Do I really need a double stroller?

[wangstar]

My son will be almost 3yo by the time #2 is born. He's currently around 30lb and rambunctious.
I have a 2013/14 Vista and instead of UP gliding board attachment, I'm getting the Englacha 2-In-1 Junior X Rider (it has a a seat as well as a gliding broad)

So, do I really need to get a double? I was told that Citi Mini double is the best option.

[abh5e8]

Do you baby ware? I did, so it was a good six months until the baby needed a ride. By then, older Sib was fine to walk. What is your lifestyle like? How much do you use your stroller?

[wendibird22]

Going back a few years here since DD2 is 5.5yo but back when she was born, DD1 was 2.5. She was a winter baby so it wasn't until DD1 was 3 that we were really out and about often. We ended up with a City Select and honestly, I hardly ever used it in doubles mode. It was convenient to have the ability to make it a double but I used it as a single far more often. Looking back I could have survived without a double.

[ncat]

Our stroller usage for all 3 kids dropped substantially around 2 YO and was non-existent by 3 YO. I think it depends on your usage though - we live in the suburbs and don't need to walk long distances. The strollers are most useful when we are on an all-day trip. I would have liked a standing board for the older child, but could not find any that were appropriate for DD's height/weight at the time DS1 was born.

[DualvansMommy]

DS2 was a winter baby and at time of his birth, DS1 was just 2.5 years old. We had a brutal winter, so stayed mostly indoors and by time we started going out for walks, DS1 was almost 3 and hardly used stroller. I thought and debated in selling my single uppa baby vista for a double stroller, but didn't see the need for it. I'm glad I didn't as last time DS1 needed a stroller was last May for Disney.


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[wangstar]

baby wearing - Yes, I have a boba for baby wearing.
lifestyle - I live in Miami, so lots of car rides. The only time the stroller is being used is out for walks or shopping in the mall. (My vista still looks brand new)

[abh5e8]

I think the city mini double would be miserable in the mall. I think you will be fine without one.

[AngB]

The city mini is miserable in malls. We have done it in a pinch (my 4 yo is lazy and we needed to keep the 2 yo contained) I definitely would get a tandem double, if anything. I do still use my city mini double a lot for my 4 and 2 yo but we go to the zoo about 2-3 times a month and my 4 yo avoids walking as much as he can. It sounds like for you, you would be fine with a single. (I loved my b-ready when they were 18 months and newborn but once they are bigger its not as great.)

[monalua]

I think it depends on your daily activities. My older 2 are exactly 3 years apart. I used a double Bob out of our garage for all of our neighborhood activities - exercise, the pool, soccer and t-ball practice, friends' houses, playground. Both my kids loved it and so did I. My oldest is now 5 and still rides in it on long walks. However. I never had a double stroller for the car. The Bob is huge and I drove a compact car at the time. I used a Peg Perego Pliko 4 single which I have and still love for my car stroller. My older could ride and I wore my younger in the Ergo. Then eventually my younger rode and my older hopped on the built-in rider board when necessary. I never really found an occasion where I needed a true double while out with my car...even at the zoo the single with Ergo and rider board was fine...just depends on your activities...good luck!

[meljc]

My kids are 2y8m apart. We live in Los Angeles. I made it with a single (sometimes +glider board, though DS doesn't love it) and babywearing until DD was about 8mo. DS still naps and likes to do so in a stroller, which means DH and I can get in a nice afternoon walk on the weekends. But 8mo in we found ourselves often pushing two strollers because it was too hot and muggy for me to wear a growing baby for 2+hrs. Finally one weekend DH was out of town and it was 95 degrees (in February!) and I went down the street and bought the City Mini GT :-) It's less offensive than many other doubles because it's narrow enough to fit through a doorway. Because of my husband's work schedule I'm often walking the kids on my own for nap time, and having the double means sometimes I can sit down at a cafe and enjoy a drink and some reading. Yes, I'm sure we could live without the double. But I pushed for it for a few months before we got it and I'm glad we finally pulled the trigger. All this is to say that you don't need to start out with one, but you'll probably know if/when you need or want one.

(Interestingly, starting around age 2 DS would act like a wild animal if you tried to put him in the stroller. Once there was a new baby around, he wanted to ride all the time).