Double Stroller – Tandem or Sit & Stand for 2yr & Infant?
We have a 2-year old (24 mos) and a 1-month old and are starting our shopping for a double stroller. Most of our friends have a tandem stroller (front to back) of varying brands and seem happy. My wife made the comment that we only need the stroller for a year until the little one’s out of the car seat, and then it’ll be better to purchase a smaller side-by-side which is easier to maneuver.
We’d be using our double for most things we’ve used our single for in the past (shopping in the mall, going to the zoo, walks, etc).
Looking online, I saw some people liked the sit & stands for ease of use with the older one and it got me thinking how our older one already likes to walk instead of being in the stroller and I assume this want will just grow over the next year.
General Questions:
- How often do you use your double stroller? How often has your older one fell asleep in it? Would the sit & stand be comfortable enough for the older one? Is it easy to maneuver / fold / etc?
- If we went with a general tandem stroller, which would you recommend? We’re down to 3 at this point. Graco Quattro (expensive, but seems nice), Graco Duo-Glider (cheaper, but not as good quality), and the Kolcraft Countours Options (seems a bit clunky to use…we have a Graco car seat, though it says it would still work here).
Thanks!
I’ve attached a link to the stroller I have. It’s a sit and stand and I absolutely love it! We use this stroller pretty much any time we go out. We have a seventeen month old and an eight month old and although my older one can walk, it’s easier to just keep her in the stroller. We never have any problems with it. My older one is a light sleeper so she doesn’t fall asleep in it very often but she has a couple times. For a double stroller it is actually really easy to manouver and fold. I really recommend this stroller. If you don’t feel like clicking on the link, it’s a baby trend sit and stand and it’s $170. You can find it at target. Good luck with your shopping.
November 27th, 2009 at 3:06 am
Well, my daughter has always refused to be in a stroller, and the same with a double stroller. Therefore, I just have a single stroller and she holds my hand. She is 23 months. She has fallen asleep tho, and i usually put her in the stroller at that point and carry my little baby until she wakes up which is not long. The sit in stand is really nice, you can change from 2 seats to 1, and the area where the toddler stands. The seat area for the toddler in the back is really small, and there legs press against the front seat, which my daughter absolutely hated but ive seen many kids that dont mind it. The graco duoglider isn’t bad at all either and my daughter didnt mind sitting in the front for a little tiny while. Both are pretty good at steering. The quattro seems a bit smaller than the duoglider, but ive never had one so I cant really say. Both are easy to fold down, and yes they are heavy but not too heavy for a double stroller. I dont use a double stroller often unless im going on a walk outside, because my daughter preffers to walk most of the time. Both the sit and stand and duoglider are easy to fold and maneuver. Both good options, just whatever is your preference. If my daughter would go in a stroller, i would prefer the sit n stand.
References :
November 27th, 2009 at 3:44 am
I’ve attached a link to the stroller I have. It’s a sit and stand and I absolutely love it! We use this stroller pretty much any time we go out. We have a seventeen month old and an eight month old and although my older one can walk, it’s easier to just keep her in the stroller. We never have any problems with it. My older one is a light sleeper so she doesn’t fall asleep in it very often but she has a couple times. For a double stroller it is actually really easy to manouver and fold. I really recommend this stroller. If you don’t feel like clicking on the link, it’s a baby trend sit and stand and it’s $170. You can find it at target. Good luck with your shopping.
References :
http://www.target.com/Baby-Trend-Double-Stand-Mesa/dp/B001FA9TI8/ref=sr_1_23?ie=UTF8&searchView=grid5&frombrowse=0&node=1038576&keywords=double%20stroller&field_browse=1038576&searchSize=30&id=Baby%20Trend%20Double%20Stand-%20Mesa&field_availability=-2&refinementHistory=subjectbin%2Ctarget_com_age%2Ctarget_com_gender-bin%2Ctarget_com_character-bin%2Cprice%2Ctarget_com_primary_color-bin%2Ctarget_com_size-bin%2Ctarget_com_brand-bin&searchNodeID=1038576&field_launch-date=-1y&searchRank=target104545&searchPage=1&field_keywords=double%20stroller
November 27th, 2009 at 3:52 am
My 3 year old was 2 and a half when my twins were born last year, so I was kind of in this position. I use my stroller constantly for my 13 month old twins. I have Joovy Big Caboose, which is like a double stroller on front with a sit and stand on back (they have the Joovy Caboose as well, which is just one seat up front with the sit and stand on back). I feel like I have to have a stroller for the 13 month olds in public, but I like that my older daughter can easily get on and off the back when she decides she wants to walk. I also like that she can stand rather than being forced to sit the entire time. My 3 year old hasn’t fallen asleep in the stroller since she was probably less than 2 years old, so that has not been an issue. I have never found our sit and stand to be hard to fold, and it’s definitely comfortable enough for the older children.
We also have the Kolcraft Contours stroller, which is a neat looking stroller, and it does work with the Graco seat. However, I can’t really imagine a 2 year old riding in it. Maybe you should go to the store and let her sit in the different strollers to see what the best fit might be.
References :
November 27th, 2009 at 4:02 am
I’ve 4 children and used the Graco Duo-Glider. We found it to be of excellent quality. Our children are spaced into sets — the first 2 used it and are 18 months apart, 3 yr break, the second 2 are 19 months apart and they used it as well. Both sets enjoyed this stroller because they could sit and relax while still seeing what was going on. The could climb in and out (with permission) and we could move through crowds easily.
We don’t like the side by side strollers because we feel it’s difficult to move around in crowds as it takes up more room. We didn’t like the sit n stand because if the child sits in the back they only get to see the person’s legs who is pushing.
Hope this helped.
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November 27th, 2009 at 4:52 am
I am also going to have two under two. I wont be buying the sit and stand. Everyone that I know that has them says that the there is no way they could imagine using them with a kid younger than three. From what I understand the sit and stands are not very comfortable for the older one. Most kids aren’t going to want to sit on the hard seat for a prolonged period of time. My friend has a newborn and a 5 year old, it works good for them, but there daughter is much older than two. If your toddler needed a nap you would have no way to let her sleep with the newborn in the stroller. The sit and stands are equal to the gracco’s or comparable strollers on maneuverability. If you have a car I would measure the trunk to make sure that the stroller will fit as strollers like that can be quite bulky (not leaving room for groceries). As far as the three that you are looking at the kolcraft countours options is the one that I have choosen for my two girls. I love how my girls will be able to face eachother, or me. There have been so many times I wished my first little one could have been facing me in the stroller she would have been much happier.
References :
Tips to help you pick the best stroller for your family
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2375168/tips_for_finding_the_best_stroller.html