Double Jogging Stroller Question - Big Lake,MN

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my BOB duallie. Was so worth the money. You can get an attachment for a carseat if that makes you more comfortable with a baby. The seats do recline and there is a 5 point harness. I think I started using mine with my youngest when he was about 3-4 months old, just not on really bumpy terrain.

It is expensive but twice per year REI has them at 20% off. They also have occasional 20% off coupons for members. I did a lot of searching on eBay and Craigslist. I could find them for about $450 or so, but they sold so fast that I couldn't ever buy one. With the coupon at REI, you can get it for about that same price brand new. It was the best selling point to convince my husband to spend the money. You can sell it when you're done with it for about the same price you paid for it!

I also agree with the Baby Bjorn idea for longer or rougher hikes. I used the bjorn until my kids were 8-9 months old.

I got a BOB stroller. The yellow one. I think it is the Ironman model. I recently ran a 3 mile race with my 2 year old and 5 year old in it, so it certainly fits older kids. It is easy to assemble and disassemble to fit into your car. I highly recommend it. I used it when my children were 8 weeks old with no problems (but all I did was walk). It has a 5 point harness. It is pricey but I really think it is worth it. You might be able to find one used on Craig's List, ebay, or at a local used sports equipment store.

I just got the Phil & Teds Sport. I consider it to be a "crossover" type stroller. Smaller than a jogger, but it has good size air-filled tires for off-roading. I don't think it's recommended for serious running, but it's supposed to be fine for a little jogging and the seat fully reclines, so it works for an infant.

I'm expecting my second in April and wanted something for walking on the trails and going to parks and races this summer (hubby is an amateur athlete). Since my son is 4, I didn't really want to get a full double jogger because he wants to walk sometimes, but obviously he can't do miles and miles and I need to have him contained when we're in a crowd.

The thing I liked about this stroller is the versatility. I am hoping it will replace my Graco travel system single stroller AND my single jogger when I have just the baby with me, either for a walk or at the mall. (There is an available attachment so you can snap in a car seat as well.) But what I thought would be really useful for me is the add-on seat so that it can be used as a double if needed. It's a little bit of an odd configuration -- stacked, as someone mentioned -- and I obviously haven't tried it yet, but it goes on easily and seems really sturdy. For me, my older will have to go in the main seat due to size, but I think with a smaller toddler you may have other options. Plus I figure my son will be a lot happier being able to see out and baby won't care for a while.

I'm not suggesting a specific type of stroller, but with my first, I was adamant that he needed the pop in car seat thing. We used it until he was about three months old. With my second...we found a great stroller that had a five point harness in it, and that's what we used. It had an almost full recline, and obviously we didn't take him out on super bumpy roads when he was tiny, but just strolling was great. I guess here are my thoughts: 6 months is an older baby. If you're in MN and want to do state parks with a newborn, find a Baby Bjorn for when baby is light. At whatever age--2 months?--you start to feel Baby is too big for a front carrier, he/she is probably also big enough for a gentle ride, well strapped into a five point harness stroller. You might need to take it easy on the walks, but as long as you're not jostling Baby too much, it's probably ok. I know, that goes against recommendations. I guess I view stroller recommendations separately from car seat recommendations--if you were jogging, I would recommend waiting, but since you're simply using it on uneven terrain...we used to live down a long, bumpy gravel road, and we certainly took our kids out before they were 6 months in a stroller without their car seat attached. You just have to be mindful. Anyway--that's my two cents!

We got one that is also a bike trailer because it is better for the money. We also thought we would use it at parks and stuff, but we RARELY use it as a stroller. It is used 99% of the time on the bike. Even with a suburban, they don't fit in the car very well, and would never fit in our smaller car. It's not pratical at all for anything indoors, like shopping.

I think if you are planning on doing much hiking and stuff then you would be better off to invest in a really good packpack carrier with great supports. We have used ours a ton while out and about.

We love our Bob double jogger. It has big tires (like bikes) and folds up nicely. Also, ours has an adjustable front wheel after it is locked into place for running. You simply rotate an oversized screw clockwise or counter clockwise based upon how it is tracking. Most joggers do not have this and I have found that all seem to track a little left or right after some use. With the knob adjustment, the fix is easy. Good luck!

B.
www.mamabeartales.com

We got a Phil and Ted Sport double stroller. It is awesome- you can "stack" the kids on top of each other. Because the foot print is the same as a single stroller- we actually use it all year round. It is expensive but it is the only stroller we plan to buy so it works for us!

I was in a similar situation when I was expecting my #2. I asked my pediatrician and she said that you can put a baby younger than 6 months in a jogging stroller with a five point harness as long as you don't jog or go over bumpy terrain. We did use a neck roll guide (similar to the ones built into car seats) for the first few months but after she had decent head control stopped using that. I took easy walks with my 1.5 year and 1 month old nearly every day that summer!

I second the BOB recommendation. We LOVE ours. It has an infant seat attachment you can purchase. When your kiddo outgrows the infant seat, you can always still put him/her in it for walks (just not safe for the car). Also, if you're having #2 in July, the infant seat attachment will definitely get you through that first summer and then you won't have to worry about the next summer. And, the BOB totally works in Minnesota winters. We use ours all the time for winter walks. REI typically has them (last year's model) on sale during their big spring sale.

I don't have a double stroller, but I do have a Bob Revolution single stroller and love it. If we have another baby, I will surely try to swing getting a double. It is the only stroller we have used for my 10.5 month old. We bought the car seat attachment and actually still use her infant seat in there periodically since she is 20 lbs and only now just about to outgrow her infant seat. We will likely put the tray attachmen in for this summer. She can sit in the stroller forward facing too. We live in SD (similar weather to MN) and have used it during the winter - bike trails, neighborhood walks, parks, etc - when it is not too cold. It rides fine on packed snow and ice. There were a few times last summer when I felt that using the stroller was a little bumpy (when we were not on paved trails) & she was stillpretty little) , so we then used the baby bjorn. She still enjoys the baby bjorn too, so that is usually tucked in the bottom of the stroller.
The Bob's are hard to come by... you would be pretty lucky if you could find a used one at a garage sale or on craig's list... but to me, they are worth it when you use it daily ( at least during the 3 seasons). Oh, and I take mine to the mall, took it to FL with me & was great in airport, etc - so I do not feel it is too bulky for indoors.

We really like our schwinn double jogger!