Tandem Stroller Really Necessary for Infant and Two Year Old?

I think it depends on how often you will be going out without your hubby. When my hubby is with I almost never have to use the double stroller, unless it is a particularly long excursion, like the zoo.

I am alone with my 3 kids 95% of the time, so I love having my 2 yr old and my 4 month old in the double stroller (we have both a tandem and a side-by-side double jogger). I also have an Ergo and love it, but some days it is simply too hot to put my baby in it. Since you are in GA I imagine that it gets much hotter there during the summer than it does here in Chicago.

I have a Graco Duoglider, which was about $160. For a while I had convinced myself that I hated it--guess I had stroller envy for all the cuter, more expensive models out there. I had even considered giving it away, and now I think I was NUTS to even think of it! I love it. It has a very roomy basket, is easy to open & close, fits in the back of my van and my hubby's trunk, can snap the infant carrier to it, and can get my 2 yr old out easily from the front.

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Will you always be going out together? Because if it will be just you and the 2 kids, it might be difficult to chase after a 2 year old and have a baby. Also, even if the 2 year old walked for a while, they tire out easily.

I would look on craigslist for a nice used one.

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My son was 18 mo. when my second son was born. I carried the baby everywhere in the baby carrier and my older son either walked or I pushed him in the single stroller. This is what I found to be the easiest thing to do for trips that didn't require a ton of walking.

We did however end up purchasing a used double stroller and it's very handy to have for things like museums, mall trips, theme parks, walking/running for exercise, park... they sit side by side in it. It just doesn't get used a ton which is why I'm glad we bought it used. Overall, I would recommend getting one but you may not need it right off.

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My son was three when our second baby came along. My hubby felt like yours, especially at three. But I do a lot of outings alone and felt like constantly holding the baby or corralling a child would be a bit much. I have several friends who bought double strollers, but the older child was uncomfortable in them, it seemed to make them slouch. So I wound up spending $30 on a used sit and stand stroller. It was definitely worth the investment. Baby was comfy and the older child had a spot to sit, but could get off when needed or wanted. He felt like a "big kid", instead of a baby in a stroller. We had a bit of a learning curve on how to get on and off, but he caught on fast. And the newer versions start out like a double stroller can change to the bench when you are ready. My son turns six in November and I just posted ours for sale this week. Even at five there were a few festivals that we used it on. It was much easier to navigate through the crowds. Part of me still wants to keep it for that reason alone, but he let me know it was time for me to get rid of it. :)

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nope not necessary. just use an umbrella stroller for the toddler and put the baby in a front carrier or sling.

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You could go with one of those sit and stand strollers:

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3980761

Check out the reviews- seems people loved or hated them. You could ask people you know how they liked it- or try it out in the store.

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Hi E.,

Congrats! I agree with Momof2, a baby carrier and a single stroller for the toddler is much easier to me. My baby is now about to turn 1 and he has spent very little time in a stroller because I used the Bjorn when he was little and now the Ergo for him. He is happy, I don't have to deal with a double stroller, and I only put my big boy in the stroller when neeeded (not to walk into preschool or short distances, but bigger things like a mall outing, etc. At the grocery, baby is in the Ergo and big boy in the cart.

You might want a sit and stand later. As some of the other posters said, you can definately pick one up used. Try craigslist!

Cheers,
C.

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We bought one, thinking we'd need it because our first two girls are 20 months apart....yeah, I think we used it all of twice! Waste of money.

Personally what I would do is get a good baby wrap/carrier and keep your older one in the stroller if needed. And once baby's old enough to sit up in the shopping cart, your older one will be be almost 3.

It also depends on how much you use your current stroller. Once a day? Once a month? That's a pretty good indication of how often you'll use your tandem.

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I would agree with some of the other posts. My kids are exactly 2 yrs apart. I got a double stroller and used it when I needed it. Still had the single one and the cheap-o fold up one too. Buy the double stoller @ consignment or thrift store. When you need it , you will have it. May not need it every day but a lifesaver when you do. When we no longer needed it I sold it at a church consignment sale for the same coast as I bought it for 2 years earlier.

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I think it depends on your older childs feelings about a stroller and how often you go places where there is a lot of walking involved. When we went places with the two kids that involved a lot of walking, we would put the infant in our Baby Bjorn and our older child in the stroller. This worked for about 9 months. Then we used a sit and stand stroller quite often after that, but we lived in Chicago at the time and walked everywhere. But, my second child stopped using a stroller around the age of 2 b/c he just didn't like being in the stroller, so a tandem stroller would have been a waste of money if the kids had been reversed in age. They are definitely worth it IF both children enjoy the stroller AND you do a lot of walking.

