double stroller... side by side OR tandem?

slkowasl

Next spring, I'll have a 2 year old and a newborn.  Starting the search for a double stroller and just can't determine which is the best option.  (We'll likely use the stroller for walks to the park, as well as trips to Target and occasionally the mall.)  So.....which do you prefer?  Side by side or tandem?  I guess there are sit and stands and strollers like the Phil & Ted/Britax B-Ready too.  Just looking for advice and pros and cons of each.  It can be a very pricey purchase, so I want to make sure we get one we're happy with.

 Thanks! 

LyndseylovesHugh

Well, I have no personal experience, but my step-sister has 2 under 2 and she originally bought a side by side and hated it.  It was so big, it was difficult to get through doors.  Maybe there is a better one out there, but she did not like hers.  She now has a tandem and loves it, she says it is much easier to deal with.

lindseyenderson

I know there are lots of options out there now.  I love my Phil and Teds Sport, now they have the Explorer which is a lot like the sport but has a sunshade on the second seat and also accomodates a car seat while the second seat is in use.  I love that it can be a single or a double.  I love that it's fairly compact for a double stroller and that it's tandem and easy to maneuver. 

Puddlejumpers

I have the Graco Quattro Duo Stroller and although it gets great reviews, I hate it! It's heavy (heavy on it's on and even worse when you add 2 kids), bulky and hard to to maneuver. 

My boys are 20 months apart, so when I got it, my oldest was only 20 months and not having a double wasn't an option. My advice would be to  keep your single if you have one.. I use mine for situations when I just need to contain one child (like story time at the library, or when I'm just taking one to the store with me.) I like to walk/jog outside and really wish I had gotten a good double jogger and a sit and stand for the mall rather than spending so much on a bulky tandem. If I had the money, I like the concept of the Phil and Ted and would consider that. I just don't know how much either of my kids would like riding on the bottom.

 As for a side-by-side option, I think they are harder to get through tight spots in stores and at the mall, plus when they start to bicker and fight over toys, space and want to touch each other, it's a headache for everyone. 

slwprincess

My advice is to test drive them in person.  I was 100% sure I wanted a tandem.  In fact, I was convinced that I wanted the Chicco Together based on all their pictures online.  Until I saw it person- that thing is HUGE!!!!  After testing more and reading a ton of reviews on here, I settled on the Baby Jogger City Mini Double and I love it.  Lightweight, easy to fold, and the seats recline flat so I can use right away with newborn.  Cons are the limited storage basket and no cupholders but I decided I could deal with these two to get the lightweight functionality.

tasilva923

I was also hesitant to get a side-by-side but I found an awesome price on Craigslist for the Baby Jogger City Elite (brand new!  The owner had to move to Australia) and bought it and it is THE BOMB!  It is really big and heavy and normally expensive but I so love it.  In fact, one of my girlfriends recently borrowed it for a trip to Disneyland and she loved it so much that she made her husband get her the exact same one off ebay the next week.  It is wide but it fits through doorways just fine.  It is only heavy when taking it in and out of the car BTW, when it is "on land" you can literally push it with one finger no problem.

Frankly, I wouldn't take it to do the department store-going-through-clothes-racks stuff due to space but in the main areas in the mall and outside and at amusement parks it is awesome.  I guess it depends on what you are mostly going to use it for.