The Truth About Double Strollers

It really depends on what your needs are and top preferences for a stroller are. I don't like the design of the tandem stroller, because I feel like the kid in the back is always looking at the back of a seat...plus they can mess with the other child as easily as if they are sitting side by side. My big things were great sun shades, seats that recline independently (1 child can be awake and sitting up, the other asleep and lying down), relatively lightweight, and easy to push. We bought the BOB duallie (the side-by-side double), and I LOVE, LOVE it. SO worth the $. Good luck!

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I have the double MacClaren umbrella stroller and I have never had a problem in stores. I folds up very compact for a double and is not that heavy. I even use it at the airport.

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I guess I'm in the minority, but I thought our front/back Graco DuoGlider was great. I'm not sure what else I needed from a double stroller that it didn't give me!

I purchased the DuoGlider that did NOT come with a matching infant carrier (since I already had a Graco infant carrier), and that version's frame was almost 10 lbs lighter than the other DuoGlider with the matching carrier. It gave me *tons* of storage area under the seats than my single strollers (at least 3-times more). I could actually fit a golf umbrella under the seats, plus all the kid's stuff I was lugging around. And the seat in the back was higher than the seat in the front. The infant carrier fit in the back, which defined who sat where -- and I never changed it (so I didn't have any fighting). Visibility was fine for my youngest. And, even though I'm a bit of a weakling, I didn't have any trouble getting it in and out of the minivan.

My kids were born quite close together (15 months -- like yours!) so I got tons of use out of it. I guess the only thing that could have been improved was I hated the color of the "upholstery." But since I was more concerned with figuring out how to get around with two children under 2yrs, the color was the least of my concerns!

Don't worry, Mama...you will sleep again someday! I know things are pretty tough right now, so hang in there. There are some amazing advantages that children born close together have!

EDIT: I forgot to mention...having a stroller that fit the infant carrier was non-negotiable for me. I did not want to wake my infant up just to transfer him into a stroller. And I wasn't as quick to get the 2nd child out of the infant carrier as I was the first! It was much easier handling both kids when the youngest is in the carrier (as long as the baby didn't exceed weight/height limits.)

I'm kind of in the same boat, but looking for a double jogging stroller (but also debating just getting a single). Many of my friends who have double strollers swear by the BOB Revolution Duallie. It is a side-by-side and have had no problem negotiating the malls and such. When shopping for one, plunk your kids in it and stroll around the store seeing if you can fit the stroller through the aisles and racks. If you're at BRUs, maybe stroll it into the bathroom since that doorway seems to be fairly standard and we all know that bathrooms are pretty small quarters but typically places where busy shopping moms end up.

Good luck - hope you find something that works.

I have both - a Joovy Caboose and a double-wide jogger. My girls are 3 years apart so I realize I have a wider age gap but I haven't opened the Caboose in months. It was very useful though for the first year, esp when we were using the carrier. When we go to the mall we use my Peg Perego Pliko P3 which I thought was a 1-child stroller but it has a ledge on the back for an older child to stand on. If you are looking to get through doorways then I have heard something like the double-wide Peg Perego is good.

I have both types of double strollers and I dislike them both!
I use the side by side for walks at home and keep it open in my garage. It is impossible to fit it between racks when shopping.

The front-back stroller I keep in my car as it has the attachment for my infant carrier and folds easier. But its heavy, has little "cargo room", and my infant carrier only attaches to the front seat so my 2yr old can't see and is always biting or waking my 7 month old. If I put my 2 year old in front and my 7mo old in back without infant seat, he is all slouchy when he falls asleep because the seats don't recline very far. Also if my 2yr old falls asleep in the front, there is nowhere for her head to go because she is taller than the seat. I also only have a tray for the front seat which stinks.

I have the Right Start sit n stand Deluxe and the Dreamer Design double jogger.

I have a friend who has the Kolcraft double and likes it but its large and heavy and you have to take it apart before folding. But it has better seating. It has no trays though.

I recommend going to the store and testing them out.

Buy Buy Baby was awesome with letting me try out their strollers around the store.

Good luck!

I have a Phil and Ted. I've yet to use the jump seat, but I have a few friends that have been using theirs through 3-4 kids and they swears the kids fight over the jump seat.

I bought the Phil and Ted because I wanted an all-terrain stroller for my daily walks but didn't want to spend 300 on a stroller to only have to spend another 300 when baby 2 came.

