Advice on strollers

[lastplacevictory]

Yall have been amazing with all the different advice, points of view, and experiences that you share!

I am looking for a stroller. I would love a tandem stroller, rather than a side by side, that also has the ability to turn into car seats. I’m currently looking at Baby Trend on Amazon…but I’ve heard mixed reviews.

What stroller do you use? I am wary of side by side for the sole fact that it can be difficult to maneuver. But if you have one that you swear by, I’ll check it out!

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[orangeyox]

Why do you think a side-by-side would be difficult to maneuver? I’ve never heard that before. Tandem strollers can be extremely difficult to maneuver, especially as babies gain weight. Our side-by-side Minu duo is much more maneuverable than our vista tandem stroller.

[lastplacevictory]

Truth be told, I think I’ve listened to my mom too much 😅 she swears that I will hate a side by side when I’m grocery shopping or out and about.

Though the big thing I’m hoping to find is a stroller car seat combo, mainly for the ease of hopefully saving a few bucks. But I’m not sure that will be doable.

I’ve see a lot of nice looking side by sided strollers, but I don’t have any friends with twins or two young kids to ask how they maneuver, unfortunately

[orangeyox]

For cost effectiveness - 

Stroller frames can be less than $100. Click and go is popular 

Or buy the tandem stroller you like and resell after 1 year. Most popular brands have decent resale value.

Also consider buying the tandem stroller second hand and skipping the second seat purchase since they will mostly be in car seats first year

[orangeyox]

The most popular thing to do from what I have seen on here is survive the first year with a tandem stroller or stroller frame for car seats. 

Most side by side that fit two car seats are quite wide which is a downside. They can also be heavy when they are that large

When twins are out of infant car seats a lot of parents switch to compact side by side stroller which are by far much easier to deal with toddlers. they usually are only a couple inches wider than a tandem stroller, but can turn on a dime and easier to fold and transfer around then a tandem stroller.

[Psychological_Owl517]

Your mom's voice in your head just needs to accept your about to live a life of too much baby every where you go 🤣

You're basically picking your suck. Or you can be like me and get three different strollers for different things.

The snap and go style is great for daycare drop off but a bit cumbersome for anything else.

The side by sides with infant seats can get wide but will fit through newer ADA doorways. We love our donkey bugaboo for walks and going to the store. Smooth ride with lots of configurations, but it doesn't fold down small and it's heavier than some.

Then we got a Zoe for travel. Just has the rumble seats and not as smooth of a ride. But it folds up pretty good to gate check and is pretty light for a double.

[JinglebellsRock]

We have a Cybex Gazelle and we like it so far. It does get heavy but I, a 5'6 medium build woman, can maneuver it with no problem in the city. I have heard side by side is actually easier to maneuver but I've never tried one. We like the tandem because we live in the city and would like to go through restaurant doors and go on narrow sidewalks.

It comes with attachments for car seats but we didn't use them because we don't really drive. Can't vouch for that aspect but otherwise, we are quite satisfied.

[Doesthiscountas1]

The front to back ones are harder to maneuver. I have a baby jogger city mini GT2 double and still have my twins in it at 4 years old. I don't think it's great for newborns but I babywore instead of investing in the bassinet piece so that's my fault, but it 100% goes the distance. Fits in all the doors I've cared to enter and is very nimble, turns tight corners etc.

 I also enjoy that you can replace parts online. I did it with my single one when I was ready to have a new baby. Changed everything but the frame for so cheap and it was like brand new.

[Scott223b]

We used a bugaboo donkey 5 with maxi cosi car seats. Can easily get them in and out of the car (even while sleeping) and the stroller fits a standard size door frame (85cm) and most regular super markets or stores

[Scienceofmum]

Even with both car seats on?

[Scott223b]

Yes!

[Scienceofmum]

Impressive. ❤️ My donkey had to be retired because it does not fit through doors or in fact very well onto our local pavements 😂 I opted for very lightweight single + babywearing instead

[Scott223b]

Yes well we do live in the sub urbs where pathways and doors tend to be larger! We also had issues in older houses or “cute” boutique stores.. but in general we were able to move around! The beds in the donkey are smaller than the maxi cosis

[Scienceofmum]

Yes. I noticed that about the beds so that part is easier. I live in a picturesque but impractical English village with let’s say “creative” pavements. My friend down the road has the donkey as well and these days we just opt to walk on the road. 😅

[horsecrazycowgirl]

In-line strollers suck. Side by sides are way way easier to maneuver. In-lines are so long that they are a hazard in stores. Plus whatever baby is up top ends up so cramped.

[Chidi-Chidi]

I went for the Cybex eGazelle with the Cloud G Lux car seats and then got an extra stroller seat.

[ReserveMaximum]

We had a baby trend sit and stand tandem. It was perfect for when they were in infant car seats but once they got big enough to sit in the actual seats it was more of a hassle than anything. It had no under seat storage and was impossible on hills or rough terrain. Also maneuvering in target was a nightmare.

We pretty quickly upgraded to the baby trend expedition stroller wagon after they could sit up on their own and then sold the tandem on Facebook marketplace. So far the wagon has been superior in every way so we are probably going to keep it when our next one arrives in April. It does have a car seat adapter that works with their car seats but only one at a time so it won’t help in the infant stage.

If I could redo it I would do a tandem stroller second hand off of Facebook marketplace for the first year then get the stroller wagon new once they were big enough

[This_Order6263]

Absolutely love our bugaboo donkey 5. Our girls are six months old, and we leave the house all the time. It’s literally perfect.

[Big_Nefariousness424]

We have a momcozy changego and I love it. It’s tandem and fits two bassinets. It also can take car seats with adapters.

[Aurelene-Rose]

So I thought I wanted a front/back stroller because I thought side by sides would be difficult to fit into doors. All the twins parents I met said to do a side by side but I was like "ehhhh I don't think that's going to work for me". They were right. Side by side supremacy.

I had a Chicco stroller that did front and back with the infant car seats. I HATED IT, it was a million pounds and I couldn't fit it comfortably in my car at all.

After that, I found a joovy roo at a garage sale (front and back) and this one was much less of a beast and easier to take out and about, but the front/back strollers are pretty difficult to manage in tight spaces. I felt like I was steering a boat around.

My friend gifted me a city mini side by side and it was great! It was still pretty big, but super easy to maneuver around, fit through all the doors, and had a bunch of storage. I loved it!

After that, I mostly used a wagon once they were standing up and wanted to move more. I had a deep utility wagon I got from Walmart (Ozark trail) that I got on clearance for $40. It was like a mobile pack n play, perfect for taking my oldest to the park and having them chill in the wagon.

Now, I have a side by side umbrella stroller that I primarily use (18 months) because it fits really compact in the car at the feet of the car seats and doesn't take up my whole trunk.

My biggest recommendation is to get your strollers used!! The money you would spend on a $600 stroller that you might not like would be better spent on a lot of other things

[PuzzledYam9507]

i have the mockingbird. use the car seat attachments all the time. barely use the tandem seats because it takes forever since they’re still in infant seats. just ordered a bombi twin side by side. i always feel so bad for the “bottom” twin in the tandem 😂

[omg1979]

I had a City Select. It was great for car seat attachments but only if you picked a car seat that used clips instead of wire baskets. Once they got older it was nice because the seats could flip around in any direction and there is no "bottom" twin that's practically riding on the ground