Looking for Some Advice on a New Double Stroller

We have had a Phil & Teds E3 stroller with jumpseat for almost two years now, and we absolutely love it. Your kids wouldn't be sitting side by side though, since the jump seat goes behind the main seat, but it manuevers like a single jogger essentially and is really easy to push, especially through stores and crowds. Also it folds up the size of a single, and the jump seat goes on and off very easily, so it can fold up even smaller if necessary. We had concerns about the child sitting in back, since they are looking at the seat in front of them, but now that my daughter is older, the kids fight over who is going to sit back there, so it must not be so bad. I think we paid a little over $300, but it was well worth the investment. Anyways, good luck. We took our kids to Goore's and put them in and out of every single stroller and pushed them around the store before making a decision. We also folded every stroller up and set back up to make sure we were happy with our decision. Anyways, the Phil & Ted's won for us hands down. I would highly recommend it to anyone.

2 moms found this helpful

Hi S.,
Have you looked in to the McClarens? they're supposed to be of really good quality? They might be a bit more for the double though. Good Luck. If you decide that bulky is o.k. the BOB jogging double is GREAT! AND WILL NOT FALL APART ON YOU. :)

1 mom found this helpful

I have a Combi double stoller that I love! I had the single version of the stroller with my first child and liked it so much that I got the double. It is very easy to fold up, lift, and put into my car. I can even open it back up with one hand. I can also get it through most doorways. I've had it for 3 years and it has held together perfectly. The seats recline almost all the way back if your little ones are tired. I think I have the twin savvy. Here's a link for one under $300.00.

http://www.strollerdepot.com/moreinfo.php?SKU=0963

I have a double Maclaren. My girls are 18 months apart and we used it a lot when the little one was small. I love it! It is not too heavy, really sturdy and not too big. I saw the 2007 models on sale on line recently. We have the Techno which is on sale now for $320 at several websites and there is a Triumph which I found on line for $225. They are both side by side. Ours does not have a great deal of cargo space but it really works for us. We are expecting a third one in May and I plan to continue using it. After 18 months it still looks new and works like a champ. I hope this info. helps.

Hi, I'm a forty-five year old mother with a 13 and 11 year old son and daughter. I used a Yakima single jogger and then moved on to a double jogger. Although I never got rid of the single jogger just in case I only had one child. I finally sold both of the joggers when I could no longer push them and they began to get bored on my long runs.I am an avid runner and trained for a marathon when my daughter was 3 and son was 5. These two joggers were wonderful and I could take them in the hills as well at the street. I'm not sure of the cost, but at the time it seemed reasonable (especially since it was my way of getting out and exercising with the babies.) Have you tried "Play it Again Sports" they are a sporting equipment store that resells all sporting goods. I've also seen quite a few joggers at Sports Basement in Sunnyvale and San Francisco. Good Luck!

Have you seen the Mountain Buggy stroller? It's more than $300, but worth every penny. People RAVE about it. I found them at www.pinkandbluekid.com.

I hear they last forever and the front wheel can be either fixed, so you have to lift to turn with a typical jog stroller or you can have it not fixed so it turns like a 4 wheeled stroller.

The BOB double stroller is the best. It is well made and will last forever. I love mine. It comes with and adaptor for infant car seats. The wheels are larger and give a smooth ride. You'll never get stuck in dirt, grass ect. Check out the website
http://www.bobgear.com/strollers/strollers.php

I highly recommend Kolcraft's Contours Option Tandem Stroller (about $200 at Walmart -
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=5223.... I got it right after my second baby was born. It can be used with a Graco car seat (comes with a car seat attachment bar) and the seats can easily be switched around so the kids can face either direction. Now my girls are 10 months and 3 years and they love to ride in the stroller facing each other. They can entertain each other on long walks. All double strollers are big, even when folded up, but this one is really easy to work with. It's very easy to push, too.

Peg Perego Twin Aria stroller should have a 1 year warranty- did you keep any of the papers that came with it? I would also try contacting them, most companies will try to make things right when thisgs like that break in less than one year.

I have 19 month old twins and have had three double strollers. I LOVE my Kolcraft contours. It is awesome. The seats go any way you want, face each other, back to back, both front, both back, etc. The seats also lay back and "contour" to any shape. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it.

Drawbacks, no food tray (oh well) and folding is weird. Good luck.

