Double Stroller for Big Toddler & Infant...Help!

[rrstern]

I just received my fancy Opus Duo and am worried that my big toddler (34 lbs at 24 months) is squished, and I need to decide pretty quickly whether to return it so I can get my money back. I could really use some answers asap!

1. Do I really need a double? My husband suggested we both push a single stroller when we go out as a family so that we use 2 single strollers instead. Is it realistic or even preferable to not get a Double at all? I'm still feeling like I'll never take out an infant and a toddler on my own anyway -- too much work and too scary.

Also, my husband thinks the 2 year old may not need a stroller for much longer -- is that very realistic? How long do kids use strollers?

2. I read every posting about double strollers and it seems that the consensus is the Mountain Buggy double for a big toddler and an infant. Is this the universal feeling out there?

3. Further, I will never jog, hike, etc.. I am in and out of the car constantly, as I live in Los Angeles. I don't need an all-terrain stroller in this urban environment. SO: Is the Mountain Buggy appropriate for very urban use? It really looks like a jogging stroller. And is it plush at all? It looks very spartan -- like a nylon hammock for $500.

3. In reading all the postings, it seems the consensus is a side by side, yet the Baby Bargains book recommends a tandem for a toddler and infant. (???)

4. Lastly, I just read that Maclaren is redesigning their double strollers to make them less narrow (which is the whole problem in the first place for us) and that the new strollers will come out in a few weeks... Is this true? We love our single Daytripper; it is nice and wide unlike the Opus Duo. If they made a double in the same dimensions -- with seats that were 13" wide, I'd be all set.

HELP!!!!!! Thanks in advance, Rebecca. :P

[twins r fun]

I can really only address one of your issues. My husband and I have 9 month old twins and we much, much, much prefer to use two single strollers when we go out together. The double stroller is just so much harder to manuever. I still have to have a double though because I go out by myself often.

Nicole

[strollerqueen]

Hi Rebecca!

Maclaren has had a terrible width problem with many of this year's doubles. I was shocked to discover that my average sized 10 month old baby would not fit! I went to several baby stores and measured the seats. They were 9" across. By way of comparison, my Kidco double Citilite is 11", and my kids are still a little squished. My COmbi Twin Savvy was 12", and my Mountain Buggy seats are about 13". So, definitely, I would return it. Either wait for the new ones to come out, or buy something else.

I, too, live in L.A., and use my MB almost every day--to walk to the beach, playground, pre-school, pool, parks, shopping, visiting friends, etc. Although I keep a different double in the car.

My daughter is 4 and still rides all the time. SHe gets tired. ANd she is quite active and healthy. Plus, we are constantly in busy streets, parking lots, farmer's market, concerts, carnivals, etc. I want her in the stroller for safety reasons. You know how people are always in a hurry here. It seems whenever she's not in a stroller, she's gotten stepped on, squished, even knocked through the air at Macy's. SHe really got hurt that time. The woman just said she was in a rush, and why was I letting my kid wander around? Also, everyone is talking on cel phones and swerving through intersections every time we cross the street. At least in a double stroller, they can see you coming a little better. So yes, you need a double for quite a while, or you will never, ever get to go anywhere on your own.

What will you do when your 2 year old suddenly bolts, and you have to run fast after them? You are torn. You don't want to leave the baby alone, yet if you don't MOVE, your 2 year old could get hit by a car. I see this happen all the time. I also see toddlers poking along, looking at everything, and their mothers screaming at them to hurry up, and dragging them by the arm. How are you going to shop when your toddler is playing peek a boo behind all the clothes racks, giving you heart failure when you can't find him/her?

I have owned and pushed many many many doubles. Absolutely side by sides are easier to push. Watch the width on whatever you get--the Mountain Buggy, for example, is only 28". SO it fits everywhere. Some are a little too wide.

I have lived all these scenarios. Feel free to post with any more Q's.

Janet