I feel icky saying it out loud, but one visit to my house will confirm this embarrassing fact before you even ring my doorbell. Yes, we have six strollers. So, I figure the least I can do to cleanse my karma is to review them for you and save you from following down my path:
The bare bones snap-n-go — Whitney loaned me her Graco model and it was stolen from my front yard! So, I still consider this one a loaner and when her baby is born she gets it back. We replaced the stolen wheels with the Kolcraft Universal Infant Car Seat Carrier and it’s just great. Lightweight, collapsible, and a smooth ride to boot. My only minor complaint is that the Graco carseat does not snap into place, you have to remember to strap it down. [Our cost = ~$60]
The jogger — My husband actually runs Holden around in this stroller and I consider it a lifesaver. We got the BOB Sport Utility Stroller as a Christmas present the year Holden was born and it has been well worth the $0 we paid. [Our cost = $0]
Holden’s regular ride — we first got the Sydney Chicco C5 Lightweight Stroller when Holden was ready to graduate to an umbrella stroller because it was reasonably priced and had a sunshade. It hasn’t held up very well in my opinion but it’s not terrible either. [Our cost = ~$60]
The double — we borrowed the Chicco Citta Twin Stroller from Whitney one day when we had the option of a nanny-share. That was a year ago. By the time we “return” it, she will get any double stroller of her choosing (within reason) because it has not held up well. And we only use it four days a week for rides to and from the park… it’s not even getting tossed into a trunk or crammed through doorways. [Our cost (when we replace it) = ~$130]
The convertible double — what do you buy when your boys are 21 months apart? Why, a stroller that allows a carseat, a couple regular seats, a seated bench for the toddler, and a ridealong board… All this and a “parent tray” are promised with the Baby Trend Deluxe Sit N Stand. We were truly blessed to get this as a gift from our parents. And also lucky that (since they live far away) they don’t see the state of our porch on a regular basis. [Our cost = $0]
The double jogger– I found this Twinner Double Jogger for $100 on the Berkeley Parents Network and jumped on it immediately. If Alec can run one kid around while I sleep in, I can’t wait for the day he takes both of them out. I have to wait another five months for that day, but at least we have the wheels for it. We also think this will be a nice smooth around-town ride for the boys. [Our cost = ~$100]
All that being said, I have major double stroller lust for both the Phil & Teds E3 Buggy (with toddler converter kit) and/or the Valco with toddler seat and rider board. And single stroller envy for Whitney’s simple but sturdy Maclaren Quest. Oy vey.
Obviously we can’t justify any new stroller purchases at this point, but I’m still accepting donations 
.
ps my newborn is strapped to me in his Baby Bjorn right now for good measure… so don’t get me started on his other conveyance devices right now!
{ 4 trackbacks }
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
Good grief! Where does one keep 6 strollers??? You’d need an extra garage. have only 1 and can’t seem to find a good place for it.
My house was crammed before baby stuff started flooding in. Now I don’t know what to do with myself!
I realize that I didn’t even mention the stroller that started it all. In my quest for simplicity and a single-stroller-life, we bought the Graco Metrolite Travel System. It was a very smooth ride from home and boasted the click-in carseat feature, a large basket, and a life beyond the carseat as well. I thought Whitney and her two stroller system (snap n go and the Mac) was just silly and wasteful. Well, ha ha on me. The dang thing never fit into our trunk and drove me nuts! Nuts, I tell you.
In order to get our slim trim Chicco, I had to agree to give up the Graco. It seemed a fair trade at the time.
ps We have a back shed and a front porch. And like I said, one did get stolen from the front yard.
Mmmm…strollers…me likey. I LOVE my Valco Runabout; it’s awesome. Just have one kiddo now, and I click in his SnugRide with the car seat adaptor (there’s also a strap to use, which I do). They make a double that takes a car seat, which looks really cool, but the toddler seat for the single is pretty sweet too. You can check them both out at Waddle & Swaddle, and if you decide to add to your stroller family, they have a 15% off coupon in Berkeley’s Guide to the Good Life booklet and a 10% off coupon on their website.
Also have the Graco SnugRider for doctor office visits, etc. and a DuoGlider from Nannying sitting unused in the garage. Hmm…and I want a Mac for once kiddo is out of the carseat. I may have an addiction as well…heheh.
