Double Stroller

[TigerLily]

I'm trying to decide if I need a double stroller. A will be 2.5 when #2 is born, and I'll probably mostly wear the baby for the first few months. By the time she needs a stroller A will be almost 3. I've also wondered about the stand and ride ones. I feel like the doubles are so big and might be hard to maneuver.
Any recommendations? Do I really need one?

[SuzySunshine]

A is now 3 1/2 and I still use my double, not as much as my single but there are definitely times I'm glad I have it. I have the tandem Phil & Ted which is kind of pricey but there are times, like when we try to go shopping, that she needs to be strapped in.

[migirl]

My boys are older (3.5 and 5.5), but there are still times when they get tired of walking and want to sit. DD is 10 months so I'm still wearing her a lot, but I just got the Joovy Ultralight Caboose and LOVE it. It's a sit-and-stand so the boys can hop on and off easily, but they're old enough where they don't really need to be strapped in ... Just a convenient place to sit if they want.

Buy Buy Baby with a 20 percent off coupon was the best price I found for it.

[Michele]

I have the Valco Twin with the additional third seat. My crew is almost 5, 2.5 and almost 1. I like to go for long walks and long mall days (hour long walks and 5 hour mall days). There is no way my kids would be good that long without it. I don't use it for grocery shopping or quick stores....basically just malls and walks. D (5y) has pretty much outgrown the stroller height wise....but I still like to have a place for him to sit. He can still sleep/nap in it. He fits in the upper third seat (we call it the captains chair) but it's harder to steer with him in it.

If I had to buy again and didn't want the third seat option, I'd probably get the Bugaboo. The underbasket is easier to access and it has adjustable foot rests. But I really like my third seat option.

[GrayMatterWife]

I have a double-decker Phil & Ted's jogging stroller and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it. Not as much as I loved my single-seater Bob, but I needed something compact. The Bob double-seater is double-wide; the Phil & Ted's is story-stacked--it's basically the same size as a single -seater.

[Auspicious]

Mine are 25 mo. apart and our double stroller got very little use. But I don't know that I could have skipped it entirely, either. I guess I'm glad I didn't spend a lot of money on it, but on the other hand it's quite a boat, so maybe that contributed to me not using it much. To me there're a lot of Catch 22s for doubles.

I think we used it most for the first six months, actually. That's when we lived in the most walkable neighborhood/town, and that's when I find babywearing most difficult, what with their floppy little heads and all. I preferred plunking the infant carseat carrier into the double stroller sometimes and off we went. I kept it out and unfolded and it was only ever in the trunk of our car once or twice I think.

Cora was definitely not ready for a sit-n-stand at 25 months--I needed the option to buckle her in to keep her safe at times because I couldn't run after her very well with an infant if she stopped listening and bolted.

After we moved to MN (when Cora was 2.5 and Hazel .5) and then drove everywhere, we almost never used it. Maybe once or twice, and even then my husband didn't want to bring it and I insisted. Our modus operandi was very much that I would wear Hazel, because I found that most convenient, and Cora would either walk or ride in the umbrella stroller or both. And that was both with and without the husband along with us. Eventually it evolved into Cora walking and Hazel in the umbrella stroller.

I have to say we don't do a lot of very long outings, though--we're too nap-dependent. Even when we go to the zoo or the fair or to walk around the lake or whatever we're only there 2-3 hours max.

Good luck--definitely a lot of personal factors involved in this decision!

[SoonerTexan]

Michele...is that the same one you had in Dallas? I swear you had a Bob (because I was quite enamored with it)

[SuzySunshine]

I have a double-decker Phil & Ted's jogging stroller and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it. Not as much as I loved my single-seater Bob, but I needed something compact. The Bob double-seater is double-wide; the Phil & Ted's is story-stacked--it's basically the same size as a single -seater.

This is also what I have - I miss my BOB single but didn't want to deal with the double wide.

[BonBon]

We used a graco duo something or other. (read: pretty cheap) With that age difference I probably wouldn't bother. My son was 2.75 when the littlest ones were born and I always made him walk.

[Deebs]

I think it depends on your lifestyle. When I had DS, we lived near the Columbus zoo (which is VERY spread out). We would go there for the entire day, as in 8 hours sometimes...by myself...with two kids. I needed the double. Here, we used it at Disney and an occasional shopping trip, but not nearly as much.

[TigerLily]

We just went out to look and I definitely like the Phil and Ted stacky bunk bed kind of one so far. It isn't extremely long like some of the other ones. And I liked that you can switch the seats so they face different directions.
We also go out quite a lot. We spend a ton of time at the zoo and the children's museum. I don't really know how it will go with A walking. She walks a lot now, but I like the option of putting her in a stroller if she gets tired or whiny. So far I think we're leaning toward the phil and ted one. Especially with a 20% off coupon. Luckily we already have almost all of the baby girl stuff that we need or we might need to start a collection for a stroller purchase!

[Michele]

Yes ST it's the same one I had in Dallas.

[Pollyanna]

I have always wondered about the Phil and Ted's stackable. The seat on the bottom seems like it is way to close to the ground so the kid sitting there would end up breathing lots of dust and it's position also seems like the bottom kid could get their fingers stuck in the wheel.
I LOVE Michele's stroller, holy moly, it is just beyond cool!

[SuzySunshine]

Phil & Ted must have a new one if you can change the seat directions, that would be cool. I do like that my P&T is easily maneuverable.

Pollyanna, it is close to the ground but I've never had dust issues. I could see how the fingers could be an issue but we've never had that happen.

[TigerLily]

oh crap I guess that wasn't the one with the changing directions. Now I can't remember which one it was. There were 3 that we liked that all had the double kit instead of being an actual double. I know my husband likes the Phil and Ted, I think I'm going to have to write down the brands. My brain is so all over the place. Tonight at dinner I handed A her salad and said "here is your brain sweetheart" I have no idea why. pregnancy brain at it's finest.