So I posted on a message board that I frequent and got some good feedback there.
Ronda- about the stroller…. I have found that the side by side strollers are a pain in the butt to get in stores with clothing racks close together because it is too wide to go between them comfortably. The one where the kids sit one in front and one in back are easier to get around in tight places but I have heard complaints that the child in the back does not have the room that the child in the front has and as they get older they do not like riding in the back and just facing the back of a seat all the time. When J and L were little I had one of those strollers and would put J in the back since he was bigger. (by 8 months) He hated it so I got one of the side by side ones and he loved that. We were at the zoo one day and one of the wheels broke off of the side by side stroller and I ran to Walmart and bought the only double stroller that they had. It was a Graco stroller and the rear seat was up about 6 inches higher than the front seat. It was wonderful about getting around stuff and J did not mind riding in it because he could see out as well as he could if he was in the front. The only problem with it was if I took L out of the front and kept J in the back it had a tendency to tip over toward the back. (I always had a heavy diaper bag back there too so that might have been part of the problem.)
Ra - I had the prehistoric version of the Graco Duo Stroller, and loved it. B was 17 months old when E was born. B rode in back and E’s carseat snapped in front, and once E could sit by herself, she still stayed in front. Both of the seat backs reclined, so they could nap, even at the same time if I was lucky enough,although their feet dangled down on the foot rests, so they weren’t completely flat. I had a side by side stroller, too, but absolutely HATED it! It was too wide to get through a lot of doorways, and don’t even think about trying to navigate the clothing section of a department store with one - NOT gonna happen. The only time I likes the side-by-side better was for outdoor activities like the Zoo or the park, or somewhere there was LOTS of wide-open spaces.
Those added to the comments here yesterday and some informal polling…. I think I am leaning towards the Graco Quattro Tour Duo (henceforth known as the GQTD). I really like the Phil and Ted stroller but I have this crazy fear that the top would collapse and the baby would be squished by Scout. Plus you can’t just stick the car seat carrier on there…you actually have to take the baby out (and that sounds like work)….
I haven’t really heard anything great about the side by side strollers…most people like them for walking or going to the zoo but don’t care for them on a day to day basis. BUT at the same time I hear that the children seem the most content when they can both see…so with the GQTD you get the stadium seating and it is still just as narrow as the regular stroller.
Why does this Mom stuff have to be so hard?
