Double Strollers Demystified

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Double StrollersAs the mother of four children under the age of three, I am a self-appointed double stroller expert. In fact, I currently own three double strollers: the Baby Jogger City Mini Double Stroller, the BOB Revolution SE Duallie, and the Baby Trend Universal Snap’N’Go Double.

Until recently when the babies outgrew the need for a Snap’N’Go, I actually used all three strollers regularly. On sunny days, my husband and I can occasionally be seen walking through the neighborhood, each one of us pushing a double stroller. That’s how we roll these days.

When we had our second son just 15 months after our firstborn; the first thing on my to-do list was find a double stroller. I sought out advice from friends, and hit several baby stores to test drive a few. At the time, we owned BOB Revolution SE (the gold standard of jogging strollers); so I knew I liked BOBs. However, I also knew it would be too cumbersome to load a heavy stroller like that into the minivan for quick trips to the library or park. And that’s when I met the Baby Jogger City Mini Double. I heart this stroller! It met all my criteria, and here’s why:

  1. Lightweight.
  2. Easy to collapse.
  3. Fits through standard doorways.
  4. Seats come to a full recline.
  5. Buckles are easy to use and can be done with one hand.
  6. Maneuvers and steers well.

Trust me. After test driving many strollers, I came to the conclusion that most were unwieldy and not all that dissimilar from driving a car without power steering–but not the City Mini!

The two cons of the Baby Jogger Double City Mini are that it does not have a large undercarriage basket for storing items; and it is not suitable for running despite the misleading name.

So in the end, we bought a BOB Revolution SE Duallie for walks and runs around the neighborhood; and the City Mini stays stored in the back of the minivan for all of our outings.

doublestroller2When we had our third and fourth child just months apart from one another (we jokingly call them our faux twins, as we had a biological son, then two months later adopted our daughter); I also ended up getting a Baby Trend Universal Double Snap’N’Go Double.

Although the Snap’N’Go Double was truly like pushing an 18-wheeler, it was also a lifesaver. It is an inline stroller, not side by side like the City Mini, which makes it much more difficult to maneuver, especially through doorways and around corners and pretty much everywhere else. Nonetheless, for families with twins, I would definitely recommend it. It was fast and easy to just snap the babies’ car seats in the stroller frame and be ready to go. Who really wants to wake a sleeping baby (much more, two sleeping babies) to transfer him or her to a carseat?

So that’s the scoop behind our three double strollers. Each stroller has a different function.  Even though you may only use it for a season, for families with multiples or children close together in age, these strollers are a must if you ever hope to leave the house again.

What’s your favorite stroller and why?

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Emma
Emma is the wife of Ford and mother to four: Lewis (2010), Teddy (2011), Archibald (2013), and Addie Cate (2013). She is both a biological and adoptive mom and wouldn’t have it any other way. Emma and Ford tied the knot in 2009, and quickly went from a family of two to six. Before Texas was home, she spent her college years in Mississippi; and her childhood in St. Petersburg, Russia where her parents serve as Protestant missionaries. Though she is fluent in Russian, she doesn’t find much use for it on playdates in the metroplex. When she is not buying diapers in bulk, Emma enjoys re-reading Austen and Bronte novels, napping, and the occasional visit to the Kimbell Art Museum. She dreams of one day sleeping in, but till then she is enjoying the long, lovely days at home with her crew of toddlers and babies.

9 COMMENTS

  1. We LOVE our city mini jogger! When I was looking for a double stroller (our kids are less than 2 years apart) I heard the city mini was the preferred stroller of Disney – if it is rented out again and again I knew it would last. We also own a Joovy Ultralight Sit & Stand. I thought this would be great when my youngest was out of the carrier but my oldest still not even 3 years old. Well, as soon as the little could walk she basically decided to forego strollers (other than the city mini which we used on walks in the neighborhood and trails (no running but on that rough terrain it did great). Great post, Emma!

  2. I have twins and we used the Snap & Go when they were infants. Now we use the Citi Mini Double. I love it & recommend it to anyone needing a double stroller.

  3. I love that we aren’t the only ones with a need for two twin strollers. We loved the snap n go frames too. We have combi twin saavy strollers we love, but I’ve heard the city mini is the best. Except for the fact that it attracts gawkers, our quad stroller is amazing!

  4. We tried two different ones, checked consumer reports, and read a lot of reviews…that said our favorite was “sit and stand, by Baby Trend” not only is it easy to push and manuver it folds up and is very compact. I have a little Toyota Yaris and it fits into the trunk nicely. Another cool feature is the back seat comes out when your older one is too big for it and they can stand on a platform in the back or just sit on a bench. They sell them at Target that is where we got ours and they are pretty affordable.

  5. Great tips to choose a stroller for my little daughter! I realize that I cannot buy a stroller straight away, but there are so many things to keep in mind while buying one.

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