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Tandem stroller! Oldest 2 boys are 16 months apart, and I used it all the time!
To the park, to the neighbor's, walking around the mall on rainy days...everywhere! I used it so much that I got every penny's worth out of it!! Then we cleaned it up and gave it to Christian Assistance Ministry afterwards.

Your husband means well on the thoughts for the 2 yr old walking, but after having 3 - 2 year olds I can tell you your son will refuse to walk when you need him to the most! That's the joy of a 2 yr old.

I think ours was a Graco ---this was 16 yrs ago so I'm a little fuzzy on the details. But it was a great purchase!
Best of luck.

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I think a tandem stroller is definitely worth it. A two year old will just tisre so easily, and will run away and have all sorts of issues when you're out and about. If you have them safely strapped in it makes everything so much more manageable. I had a Phil & Teds. It was great.

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I agree with Sara B. . .If you will be going out with the children, it is so nice to have both in a stroller. If the 2 year old decides to do something not planned, then you can still go quickly with a stroller. I also would look on craigslist and even join you local freecycle and look or request on there. Also, September is a great month for local nearly new sales or twins sales or such. Investigate and look around. I have bought several double strollers and haven't paid more that $30 for a used one. Good luck and congrats.

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It really depends on the kinds of things you like to do and also the type of children you have. Most babies love carriers, some dont. If you are ever planning on taking the kids shopping and you want to try something on yourself, its a real pain with a carrier (imo).

We purchased a tandem (Phil & Ted's Vibe) when I was pregnant with my second, and while we LOVED it as a single, once we tried to use the double, neither child would sit in the back! My then 3 yr old was also a bit jealous and didnt want to always walk, so we ended up with an all terrain side by side and both kids were/are happy. Im pregnant with #3 now so Im sure we will get plenty of use out of it over time. My oldest is now 4 and still gets tired on walks and outings sometimes, so we are now looking into the riding board you clip on the back, but most of the time he will be walking.

I think the sit/stands are a great option too. Unfortunatley my oldest wanted to have the "same" kind of seat as the baby! He wasnt buying any of the "special seat for the big brother" stuff! ;)

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You really need a tandem stroller. Try to buy one with a car seat, two birds one stone. A two year old will not be able to keep up with two adults. You will regret not having one and will get frustrated while out and about one day and will spend too much money on one. I bought all my strollers and car seat at target. Just do your research, customers rating & review are the best insight you can find. Good luck with the new little one!

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When I was pregnant with my second one we decided to forgo the double stroller. So I kept the single and just had baby in the sling. But once #2 was about 6 months old and a hefty 18 pounds... Yea I wanted a double. My first one was just turning 3 and often didn't want to walk. We used the stroller almost everyday to go to the park and such.

You really need to think about how often you use the stroller. It wasn't until 4/5 that my kiddos were more likely to walk then ride, but then we'd walk just about everywhere too - park, store, school....

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Tandem. I paid $15 for it at a thrift store and have used it constantly for the last three years. I would look at thrift stores or Craigslist if you don't want to pay a lot.

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My kids are exactly 2 years apart and I was lucky enough to borrow a double stroller from a friend...I loved it. It was so nice to put the baby in the back and my daughter up front and we took it everywhere and used it for everything! My friend was pregnant with #3, however, and I had to give it back after about 6 months. I was worried and I looked at other double strollers and the sit and stand. I gave it a few weeks and I decided that I didn't really need one after all. My daughter was getting bigger and didn't ride so much in the stroller plus my son was out of the carrier and enjoyed looking around while strolling, so I went back to my single and it was perfect.

So, I would say you do need something. If you can get a double for cheap on Craigslist or something then I'd do that. If you're going to buy new I might go ahead and get a sit and stand (everyone I know who has one loved it) b/c I think you'll get more use out of it. I'm still using my single for my son (who will be 2 in Sept) and although it's dirty, it's holding up great! :)

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I was given a double stroller, maybe used it handful of times. I just ended wearing the little guy and putting my almost two year in the stroller. Now if you do a lot of walking, zoo, amusement park type activities you might want to look into it. Right now, I'm wishing I had a sit n' stand over the one that was given to us, but you can't complain about free, it served its purpose that's for sure. It was just heavy, tedious and generally more of a problem then it was worth:)

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I'd say, get the stroller! We really like the Baby Trend Sit and Stand because at first, it can be a stroller with 2 seats (baby seat can fit in one), then it converts to a sit and stand. Amazon is the cheapest place I've found it.

I've heard the Joovy sit and stand is crowded for the older child.

http://www.amazon.com/BABY-TREND-Stand-Double-Stroller/dp...

Or find a used double stroller on Craigslist.

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