I started having my daughter walk more when she got closer to 3. She knows to hold on to the side of the stroller and walk with us. Once she got close to 3 she didn't want to be in the stroller anymore anyway. She's a "big girl" I guess.

I recently sold both my Graco front and back and my side by side (don't remember which brand) Now I have the sit n stand by Baby trend. I will be perfectly honest, the side by side is the smallest, lightest, easiest steering. Ours didn't have a storage basket on the bottom, but it would have been better if it did. It was great for outside, we bought it when our oldest 2 children were 1 year and 6 weeks old respectively. We lived one block away from a fabulous park and walked there at least one or more times a day. It was great for outside use . However, it is very hard to maneuver for shopping at the mall, or going to doctors appointments. It doesn't fit through doorways easily, nor down crowded walkways at the stores. As far as the Graco front and back, it is large, you need to have large trunk space to accomodate it. It is also heavy. It steers fairly easy, and has good storage. I put my toddler in the front and my infant in the back. It is hard almost impossible to steer with one hand because of its' weight. It fits down walkways well, but is also difficult to get through doors without someone holding it open for you. It is also not overly practical to take to doctors appointments as it takes up most of the exam room floor and is cumbersome! As my infant got older about 8 or 9 months old I realized he was discontent in the backseat of the stroller and switched to the sit n stand. It is equally as long, not quite as heavy. It has storage, but not as much. It allows my now 15 month old to sit in the front and my 2 year old to sit or stand on the seat/bench provided in the back. Sometimes my 3 year old climbs up there as well for a ride and I push all 3. The front seat doesn't recline back very far for naps, and it doesn't feel quite as sturdy as the Graco, and the steering isn't quite as fluid, but overall it works the best for us, and I wish I had known about it before I purchased the other 2 several years ago. I do still find that for shorter outing a single stroller with my infant in the front baby bjorn carrier is the easiest! Good luck and hope this helps!

I have a side by side and it has worked well for me. It will fit through standard doors in public and the kids can interact next to each other. it can also fold flat so it fits in the trunk pretty easily. It is bulky but definately worth it! I would suggest trying to find one with wheels that are on the bigger side if you want to use it outdoors...mine has little wheels without much tread and it is a bit hard to push when I go on my morning walks because two kids are much heavier than just one...obviously.

The front to back ones are harder to maneuver, but the side by side ones are too wide to fit through some doors or down isles at some stores! I only used my side by side one for neighborhood walks. They are just pretty huge! I always wanted one of those where the big kid could sit or stand on a little mini-platform behind the baby, but never got around to making the expense a priority.
I also used a single stroller for big guy and carried the baby in a backpack or sling. That works until about 25-30 pounds! ha ha!
Congrats on the girl! We have quit after the 3 boys. :)

P.

I have 16 mo old twins. We started with a Graco duo glider front and back double stroller. It was very heavy and hard to turn. Now we have a Jeep side by side double stroller. It's very light and easy to maneuver. However, it's kind of hard to fit around in some stores and thru some doors. Just a matter of preference...

Hi there!

It's been awhile since I've needed a stroller (girls 9 & 6 now) but when they were little I had a double stroller for a little while. We got one second hand and it was the one with one seat behind the other. That worked out great because it was easier to get it into narrower areas. The strollers with side by side seats seem cumbersome because they are so wide and take up alot of space (walking in the mall, in more crowded areas, etc.)

Hope this helps!
Good luck!

I have a newborn, a 2.5 yr old and a 4 yr old!
I feel your pain LOL.

Anyway, I tried out quite a few double strollers (infact I went thru 3 of them with my older 2 before I even had this new baby) and am now happily settled on a Kolocraft Contours Option
http://www.amazon.com/Kolcraft-Contours-Options-Tandem-St...
I love the ease of use, flexibility, variety of seating options, the older child handles on the side,m the HUGE basket underneath.
I love how lightweight it is, I lovbe that I can fit it in the back of my mazda, and in the back of my MIL's kia, and in the back of my mothers Nissan.
I carry my new baby alot in a sling, and often times my 2 older kids ride the stroller, or 1 will walk or one will ride. The stroller seat fully reclined gives quite a nice little nest to lay my new one down in when I want to get down and dirty with my kids at the zoo or the park.

I've used it at the mall twice , and have only had a hard time in tight stores like Bealls or Hot Topic. (little floor psace, very cramped).

And the sunshades are the 1st I'vbe ever had that actually provided shade to the kiddie seats.

It does lack cup holders at the childs level. But thats not a minus for me since my kids always either hold thier own cups/kanteens or put them away in the bag. (it's a rule - I got sick of leaving those things all over town).

Good Luck!

Have you thought about the Sit-N-Stand- I have the Baby Trend Sit-N-Stand and so far I really like it. It accomodates my infant car seat well and my 2 1/2 year old likes her "big girl seat" that she can sit in or stand without being quite so restrained. It is a little cumbersome but any double stroller will be. I've only had it 2 months but so far I have not had any problems steering it.

Good luck!

hi my daughter and daughter in law had twins... one got the side by side and my daughter got the seat behind... the side by side is hard to shop in... as it won't fit in the isles.. and the seat behind can be heavy but it worked better when shopping.. and builds up muscle... good luck... S.

I bought a graco side by side double stroller for like 60.00 @ Burlington's Coat Factory less than a year ago, for my twins. I tested the front/back and found it VERY hard to manuever. This one manuevers very well even in grass. the color is a drab Navy, but it serves its purpose very well. It has storage baskets under each seat and also folds nicely into the trunk.

I had the front/back. I really loved how you could lay down the backs and make a really nice bed. Drap a blanket over the hood, and it is big, quiet and dark. Folded up in a snap too.

I didn't find it that hard to maneuver, so maybe it is the side to side ones that are hard.