I’m partial to my “Combi Double Stroller” because it’s held up to many years of abuse. My kids are grown now but I still use it to cart my little niece and nephew around. I don’t fall prey to the strollers that the hollywood stars use (bugaboo) because…well…I’m just not that trendy. Plus, I can’t afford it…lol.
When our first was born we got a gift of two snap n’ gos…the Combi and the Graco. Though we had a Graco car seat, I chose the Combi b/c it folded up smaller and weighed one pound less, I think. I didn’t think I’d need the extra large basket on the Graco snap n go, but I was wrong. And I miss having cupholders sometimes, too. A flimsy attachment doesn’t cut it sometimes. But, we have a small car and it’s nice that it fits. We did like Whitney and got a Mac when the boy got older. Now, though, with a barely 2-year old and a 2 month old, I’m in the market for a double. But we’ll need a minivan just to cart one around!
I like the idea of the Sit n’ Stand deluxe, but we live in a hilly compartment so I’m thinking a double jogger should be more my style– they’ll appreciate the shock absorption and rubber tires, methinks.
To top it all off, we live in an upstairs apartment. So, no storage and it’s really not convenient to keep strollers in the house. They live in the car trunk. I have no idea what we’ll do with the double!
We now have 3, some of the same as you. We walk ALL of the time and get really good use out of our two main strollers.
1) Snap and Go-Was great after the c-section, but wasn’t secure. You have to actually strap them in, and it didn’t fit well.–Free hand-me-down. I wouldn’t have bought this one myself.
2)BOB Stroller Strides-We LOVE this stroller. We walk at least once a day and this stroller rocks. It is the heaviest, but it is the easiest to maneuver. As advertised, the single bar (versus two handles) can be pushed with one finger! Our daughter loves being in it. The sun cover is great also. It has a car seat kit and a console for your keys, drink and other stuff. Once you take out the car seat kit, you have a food and drink tray for the baby. It takes kids up to 70 lbs. I could go on and on. Bought for 20% off at REI with cash from showers.
3)Maclauren Quest-We were going to buy the Chicco C5, but it was out of stock, so we got the Quest and I’m SO glad. We leave it in the car and take it with us on flights. My husband is tall and kicked the C5. He doesn’t have to hunch for the Quest and it came with a rain cover (that we have used). Our daughter has no problem sleeping in this stroller. Paid $100 for it at BRU after great coupons.
My daughter will 21 months when #2 is born, so we are looking into what stroller(s) to add to our collection. Any feedback is welcome.
Hi Michele, the double stroller is a whole new can of worms. I’m glad you were able to figure out some stuff with minimal cash outlay. A lot of it comes down to lifestyle. Even more than budget as you can often hunt around and find some good strollers used if you know what you’re looking for.
My boys are two and four (almost the same split as yours: 21 and a half months!) and the best thing we have now is a double stroller/bike trailer. It is surprisingly maneuverable as a stroller and it’s an amazing trailer too. Burley makes it. It’s the D’lite. Very expensive (in my opinion) so I wouldn’t have it if we didn’t bike all the time. It’s too big for our car trunk so we use it when we leave from the house for a walk or ride around town.
We keep our Maclaren Triumph in the car for on-the-go usage. It fits either of them comfortably. When Milo was too little, Holden would ride in it and Milo would be Bjorned or Fauxby-wrapped.
We also have our BOB single stroller (which gets little use lately) for runs with one.
Good luck with your choices. Before doubling down on a double stroller, see what you can borrow from friends or shops. As little as a quick walk around the block with an attempt to fold it and stow it ought to give you some ideas.
My boys are now 5 and 3 and this post could use some updating. We have the Burley D’Lite as the last hanger-on in the double stroller wars that once plagued us. We also still cling to the MacLaran for travel.
While it is totally expensive (boo) and does not fit in the car (double boo), it makes up for those minuses by being a convenient bike trailer that converts into a stroller easily when we get to our destinations and/or a great neighborhood stroller roomy enough for kids and/or groceries. Love it!
While I’m on my forth stroller, it’s the only one we have. I had the monstor travel system in which I sold ASAP, then went to a umbrella, which was waaaay too small for us. Got a light weight from Combi that broke down after 6 months and now i’m on my final and favorite stroller, the Britax Blink.
BTW, have you seen the new B-Ready Stroller system from britax? It’s quite out of my price range, but oh so cool. It can convert into a million different configurations, including infant car seats, a bassinet, infant and toddler or double stroller.
http://www.britaxusa.com/strollers/b-ready/videos