Intro & double stroller ?s (long, sorry!)
msualum96
member
Hello ladies! I became "one of you" on 8/31/12 when we welcomed our DD, joining her then-almost 21 month old brother! I haven't even lurked here much yet, but I forsee posting more often as they get older! I don't really know if this specifically has been covered recently, but I'm looking for opinions on the necessity of a double stroller, and the different options. Here's what I'm thinking:
We live in MI, and historically have not used the stroller much in the winter. So by the time the weather gets nice, DD will possibly be grown out of her infant seat (at the rate she's going it's almost a certainty! LOL). DS still does well in the stroller, but at times fights riding; I can only imagine what the progression of the Terrible Twos will bring. With just DS, we used the stroller a fair amount for walks around the neighborhood, at the beach/pier, downtown, etc. I'm sure we'll want to continue that, even w/ 2! 
So my questions are do you think it's worth it to look at double strollers in our situation, and if so, what kind? We have a sit N stand that we got from a friend, but I just cannot see DS in the "stand" part. But I'm not sure how much I can expect him to ride in a stroller at that point, which is my necessity question. Or does your toddler like the "stand" part so they can get in/out easier?Should we brave letting DS walk most of the places we go instead of lugging a double stroller? I know you can't answer that for our DS specifically, just wondering about your experiences (DS was initially jealous of DD, is now better, but I'm wondering if it would become an issue in the future, i.e. "Why does she get to ride in the stroller?" type thing)
Anyway, I was looking at craigslist (hoping to not have to buy new as we're 2 and done & cheap!) and seeing a lot of tandems, but do you find side-by-side better (thinking for a say 9 month old and 2.5yo)? Or doesn't it really matter? FTR, space in vehicles isn't an issue, we have an SUV & pickup truck.
Sorry this got long w/ so many questions! It's late & I'm rambling! Thanks for reading and for any advice/opinions you can offer!
ETA: I just scrolled post titles a little and WOW you ladies must get sick of all the stroller questions! LOL
Re: Intro & double stroller ?s (long, sorry!)
My DD is 27 months and still uses the stroller. She cannot be trusted to walk yet, although we let her occasionally. We use our double stroller pretty much everywhere we go. I personally need it and wouldn't urvive without it.
We have the City Mini double. It's nice but definitely not the only thing out there. I'd say buy something off CL and see if you use it. I like side by side better, although I'm in the market for a sit n stand currently. My 2 yr is just at n age where she would be ok with the sit n sand sometimes. I think your DS may be too young for it currently and traditional double stroller might work better.
This is coming from someone who likes their kids contained and wants to keep it that for as long as possible.
We don't use ours as much now for mall trips since my 2 are older, but we still use it for walks to the playground. We have a Bumbleride Indie twin which we used almost daily for the first 1.5 years of DD's life. I used it mostly for walks outside (we lived in the city for a year, so it was our main mode of transport to library, coffee shop, playground, pharmacy, etc), and occasional mall trips.
If I was just running in to a store for a quick trip like the Starbucks from the car, DD would go in the snap and go and DS would walk. For a grocery store or target trip, DD would go in the baby bjorn and DS would go in the shopping cart. When DD got to big for those things, I bought a cheap Maclaren double on craigslist to keep in the car ($50). We used that a bunch for about 6-8 months (from 12 months to 20 ish months, I guess). Then I got brave enough to let them both walk into the store with me.
The problem I had once DD got older with only having her in a stroller wasn't that DS was jealous of DD - DD was jealous of DS getting to walk. So I found it easier to keep them both contained. Even to this day, I try to get the double shopping carts because if I let DS walk, DD makes such a fuss in the store so she can walk too...and having 2 kids roaming around the store is no fun! I can handle it for quick trips to the pharmacy, coffee shop, etc, but for grocery shopping or Target runs, it is much better to still have them both contained (at almost 4 and almost 2.5!