Stroller for twins...I am very disappointed in the limited info

[Keelinb]

I need some advice on which twin stroller to pick (twins are due next month), and the book has extremely limited information on double strollers. I always see Graco's Duo Glider, Peg's Tender Twin, Combi's Twin Savy, and Maclaren's Opus Duo. The book rates the Duo Glider as poor, but all the customer comments on BabyCenter are favorable, and the book rates Peg's as the very best, but again on BabyCenter, many customers complained of poor quality. The Combi looks good, but willit fit through doorways, and is it durable?

[alandenisefields]

Thanks for reading our book, BABY BARGAINS. We're sorry the info on double strollers disappointed you. We actually reviewed quite a few double strollers in the book, including those strollers you mention. We do plan a new twins chapter in the new 4th edition of BABY BARGAINS that should expand some of that double stroller info.

Meanwhile, yes, we think the Combi Twin Savvy will be a winner. Any other comments from readers as to what double strollers you like best?

Alan & Denise Fields, Authors
BABY BARGAINS

[tamiam]

I looked at the Emmaljunga Double Husky, Combi Twin Savvy, Maclaren (Opus Duo), Graco LiteRider, Inglesina Twin Jet, Graco DuoGlider, Peg Perego Tender Twin. Also considered the Perego Micro Twin, but never saw it in person. I have also heard of durability problems with the Micro Twin.

I don't remember the width of the Graco Lite Rider, but the Emmaljunga, Twin Savvy, and Maclaren were all 30 1/2" wide, which would fit through any ADA-approved doorway. The Inglesina was very wide.

I really liked the Combi, but the reasons I didn't get it are the baskets (impossible to access, even with seats fully upright), and the lack of 5-point harness. I have the Savvy Z and I love it, but hate the basket. I figure when I have another infant, I am going to need a good, convenient basket. Also, my 20-month-old daughter drags her feet on the wheels of the Savvy Z which makes it hard to push and sometimes locks the wheels. She was able to drag her feet on the wheels of the Twin Savvy, too. If it had a 5-pt harness, she would have to sit further back and wouldn't be able to do that... but it drives me crazy as it is, I'm not going to give her another 2 years to do it in a new stroller as well!

The good stuff about the Twin Savvy is the incredibly light weight and ease of folding/unfolding. With about 3 times practicing, I was able to fold it in about 3 second and unfold in about 2 seconds. It's about the size of a golf bag when folded.

I loved the Maclaren, it pushed much nicer and smoother than the Combi. The quality felt superior, but it was also heavier to lift - twice as heavy. 31 1/2 pounds heavy. The bulk was about the same, but flatter, wider, and taller when folded. The baskets were way better than the Combi, but still not adequately large or accessible. It had nice 5-pt harnesses, too. It was a little more work to fold and unfold and it doesn't stand on it's own, so you are doomed to stoop over when picking it up, and it was kind of hard to latch and unlatch. The main reasons I decided against the Maclaren were the baskets and that it was the hardest to fold.

The Inglesina was very nice, but really WIDE and super HEAVY.

The Graco felt cheap.

I bought the Emmaljunga. It has an awesome, large, tray-like basket that is easily accessed. It has a bench seat, but with individual recline and individual footrests. It has a nice high handle for my 6'4" DH, and is really comfortable for me, too (I'm 5'2"). There is a 5-pt harness. The 9" bmx tires will go off-road and even over sand, which was important to me because the wheels of my Peg Perego Milano and my Savvy Z always get stuck if I have to leave the pavement. The brake is super easy to engage AND DISENGAGE (unlike the Savvy). It folds really flat, in about 2 seconds and stands up on its own. Unfolds in 2 seconds. The folding and unfolding is faster than both the Savvy and Maclaren. It is not an umbrella-type fold, though, so it's still the same width when folded - which is its only drawback. It weighs 29#, just a hair less than the Maclaren.

By this time I'd decided I wanted a side-by-side, so I won't go into detail about the tandems, except to say if I were to get a tandem I'd get the Tender Twin. If you fold the Tender Twin and the Duo Glider and look at them side-by-side, you'll see why. Plus, the quality of Perego is so superior to Graco. I have heard, though, that Graco's customer service is the best.

Good luck with your decision, I spent months and months agonizing over this, and even flew to the mainland (I'm in Hawaii and we having NOTHING) to look at everything in person... I know what you're going through!

[nanda]

OK, OK I'm sold! Now, for the next most important question... WHERE did you buy it? I (We) appreciate it!

[tamiam]

I got it at JuniorPlace.com

They had the best place by FAR, with free shipping in the continental U.S. - and if you do live in the continental U.S., lucky you, because it cost me $50 to send it in cargo! Right now it's either $299 or $319, depending on which fabric pattern you get.

They have lots of pictures, and information about the stroller. I was referred to them by Emmaljunga.

IMPORTANT: The Emmaljunga is the only stroller I mentioned with FIXED WHEELS - they don't swivel. I used to have a Jogger and the fixed front wheel didn't bother me or my husband, so I knew I'd be fine with it. I also talked to moms with other buggy-type strollers and they felt the same way about them... you get used to it and don't even notice after a while. It means you have to lift up the back or push down on the handle to lift the front wheels when you make a turn.

