The great stroller debate rages on....

Louise06

If you have 2 kids, did you find that you used a double stroller enough to justify buying one? Lauren is 4 years and Ryan is 6 months. I am so torn on if I should buy a double or not.  I am debating between getting the Baby Jogger City Mini single or double. DH is gone most of the month, so I am on my own with them for most days.

I have a bulging disc in my lower back so I am not sure if the double would be too much for me to push them both. However, if I take them to the zoo or somewhere else on my own, it might be easier to have them both confined since Lauren tends to dart all over the place. She also always asks to ride in her umbrella stroller whenever she sees us putting Ryan in his stroller (prior to Ryan she had refused the stroller since she was 18 months or so).

 

hthomas02

my kids were only 18 months apart so my experience is totally different, but there is no way in hell I could have lived without a double stroller!!  maybe in your case though, I'd go with the phil and ted's because it is inline and can be used as a single or a double and if you set it up as a double but your oldest doesn't want to sit then it isn't a big deal if the back seat is empty because it is inline and lightweight and you can just stick your bag in that seat or something.  good luck lady!

mmd7999

i have a phil and teds and I love it.  John was only 2 when ally was born and we really needed it.  I did not like being in public with them both and not be able to keep John contained.  Something I liked about the P&T was that I can use it as a single if I want. when he grows out of it I wont feel like I have a double I can't use since I can use it as a single also.  It also doesnt feel uneven if only one child is in it.  If she likes to sit in a stroller I would milk for as long as possible. 

ebearwife

Maybe I am in the minority but unless I am jogging, P walks.  This includes the grocery store.  Isaac rides and she walks.  I like teaching her to stay nearby and I feel she needs the exercise.

slwprincess

It's been a must have for us. I don't use it for quick trips- but for the zoo and like, there is no way I could handle them w/o it. The city mini dbl looks huge but it's really not. I can easily get it into handicap stalls and standard doors. And it's not that much heavier than my graco metrolite stroller was. We need to do a zoo gtg so we can all play w/ each others strollers :-)

lindzed

You could also try the city select.  Then you can always use it as a single or double.  I decided to go that route this time, but I will say now that its getting closer I'm wishing I would have gone with a double Bob instead.  Mostly just because the more I look at my adorable, very active son the more I think I may let the new baby run lose outside the stroller before he is ever getting out.  He realy needs to be buckled in or he may be climbing around with the animals at the zoo.  I have a red one listed on craigslist that I have only used with my son once if your intrested.

maykat

Alec is almost 4 and we still use our double very often.  We have a phil and teds that we use for the mall, festivals, and neighborhood walks. We do a lot of walking and Alec can easily walk a mile, but above that we need a stroller or a wagon.

We also have a cheapy used Maclaren side by side double that we use for trips. I'm keeping our kids in a stroller for as long as possible.  They need to be contained.

I will say, that I'm glad we have the Phil and Teds and that it can convert to a single easily.  I have not used the City Mini, but I would probably look at that one too.

Daisy22

I might be different to b/c my kids are 15 1/2 months apart and Bailey hates walking usually. So I couldn't leave without my double either. Actually I have the city select so it's double or single. I love it. I love that when it's just Bryce I have a single stroller but if Bailey is with me I can have an easy double. It's pretty light for a double too. I took it to the zoo the other week and it was awesome. Bryce got fussy so switched him around to see me whcih made him happy for the rest of the trip.

Daisy22

Also to add I have a double bob as well and there is no way I could take that thing all over the place. It's a beast of a stroller! It barely fits (I have to put the front wheel up on the back of the back seat of my RX to get it in my trunk) but it's awesome for walking/running. That's the only reason I have it. I can't imagine taking that thing to the doctor's office or anywhere inside.

UGAbride

I think it totally depends on your kids, obviously, if you'll get a lot of use out of it...my boys are 18 months apart, and I really loved our Phil & Ted's with the doubles kit for the first two years of having two kids (and now I would consider the BJ City Select since it's the same style of being single or double).  But neither of my boys fit well in the back seat anymore, so I went ahead and sold it and got a Baby Jogger City Mini (single) for the new baby.  It folds up smaller than the Phil & Ted's, and is much lighter weight for lifting in and out of the car.  Both of my boys can easily get out of the stroller buckles, so unfortunately I can't really use it for containment anymore as much as I would like.  Jack is 4 and prefers to walk, and Ethan usually wants to do what he's doing even though he's only 2.5.  Since they are both SO active, I probably won't be taking all 3 of my kids to the zoo alone anytime soon, but if I do decide to torture myself I do still have a Phil & Ted's double to fall back on that I got for cheap a few years ago...however, that thing is a BEAST, and I don't think I can even get it in my car with the third row up (which it has to be to get all of my kids in the car). 

mrsd0907

It might be best to go somewhere where you can try them all out. We went to Buy Buy Baby multiple times before deciding on a double. Our kids will only be 20 months apart so we don't have the option of Derek not being contained. I bought the Phil & Teds off CL before going to try anything because I was sure I'd love it, but DH and I couldn't easily open and close it and DH hated it. We ended up going with the BJ City Mini Double because it was lightweight (the same weight as our Chicco system was) and I could easily pick it up and open and close it while huge and pregnant. Another big factor in deciding on a double for us was compact fold since we have a car and it had to fit in the trunk and the CMD was the most compact fold. I took it shopping this weekend and used the other side for bags and had no problem fitting it in any doors and I can easily maneuver the stroller with just one hand. 

war_eagle

I bought a used city mini double which made me feel better about the purchase since I wasn't sure how much use I would get.  

myrall

Geneva will be 3.5 when #2 rolls around. I won't be getting a double stroller. She walks most everywhere and is good about holding my hand or holding on to the stroller when we're out. She's able to walk through the entire zoo now, so I'm not too worried.

I'll probably be investing in a snap n' go because our original stroller for the Chicco travel system is just too dang big. I also have an insanely good Maclaren stroller that we paid a mini-fortune for - so I'm not inclined to let it go to waste either.

amanda_holbird@hotmail.com

I'm currently on my third double stroller, the City Mini Double.  The first two I haven't really liked bacause Ethan hated sitting in them; one was a Graco double (front and back seats), and the other was one of the sit and stand strollers.  I just bought the City Mini Double and I mostly bought it for our upcoming trip to DW, but I also wanted it to have as an option for when I go to a store.  Typically, Ethan walks everywhere, but sometimes if I would like to spend time in a store just looking around, I need to have him confined in some way.  Just the other day, the four of us went to Kohls and I took the City Mini.  It was awesome.  The boys loved sitting beside each other and I was so happy that I had that stroller.  To me, it was worth the buy.  I bought it when one of the nesties had the albee linked.  Dh wasn't too thrilled with my purchase, but I think he's starting to warm up to it.  It made our last shopping experience pleasant.