Stroller help--the "in between" stage

[lmintzer]

Hi. I am a mom to a 25 month old and am currently pregnant with our 2nd. If all goes well, our baby will be born in mid-Dec. The children will be roughly 2 years and 8 months apart.

Of course, it's a bit early, and I have many months to think about this, but I'm already obsessing about strollers. I live in Chicago, so we won't be doing much outdoor strolling until at least March when the baby is 3 months-old and my son is close to 3.

Our current stroller fleet contains the following: Mountain Buggy Urban, Maclaren Tehno, Combi 6610, and Baby Trend's Snap-N-Go.

I'm not sure if I will need a double stroller--my son will be just at that age where he might not want to ride. What are people's experiences with children this age? Will most still ride at least for short periods? I know 3 year-olds get tired and can't walk really long distances. So, question 1 is should I think about investing in a double?

Question 2: If I just stick with a single, maybe a P3 so that ds can use the rear step?

Question 3: Should I buy some kind of basinette carrier for the little one? I could go ahead and purhcase the basinette (carry cot) for the Mountain Buggy. But it's possible that the baby might not get much use out of if if we aren't walking much during the first 3 months. My son was pretty small at birth (6 lbs. 8 oz and left the hospital under 6) so he would have made use of a carry cot for quite some time. Of course I don't know how big this baby will be, but I'm guessing not huge.

The most expensive option might be to buy a MB Double Urban PLUS a carry cot. I don't know if I'm up for spending that much!

Any thoughts?

Thanks,
Lisa
& Jack, 4/20/03
& little bundle, e.d.d. mid-Dec. 2003

[Susann]

Hi,
My first two childern are 16 mos apart. I bought a double when I was pregnant and it turned out that the new baby hated being in the stroller - she loved the Baby Bjorn. I tried out 4 different ones before I finally settled down on the Peg Perego Micro Twin (that unfortunately is not available any more).
What I'm trying to say here, is that I would wait until the baby is born: your son is going to change a lot during this year and you of course cannot know what kind of a personality the baby is going to be.

I personally love carrycots. I have an Emmaljunga with a carrycot and I loved to have it as my babies daybed. I also don't like to have a newborn "sit up" in a car seat or partially reclined stroller if I go for a long walk.

Good luck with your pregnancy

Susann

[kristie]

Hi,
My two children are 2 years 9 months apart. My older daughter is 3 1/2 and my baby is 11 months.
I was in the same situation as you. I didn't know whether to buy a double or not.
I agree with Susann, I would wait and see how much your son changes this year. Some children change so much between that age.
I did end up buying a double that had two seats plus a sit and stand that could be used when you pushed the front seat forward. I did get some use out of it. But I haven't used it in 3 months.
When I was using it, it was only used when my older daughter fell asleep when we were out. She sometimes took naps and sometimes didn't. You might want to see where you son is as far as naps go. My daughter is pretty much outgrown them. ( or she wants to take one at 5:00pm)
Also, my baby was very colicky, which made things difficult for me. So just knowing I had a double to use when I needed it was comforting.
I also used a Sling ALOT!

I hope that helps you.

Kristie

[ginalc]

Hi Lisa,

Congratulations! I hope that Jack's B-day really isn't 4/03!?! That just might be a new record! :)

* Question 2: Instead of a P3, consider the Kiddie Board attached to your MBUS. It's the same concept, and the MB is MUCH easier to steer than a Peg, no matter HOW much they've improved the Plikos! :)
Also, an older child cannot stand on the Pliko step unless the front seat is fully upright. Plikos are not the best option with a new baby/toddler, it's better for 2 older children.

* Question 3: I didn't buy the bassinet for the MB, but I received a shipment for another product in a MB bassinet box. The box was quite small.
Unless you've got money to burn, save your pennies because I don't think that a 3 month old would fit in it.

My youngest are 25 months apart and I have pushed my MBUD many times with just the baby and my backpack sitting in the seats. I use my left hand to hold the hand of my 2.5 yr old and steer with my right hand.
I'm currently storing our Pliko because it just doesn't compare to the ease of steering found with the MBUD.

Another thought --- by the time you're really ready to consider a MB double, 2003 s should be on clearance!!!

HTH!

gina, mom to 3

[MamaKath]

My Kids are about the same age distance apart. What I have found has really worked well for us the most is a Pliko with step, and a Kiwi Explorer buggy. We have also tried various other combinations of strollers and none have worked as well.

Both of these can be used for one or two kids. I would get a P3 probably at this point since the footboards are more user friendly if I were starting "fresh". The Pegs also have higher weight limits so my growing toddler into preschooler can still ride safely.

The Kiwi- I am a huge fan of this one!!! It is simply the best stroller. Especially if you are not sure how long your older child will ride. There have been complaints of kickkers in the back of the Kiwi, but if you use that stroller from the begininng, I think you'd be safe. I tried and compared the Kiwi to a MBUD recently. My older child complained about the amount of room she had in the MBUD. She is tall and she felt very squished in the legs. It does fold less "fiddly" than the Kiwi (the back seat is removed on the Kiwi, then you fold it as a single) but I would rather have the height comfort for dd in the Kiwi.

Oh and there is one more that jas earned its money spent- the Kolcraft double umbrella stroller! $50 at Target, reclining seats, though no basket. It is a great buy for a double!

HTH~
http://pages.ivillage.com/mamakath/mystrollercollection/index.html

[Madelyn]

My kids are 3 years, 3 months apart. When my 2nd son was a newborn I mainly used the Baby Bjorn and a single stroller for my oldest. Or shopped someplace with a cart where I could use the infant carseat and put my older son in the cart basket. If we went walking in the neighborhood we generally went at night with Daddy and took 2 singles. I got a MBUD last July when my second son was 8 months old and my first son almost 4 years old. We use it for neighborhood walks and places like the zoo or Sea World. Many times I just use a single stroller and have my now almost 5 year old walk. That works well unless it is an all day outing and then he will complain that he is tired and needs to sit down or even lay down. I don't think a Buggy Board or Pliko would work well for us because the times when my son doesn't want to walk he won't want to stand either. I just got a used 1998 Maclaren Double to take on a Wash DC trip next month. I hope to sightsee some while my husband has some training for work so I thought a lighter, more transportable double was a necessity. I would recommend you wait to see how your older son is once the baby is born. My oldest son loves sitting strollers even though he is getting way too big! And that works for me since I love buying strollers! But I know of kids that are 2 1/2 and won't sit in a stroller anymore!