I love the stroller and thought it was a true smart buy.

i bought my friends front/back graco.....it was so heavy, took up tons of space in the van & my kids would fight about who gets to sit in front.....they would kick whoever was in front, or put their feet on top of the seat and pull hair, it was ugly......we went to babies r us & i tried out the combi side by side....i pushed it down the aisle with my kids in it.....it was much lighter & easier to push.....it was a snug fit to go down the aisles so i didnt like that......but my kids left eachother alone, so i was sold.....and it was very lightweight for me to put in my van & i love that it folds in half so it is very compact......we ended up buying it off of ebay....it fits thru doorways just fine......we love to go to oakbrook mall & have dinner there normally we would have to "park" the stroller outside hoping it would be there when we got out but with this one we fold it up & stand it next to our table or slide it under the table......the only con is fitting it down aisles at malls but i dont go to the mall often so that wasnt important to me......the pros outweighed the cons for me......hope this helps

I have what is called a sit and stand stroller and love it. One child can sit or stand in the rear and the car seat or another sits in the front. It is the same size as the one seater was in my trunk. The kids love it and so do I.

We chose a sit n stand stroller and absolutely love it. My daughters are 3 years old and 9 months. The older one loves the idea of being able to get on and off when she wants to. Good Luck.

We have a side-by-side that we call the double wide. It does fit through doorways but I do have a little trouble getting through isles at stores. But nothing you can't work around. People make it sound like you can't do anything with that style and that's not true. We have the Peg Perego and really love it. It only weighs 14 lbs which is super light for any double. I cannot stand lifting and dealing with a 20+ lb stroller, many of which take up the entire trunk. One from Graco we looked at that was front-to-back was something like 43 lbs with nothing in it! That's just crazy. Put 2 kids in it, a heavy diaper bag and all of the other things like water bottles and keys and you're pushing around 100 lbs easy. Just pushing mine around that's light is still a chore somedays. So that's what was important to me, what was going to be the easiest to deal with as far as weight goes and I wanted something that folded flat.

Hi-my older two are 15 months apart-when they were stroller age I HATED my side by side-it was SO wide-i hated using it-it took up the whole sidewalk-people would have to walk on the grass to get around us-i hated taking it to the mall-very hard to get through doorways-very hard to get through aisles-and if I was going to a smaller store like 'Once Upon A Child' forget it-i would have to leave the kids home with someone-i ended up buying a front/back stroller and I LOVED it-so much easier to push-we didn't take up a whole sidewalk when we went out-SO much easier to push in stores and through aisles-and 'Once Upon A Child' here we come-i loved it-good luck-hope this helps

I have used both and prefer the side-by-side stoller. I find that it's easier to push and the storage is really good. As far as it not fitting through doors, that is not true. The side-by-side can not be any wider than a wheelchair. So as long as you go places that are handicapped accessible (which most places are) you would be fine. Another thing that I really like about it is that the kids don't fight over who gets the front and who gets the back. Your not there yet with your kids, but it's only around the corner.

Love my side by side Maclaren. I use it with my 10 month old twins (one is a few lbs heavier than the other). Fits through doors. Easy to turn/spin around.

Years about I had a front/back double Kolcraft, hated it. Hard to turn was the biggest issue. Bulky.

I have back issues and need lightweight and easy to push. I'm also 5'10"-so the Maclarens are tall enough for me.

Take the kids with you and push them around the store. Good luck!

I just bought the baby trend sit n' stand for my 22 mo. old and 3 month old. I love it. It's a good price (around $100) and my older child loves the sit/stand option and can see everything. It fold super easily and the baby's car seat snaps in the front. I am sure there are some that are easier to push, but this is great for all the walking I do and I love it that I didn't spend a fortune on it. I am very glad we got this one. Oh, and there is a caddy for keys/cups,et. which I like.

I have a tandem and love it. I felt the side by side was too hard to push, especially with different weights on each side, and I there is no way it would ever fit through clothes racks in a store. Sometimes regular strollers don't. I've never had an issue with visibility. The only thing I don't like about the tandems is that the front sunshade is smaller, hardly covers my son. Luckily though you can buy attachments to extend it. Other than that, I love it. I have the Graco Quattro Duo.

