Once again I find myself intimidated by the stroller situation, only this time around its the double strollers that are plaguing me. The boy is going to be roughly 26 months when the new baby arrives and although I know that he is a pretty good walker, I also know that I liked to go out and walk for about an hour, almost every day, when the boy was little.
And he loved it, he always loved the stroller, he hated the carseat, but loved the stroller. Even now at 20 months as long as I let him walk for about 10 minutes, he will happily get in for a 'stroller ride' for the rest of our walk. I don't want to take his 'stroller rides' from him, if he still wants them of course.
But who knows what he'll want in another 6 months, regardless I'm pretty positive that he won't be up to the task of an hour long walk. For that reason alone, I was pretty much convinced that I needed to get a double stroller. Seriously, with the boy, I NEEDED to leave the house every day and if the baby is sleeping in the stroller and the boy gets tired and needs a ride, I can't exactly put them both into one seat can I?
My Fit 4 Two prenatal instructor did suggest something I hadn't totally considered. If required, I could plop the baby into a carrier and strap the boy into the stroller. Her boys are two years apart and that the carrier/stroller method worked great for her, she wished for a double stroller only twice while her boys were young.
But at the same time, although I'm all for attachment parenting and babywearing, long periods of babywearing can get strenuous on momma, especially as the kidlets get bigger. And I have to admit, I loved that the boy would fall asleep in the stroller and I could just look at him and watch him sleep as we strolled down the road.
If I do go with a double stroller, I've been looking at the Phil and Teds, but they essentially have no storage; you can't reach the basket with the baby reclined, or the second child's feet are in the basket. Not to mention that you can't hang a diaper bag off the handle or you'll whack you kid in the head. I'm also not 100% convinced that my children will like sitting in the back bottom of the stroller, though many reviewers swear their kids like it.
And although I always swore I wouldn't want a double wide (my current stroller is big enough) I see now that there are a variety of double wides that are less than 30 inches wide and have independent seats so the baby can recline. As an example, Mamabargains just had the Easywalker Duo (which I missed) for $399 with a free carrycot (remember the boy hated the carseat), which may have been perfect...if I do indeed want to buy a double (wide?) stroller.
Please help Momma's...I need your wisdom, experience and advice, do you think a newborn and a 26 month old warrant a double stroller?
I certainly don't want to waste our money...but I want to be able to enjoy my walks during my oh-so-spoiled year of maternity leave.
ok, I have a safety first double stroller...not the side by side, but the one child in front and the one in back. My boys were new born and 2 1/2 at the time. We still use it. Now they are 18 months and 3 1/2 yrs. I will probably use it next summer and that will be it. My only beef is the stroller is not only really heavy especially with the car seat attached)but it is so hard to maneuver. Turning is horrible. I have heard the side by side stroller is your best bet. Maneuvers so much better and is an easier ride for your kids. Hope that helps a bit. You can email me lulus.pals@gmail.com if you want more info :O)
ReplyDeleteI am in the same boat as you! My Girl will be 26 months when the new baby comes in June. We love taking walks and being outdoors in the stroller. With the two kids I am convinced I will use the double stroller more (if I do get one) for trips to the mall, the park, the lake, on walks, outdoor festivals... etc! I have done my research and it seems the best features in a double include: the ability to fit through standard doorways (30" I think...) side by side seating, option to snap the car seat in there, dual reclining seat, plenty of space for storage, a front fixed wheel and easy maneuverability, able to fold compactly or remove the wheels for flatter storage, large canopies to protect from sun and sprinkles... Anyways I have one that I am dreaming of but I think my husband will die of sticker shock. Fortunately, I have found you can get up to %25 off at diapers.com bringing the price down to around $350.
ReplyDeleteThe stroller is by Tike Tech and it is called the City X3 Double.
I hope this helps. I have a secret stash of money and am planning on waiting until closer to summer to buy the stroller if I am still craving it. That way it will be easier to gauge whether Big Sister will want to ride or not. Diapers.com offers free shipping and things usually arrive in just a few days so if you wait to buy til the last minute, you won't have to wait weeks and weeks for your stroller to arrive.
I have a 4 month old and a 3 year old.... annnnd my mother calls me stroller diva.
ReplyDeleteI currently have 2 double strollers (my man cringes when I mention the total we've had) and a baby carrier.
I LOVE the carrier and still use it but some times my girl gets fed up, and often she doesn't want to face in. We have a Sleepy Wrap (which is like a cheaper, better Moby wrap) and at first I used this with our umbrella stroller.
We also have a Joovy Caboose Ultralight. This has a front seat where a carseat can attach and a sort of bench or standing seat in back. It makes it a little shorter than your usual double long. We use this one for shopping or trips in town.
My last double - WHICH I LOVE - is a Chariot Cougar Double. This thing is.... well it certainly isn't small. But it serves all your outdoor needs. It converts to: Stroller, Jogger, Bike trailer, hiking kit or ski kit (if you're that into it!). Because it's meant for biking it can be fully enclosed. It stores a TON of stuff. We often jog to the store, get groceries and jog home. Our 3 year old takes books and toys in there and is happy she doesn't even have to put on her shoes. We love it because we know even when we're done strollers we can use it for biking and the belts adjust so you can even make a double into a single (spacious) stroller or trailer. Plus, they hold their value well - so you can expect to get some of your money back in the end :)
Both of my strollers I bought off of used sites (craigslist and usedvictoria).
was very encouraged to find this site. I wanted to thank you for this special read. I definitely savored every little bit of it and I have you bookmarked to check out new stuff you post
ReplyDeleteChoosing a stroller for your child is obviously a massive decision that isn't as easy as you might think. You need to find a product that offers great safety and comfort for your child at a price that can fit into your budget.
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