To double or not to double?

[meljc]

DD will be coming along in June, at which time DS will be 2y8m. He's a good walker (including zoos, museums etc) but also a good stroller rider most of the time now and even takes some stroller naps still... though it's hard to tell what he'll be like in a few months. We're strongly considering bypassing the double altogether, but is that a mistake? We're big neighborhood walkers and out-and-about all the time; our life also includes a lot of travel (including a planned 2wk international trip at the end of my maternity leave, when we'll have a 3mo old and a 2y11mo old). Our current fleet includes:

Keyfit Caddy
G-Luxe
BJCM (+ snuzzler)
we might receive a Liteway Plus on loan

We also have a range of baby carriers that work birth through toddlerhood.

Happy to hear from those who have experienced either route with a similar age gap!

[crl]

My kiddos are really far apart in age so I have zero personal experience with two in a stroller. But I have found the ability to strap a three year old into a stroller super useful for safety reasons many times. Also, even my energetic kids have not always been able to walk as fast and as far as I can. So the stroller has always been useful to me for things like going to the far away park or a long day at the zoo. I wore my second a ton, but I wouldn't have wanted to wear her for long outings and I think it could be hard to chase a three year old who is running away while baby wearing.

You could always try it and see how it goes though. Amazon can get you a double stroller in no time flat if you decide you need one.

Catherine

[123LuckyMom]

Our friends who are parents of twins GAVE us a BOB Duallie. I had mentioned I was going to buy a double, and they just let us have theirs. My kids are a wider spread, 3.5 years, and we still used ours. We tried just having DS walk, because that was what he was used to doing, but he got upset that DD was in HIS stroller. Then he started noticing the doubles and told us that was what we needed, a stroller with two seats next to each other! He was right!

We've used it enough that I'm very glad we had one, but maybe not enough that it would have been a wise purchase. I will donate ours, but if I had bought it, I would have wanted to resell. I would buy with that in mind.

[truly scrumptious]

Our kids are 2.5 years apart. We haven't used our double much (BJCMD) but there have been times (usually when traveling or when the weather was inclement) that we were glad we had it. But I'm pretty sure we haven't gotten our money's worth given how little we use it. Maybe you can look for a used on on CL? I hope we can sell ours when we don't need it any more.

[ebp913]

DD will be coming along in June, at which time DS will be 2y8m. He's a good walker (including zoos, museums etc) but also a good stroller rider most of the time now and even takes some stroller naps still... though it's hard to tell what he'll be like in a few months. We're strongly considering bypassing the double altogether, but is that a mistake? We're big neighborhood walkers and out-and-about all the time; our life also includes a lot of travel (including a planned 2wk international trip at the end of my maternity leave, when we'll have a 3mo old and a 2y11mo old). Our current fleet includes:

Keyfit Caddy
G-Luxe
BJCM (+ snuzzler)
we might receive a Liteway Plus on loan

We also have a range of baby carriers that work birth through toddlerhood.

Happy to hear from those who have experienced either route with a similar age gap!

For as much walking as you are talking about I would get a true double. My kids are a lot closer together but still, there are many times when I need one of them seated and strapped in so I can deal with the other one for diaper changes, etc. In fact one time, when I was flying with them and no stroller, I brought them into the bathroom to change the baby's diaper and my daughter shut off all the lights in the restroom. It was not fun. Also, even though I do babywear quite a bit, I often just want a break - babies both sitting and strapped where I can talk on the phone or do something without one on me or one running away.

[meljc]

Thanks for all the feedback, mamas! I had thought about something with a rumble seat (Vista or similar) but they just seem so expensive. I'll definitely check out craigslist when the time comes. We live in LA so it's pretty good and everyone here has fancy strollers :-)

[MommyAllison]

We used our double a ton with our first two, with an age gap of 2.5 years exactly. We walked to the park pretty much every day from spring-fall, and took long walks several times a week. We did babywear a lot, but in the hot summer it was nice to have the stroller option to keep everyone cooler (and we had a SPF sun cover for the stroller, so it took care of sun coverage without sunscreen). With our third baby, the age gap was 3.5 years exactly, and we didn't use the double nearly as much. On walks to the park, DD1 and DS rode their bikes, so the double stroller just came out for the long walks. My nieces are 3 years apart and they tried to skip the double stroller, but ended up getting one after a couple months.

[meljc]

So SBS like BJCMD(GT?) or Snap Dual? Or convertible in-line like Vista, B-Ready, P&T or MB+1? We plan to keep our singles (though we'll sell the Keyfit Caddy when we're done with the bucket) and we don't have tons of storage space -- right now our BJCM stays parked in our foyer.

If it matters, DH and I both work full-time. DS now attends preschool and we're not certain yet if the newbie will be home with a babysitter or at a daycare.

[abh5e8]

you have 2 good (and maybe 3!) single strollers and it sounds like for travel and such dh is with you? if you won't be alone with the 2 dc much, i'd just go for a combo of single strollers and carriers. i use my double a lot, but usually only when its 1 adult with the kids, otherwise its just too big and heavy.

[hihellonikki]

My baby (#5) will be born when DS will be 2y8m. I'm going to buy a Bob Duallie off craigslist, and then sell it there when I'm done. That way I'm not really going to be out much money for something that I won't use as often or as long as a single stroller. I'm an avid babywearer and so I never needed a double stroller with my other children, but my DS is a busy little guy that I won't always be able to trust to walk. Plus, I like to jog and I'll need both of the little ones to ride.

Maybe you could consider getting a "loaner" stroller off Craigslist like me?