Need Stroller Advice

bbmom

Mon, Oct 05 2009, 9:58 am

I'm looking into stroller options and I could use some good ol' Imamother advice. DD was born in NY and when I was looking into stollers then I had no car and walked everywhere. After much research I bought the UppaBaby Vista and it has been well worth it.

Now I don't live in NY anymore, go everywhere by car (except to shul on Yom Tov), I'm expecting another baby in January (DD will be 11 months old) and I can't decide what to do about a stroller.

My options basically are: (In order of expense lowest to highest)

1. Forget buying a double. Keep the UppaBaby as the "bigger kid" stroller and buy a snap n go.
2. Forget buying a double. Keep the UppaBaby as the infant's stroller and buy an umbrella stroller (must recline though).
3. Get the rumble seat for the UppaBaby and remain with only one stroller but have no option of two separate ones if ever needed. The UppaBaby folds in two pieces with the rumble seat.
4. Keep the UppaBaby as is and get a separate double (no clue which but I'm thinking citi mini).
5. Keep the UppaBaby as is, get a separate double and get a snap n go for ease of use with a car.

We live in a beautiful area with a park nearby and my babysitter loves to take walks with DD in the stroller. If I don't get a double this will be impossible.

Any advice?

OldYoung

Mon, Oct 05 2009, 10:26 am

Is money an issue? I'd say to get a snap-n-go for the newborn, keep the uppababy for your other one, and then wait a few months til the weather is nicer and the baby is a little bit older to decide what, if any, kind of double to get. (My reasoning for the snap-n-go, is that you'll still have to take the baby out by itself quite a bit for appointments and shopping trips, and you'll want to be able to transport him/her easily.) We had the same situation, but my daughter was 14 months at the time my son was born (in January, too). I didn't dare take both out at the same time myself for a few months until the weather was nicer LOL

so I only needed a single (for each) for a while. Then we bought the phil and teds double and I love it!!

bbmom

Tue, Oct 06 2009, 12:06 am

Money is only an issue because I don't want to be wasteful. In other words, I'll spend on what I need.

The rumble seat and the citi mini double sounds a bit accessive though - I definitely don't need two double strollers.

Good point about waiting on the weather - I'll have 2-3 months to decide after the baby is born before it's nice enough to go outside again.

What about traveling (airplane, airports...)? Is it easier to have a double or two separate and we each push one?

Hashem_Yaazor

Tue, Oct 06 2009, 10:07 am

For air travel, definitely a double as you will still have luggage/carseats/etc that need to be shlepped!
Personally, I'd get the rumble seat and have a double that takes up so little space for little money, and get a snap n go for ease of use in the car (not sure why that wasn't an option) -- this way you have a double and a "single" for a while, and when baby outgrows the snap n go, you can either use the uppa baby as a single or get a cheap 10-20 dollar umbrella stroller for the car (what we keep in the car when we stop using our snap n go).

I'm not sure what you think you'd do if you don't get a double/rumble seat -- as you said the sitter takes the kids to the park and it's next to impossible without being able to put both in a stroller. Your babysitter can't push 2 singles!

bbmom

Tue, Oct 06 2009, 10:37 pm

Hashem_Yaazor wrote:

It is an option to buy the rumble seat and the snap n go I must've just missed it.

The cons of the rumble seat are
1) it hasn't been around that long to know that much about it
2) it does seem like it sits very close to the top seat
3) the bigger kid has to sit in the back/bottom and will be staring at a black seat back (not like the p&t where the younger child sits under and the older one faces the world)
4) it has to be disconnected to be put in the car

I'm nervous that I'm going to spend the money on the rumble seat and then not like it (it's just not tried and true).

The only reason why I'm hesitating on the snap n go (even though I probably will end up getting one) is that I already have a car seat adapter for the UppaBaby so I'm not really gaining anything buy spending on the snap n go, while if I spend on an umbrella stroller I am "gaining" something I don't already have.

The other thing is that I live in a place with very cold and snowy winters and I'm having the baby in the beginning of January. My babysitter will not be taking the tiny baby out for at least 2 months (if not longer) after the baby is born so it isn't exactly an emergency purchase that has to be done before I get home from the hospital.