Hi S.,
I don't have the stroller you mentioned, but I have been fairly happy with the Inglesina Twin Swift. I bought it when my daughter was about 6 months and my son was almost 2. They are now 2 and 3 and have enjoyed climbing in and out themselves. It did well on light offroading and bumpy roads. It folds up relatively easy and small enough that I could fit it in my car trunk, which is a big factor in why I chose it. The storage baskets are decent although I bought some stroller packs from One Step Ahead to use for cup holders and small items like keys and cell. Then I usually hung my purse, snack bag and shopping bags on the handles. Also I bought mine on craigslist for something like $100 less on ebay. It was new but I guess the owner didn't want it. It was the previous year's model. I'd suggest looking there or craigslist or even a local mom's club. People are always selling things cheap or even giving them away in my local mom's club. A lot of websites are having sales to closeout 2007 models right now, too.
Hope that helps,
C.

I don't have twins but my girls were only 1 year apart so I needed the double stroller too. I ended up buying 2 models and I was really happy with both for different types of outings.
I bought a cheap side by side "Jeep" stroller at Babies R US for around $30. It was just like the little flimsy umbrella strollers that you can find anywhere, but made for twins. It never broke down though after more than a year of use. It was fairly small for a double, and light weight and easy to port around.
When I was in the mood for serious strolling I used my Eddie Bauer double stroller which was priceier - I think in the $300 range. Yes, it kind of feels like the SUV of strollers, but it's pretty stylish, the girls were always comfortable, and it steered well. It is one of the long, one kid in front of the other models. One nice feature though is that you could easily turn the front seat around so one is riding backwards but your kids can face each other if they want to interact.
My kids have outgrown both strollers and they have been sitting in my garage for the past 6 months. They're both still in great condition though. If you are considering buying something used and you're in the Livermore area, contact me directly and we can arrange a time for you to stop by and check them out.
Good Luck!

I bought a MacClaren double stroller, side by side type. It was just narrow enough to fit through the Bart turnstyle, and it was light. I think that I used that stroller for 4 years, it worked like a trojan! In the end the thing that killed it was pushing it fast over cobblestones, the wheels just gave up. I would deffinatly recomend that brand, though it was not cheap.
I hope for your sake they still make them! Good luck!,L.

Hey,
I have newborn twin boys. Could you let me know what folks tell you about this. right now we have a bob sport utility side by side that we haven't even put into use yet..it's HUGE. I'd love to know what folks tell you and you find out from experience. right now our boys are 6.5 and 7.5 lbs respectively, so we've got a lot of trial and error ahead of us.

thanks,
H.
____@____.com

We have a double BOB also and I love it. I was un-sure about gettin git becuase our oldest was 3 when the new one came. It is very sturdy folds up very simple, the wheels come off very easily. It's not ideal for shopping and crowded places, but it is narrower then many double strollers, it haven't been stuck in a doorway yet.
My friend took it to Disneyland and loaded it up with a 6yr, 3yr and 8yr and it held up wonderfully. We have taken it to our cabin and it=walked trails better then most bikes. It is very expensive (around $500) but we will use it for many years, because it's so durable.

I have the maclaren. It might be a little more than $300 but soooo worth it. It is such a light and easy to move stroller. You can push it with just one hand and it feels effortless. It is also very durable. I have put it through the ringer many times and it is in perfect condition. I LOVE this stroller and would recommend to anyone.

My friend has the BOB jogging double stroller and really likes it.

I have two year old twins. They're about 26lbs each. I've had the Combi Twin Savvy. I really like it. It's side by side, but very thin so it fits easily through doors. There is not too much storage space underneath, but it folds up nice and is light and has a carry strap. I had a front and back stroller with my first set of twins and I hated it. I really do like this stroller. You can find it cheaper than normal at albeebaby.com and most of the time they have free shipping. Good luck and I hope that helps.

I'm sorry I do not have a recommendation for a reliable stroller but I do want to encourage you to contact Peg Perego and the store where you bought it. There should be some recourse for a stroller that falls apart. My husband is great at finding the "decision makers" of a company (do not just settle for a customer service rep - be adamant about talking to a manager)and it always amazes me how he gets these people to rectify the situation. I would suggest to them that you plan on reporting this company to the Better Business Bureau and that you belong to internet mommy groups and will not be recommending their products to other moms. Be firm and who knows what might happen?! You won't know unless you try. Good luck!

I have 3 year old twin girls, and to be honest, we haven't really used the stroller since they were about 2. From the time they were born until about 18 months we used the Peg Perego Aria, and I had no problems with it. I loved that stroller, but it had been through a lot and the fabric was starting to look a little older from all the cleaning. We had also gotten a double Maclaren and that is what we have used until recently. I wouldn't have spent my own money on it though, it is too heavy and it doesn't roll well on anything other than smooth surfaces. Like I said, they haven't used their stroller for a while already. The only time they used it was when we did a Breast Cancer walk in SF, but even then they walked a lot of it. I wouldn't recommend spending a lot of money on another one, unless you do a lot of walking and hiking, then I would say to invest in a jogger. Also, I would try getting some reimbursement from your defective stroller as was stated by another poster. I have a few twin moms that have had that same stroller and not had any problems with it. Maybe they could help you out and then you wouldn't need to buy another one. Also, look into your local twins club. In Tracy we have 2 a year, one in the spring and one in the fall. They always have a ton of strollers for sale. And you could even email them and tell them what you are looking for and they can send an email out to members and see if you get someone that is not using theirs anymore. Hope this helps a little.

I know that my daycare lady just purchased a great double stroller from Costco (on line)--it is nice, burly and safe; and surprsingly 'light'. Just a thought! Also have you looked on line--e-bay? Happy Hunting! I am also 35 yrs old, with a 9 month old son and married for 1 1/2 years, working full time! Good for you for working full time with twins especially....! That must be tough at times! Congrats!

My fave is still the combi savvy double. I love it so much!!! It folds up so small that I could fit 2 double strollers in my sedan size trunk. The only setback would be cupholders/snack holders but combii makes attachments for them now. Besides that it's fabulous!!!

For a really nice jogger... I have a side by side Bob... with the swivel front wheel... It's quite hefty... and then I have a CHEAP $75.00 Jeep umbrella stroller... that I added netted bags to... and a protect a bub shade ($50.00 I think) It weighs no more than 7 lbs... and I can sling it around in one arm with a child in the other.

Honestly... we quit using our stroller on are regular basis at age 2. In fact, I think my jeep has been in the garage the entire last year... and the boys will be 3 end of March. I would try to buy a used one from your twins club.

Best...

Have you thought about forgetting the double stroller and just getting one of those "boogie" boards that attach to the back of a single stroller? Because they really don't want to sit in them anymore when they are about 3.

Hi S. and other moms!
My twins boys are 7 mths old and we just upgraded from our first snap-on stroller by Baby Trend to a new City Series mini side-by-side stroller. We love it so far! I have done hours of research before we finally have decided on this stroller. It is very easy to fold, relatively light (about 23 pounds) and fits into the trunk of my Toyota Echo easily. It is very easy to maneuver too. The two minuses are: no cup trays, and sits are designed in a way that kids are tiny bit sliding on them. The sits are adjustable and harness is great, but just they seem to slouch in them a bit. In general, I think City Series is one of the best, I like it more than BOB, Valco, and others -- it is smaller and lighter, although the quality of materials and sturdiness is superb. You can check it out here:
http://strollers.baby-gaga.com/double-strollers.php
an our model is here:
http://www.joggingstroller.com/Baby-Jogger-City-Mini-Doub...
Good luck!
E., mommy to 7mth old identical twins.

I have found you get what you pay for... The BoB double stroller is a hefty price ($550) but worth every penny. I have a 3 1/2 year old (36 pounds) and a 10 month old (24 pounds!) and it is terrific. Folds up easily and fits within a normal sized door frame. Once you have it, you CANNOT LIVE without it. If there was one thing I could keep from all of my gear, it would be this stroller. Well worth the money. Haven't met anyone that did not like it and did not agree that this is the Mercedes of strollers.

We have a Combi Sport dbl side by side that I love. My son is 10 months old but 24 pounds and my daughter is almost 2 1/2 and 27 pounds. The stroller drives like a champ and has held together well. I have used it for long walks weekly all over town for all of my sons 10 months. It has no cup holders for the parent or for the kids, but I don't mind. It was $199 at Babies R Us. The next step up in Combi's line is $299 and all you get extra is a tray and cup holder for the kids. I'm not that desperate for them to put their sippy down.
The only down side of this is the center wheel on the rear when my husband pushes it. He is 6'4" and finds that he kiscks the wheel when he walks. It drives him crazy so I push it instead. I'm 5'9" and don't have that same problem. The stroller fits in all standard door ways, including all but one in our home. It's light, compact and fits nicely in the back of my MV. I can't say enough good stuff about it! I highly recommend you try this one out. Good luck to you. C.