Double stroller for newborn and 13 month old

[williams44]

My children will be approximately 13 months apart. I know!! Unplanned and unexpected, but what can you do.

Anyway, I definitely need a double stroller, but I'm overwhelmed by all of the choices. I definitely want one that will accommodate a Graco SnugRide. The two that appealed to me so far are the Baby Jogger City Select and the Bumbleride Indie Twin. I haven't seen either in person, but I've seen some videos and read some reviews.

Just to let you know about our current strollers, we have a Bugaboo Cameleon now. My husband really wanted it, while I didn't feel the need for it at all. But I have to say that having used it, I really love it. It handles so well, and it's easy to use. I use it with our SnugRide. We also have a Snap n Go, which is fine for what it is. We are planning on getting an umbrella stroller for an upcoming trip. I'm leaning towards the Maclaren Triumph, though I haven't quite decided.

#2 isn't coming for a while, but I figure I better start looking around.

Thanks for any help!

[arivecchi]

The Mac Triumph is a great stroller! Get it! We love ours.

My fave doubles: Baby Jogger City Classic Double, Baby Jogger City Elite Double, Valco Twin Trimode, Mountain Buggy Urban Double. I'd look at those. The two you mention will be outgrown quickly.

[Krisrich]

Congratulations! My two are also 13 months apart. And, yes, unplanned- I was exclusively nursing the first when I got pregnant when she was 4 months old after ttc her for over a year! DD2 is now 7 weeks old and, to reassure you, things are really going well. It helps that DD2 is an easy baby! And, DD1 still takes two naps a day which leaves me some alone time with DD2 during the day. Try not to worry- I would, in hindsight, actually have planned it this way!

Anyway, to answer your question. I have the Indie twin and I love it! I use the carrycot with the infant when we walk in the neighborhood which has worked out well- I can get her all ready to go in the house and then just pop her in the stroller once DD1 is taken care of. I have no problem folding it and getting it in and out of my Odyssey for car trips. The carseat adapter works well and it folds with the adapter on. My toddler is only 15 months old but she is off the chart in height and she has plenty of room to grow- I'd guess at least another 8 inches to reach the top of the seat and more to the canopy. I can try to measure when I get a chance, if you'd like.

Good luck with your choice- I really agonized over this and am happy with my decision!

[jacksmoma]

the indie is really nice and not too huge for what it is/can do :) the select is nice but the seats look way to small to me to last very long and i don't like dealing with swithing around seats etc to fold the thing, i did that with a bugaboo and it drove me nuts and i sold it! the indie is sooo light for being a great double, and it is so sleek looking :) what color do you like?

[WatchingThemGrow]

Mine are 18 mos apart - both times. We went from a Cameleon to a Triumph to a BJ City Elite Double. LOVE it.

Honestly, with two babies close together, I didn't get out all that much. It just messed up everyone's eating and sleeping patterns.

[williams44]

Thanks everyone for all of the great suggestions! I will look into all of the other strollers you guys mentioned.

krisrich- Your post was so reassuring to me! I've been freaking out a bit at the thought of having kids 13 months apart. Hope you don't mind if I ask you a question unrelated to strollers. Are your kids sleeping in the same room, or do you plan on having them sleep in the same room at some point? We have two rooms, but one is much smaller than the other. I can't decide whether it's better to have both sleep in the same room and have our second room be a their playroom/closet/storage. Or give them each their own room. Of course, for the first 2 months, the newborn will probably sleep in a bassinet in our room. But after that, I'm not sure what makes sense. Also, what other items did you have to buy for the second? I'm thinking a crib/mattress/bedding and a double stroller. Is that it?

[Krisrich]

Hi again!

Sorry for the delay in responding- I hope you see this!

I decided to put them both in the same room. We also have a 3 bedroom house, and the third bedroom is much smaller than the rest. My reasons for keeping them together were that I wanted to save the guest room- anything to encourage grandma to stay to help out! Also, once I found out I was having another girl, I saved money by not having to decorate another nursery. DD1's nursery was plenty big enough to accomodate another crib and then that's all I needed to get. And I figure that they'll hopefully like sharing a room when they're little. Of course, DD2 is still in our room now and probably will be for another month at least so I can't tell you how it's working out yet. I am concerned about DD2 waking DD1 who sleeps through the night. But, I figure I can always move the crib into the guest room temporarily if it is an issue.

To answer your other question, I obviously did get a double stroller and a new crib and mattress. That is really all you NEED. But, I inherited another bouncy seat which has been great. One upstairs and one downstairs. I also ended up buying a baby swing after not using one with DD1. I found I needed another place to put DD2 when dealing with DD1- changing diapers and handling meltdowns etc. The bouncy seat can't bounce itself while a swing swings automatically! I still do try not to use "devices" too much with the new baby, though. That's why I mentioned that it's nice that DD1 still takes 2 naps! I also bought a couple of new baby carriers, thinking that they would be indispensible. I like them and have used them but they aren't really all that helpful right now. Because DD1 is still so little, I still have to pick her up a lot and that is impossible to do with a newborn in a carrier. And, it takes too long to take the newborn out of the carrier if I am trying to rush to DD1 if she's crying because she fell and hurt herself. I imagine the carriers will be more useful once I can wear DD2 on my back. The most important "extra" I got was a cleaning lady- soooo worth it if you can afford it. I do not know how I would find time to clean the house, and now I can spend that extra time playing with the babies! Oh, and my mom stayed for the first few weeks and it was so nice to recuperate and take care of DD2 knowing that someone was playing with DD1. But, like I said, things are really going well now, even without the extra help!

When are you due? Are you a SAHM? I will be returning to part-time work after my maternity leave. Feel free to PM me if you want- it looks like I will be going through everything a few months before you!