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View Full Version : Double Stroller -- Tandem or Side by Side?



susanrford
01-15-2001, 11:37 PM
I'm expecting my second child soon. My kids will be 17 months apart, so I know I will use a double stroller for awhile.

We live in a semi-urban area and do lots of walking/shopping trips without using our car. My son's current everyday stroller is Combi Savvy Z. It's perfect for our needs.

I like to get a relatively lightweight double stroller when the time comes. I was thinking a side-by-side (Combi or Maclaren -- so it could fit through doorways) would be best, but am concerned it this'll be awkward the first year when the kids' weights are not close. Also concerned about Maclaren's wheels (read some not so great things about them).

Friends are telling me the tandem is the way to go. If so, Combi or Peg Perego seems the way to go.

Any suggestions? I'm a little stumped on this one.

Thanks,
Susan

slepatel
01-24-2001, 01:18 AM
I just went throught the double stroller decision as well. My kids are 12 months apart. My youngest is now 4 months so I have lived with the decison I made for awhile. I puchased a used Peg Perego Twin Tender just before my son was born. I paid $175. It was in good condition and I have liked it for the most part. I think any double stroller is going to feel a bit difficult to stear, bulky etc because they just are when you have two kids riding in them. The only complaint I have re the peg perego is that the storage basket is ridiculously small. I have added one of those net baskets on the back to compensate. I got it at RightStart and it helps. I have found I use the Twin Tender mostly for walks/errands around the neighborhood. For errands with the car I use the baby bjorn for the little one and my single stroller for the older one. Or I put the younger one in the single stroller/snap and go and let the older one walk on her own. Unless I am really going to spend some time someplace I find this is easier than hauling the Twin Tender in and out of my minivan for multiple errand stops. This may change a bit when the little one becomes too big for the baby bjorn. The Twin Tender has been easy to manueaver when I have taken it in and out of stores etc.

I am seriously considering a double jogger for the walks I take with the kids. The twin tender (and probably any front to back style double stroller with "regular" wheels) is not that comfortable to use when I am really trying to get a walking workout. The joggers are a much better design for that. I am still glad I got the twin tender as I dont think joggers lend themselves to errands, going in and out of the car etc.

The other plus with the peg perego is that you can always resell it when you are done for a decent price if it is in good condition.

Hope all this helps. Good Luck!

Sharon

Belacane
03-27-2001, 05:50 PM
I'm struggling with this issue myself. My second child will be born in the fall (will have a more accurate due date tomorrow). Alex will be 18-ish months at that point. I am torn between the Combi Twin Savvy (really this is my top choice) and the Peg Perego Duette (more of a pram style than the Tender Twin). The reason is, whenever I'm at the mall and I see someone with a Tender Twin, I poll them on how they like it - and out of the 5 people I have polled, ALL FIVE of them hate it. This is because they are not carrying twins, but children a year+ apart like we will be. The Tender Twin seats are fixed, and all the moms I asked said that their older kids keep trying to climb over the front seat to "play" with the baby. One woman was still using this even though she had bought the Combi - she hated the Combi even worse, because the older kid kept pestering the baby next to her. She must be loaded because she was planning to buy the Duette too!

Anyway, I have to go to a store and see the Duette (2001 model - lighter in weight) in person, which I can't do until 4/8 - but I think I will go that route. You can face the seats towards each other so the older kid can "monitor" the baby, and although you have to remove the seats in order to stow it in the car, I'd rather go through that than buy the Combi and have Alex poking the baby all the time.

Good luck!

katyjomc
04-12-2001, 01:16 PM
I learned alot about this during a shopping trip with my husband and 18 month old yesterday. Our second baby will be born in July so we will have a 21 month gap. First, I live in a city so I have concerns re: maneuvering the stroller and fitting it into my compact Saturn. We were leaning towards a side-by-side McLaren or Combi until we discovered the following:

MCLAREN
1. The side by side is 25 inches wide. Great.. it can fit through doors etc. However, when we sat my son, who's on the very tall side but not wide side, in the seat, he appeared visibly uncomfortable. No way would he last in a 12.5 inch wide seat for very long. Plus, folding the McLaren proved very complicated. We ran into a mom of a 2 yr old who also faced the problem of her daughter outgrowing the seat width and who was selling hers after one use.

COMBI
1. First, I heard from one store that with the 75% recline, it was safe for infants. The other said that it was not safe until 4 months. Also, the combi, while light and easy to fold, seemed very flimsy and unsubstantial to us. Plus, again, at only 28 inches, it really didn't leave much wiggle room for my 18 month old. In less than six months, I expect he'd be too tight in the seat. He was also very interested in grabbing at the seat next to him.

So, we have ruled out the side by side and are now looking for a tandem. Any ideas?

shandrin
04-12-2001, 01:46 PM
good grief! all the above sounds like my story!

Let's see i own a total of 3 doubles{and i did ask seperately above about another}

Maclaren opus- I had the same problems as someone else brought up, seats are waaaay to narrow my middle child is not big either but she certainly was cramped in the seats, plus her ability to reach my youngest child was just to easy, also "some" not all doorways are wide enough for it to go through, i also did not like needing two hand to recline the seats, nor with children of two different weights is it as easy to steer, prehaps children that were the same weights would be easier.

Tender by peg perego- I use this for the stores, i do like it, offers an enclosed rear seat for my infant and a semi recling seat for my 2yo, the basket though as stated already is a joke, i too have added a net on the handle to help with storage. I have no problems steering it and folding it is easy. My problem with this model is i know in time i'll have the dreaded back seat driver, pulling hair, i can't see etc...etc...BTDT with my first two with this stroller.

Duette by peg perego- This is not the '01 model but rather the one with the big pram wheels, i do like this one the best of all three BUT not for the mall, to ackward to move i like swivel wheels for stores you can move faster and more easily around racks. For long walks this one is great or the zoo etc, each of the kids can lay back and it has a real basket, but does require a knock down process to fold it up, it's not hard jsut takes extra time.

So that was why i was looking into the new style duette for the stores and to have the two styles{of duettes} one for the long outdoor walking and the swivel wheel model for stores.

Not sure if any of this helps you but....it may help narrow your choices or at least provide insite.

jtkean
04-23-2001, 09:19 PM
My sons are 22 months and 8 months, I got the Peg perego Duette (not the 2001 model) stroller and love it. It is heavy but for long walks and family outings it's great! This past weekend we where at the beach and were able to walk right over the sand to the water. It is not good for the stores though. I either use my cheap double stroller or the Bjorn and a single stroller.