RachelEve14

Wed, Oct 07 2009, 2:37 am

I think in any case you will want an umbrella eventually, so it is probably a good move. We keep a maclaren quest in the car. Still very lightweight and doesn't take up much space, but has a 3/4 recline, legrests, and good padding for a younger baby. Plus if you give your older dd a new stroller now she might not mind the baby using HER stroller. I never had a major use for a snap and go. You have the adaptor, and it's better to have babies in a real stroller if you are going to be out with them a long time. So I would get a mid range umbrella stroller.

As far as a double, where are you going to use it? In the mall? Walking to the park? Will it basically live at home or go in and out of the car. We have the maclaren double and have been very happy with it. It's from the twins and still going strong. It's heavy though, I wouldn't want to be putting it in and out of the trunk every day (we used it mostly for local walking, didn't even have a car when we bought it). We have the more expensive one, I think the cheaper one is a bit lighter and missing some features.

Hatzlacha & B Sha Tova

bbmom

Thu, Oct 08 2009, 11:47 pm

The rumble seat looks like this:

With options to set it like this:

Or like this:

(The rumbleseat is the black one, the one with the red hood is the original stroller seat.)

It's definitely not my first choice of double stroller for a number of reasons (I'm sure you can think of a few just from looking at these pictures) but it's a very inexpensive option for a double and great way to get continued use out of my original "luxury" stroller.

Ronit

Fri, Oct 09 2009, 12:04 am

I think if I'd be you I'd get the rumble seat, since it won't cost you much & won't take up much storage space. Then I'd see from there how the older child takes to the non reclining & other drawbacks. In the worst case you can always either sell it on ebay or keep it to use as you would use a buggy board.

I have a bugaboo frog from my older son & then bought the phil & ted's vibe as a double... Recently I bought a buggy board for the bugaboo because this way my son can walk & take a break....

If you get away w/ just buying the rumble seat, I think it's great. Not only because of the $- I am very into not have a gzillion strollers because I hate owning extra things that just take up extra space. Most of my friends right away bought a "big" stroller & s/t light like a maclaren & most of them I see only end up using one.

malky613

Fri, Oct 09 2009, 4:55 am

Your kids are too close in age for a buggyboard at this point, and the rumble seat is always a gamble. Many kids are not happy with the phil and ted for the same reason - the child in the back can't see anything, can bother the baby in front very easily, etc. It works for some, but it's a gamble.

You definitely need a double. To cut the excess it sounds like the citi mini double might be right for you. Ultimately (depending on your car or the amount of flying you do) you will probably want a smaller double. I use the Combi twin for my "trunk stroller" and I think it's much more practical than the Maclaren. It folds tiny, can be folded/unfolded and carried with one hand (awesome carrying strap), it is self-standing when folded, and the seats recline almost flat.

But don't forgo the snap n go. Buy it used, borrow it... anything it takes. You WILL use it.

B'sha'ah tovah!

Ronit

Mon, Oct 12 2009, 3:28 pm

malky613 wrote:

Doesn't sound like to have the phil & ted's - one of the advantage's is that the toddler CANNOT bother the baby(same w/ any other front back vs the side by side)! The toddler goes in the front w/ the younger child in the back so there is no way for one to touch the other. Also I don't look at it as a gamble- I've heard from whoever owns it (& I've seen it myself w/ mine ) that the older kids mostly think the back is cool & like to try it out- In any case it's meant for the younger kid & they are A: smaller so they fit nicely B: Used to being in this seat from the start. My son sleeps fine in it all the time. The only time I see it as a problem is if you plan to use a stroller for an extended time w/ each child & if you have them really close in age - example: a 3yr old in the front & a 2yr old in the back- then since the 2nd child is already big he/she might complain. For now I'm enjoying it very much for ds 2years 4months & ds 8 months.

Rodent

Mon, Oct 12 2009, 4:37 pm

Not keen on the look of that attachment, might be ok??

You will need a double of some descriotion. My first 2 are under 13 months apart and trust me, it's necessary.

I don't like side by sides for kids of different ages on the whole. MOST aren't designed for it, they're designed for twins - same weight each side. Some ARE designed for it but usually on the pricier side so if I'm spending more I'll go for something which would be easier to fit in doors etc.

Personally I think that this one is ideal for you. Both seats can see. Both recline fully for sleeps (newborn can go in either seat) and at 11 months this will still be important. You still have luggage space. Can convert to a single pram when the older one gets older and starts walking. If you have another smallish gap you could end up with 3 needing a pram and this one can have a double attachment on top to turn it into a triple also. Very versatile.
Click to see the non-squished version: