My intention with this blog was to write posts that were helpful to those in similar circumstance to my own. Looking back, I've been mostly exploring my day-to-day experiences or a random thought. I'd like to switch tracks today and cover a topic that expecting couples will surely discuss before the kids arrive..strollers.
My wife and I shopped harder for our stroller than we did for our first car (my father gave me my first car, a used 1979 Ford LTD in forest green. It was larger than my current house). Before we actually get into stroller specifics, I want to warn you, that baby stuff is expensive. The second you add the word "twin" to babies, it gets even more expensive. Don't even look at the price tag until after you've decided what's best for your baby. Lot's of couples buy their strollers second hand, in fact, the couple having triplets in our prenatal class, found all three of their strollers on the internet...yep, three strollers, a triple, a double and single. If one of them was going out on their own, that person uses the triple. If they were going out together, than each parent would push around some of their babies, utilizing both the double and single at the same time. We opted for new. In fact, the strollers, cribs and car seats are really the only things that I had to have new. I'm planning on using the heck out of the stroller so I want to make sure I get the most mileage out of it.
There are a million things to consider when trying to pick your stroller. I'm not going to cover some of the most obvious, like 5 point harnessing and a good, sturdy frame, but will focus on the thought process we used in making our decision.
First choice, tandem or side-by-side? The tandem strollers are those long, inline jobs. Most are highly configurable, allowing you to have your babies face you, face away from you or face each other. They are narrow and will fit through all doorways and even up those single file escalators in the metro. Our tandem stroller of choice was the Baby Jogger City Select (which is not designed in any way for running), but a lot of the couples in our prenatal class had purchased the Graco. I wasn't a fan of the tandem design. I didn't like the handling to be honest. The front seat felt really distant, making interaction with that child difficult. Something I questioned immediately was how to choose which of my babies would be placed up front, far away from her father's love, and which I would squish into the back seat, playing second fiddle to her obviously more loved sister? That was the deal breaker for me, that and the phallic design of these models reminded me of the old idea concerning men with big cars. Could choosing a tandem stroller indicate compensation for physical failings? I don't know, you'll have to ask the guy with the small penis, pushing the tandem stroller, filled with kids he is saddling with inferiority complexes.
We decided on a side-by-side. Again, there are several models, but most are not really configurable. If you are considering this type of stroller, make sure to ask about seat positions, specifically the angle of seating. Unless the seats can be set flat, as in the your child is lying flat on her back, they are not recommended for newborns. We were looking at the City Jogger Mini, the City Jogger GT (neither of which are designed for jogging), the Bob Revolution, the Mountain Buggy Duo and the Bugaboo Donkey.
The Donkey is really a "look at me" stroller. It comes with a a hefty price tag of about $1500. It's listed as a double stroller, but that doesn't make it a twin stroller. In my opinion it was designed with two children of varied ages in mind. (It can actually be configured for one child, twins, or one older and one younger child). The twin setup takes two car seats or two bassinets. Your twins will outgrow those chairs very quickly, but for those first 6 months everyone will be looking at you with barely contained envy/jealousy of your wealth. Just a heads up, the new show off stroller is the Uppababy, about which I heard the stroller salesman proclaim "You won't see anyone from THIS neighborhood in anything but an Uppababy!"
We rejected the Mountain Buggy Duo because it didn't fold nearly as neatly as the other options. We drive a small car, a Toyota Matrix. With two semi permanent car seats in the back, our trunk has to hold a double stroller, pack-and-play, a million diapers, wipes and changes of clothes. Folding up nicely was high on our list of priorities.
The City Jogger Mini seemed like a good option. It folded down very compact and with a single motion. It is light weight, so my wife would easily be able to load it into the trunk by herself. It's narrow enough to get through most doorways (less than 30 inches wide). The smaller profile made my wife feel less obtrusive, making it ideal for a trip to the store or stroll along a busy sidewalk. We ultimately rejected this stroller, however, because of the wheels. Instead of a single wheel or even pair of independent wheels, this model has two sets of double wheels in the front. We had concerns that the double wheels would clog with snow or bog down in sand/gravel. Writing about it now, those don't seem like terribly large concerns. This stroller is about urban mobility. It's important to purchase the stroller for exactly what you are going to use it for. You might need to buy more than one for your various activities, but at least your children will be safe and you will be comfortable.
That left us with the City Jogger GT and the Bob Revolution. I really liked both of these strollers. They are designed for all terrain travel...you laugh now, but when the zombies come and my family is able to cross country and you can't, you'll be sorry. The GT is very similar to the Mini, except there is only a single wheel in the front, and all the wheels are larger than that of the Mini. It also has an adjustable handle grip in case dad is 4 foot 10 and mom is 7 foot 2. It weighs slightly more than the Mini as well. The Bob is a running stroller. It handled smoothly, the suspension was great, and the tires were big and sturdy. My wife and I both run and we plan on doing so with the babies as soon as we are able (about 8 months to a year). The Bob is heavy though, and won't fit through some doors unless you've unpacked your kids and folded it up. As well, the slings in the Bob won't recline fully, making it useful only after the twins are older than three months. My wife was worried about weight of the Bob and when collapsed, it is larger than the GT. We placed both strollers in our trunk (separately of course), and the Bob did poke up slightly over the backseats. That fact was a deal breaker for my wife. She has an irrational fear that the stroller will come flying over the backseat and crush our babies. I tried to explain to her that the larger stroller was less likely to fit through the small space between the backseat headrests and the car roof, but she would have none of it.
I think ultimately we'll buy both the City Jogger GT and the Bob (we already ordered the GT). We'll hold off on the Bob purchase for about a year. We've purchased a double snap and go for quick trips to the store, and we'll eventually need something in which we can pull the twins behind our bicycles, as well as a Maclaren (an ultra lightweight stroller for older kids)...5 strollers*.
I frequently stop double stroller pushers on the street and ask them how they like what they are using. No one has ever told me that they think they made the wrong choice. So choose the stroller that best suits your lifestyle and get's you and your twins out of the house as often as possible.
*...Maybe I can reduce that number by one if instead of the Bob we pick up a Chariot. The Chariot converts from stroller, to a runner, to a skier, to a hiker, to a biker, all for a gabillion dollars.
Oh my....
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