Anyone have a 2.5- 3 yo who still uses a stroller regularly?
My dd is 22 months and we are expecting #2 when she'll be 28 months. Right now she still happily rides in her stroller at malls and on other longer outings. We also go on neighborhood walks anywhere from 1.5 to 3 miles a few times a week. These are tied in with playground visits and she still seems to enjoy the walks.
Im starting to look for double strollers but I'm hesitant to spend a lot since I don't know how long she'll want to stay in the stroller. A sit and stand or something with a little ride on board behind it seems to make sense for shopping (although she is a bit of a runner/trouble seeker right now so that may not be the best). But obviously a 3 mile walk would be uncomfortable in the flimsy sit and stand seat. I have my eye on the city select or something similar but is that really worth the money given my DD's age?
Re: Anyone have a 2.5- 3 yo who still uses a stroller regularly?
Personally, I hate strollers, always have. I did use one a lot when we lived in the Netherlands, but I left it there when we moved. I stopped using it as soon as he could walk unless I HAD to. He's 3 and we haven't used one in over a year.
In rare cases where he might get tired, I'd use my Ergo and carry him on my back.
I wouldn't invest in a double stroller, I'd get a teather instead.
click the pic (blog)
DD1 Feb 2010
DD2 Sept 2011
We live in the city and use the stroller pretty regularly. Up until a couple months ago, he went to daycare in it, too (we switched DCPs and they won't let us keep the stroller there any more
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I'm debating what to do since DS will be almost 3 when the baby gets here AND we will likely move to the suburbs, which will likely mean less walking around (we pretty much never use a stroller indoors - ours is for walks, going to the park, zoo, etc.). I *think* I'll probably continue to use the stroller for DS when LO#2 comes, and use a carrier for LO#2. Depending on how that is going, I may or may not invest in a double stroller, but I just want to have a better grasp on my needs before we buy one. You can also check on CL (which I plan on doing). FWIW we have a Baby Jogger stroller and LOVE it and my friend has the City Select double, and also loves it.
i have access to a used double jogger that my moms neighbor gave to me, but it is a bulky one with a fixed wheel. So it might work for a zoo or something but I can't picture using it in a mall. And it won't work for the first few months since the seats don't lay flat and I can't attach an infant seat. I'm just trying to figure out if I will want/need something for the first few months too. I have walking with the newborn in the ergo and DD in her single stroller as an option but being that I'm due in early May I don't know if that will get too hot for the little one.
Right now I'm checking craigslist and consignment shops regularly and if no good deals pop up I will make a definite decision when it gets closer.
We use our double jogging stroller a lot around our neighborhood. I take it for walks and I love that it is big and durable so DS#1 can ride his scooter and when he gets tired he just folds it up and sticks it underneath and sits there and has a snack. He's always been a pretty good stroller kid though. I imagine we'll use it at least until he is four. I bought mine on craigslist for $200 and it was easily at $450 stroller, in perfect condition too!
It is tough to tote that thing around town. I'm considering selling my infant seat stroller and buying a sit n stand for outings this winter since sometimes we're in a place where we just need him contained for a bit or he wants to rest and have some juice etc.
Oh and last summer I had the double on our beach vacation and everyday I got BOTH boys to nap in it at the beach so DH and I could relax. To me, that is well worth $200
Charlotte Ella 07.16.10
Emmeline Grace 03.27.13
Thanks. After reading these responses and thinking about it more I think I'll stick with the jogger I got for free for neighborhood walks and let DD walk herself while shopping, etc. the only reason I'm not big on her biking or walking herself on our long walks is because we take them on sidewalks of relativey busy roads. If we were on a trail or something that would be another story.
My son was 27 months old when our daughter was born and we got a double. He's never been a huge fan of a stroller, but I also couldn't imagine going places without the option of putting him in one. We go to the playground several times a week and use it everytime so it's worth it just for that. It's only about a 1/2 mile away, but it would take him forever to walk it and getting him home would be pretty much impossible. I can always get him to sit in the stroller with a snack for the ride home as long as I time it so he's hungry when we head home.
I know a lot of people just use a carrier for the baby and a single for the older child, but my daughter isn't always willing to hang out in the carrier unless she's sleeping. It's also more difficult to play with my son at the playground if she's in the carrier, so it's nice to leave her in the stroller if she's in the mood. We also use the stroller at the mall and definitely when we go to the zoo or somewhere like that. He'll walk some of the time, but he also gets tired on longer trips and wants to sit in the stroller.
We really wanted to buy a used double, but never found anything we liked that was worth it. We got a double City Mini GT and love it. We are confident we'll be able to sell it for a good price when we are done with it. We had planned to buy a regular double City Mini on Craigslist, but they were price almost as much as a brand new one and they disappeared very quickly. We did save money by not getting the infant seat bar. We just use a padded insert ($11 on Amazon) and recline the seat back pretty far.
IVF #1 - BFP (6dt)
Unassisted Pregnancy #2 - lost at 15w6d due to T21, severe heart defects, and fetal hydrops
Yes, my son still uses the stroller. When we go to the mall, to Sesame Place, basically anywhere there could be a lot of walking involved the stroller comes too.
I will be getting a sit & stand one for when #2 gets here soon.
I have a city select and love it. I used it with car seat, double, single + glider board, or double. I loved that I had options and really it's 3 strollers in 1!
Having 2 toddlers I also have city mini double GT ( more rugged than city mini) and they are both more comfortable but it's big and unless we are going to something big.... Like the zoo, one is always wanting to walk.
we have a graco double (dou glide). Its big and bulky but its fine. I found it on a good clearance deal after the first of the year. DS is always in the stroller for malls, and such.
I don't know that I'd invest in an expensive stroller but maybe something less expensive would be nice (I guess you need something to accommodate a carseat at this point, I don't know much about those options)...
my twins are over 3 and we still take our double to the zoo, the museum, etc (places where you can easily park a stroller if you dont need it). My kids do not fight sitting it in as long as we don't force them to sit in it for long periods of time- we use it for getting in & out of places/parking lot and if there is a decent walk to get from one place to another... the extra bonus for me is that it is a place to put stuff- even if your older one didn't want to ride or you didn't want to have her ride, that seat is a great place to dump bags, snacks, random crap. When you have 2 to keep track of, esp if you're on your own, I think you might want a place to be able to strap both in if needed (or if older one gets tired) and if not, it is handy in other ways.
yes that is part of my problem. I have a chicco seat I am going to use again but most of the cheaper doubles won't accommodate it. I looked at the chicco double and did not like it. Joovy caboose is the only sit and stand that works with chicco. I haven't looked at that in person yet so I'm not sure how it would be for walks. I do like the baby jogger products in general and I figure at least if I can find a good deal on a city select (I've seen good used ones on CL but they go fast) I have the option of a single or double mode, it accepts the carseat, etc.
Do you not like the city mini (I think it is a little cheaper than select?)? That is what we have had since our twins were about 8 or 9 months old & we love it. I did not want tandem though.
i like it, it's another option, but at still around $400 I'm not sure if that's worth it since if DD doesn't want to ride in it I'm stuck with a wide double/ no single option.
Oh yeah, used for sure on that one also. I think I would just wear the baby and bring your single and make the decision down the road when baby is old enough to ride in a regular stroller...and maybe get a single snap n go for errands when you know the older LO can walk along...?