Stroller for three under 3.5

amother

Papaya

Thu, Mar 30 2017, 2:34 pm

I am due soon with my 3rd, iyH. I have a 3.5 and 18 month old. What kind of strollers work best for that assortment of kids? My 3 year old like to walk or run ahead but sometimes I want him to be able to sit. Would love specific recommendations.

country

Thu, Mar 30 2017, 5:43 pm

I had 3 kids when my oldest was just 3 I bought the city mini GT. The gT is a littler more money but has much better wheels. Pushes better. I but my baby in one side and the other side I leaned all the way back so one kid sat and there was room right in back for the other to stand in the same seat. I tried a buggy board first but found it very hard to push.

http://www.babyjogger.com/prod.....uble/

amother

Denim

Thu, Mar 30 2017, 6:21 pm

I have a citi mini double for years. It's hard to think what you will need because first you have to have the baby iyH, recuperate, feel emotionally and energetically able to go out with 3 kids by yourself. I don't know when you are due, but I invested money in a good micro scooter for my 3 year old. Actually, I bought for my 4 year old last year for 100 on sale and invested another $100 on sale ($130 scooter) So I have 2 good scooters and 1 cheaper 40 dollar scooter that won't last as long and is not the same. I suggest like previous posters said, get a good double that there is a possibility for the third child to sort of share a spot with another child on occasion. I find the scooter amazing. At one point, the 3 year old can sit and 2 year old can walk too!

out-of-towner

Thu, Mar 30 2017, 6:32 pm

I just got a contraption on Amazon that is like a scooter, but it has a seat with a buckle. Best. Invention. Ever. It's not the easiest to push, but it keeps everyone safe. My 3 year old is currently unable to walk while recuperating from surgery, but my 2 year old does fine in the attached seat.

I have the Britax B-Agile double, and I use the Britax car seat and adaptors for my baby.

Hashem_Yaazor

Thu, Mar 30 2017, 6:56 pm

My almost 1.5 yo rides on a seated scooter in the back of our double Combi for going to her babysitter. (There are 2 non-walkers in the stroller and sitter wears a smaller baby)

That being said, I never used this scooter attachment (my sitter bought it to use with the double I lent her). I sometimes just wore one and pushed a double, but at a certain point I gave up on having all my kids restrained, and rather taught them to walk with me. So either a stroller and attached handles on the side for them to hold on to, or wore a baby, and just held hands (if I didn't need storage space)...last week we went to shul with no stroller or carrier, my 17 month old walked both ways. I find it kind of freeing. But it depends on 1)your lifestyle 2)how much of a rush you're in and 3)what other needs you have -- that wouldn't work if you're going during nap time or for shopping purposes, etc.

amother

Papaya

Thu, Mar 30 2017, 7:38 pm

Thanks all. Country can you please explain what you mean how 2 kids can fit in one seat of the city mini double? And Ive never seen this seated scooter that attaches to a stroller.

I currently have a city mini double, non GT, and and uppababy vista with a rumble seat and I did get the buggy board, a bulky sit and stand, so I was thinking to get a less bulky one, plus a citi mini single and snap and go.

Iymnok

Thu, Mar 30 2017, 11:39 pm

Why is a 3yo riding?
The only time a strong walker goes in a stroller, by us, is if it's late, or that child is extremely tired. If it could be planned before, we will bring a single and double. Or the baby will be carried.
A more comfortable and doable option is a carrier for the newborn. In a couple months, your older child should be totally out of the stroller.

queenert

Fri, Mar 31 2017, 2:15 am

You might want to consider a sit-stand type stroller (Baby Trend, Graco, and Joovy all have options...I may be forgetting another brand too...).
I've done a bit of research on all of them, and we have a Joovy, so if you do want one, feel free to ask away.

amother

Maroon

Fri, Mar 31 2017, 5:13 am

does the 3.5 year old have to sit?
when I had my 3rd my oldest was that age (closer to 4), and that was when she came out of the stroller!
of course for long walks, or when she was very tired we doubled her up in the sit with #2 or put #2 on the top by the hood (which is prob how we broke our stroller)

I found the bumble ride on the back of the city mini to be so awkward and so hard to push, and my dh complained his foot was constantly getting caught in it.

also as other said, why dont you wait and see until you have the baby, rest up, and feel ready enough to venture out alone with all 3 to see waht works.

good luck.

asp40

Fri, Mar 31 2017, 5:57 am

I had four 3.5 and under. The 3.5 year old didn't need a stroller most of the time. Where do you see yourself going alone that your oldest cannot walk? To shul we would take two strollers full of kids. During the week I had a triple and a double I would use for children as needed and wrangle the rest.

amother

Papaya

Fri, Mar 31 2017, 7:20 am

My 3 year old is actually recently 3 but will be closer to 3.5 when the baby is born. He is in the stroller when we go out on shabbos, and on weekdays for errands he's not always in a stroller but sometimes I wish he was because he sometimes runs away! So it sounds like by closer to 3.5 he totally won't need a stroller.

Queen I was thinking about the joovy caboose ultralight is that the sit and stand you have?

little_mage

Fri, Mar 31 2017, 9:14 am

For those of you saying the 3.5 year old doesn't need the stroller-I'm not so sure. Even if he wants to walk now, he may decide when he sees the other kid(s) riding that he needs to as well. That happened to us with a 2.5 year old when we had a new baby. He had been walking a lot of places, and then once the baby was born, he pretty much only wanted to ride. I do mainly what HY does, and I wear the littlest one, and push my older two in a stroller.

queenert

Sat, Apr 01 2017, 11:26 am

I found that my very independent, hated the stroller dd wanted to sit once she saw baby sitting, and there's always longer walks, tired periods, etc. like you mentioned.
We bought the ultralight but then exchanged it for the varylight because a) it has brakes that make it impossible to bump up steps and b) it was a little too flimsy.
Those were big concerns because we live in a cobblestone area with lots of steps.
The varylight also expands so baby can recline and toddler can still sit (and 3.5 can stand).
Pros: the design is very 2/3 kid friendly, allows them to be in and out, feel independent, expandability, etc.
Cons: doesn't wheel super smoothly (not terrible and we have cobblestones, but nothing like a jogger), heavy, straight back for the baby so you need a car seat until they can sit up, and even once they can until they're really good you need to recline the seat which means you need to expand the stroller.
(This wasn't a huge concern for us because I used a carrier and a single until then...you may want to consider that if you want more time to shop around.)
BTW if you read reviews you'll see these death trap rants. It does collapse if you don't make sure that not only are the things they say are in place, but also that the runner board under the baby is pushed all the way down. No problems once we figured that out.