Side by Side vs. Tandem Strollers

staceymack · March 2014

Hi Ladies!

I have not been active since my girls arrived almost 7 months ago! I am looking into options for our next stroller. We currently use the DSNG. I am leaning toward the BJCS after reading the FAQ section here. My questions for the experienced moms is side by side or tandem? I prefer side by side so both girls can see, but I have read some reviews online that mention the tandem is easier to maneuver in large crowds or long lines like the zoo, etc. Any advice about this would be greatly appreciated!

macchiatto · March 2014

sing4mysavior said:

Sbs...I find the sbs way easier to maneuver and fold up to fit into a car...those tandems are huge and bulky and HEAVY IMO.

Same here. I had a City Mini (SBS) and a Graco Duoglider (tandem). I know the DuoGlider is certainly bulkier than a City Select, but 95% of the time I went with the SBS. I liked having the boys side by side and also having the stroller closer to my body rather than stretching out way in front of me. I do think it's ideal to have both a SBS and a tandem if you can swing it though, since they are each preferable in certain situations.

Plus with the City Select, when I've seen them in person it seems like they would be outgrown early in terms of the back seat. We used the stroller quite a bit till the boys were 2.5 and it seems like the child in the back seat would have been pretty cramped by that age. (The down side of the small footprint.)

macchiatto · March 2014

Also, for me personally (and I had a couple other strollers too), I REALLY liked how quick and easy the City Mini was to fold and unfold. Even just 30 seconds worth of extra steps was a pain and made me lean toward sticking with the City Mini. That might sound weird but when you've got twin meltdowns and are trying to get home asap or just get into the store in a hurry or whatever, it's so nice to have a really quick and easy fold/unfold rather than extra steps.

Ylvelill · March 2014

We are going with the joovy twin stroller. It is also side by side. I find those much easier to drive than tandem, and there is no kicking each other or issues with one taking a nap while the other is up

caden · March 2014

I have a city mini & the select. I retired the select over a year ago and have only used the mini. Easier fold, lighter, shorter, more space for the kids, less bothering each other, easier to push. If I lived somewhere that required a narrow stroller I'd feel differently but I never had a situation in which my CMD legitimately couldn't fit somewhere. In some dept stores I would leave it in the aisle while I went to grab something quickly but that's all.

JordynLeighx3 · March 2014

Both. Side by side is great for outdoors. But I would never be caught dead in the mall or anywhere with isle's in a side by side. You won't fit and some strollers that say they fit through a standard size doorway, don't.

jennyshawn0808 · March 2014

AshB62 said:
I have a Combi Twinsport. It's a SBS and I love it! It fits through all standard doorways, folds up nicely, and isn't too heavy.

This exactly! I have a graco duoglider too, I've only used it a handful of times. The side by side is SO much easier/better.

jennyshawn0808 · March 2014

Duplicate post

LucyRicardo3 · March 2014

I have used my SBS all-terrain stroller (tike tech brand) about 90% vs my Graco Quattro Duo (tandem).
I only use the tandem when the situation requires it: for tight, narrow spaces, department stores such as Kohl's that have aisles that are always so crammed full of crap, and narrow entries in older buildings. The only reason I have a tandem is another MoM pretty much force-gifted it on me to get it out of her garage. I store it on a heavy duty bike rack in my garage in between uses.

staceymack · March 2014

Thank you all for this info!!!

jmc1110 · March 2014

I use a SBS...much easier to fit in trunk!

bumpuser924057 · March 2014

I have two tandem strollers - one BJCS that does all the heavy lifting whenever I need to use a stroller in public, and a Dream on Me Freedom tandem umbrella that I picked up cheap off a swap page and use ONLY for preschool drop off and pick up. I do have some concerns about the longevity of the BJCS because of the legroom, but so far it is still working great for us.

macchiatto · March 2014

JordynLeighx3 said:

Both. Side by side is great for outdoors. But I would never be caught dead in the mall or anywhere with isle's in a side by side. You won't fit and some strollers that say they fit through a standard size doorway, don't.

With our City Mini, we had issues sometimes in a mall type store where there is very little space between racks or in the post office with a very narrow aisle, but I actually found it much easier to maneuver in other stores or tight spaces than a tandem. The mall stores wasn't a big deal since shopping in those types of stores on my own with two babies wasn't my idea of fun, so I did that type of shopping when DH was there to take them on a little walk, or he was home with them. Stores like the grocery store, Target, etc., were no problem at all with the City Mini. I only ever encountered 1 door the CM didn't fit in and that was in an older building.

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