Double stroller for city living

[bostonmama]

I am the mother of 10-week old Abigail and am heading back to work in 2 weeks. :( We have hired a great nanny we will be sharing with friends who have a 6-week old. The nanny will be watching both girls in our condo in Boston, so we are looking to purchase a double stroller that is lightweight (will have to be lugged up 1 flight of stairs to get into our building), folds up small (will be stored in a small foyer we share with our neighbors, so we don't want to infringe too much) and is durable enough to withstand the brick and cobblestone streets of Boston. I've been reading some of the entries here and it seems that most people are recommending the MacLaren or Combi twin strollers, but both of those are side-by-side design. I think a front-and-back design would be easier to manuver through the narrow city sidewalks here. Any thoughts on a good double stroller with this type of design? Thanks for your help!

Stacy

[strollerqueen]

Hi Stacy!

COngrats on baby Abigail! SOrry you have to go back to work so soon, but sounds like you found a gem to watch her. I have only been to Boston as a tourist, (and loved it, btw!), but I doubt very seriously either of the strollers you mentioned will perform well on those cobblestones. THey are both better suited for mall useage, or smooth, flat surfaces. Not only are the wheels lousy for outdoors, but both of your babies are too young for those type of strollers. Their little necks and backs would be jostled way too much, as the Mac and Combi don't have enough support or suspension.

As far as I know, there are no tandems in which both seats fully recline, which is what you need for newborns. Normally the front seat only reclines slightly, for an older child, because if it went too far back it would squish the child in the rear seat.

So, in your situation, this is what I would recommend. First,either a double Simo or an Emmaljunga Husky pram. The Husky is my preference here, but they are no longer imported into the U.S. TOo bad, I just sold one for a song. It had a gorgeous chrome frame, nice bouncy suspension, two independent fully reclining seats, and wheels that will tackle any surface. It folded almost completely flat and surprisingly small. You could stand it up against the wall, and it wouldn't be in any one's way.

I saw more prams in Boston than I've ever seen anywhere else in this country. SO maybe you can still find one in a small shop there.

My other choice would be the Mountain Buggy Terrain or Urban. (Fixed or swivel wheels.) It folds lareger than the Emma, but smaller than other joggers. It has full, independent reclines, easy fold, and again, wheels that will stand up to your cobblestones, and not give the babies whiplash.

You can "bump" up the stairs any of these, rather than dragging them or carrying them. I just got a SIlver Cross pram, and that's what I do.

GOod luck, feel free to post back with any more Q's.

Janet:) :7 :D

[Melanie]

Can't help you with experience, but another idea for when they are still too small for the doubles someone mentioned, is 1 stroller and a baby bjorn or a sling.

Mommy to Jonah

[strollerqueen]

Stacy, if you're still there and reading this, I just thought of a couple of tandems that might work for you. Either the Inglesina Biposto, or the Peg Perego Duette. You can recline the seats in both of these. If you go this route, make sure you get the big fixed pram wheels, not the smaller swivels. Be advised that they are very heavy and long. Would be harder to store, and get up the stairs.