I had a Graco double side by side a long time ago and the same thing was said back then. I had no problems at all going to the store. I don't think that has changed much now for larger stores. But you might run into a problem with smaller stores or stores that have made the aisles narrow to make more aisles. And the strollers are really not that heavy. I think they pretty much range from 14 to 22 pounds unless you go for something with a lot of junk you don't need--like huge clunky wheels. If you think about it, stores have to have doors wide enough for wheel chairs. The doubles are the same width for the most part. I suggest checking out both types. Make sure you check out the wheels as well and see how well they maneuver. Then look at the other features you want to make your decision.

The truth about double strollers is...there is NO perfect double stroller. :) I have tried! I have owned both and I think there are just a couple things to look for. Right now I have a Baby Jogger City Mini which I love (side by side). I don't have any problems fitting through doorways. What I didn't like about the Peg Perego Aria Twin I had (another side by side) was that if my kids had their hands on the outside of the trays they could get pinched going through doorways....they can be tight but they do fit. Afterall those public doorways have to be wide enough for wheelchair access. The Baby Jogger doesn't allow them to leave their hands on the outside.

I also had a front to back Graco Metro...it was just so heavy and bulky. I know some people love that one but it just wasn't right for me especially after my youngest was out of the infant carrier. The side by sides turn easier for me. It did have great cup holders and snack trays but double strollers are all about compromise in my mind. If you find one the perfect one let me know! :) Good luck!

Oh and Buy Buy Baby is a great place to test them out!

We have the Baby Trend Sit & Stand Double. It has Stadium seating and we put our daughter (2 yrs old) back there. She can see fine. We put our 10 month old son up front (front has an adjustable sun shade so it works better for him because daughter wears sunglasses when necessary as the shade doesn't come down as far). We love it!

I have a Valco double wide. I think it's the biggest one and I have no problem getting through doorways. The handicap laws are such that you should never have a problem with that! I only have a problem in boutique shops where it is somewhat crowded but we rarely do shopping like that as a family. My kids (2 and 4) are always sharing toys back and forth and talking. Sometimes they like to share a blanket and hold hands. Now that they are older, I'm so glad I didn't get a front/back one because they CONSTANTLY fight about who's first with everything. I know they would have had big issues if I had a front/back.

we have a Maclaren twin triumph side by side for our 8 month old twins, and love it. It is narrow enough to fit through doorways and through most store aisles, is easy to steer on a variety of terrains, is light and compact, and has a really high weight limit (I think 55lbs per each seat). My only complaint is that it is a little hard to unfold.

We started out with a Graco Duoglider front-back stroller that I did not like at all.

I love our Phil and Ted. My kids are 2 years apart. SOOOO easy to push and get around anywhere, indoors or outdoors. We used a side by side on vacation and it was hard to get through some doorways and I thought the kids would be able to fight with each other easier, once older.

I have both and I LOVE my Baby Jogger side by side. It will fit thru any doorway. I did used the Graco duoglider because you could pop the infant seat in there so it was convenient. But I'm not a huge fan. The bigger child always wants to sit in the front which makes it a bit tough to push and turn corners etc. The Baby Jogger is great, and now they make a less expensive model, the city mini which I would buy in a heartbeat!
PS. I'm selling my Graco if you're interested, it was great to use with the baby carrier.

We have a Peg Perego front-back which is just really hard to push. We also have the Phil & Ted's inline. Love Love LOVE this stroller. I cannot say enough good things about this. Ironically, the under seat is the one that is coveted by my toddler, so although it is limited visibility, she loves it. I have 2 friends who have the same stroller who agree the bottom seat is the coveted spot.

I have both. The side by side is too wide to fit through doors, and is a pain in the butt in crowded outdoor places, but it's easier to push. The front/back one is easier to use indoors and fits through doors, but it's long, so it's a little harder to control, and the kid in the back tends to kick the one in the front in the head.

If it were me, I would get a Valco single with the toddler attachment seat. Or the Valco double.

I found the world's best double stroller! It is the Maclaren side by side. It is an umbrella stroller so it folds down very small and is relatively light weight. It is also pretty narrow and manuverable; it fits through a standard width door way too! I use it with my 4 month old son and 2 1/2 yr old daughter (who is big for her age). I've asked my daughter if she likes the stroller and if it is comfortable and she says yes. The stroller is well made, has decent storage pockets/spaces, and is seemingly comfortable. The only con I can think of is that it will not hold a car seat. If that is not an issue I can't say enough good things about this stroller. I got one of those little head support pillow things (like they have in the car seat) for my son (so his head does roll side to side) to use and he usually falls asleep the minute I put him in. The stroller comes in a variety of colors and is available at Babies R Us. Good luck!!!