That said, I LOVE my stroller!

[windflower]

I tried pushing a side by side Emmaljunga around a store and found it very frustrating, even though it is less wide than most side by sides. It seems like the front/back tandem style is easier to get around. A lot of sidewalks are even too narrow for a side by side.

What I really want is a well-built front/back tandem with 12" wheels like a jogging stroller has so I can use it on rough surfaces. But I want the baby in back to have a view too. Has anyone seen anything like this?

I like the styling of the Graco Duo-Glider with the elevated back seat, but the wheels aren't good and the overall quality leaves a lot to be desired.

[tamiam]

I've heard mixed reviews, but it's basically an inline jogger that can have either one or two seats attached. With both seats attached, the rear seat is slightly elevated. It has a big canopies, a basket, caliper brake, 5-pt harness, RECLINING seats, cup holder, 16" wheels.

Of course, it won't fold up too compactly since it's a jogger, and it's pretty long. Here's the url:

http://www.getgozo.com/two.html

[windflower]

This looks like an interesting alternative. Does anyone have personal experience with the GOZO for 2? How happy is the kid in the back? Do the seats recline far enough for an infant? How hard or how long does it take to fold up and reassemble? How's the quality?

[windflower]

I too have struggled looking for a twin stroller. I've settled on the Inglesina Biposta. I haven't bought it yet, I'm not due until June. The features it has that I like are: solid construction (I think), oversized fixed wheels for rough surfaces (swivel wheels are available too), both seats fully recline, each seat can be independently turned to face front or back. I'm going to get it as a tandem, but it has an attachment that let's you put seats side by side and expand capacity by adding up to 4 seats total. Many options exist. It does not have good storage, and it's heavy. I found good prices on it (<$400) two places, www.lots4tots.com and www.babycatalog.com.

The Gozo (getgozo.com) was my 2nd choice. The seats don't fully recline, I don't like having the baby in front have their feet close to the wheel, the seats don't fully recline, and it looks to me like the back seat passenger would feel crowded. It just isn't as flexible as the biposta.

[TwinMom]

With 19 mos twins, it was hard to find a stroller that was affordable, durable, easy to manuver and side by side. A great place to start is with your local chapter of Twins Club, or Mutliple club,. Look in the Twins magazine for help with getting to your group if not known. TWins Club garage sales are great and often you can get good quality at low price with not too much use. We went with a JP Mason stroller, no longer made, think stopped in 1999. Its a 3 position reclining seat, each independent of each other. We used that daily until the kids were 13 months or so, and then went with a Baby Trend Double Jogging Stroller (that we purchased new at Babies R us, very hard to find these a consignment or sales)
Good Luck

[Belacane]

Someone on epinions.com rated the Gozo (actually 3 people did). One of them loved it, one of them absolutely hated it, and one was sort of middle-to-hate. You can find the info on www.epinions.com

Donna

[jkangas]

I can't give you any first hand information, but have heard several of my friends talk about the duo strollers. You may really want to consider the front/back strollers vs. the side by sides. The feedback I have heard is the side by sides are very difficult to maneuver and are much harder to fit through doorways.

[twinnersmom]

I feel for you! I am a mom of 13-month-old boy/girl twins. I'm currently in the market for another new stroller. The best advice I can give you is to try to find a stroller to borrow or purchase cheaply to use at first. The main thing I've found over the past year is that as the twins have grown, I've had to find new ways to get around with them.
We started out with a very expensive tandem stroller that was given to us as a gift. We ended up not being able to use it at first because only one seat reclined all the way. So, I was given a cheaper tandem stroller that have two reclining seats that I was able to use for a few months - until they started to be uncomfortable in it.
I've also have success using a bjorn carrier and an umbrella stroller. They seem to like this too. Although it's hard to do any shopping with a baby strapped to the front of you!
I've been able to use the tandem stroller for quite a while now. I'm in the market for a side-by-side now because the tandem is just too bulky and too hard to maneuver. I didn't think I'd ever want a side-by-side becuase I heard they were so hard to get through doorways but now I'm really wanting one.
I wish you the best of luck. Wish I was able to give you more concrete advice, but just be prepared to make changes as necessary as they grow and change!

[JanaM]

Hi,
I know this is too late for you but I figured others will find this thread with the same question. I researched the double stroller issue and found the following webpage on choosing a stroller for multiples. It has pros and cons on most of the different styles and brands available as well as comments from people who have used them.

http://www.owc.net/~twins/Welcome.html

I hope this helps someone, it sure helped me.

Jana :)

[twinnersmom]

Thanks so much for that link! It was just what I needed!

Laurie

[strollerqueen]

The Gozo is absolutely hands down the most beautiful jog stroller I have ever seen. :7 BUT--IT DOES NOT-REPEAT--DOES NOT FOLD!! Major Bummer. The only way to transport it in a small car trunk is to disassemble it, then reassemble it at your destination with two crying babies in the car, as the sweat pours down your back.:-( And the basket is tiny, tiny. And the seats are very small, too small for my 3-year-old, and really hard to get the baby in and out of, because the space is so tight. AND, the 1 x 2 costs more than 500 dollars now!:o OUCH! But it rides like a dream, and is so darn cute.